Horgan Family Update
October 5, 2026
Hello Horgan Families,
It was great to see so many students and families at open house in September. We hope you enjoyed touring the school building and visiting with all our faculty and staff. Here is the link to the Open House slidedeck we shared if you need to reference it. Additionally, we will be partnering with the YMCA to run an after school enrichment program. If interested, please fill out this form.
Since the beginning of the school year, our students and teachers have been working hard to build and practice school routines and expectations during the month of September. October will bring much excitement as fall is now upon us. Halloween will be here before we know it. Costumes will not be worn on the days in and around Halloween. Instead we encourage children to wear Halloween themed clothing or fall colors.
Students are becoming more responsible and increasingly independent as we reinforce and practice these routines. With this said, there are still many things they need adult help and support for both before and after school:
Unpacking backpacks, folders, and/or binders nightly- Please go through your child's backpack with them. Take out any papers that need to be taken out and review them together. Please return anything that needs to be signed or completed.
Ask your child questions about their work- When work comes home, ask your child to explain it to you and share what they are doing. You may start noticing students explain their work using specific vocabulary they're learning in class.
Set a positive tone for school in the morning- Review expectations with your child for trying their best, being kind, safe, respectful, and responsible during the day. Make sure home toys stay at home and only what they need for their school day is packed in their backpack. Make sure your child knows if they have home lunch or if they need to order a school lunch.
We know that many of our students and their families lead very busy lives, especially with all the extra curricular activities that take place outside of school. However, we strongly feel when our families are engaged in their child's educational experiences, students feel more empowered and connected to their learning.
We greatly appreciate all your help you do to engage with your child's educational experience here at Horgan! As always, any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or the office for help.
With much appreciation,
Mrs. Furtado and Mrs. Bouchard
As previously shared we have a new School Committee Policy for devices such as smart watches, phones, Chromebooks, etc. Please reference the button below to access the policy.
Dear RI CLSD Community,
The Rhode Island Literacy Learning Lab has developed Family and Tutor Toolkits to help caregivers and tutors support children with reading, writing, and math challenges at home—including those related to dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.
These kits are designed to be practical, easy to use, and grounded in evidence-based strategies. No specialized training is required to use these kits.
An informational flyer with additional details about the toolkits can be found here. We encourage you to share these resources with building principals and families in your network to help expand access to supportive tools and reinforce student learning beyond the classroom. The flyer explains the purpose of the toolkits, identifies who they are designed to support, and includes a QR code for easy access to the resources. Each kit is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
The kits can also be found on the RIDE Learning Lab webpage at this link.
Provided here is a list of resources to support you in sharing these kits with families in your school or network during events such as Back to School night:
RIDE Learning Lab webpage (go to Family & Tutor Toolkits to find the full collection of Family and Tutor Toolkits)
In partnership,
The RIDE Literacy Team
October 6th- Virtual PTO meeting at 7 pm
Monday, October 12th- No School- Columbus Day
October 15th- SIT meeting at 8 am.
October 21st- Local Advisory Committee meeting at WHES
October 30th- PBIS parade during school
November 3rd- No School, Election Day
Picture re-take day- November 4
November 25-27- No School, Thanksgiving break
Winter Parent Teacher Conferences- Wednesday, December 2 **Half Day for Students**
January 20th- Local Advisory Committee meeting at WHES
March 24th- Local Advisory Committee meeting at WHES
May 11th- Local Advisory Committee meeting at WHES
West Warwick Public Schools Website - links to the bus routes, Sodexo School Lunches, calendar and more
John F. Horgan Elementary School
Phone- 401-822-8449
Fax- 401-822-8475
Principal: Mrs. Elizabeth (Betsy) Furtado
efurtado@westwarwickpublicschools.com
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Jenna Boucahrd
jbouchard@westwarwickpublicschools.com
Website: https://sites.google.com/westwarwickpublicschools.com/horganschool/home