Welcome Back from Spring Break
Monday, April 29, 2024 - few items added after 4.20.24
The last day of school is Friday, June 14. It is an early release for students.
Career Day!
The third annual SMS Career Day is this Friday, May 3. Students have been talking about which careers they want to learn more about for weeks. We expect it to be a day of curiosity and excitement.
SMS Monthly Essential - Creatvity
Welcome to a month dedicated to nurturing creativity within our community! Creativity is about all forms of art. It's a mindset that encourages problem-solving, expression, and innovation. Let's embrace activities that inspire imagination, whether it's painting, cooking, or building forts out of blankets. By engaging in creative endeavors together, we not only bond as a community of learners but also cultivate skills like critical thinking and resilience. Let's embark on this journey of exploration, celebrating the unique talents and ideas that each of us brings to our community.
Stratham School Board Vacancy
The Stratham School Board is looking to fill a vacant seat. Please see the letter linked below for details.
Incoming Kindergarten Students
If you have a child joining SMS Kindergarten next year, please read the updated K Orientation Letter.
Courage According to Kindergarten
SMS Kicks Off Spring Break
Friday, April 19 was one for the memory books. Students and staff participated in various Earth Day activities from learning more about recycling, electric cars, local animal species, various ecosystems, bees, and erosion. In between the myriad of learning experiences, students also jumped for a cause. At 2:00pm, the Earth Day Poetry Contest winners shared their poems with everyone! And, then to top it all off, the SMS Student Council performed "The Lorax" for the school. Every minute of the day was perfect.
Earth Day
Flowers vs. Trash by Athena Davis
Let flowers feed you
Trash is art with you
Earth is life
Trash is helpful with you
Bees are flowers
Trash is home
Let life grow
Flowers win,
Because it is good to have to survive
Earth by Riley Curran
I walk down the street and what do I see?
It's an empty tin can that used to hold peas.
I pick it up and throw it out and what else do I see?
A squashed and stepped on rotten frisbee?
But wait!
It's not!
I must be mistaken.
It's a soggy and old empty package of bacon!
I throw it out and continue my stroll,
but five steps later, I see a toiler paper roll!
I pick it up and throw it out.
I'm starting to wonder what this is all about.
The Earth is our home and we must treat it with care.
With a clean community here, and a clean community there.
You should not litter, no, that is not kind,
And you should respect Earth, always, at any time.
SMS Student Council Rocks The Lorax!
No Plastic Just Earth by Emma Ritchie and Lila Megna
Plastic is not fantastic.
Earth is awesome.
Our Earth is lovely,
but pollution is making it not so lovely,
making it ugly.
The Earth is our to like,
so don't make a fight.
All the places we see,
the meadows, mountains, ponds, and tress.
We will share our Earth,
together with ease.
Our Earth is important
for all and you and me.
We live on this Earth.
So we should respect it indeed.
Jump for a Cause
Stratham School Board April Meeting Summary
For greater transparency and improved communication, the SMS board will now be sending out summaries of their meetings via three digital newsletters and the SMS PTO Facebook page. Financially, there is a larger than usual fund balance this year due to the inability to fill positions and other unexpected expense reductions. The school calendar was approved and students will have two full weeks off for the December holiday break. The Building Committee is doing due diligence to understand what the structural and academic "must haves" vs "wants" are for a massive SMS building renovation to be financially prudent. One board member announced their early departure from the board due to increased work obligations so the board is seeking to fill their remaining 11 months on the board. Interested applicants should check the SMS homepage. Ms. Lucas updated the board that school breakfast is $2.00, lunch is $3.35, and there are 36 students receiving free or reduced lunches. The SMS water has slightly high levels of PFOAs so the school is looking into remediation which will likely have full reimbursement from NH Dept of Environmental Services.
This summary was pulled from the full public minutes which can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rClLrDXmJ_CNBoP5VMrVGt4UzvlMzjt8/view. If you have questions, please come to the next board meeting on May 15th at 6pm at SMS or email our Board Chair, Jennifer Scrafford at jscrafford@sau16.org.
SMS 2024-2025 Academic Calendar
Career Day
Friday, May 3, 2024, 08:30 AM
Stratham Memorial School, Gifford Farm Road, Stratham, NH, USA
Stratham 5K - Miracles from Mimi
Sunday, May 5, 2024, 09:00 AM
Stratham Memorial School, Gifford Farm Road, Stratham, NH, USA
Multi-Tiered System of Supports Information Night
The SMS Framework Team's presentation is intended to provide an overview of the key elements within our MTSS and how they each directly impact our students. We will further explore the ways in which we gather, analyze, and utilize data to inform our practice and improve the learning experiences of our students.