At WES, we are all so grateful for the connections and relationships we make with our families and community partners. It was so nice to see so many families during parent/teacher conferences. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to meet with us! We hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving with family and friends.

~Kelli Colarusso

Hello WES families,

As cold and flu season kicks into full swing, I want to take a minute to remind everyone of when to keep your child(ren) home.

• A fever (100.4 or greater): Student can return to school when they are fever free for 24 hours, without fever reducing medication

• Any ear, eye, throat, or other infection requiring antibiotics - Must be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school
• Bronchitis, RSV, flu, COVID-19 or any other viral respiratory illnesses
• Gastrointestinal upset- vomiting or diarrhea: Any viral GI upset
• Skin rashes that are not easily identified
• Severe colds with excessive cough, mucus, and nose drainage
• Child is unusually tired, pale, and irritable

If you are calling your child(ren) out of school with a fever (100.4 or greater) please expect a call back from the school nurse to discuss.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above information, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you and stay healthy!

~Alexa Kerry

November 23rd-25th - Thanksgiving Recess - No School

December 7th - Early Release for Students - Dismissal starts at 1:05pm for Bus 73 (Bus 1), followed by parent pick up at 3:10pm and Bus 74 (Bus 2).

December 12th - Washington School Board Meeting 6:00pm in the art room

December 15th - Author Chris Van Dusen will be Zooming with each class during their library time to learn about his process as an author/illustrator.

December 22nd-30th - Holiday Recess - No School

January 9th - Washington School Board Meeting 6:00pm in the art room

January 11th - Early Release for Students - Dismissal starts at 1:05pm for Bus 73 (Bus 1), followed by parent pick up at 3:10pm and Bus 74 (Bus 2).

January 16th - MLK Jr./Civil Rights Day - No School

There is a new calendar on the hdsd.org website that includes events from each of the SAU #34 schools. You can click on/off the schools that you want and subscribe for updates. To learn more go to: https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/Domain/8 and scroll down to the calendar. On the left, there is an "About" section that explains how to use the calendar. You can also find the calendar on the Washington homepage: https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/Domain/200

Thanks to the Duncan-Jenkins Trust, WES received funding for some exciting events for our students. Some of these events include performances or family nights so I wanted to give you the dates WAY ahead of time so that you could mark your calendars. More detailed information about the events will come closer to the dates.

April 7th - Circus Residency Demo Show - Families will be invited - 1:00pm

May 5th - *Tentatively* Children's Stage Adventures Performance - This theatre residency program includes each student in our school. Children's Stage Adventures is a long-standing tradition at WES but was rescheduled multiple times due to Covid-19. There have been some changes in the company but it is our hope that we will be able to have this residency May 1st-5th. If that happens, the show will be the evening of May 5th.

May 25th - Creativity Family Event - We were very fortunate to receive a grant that includes a visit from author Peter Reynolds, workshops for students, teacher professional development, and animation software that will be used during students' specials time. This programming also includes a family event on the evening of May 25th. Please save the date!

Unfortunately, due to the amount of trading and arguments that are affecting learning times, Pokemon cards will not be allowed at school or on the bus after the Thanksgiving break. Please have your student keep their cards at home. If cards are taken out during the school day, they will be given to Mrs. Colarusso and a family member will be called to pick them up. During recess, hopefully our students will make the choice to join in on a group game or spend their time enjoying the outdoors with their friends!

Thank you!

During November and December, students will be learning about Habit #1 - Be Proactive and Habit #3 - Put First Things First. Here is some student-friendly language to help you reinforce the habits at home:

Habit 1 - Be Proactive:

• I take initiative.
• I am a responsible person.
• I do not blame others for my mistakes.
• I choose my actions and attitudes.
• I am a Transition Person. (Students will learn what this means during specific lessons.)

Habit 3 - Put First Things First:

• My spend my time on my highest priorities.
• I say no to time-wasters.
• I make a schedule and stick to it.
• I get assignments done on time.
• I am organized.

