Phenomenal Phelps Facts
Week of October 12, 2026
Message from Ms. Scheufele
Wishing all of our families a wonderful and relaxing long weekend! After a busy week at school, we hope this extra day off gives everyone a chance to slow down, spend quality time together, and recharge. We look forward to seeing students back refreshed and ready to learn on Tuesday!
Name the Circle Winners!
Mitchell Ferreira, Phelps Name the Circle winner from last year, and two of our student council members, Liam O'Meara and Declan Fitzpatrick (see photo below), helped our PTO to draw the winning tickets.
Mitchell drew the two winning names:
Winning ticket: Ella Smith, Grade 2--Our back circle will be named after her on a street sign.
Runner-Up: Myles Marchand, Grade 1--He will receive 4 Water Park Day Passes to Great Wolf Lodge.
(see photo above)
We have raised over $15,000 on this fundraiser so far. Woo-hoo! The Phelps PTO is still counting totals to determine the top selling class overall (they will win the ice cream party) and the top seller from each grade (each top seller will get a personal "shopping spree" at our Phelps Holiday Shop). Stay tuned for those announcements.
Way to go, Phelps! Thank you so much to our Phelps families for helping to raise money to support future assemblies, field day, field trip bus costs, and so much more!
Phelps Third Annual Trunk or Treat Night--October 23, 2026
Phelps Third Annual Trunk or Treat Night--October 23, 2026
Phelps Trunk or Treat will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026 from 5:00-6:00 pm. The event is earlier than usual due to the RHS Homecoming Game. Come in your costumes and visit our staff members' decorated cars for a treat. An adult must accompany all students who participate. This is not a drop-off event.
Due to the size of our school, and the fact that this is a free event, trunk or treaters are limited to Phelps Elementary School students only or their younger siblings. This event is open to students in grade 4 or younger. Please no scary masks or pretend weapons. This is an event for our young students and their families.
Please sign up here by Friday, October 16, 2026 if you plan to come to this event. We need an accurate count to plan for enough treats. Indicate your child(ren)'s name and grade using the link below.
If you wish to help our staff in providing candy to our large population of students, and can donate a bag of wrapped candy, please indicate below and deliver the donation to the office by Monday, October 19, so that we can plan accordingly. We are looking forward to this event! Thank you!
Project Pumpkin 2026
Project Pumpkin Details:
When: Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Activities:
Trick or Treating
Haunted Hallway
Face Painting
Balloon Artist
Admission: $5 per family (Bring a canned food donation to get discounted entry for $3)
Exploring New English Language Arts Curricula
The Esten Early Childhood Center, Phelps Elementary School, and Rogers Middle School have received PRISM grants from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to explore and select high-quality instructional materials for English Language Arts (ELA).
Over the past year, a committee of educators from our schools researched and reviewed several ELA programs. This fall, we will take the next step by piloting three DESE-approved ELA curricula in grades K-4 from October 13 through December 11, 2026:
- EL Education
- Amplify CKLA
- Arts & Letters
All three programs are aligned with the Massachusetts standards for English Language Arts. Our goal is to learn which curriculum will best meet the needs of our students and teachers here in Rockland.
We also want families to have an opportunity to learn more and share their feedback. We will hold a parent/guardian information session in December where families can see the materials, learn more about the programs, and provide input as we consider the best choice for our students.
Stay tuned for the date and time of the December information session. We look forward to partnering with you in this important process!
The Phelps Gear store is now available for families who need to refresh their child's house shirt or want to add a hoodie, sticker, or something Phelps related to their wardrobe! These items are printed on demand, shipped to you, and not marked up at all as a fundraiser for Phelps, so they are the lowest possible cost. Spreadshirt (see link in graphic above), the company hosting the store, frequently runs sales of 20-30%, so be sure to wait for those dates to save the most money!
Multicultural Family Resource Night
Hosted By: RPS ELPAC
Date: October 15
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Rockland High School – Cafeteria
What to Expect
An evening focused on fun, community connection, support, and helpful resources for families.
Fall Picture Day--October 16
Save the Date: Phelps Fall Picture Day!
Date: Friday, October 16, 2026
Retake Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
All students will have their picture taken by Geskus Photography, regardless of whether you order a photo package.
Why every student needs a photo:
Student identification in Aspen
Inclusion in the Grade 4 yearbook
Please ensure your child is present for picture day!
Rockland Public Schools District Calendar
Important Upcoming Events in October!
