Doyon News
Friday May 8, 2026
Hello, Paul F. Doyon Memorial School Families! πΎ
Our teachers returned to the building on Monday to find their doors beautifully decorated, highlighting so many of the wonderful traits that make our staff special. Your kindness lifted everyoneβs spirits as we kicked off Teacher Appreciation Week. If you havenβt had a moment yet, please reach out and "thank a teacher" - it means the world to them!
A major "thank you" goes out to Ms. Bendezu and our talented students! The Art Show was an incredible success. We were so impressed by the creativity and hard work our young artists poured into their pieces!
Our students have been busy explorers lately! Itβs been wonderful to see so many grade levels engaging with our community:
Kindergarten had a blast visiting Newbury Farm.
Grade 1 enjoyed a fun-filled day at Appleton Farms.
Grades 2 & 3 stayed curious with a visit from Change is Simple.
Grade 4 took a deep dive into nature at Joppa Flats.
Grade 5 welcomed guest, Larry Mann, for a curriculum-focused cultural immersion experience!
Our Teacher Appreciation CARES assembly on Thursday went off without a hitch! The energy was through the roof as students competed in our first-ever school-wide game show to guess the phrase: "We Love Our Teachers!"
Please join us in telling your students how proud we are of their focus during MCAS testing. They have worked so hard to "show what they know!" We also want to send a huge shout-out to our coordinator, Nicole Twomey, for her seamless organization of these sessions. Excellent work, everyone!
As we continue to navigate this busy spring season, please keep a close eye on our upcoming communications and listed events. There are so many exciting activities planned during the school day, in the evenings, and on the weekends - you won't want to miss a thing!
As always, we are here to support you and your learners. Please don't hesitate to reach out!
Warmly,
Mr. Whitehouse-Mullen & Mrs. Benincasa
Thank you for supporting our Movie Night last Friday! With your help, our Early Act students raised $1390 for Autism Speaks! We are so grateful to the Doyon teachers/staff who volunteered at the event (Mrs. Cardew, Ms. Digby, and Ms. Marino) and to the teachers who bagged the popcorn prior to the event (Mrs. Morin, Mrs. Zawadski, Ms. Woodworth, and Mrs. Titus). Thanks as well to our parent volunteers, Mrs. Halecki and Mrs. Erickson, our Rotary Mentor, Ms. Manikas and the other Rotarians who volunteered. And of course, thank you to Mr. Mullen and Ms. Benincasa for their support. We are also so appreciative of our custodial staff, Scott and Riley who helped prep and clean up. All of the Doyon Early Act Team's community service projects help them learn about the Rotary motto, "Service above Self".
On Tuesday, May 12, Salter Transportation will conduct bus evacuation training for students during morning drop-off at Doyon (around 8:30 AM). Please note that in the event of heavy rain, drivers will give a verbal presentation instead of having students practice exiting through the rear of the bus.
This year, our elementary and middle school students will trade their classrooms for the sand and surf at Crane's Beach on Wednesday, June 17th (Rain Date: Monday, June 22nd).
Beach Day is a cherished Ipswich tradition that dates back to 1911. It began when the Crane family invited all the town's children to a massive beach picnic to celebrate their son Corneliusβs 6th birthday. Over a century later, we are proud to continue this wonderful legacy.
Members of our amazing Student Leadership Team (SLT) are continuing to do a wonderful job starting each day with C.A.R.E.S. reminders! Way to lead by example, SLT!
ππ»ββοΈDOYON A-THON IS BACK! ππ»ββοΈ
Run, have fun, and support our school!
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π Event Date: June 3
βRain Date: June 8
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π₯What is the Doyon A-Thon?
An exciting annual event where students run laps around the back of the school to help raise money.
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π What to Expect:
Students run as many laps as they can
Volunteers stamp bibs for each lap completed
Lots of cheering, music, and school spirit
Friendly competition to see who can complete the most laps
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π§‘Itβs All About FUN!
No pressureβjust movement, laughter, and community spirit!
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π How You Can Help:
Encourage your student to participate
Volunteer to help stamp laps or cheer runners
Support fundraising efforts
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Letβs make this yearβs Doyon A-Thon the best one yet!
ππ»ββοΈ Run. Cheer. Celebrate. ππ»ββοΈ
Upcoming Important Dates
π Tuesday, 5/5 Art Show π¨ 5-6:30pm
π Wednesday, 5/6 π² Walk, Bike, Roll to school
π Wednesday, 6/3 Doyon-a-thon ππ»ββοΈππ»ββοΈ
6/8 β Rain date
π Tuesday, 6/9 Field day
6/10 β Rain date
Drop & Swap
Drop between 10:00 - 12:00 and Shop between 12:00 - 2:00
Small Business Fair
May 16th 12:00 - 2:00 PM
Hello Doyon Families!
Spring is here! This week we saw plenty of seasonal allergy symptoms and bug bites! If necessary, please apply sunscreen and bug spray before school! Also, please remember to check for ticks at the end of the day!
We are seeing scattered cases of strep - mostly in the lower grades. Remember that strep can present with headache and GI symptoms.
Also, thank you so much to FRIES for providing Doyon with these amazing bike racks! We had a wonderfully successful bike to school day and hope to welcome more bike riders in the coming weeks - please feel free to park your bikes by the preschool entrance near the shed.
Mary Sforza RN, MSN, NCSN
Curious about school safety procedures? Take a peek at the documents displayed below. These documents are shared with students at the start of the school year by Detective Joe Perna, our School Resource Officer. The documents may serve as a guide to support families in discussing school safety. As always, please be in touch with questions around school safety at the Paul F. Doyon Memorial School.