Be on the lookout for HOWLer awards brought home by your students. In recognition for following any of our 7 Habits, staff members will give out HOWLer awards at each whole school morning meeting on Fridays. These are great awards to hang on your fridge at home!

At the end of the month, all students who received a HOWLer award will be put into a drawing to have lunch with our local police officers. We will be combining November and December because they are such short months. Moving forward, we will be choosing 1 student from each class for the lunches.

We hope this helps students understand that ANYONE can be a leader when they are following the 7 Habits of Wolf Leaders.

If your family is experiencing difficulties at home, we would like to provide additional support at school. We understand that you are not always able to give details and that's okay. If your student is coming to school after a difficult night, morning, or weekend, please feel free to send in a note that simply says "Handle with Care." This will let us know that your student may need a little extra time, patience, or help during the day.

Teachers will follow up with an update about how your student's day went but we do not need more information other than to know how your student is doing in the coming days. We hope that this helps bridge communication between the school and families in order to best support all children.

Each month I will highlight a different community resource. If there is one that you think would be particularly helpful for WES families, please let me know! Previous resources will be linked below so that you always have access to learning more if you'd like to.

August's Highlight: West Central Behavioral Health

September's Highlight: 211 NH

October's Highlight: Washington Welfare Office and Holiday Gift Program

This month's highlight: Healthy Starts

Healthy Starts

From their website: The Healthy Starts team of social workers, nurses and home visitors partner with families to offer parenting education, connection to resources, and support to build resiliency.

They work with families who are expecting children or have young children and provide a wide-array of services.

Call 603-352-2253 for more information, see the link below, or contact Kelli Colarusso to help you fill out a referral form.

School lunches can be PURCHASED this year for the following prices:

Breakfast: $1.50

Lunch: $2.60

Milk: $0.40

Reduced Breakfast: $0.00

Reduced Lunch: $0.40

We encourage ALL families to fill out the free and reduced lunch application. This application helps our school obtain federal grant money which funds our Early Learning program, special programs for students, and training for teachers. Without this funding, these programs would not be possible with our current budget. If you do not think you would qualify or you do not want to use the free/reduced lunch service, we understand but still ask that you fill out the application.

You can apply online here: https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ApplicationScreen.aspx

A paper application is attached and will be sent home on the first day of school.

How to Pay for Lunch:

Each week, Barbara Jackson will send home envelopes with your child's balance written on it. Please return the envelope with cash or check payable to Washington School District with enough money for that week's meals. Please also indicate which days your child will be getting lunch to help Barbara plan. Thank you!

If you know of any new students in the area or incoming kindergarteners, please give them the information below about how to register. Our Early Learning Program currently has a waitlist but families can register to be added to the waitlist and to ensure they are on our list for next year.

If you need to reach the school for any reason, please call the main office at 495-3463. If someone does not answer, please leave a message. We check messages frequently throughout the day, but there is not always someone at the front desk, as we all wear many hats!

If there are changes to your child's dismissal routine, please make sure to leave a message on the office phone before 2:30pm, as opposed to emailing Dawn or the teacher. Our teachers often do not have time to check their emails throughout the day and may miss the message, so a phone call is best. Please do not leave messages about dismissal or absences on the school Facebook page or any staff member's personal Facebook page.

In the event that internet is down, our phones are also down. We do have one emergency phone to use if this happens. The number for that phone is 603-495-0187. There is no way to leave a message on this line. Please only use this number if you try the main line and it does not ring or gives you a busy signal.

If there's ever anything we can do to improve our communication, please let us know!

If you ever have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I typically get to school by 7:45am, and I stay until about 4:30 (sometimes later!). I teach on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays so you may not reach me right away those days, but if you leave a message, I will give you a call when I am available. Email is also a great way to get a hold of me.

Email: kcolarusso@hdsd.org
Website: https://www.hdsd.org/Domain/200
Phone: 603-495-3463
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Washington-Elementary-School-110720773888378
Twitter: @MrsColarussoWES