October 12--NO SCHOOL--Columbus & Indigenous Peoples' Day
October 15--Community Resource Fair at RHS--sponsored by RPS ML Department, 6:00 pm
October 16: Fall Phelps Picture Day (retake December 1)
October 17: Project Pumpkin at RHS
October 22: Early Release Day--Phelps Elementary Dismissal; 10:45 am
- Be sure an adult is at the bus stop or able to pick your child up for the 10:45 am dismissal.
- Lunch will be served in school to those who order it.
October 23--Trunk or Treat 5:00-6:00 pm (early due to RHS Homecoming Game)
October 28 & 29--Grade 4 Pumpkin Catapult Olympics--8:00-10:00am
- October 28: Lake Pod
- October 29: Forest Pod
October 30--Our First House Gathering (in School)
- Please do not wear costumes. Students can come to Project Pumpkin (October 17--RHS) or Trunk or Treat (October 23--Phelps) and wear costumes to those events.
- Students are encouraged to wear their house shirt or house colors for our first House Gathering.
- We will be having a special House Gathering on this day in school for students to participate in a fun fall activity.
Phelps Elementary Parent Contact Guide
We want every family to know who to contact for questions, concerns, or support. Here’s a quick guide to help you connect with the right person:
Main Office Issues:
Nichole Dever, Administrative Assistant, ndever@rocklandschools.org--Questions/Information about attendance, records, court documents, address/email changes, general school information, registration/enrollment, moving/withdrawal
Brenda Mallar-Reske, Administrative Assistant, bmallar-reske@rocklandschools.org--Kid Account/Dismissal changes and questions
Principal
Michelle Scheufele, mscheufele@rocklandschools.org– Oversees school vision, daily classroom visits, curriculum, instruction, and social-emotional learning. Contact for schoolwide questions or issues needing additional attention.
Grades 1 & 2 (First Floor)
Administrator: Kelsey Holbrook--kholbrook@rocklandschools.org
School Adjustment Counselor: Sarina Beauzile--sarinabeauzile@rocklandschools.org
Grades 3 & 4 (Second Floor)
Administrator: Chase Eschauzier--chaseeschauzier@rocklandschools.org
School Adjustment Counselor: Holly Gage-hgage@rocklandschools.org
Additional Student Services
Amanda MacMillan – Special Education Coordinator, amacmillan@rocklandschools.org
Contact for questions about special education evaluations and IEP process.Allie Sgambato – School Psychologist, asgambato@rocklandschools.org
Provides evaluations, IEP services, and crisis support.Beth Peckham – School Psychologist, epeckham@rocklandschools.org
Supports Phelps part-time with evaluations and IEP services.Shani McGarry--School Nurse, smcgarry@rocklandschools.org
Contact for medical questions and issues.
Parent Tips
✅ For classroom or day-to-day issues, always start with your child’s teacher.
✅ For grade-level or social-emotional concerns, contact the administrator or adjustment counselor for your child’s grade.
✅ For special education questions, contact your child's special education teacher first. If you have further issues or questions, contact the administrator for your child's grade (Mrs. Holbrook or Mr. E).
✅ For schoolwide questions or issues needing additional attention, contact Principal Scheufele.
Main Office and Guidance Staff
If you have any questions or concerns, here are some staff members you can call or email:
Nichole Dever, School Administrative Assistant, ndever@rocklandschools.org
Brenda Mallar-Reske, Administrative Assistant (Kidaccount/Dismissal), bmallar-reske@rocklandschools.org
Michelle Scheufele, Principal, mscheufele@rocklandschools.org
Kelsey Holbrook, Assistant Principal for Grades 1 & 2 & Title One Director, kholbrook@rocklandschools.org
Chase Eschauzier, Assistant Principal for Grades 3 & 4, chaseeschauzier@rocklandschools.org
Amanda MacMillan, Phelps Special Education Coordinator, amacmillan@rocklandschools.org
Allison Sgambato, School Psychologist, asgambato@rocklandschools.org
Elizabeth Peckham, School Psychologist, epeckham@rocklandschools.org
Sarina Beauzile, School Adjustment Counselor for Grades 1 & 2, sarinabeauzile@rocklandschools.org
Holly Gage, School Adjustment Counselor for Grades 3 & 4, hgage@rocklandschools.org
Shani McGarry, Nurse, smcgarry@rocklandschools.org
Morgan Tiro, CNA, morgantiro@rocklandschools.org
