Happy 2023 WHES Families!

As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday tomorrow, it made me think about our work in building our Big Rock #3, "to continuously build an anti-racist community." As a staff, we are in our second year of working with The Equity Imperative, a group that "envisions the day when all organizations become sanctuary sites for equity." This work has been to look deeply at our biases, and to open our minds and hearts to the importance of equity, anti-racism, and ultimately acceptance and love.

The work of MLK is still instrumental in everything we do. For our kids, we have to practice, preach, and hand the baton over to them. As MLK stated, "

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

—“I Have a Dream,” Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 1963

Please take some time over the next week to share one of MLK's quotes or try out one of the ideas listed below.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday!
-Sue

Staffing Updates:

Marlene Lunt (City Connects Coordinator): Mrs Lunt is retiring this month.We wish her all the best as she transitions to new adventures! We are happy to announce that Heather Perry will be joining us as our new City Connects Coordinator on January 30th. Heather has worked at the Bentley School and has had experience with City Connects.

Kelly Cronin: (STEM Teacher) :Mrs. Cronin has taken a position as a PreK teacher in Gloucester. This is a bittersweet decision as she has loved her work here, but is excited to be both closer to home and working with little ones again. We wish her all the best in her new position!

Lauri Panneton (Grade 1 Teacher): Mrs. Panneton has decided to retire early. We wish her all the best in her retirement and wish her health and happiness.

January 16th: No School

January 19th: Early Childhood Virtual Expo

January 25th: Early Release Day

Attendance: In the event that your child becomes ill and needs to stay home please call the office to report your childs's absence at (978) 740-1271 option 3

Recess: We will continue to go outdoors for recess. Please dress children appropriately for the colder weather. When temperatures fall below 20 degrees including the wind chill, students will be kept indoors.

Arrival/Dismissal: We need your help in ensuring safety for all during arrival and dismissal. Please remain in your vehicle at all times. Place your child's car seat on the passengers side so they can exit the vehicle safety. If you need assist child with receiving items from your trunk, we kindly as you to park in one of our visitor spots.

Lost and Found: Tis the season of missing hats, gloves, and sweatshirts! Many of these items have no names and will sadly not be returned. It would be greatly appreciated if you can write your child's name of their belongings to ensure their items can be returned.

Dear Witchcraft Families,

Over the past couple of months, several students have come forward with a request to launch a Rainbow Club at WHES. This optional club would be a safe space to:

• discuss the many aspects of our identities and honoring our true selves

• discuss and implement strategies to create a more inclusive community

• share resources related to gender and inclusive communities

• read and discuss books on inclusivity

• create artwork to reflect and show pride in our identities

We have a few students who have come forward and would like to support our start up of this group, and we will be working with a few educators from across Salem Public Schools to learn about best practices and resources to ensure safe spaces are available for our students. Once up and running, the Rainbow Club will meet once a week during morning meeting time, and will be open to all students who wish to learn more about identity and inclusivity. Meetings will be facilitated by Joanna Davis (literacy coach), Isa Daher (inclusion teacher) and Sandi Santanello (4th grade para teacher).

These can include any ASPEN or PARENT SQUARE Challenges!

As a reminder, ALL FAMILIES MUST be on PARENT SQUARE as this is our main communication tool!