Good Morning Memorial Families,
We hope that the transition back to school was a successful one for you. We found that our students benefitted from a good review of routines and expectations and we did that in classrooms, in the hallways, in the cafeteria, and during our All School Meeting on Friday afternoon. During the All School Meeting, we read the book What if Everybody Did That? It is one of my favorite teaching books because the illustrations beautifully depict what would happen if everyone did that "just one small thing" that was not expected. For example, what if everybody threw a piece of food in the cafeteria, or what if everybody spoke out of turn. The story very sweetly reminded us at the end that there are times when it would be wonderful if everybody in the world did something- like hug a loved one. To help us at school, it would be wonderful if you reviewed some of the behaviors that we expect in different areas by taking a look at our RISE matrix with your child. It is shared directly below this message.
It is hard to believe that we are already beginning to think about the 2023-2024 school year, but we are! If you have a child turning five on or before August 31st, they are eligible to begin kindergarten. We will be holding a kindergarten information night on January 25th at 6:00pm in the cafeteria at Memorial. We will cover kindergarten readiness, a general overview of a day in the life of a kindergartener, and what you can expect in the first few months of school. We will also provide you with some tips and ideas for how to help you with the transition into a full day of school. If you know someone with a child entering kindergarten next year who does not receive this newsletter, feel free to direct them to our school website to get more information. We will also be holding a separate virtual information night for families interested in learning more about our Spanish Immersion program here in MURSD. That is scheduled for February 2nd, with a time and zoom link TBD.
As a reminder, this coming Friday, January 13th, is a scheduled early release day for students so our teachers can continue their professional development. We will have teachers continuing work of a variety of topics from standards alignment and assessment, to curriculum mapping, to different trainings to support student social and emotional needs. We will begin dismissal for students at approximately 12:10pm. Next Monday, January 16th we do not have school due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Warmly,
Lauren and Wendy
