The RES Reporter: Oct. 22, 2026
Important Dates
October 23
Gr 4 UNH Ocean Discovery Day Field Trip (8:20-1:30 PM)
RES Production of Surfules (6:00 PM)
October 24
RES Production of Surfules (2:00 PM)
October 25
Trunk or Treat (3:30-5:00 PM)
October 26
Fire Dept. Visits K for Health/WL
October 29
Kindergarten Field Trip to Portsmouth Music Hall
October 30
Halloween Parade and Assembly (8:30 AM)
Kindergarten to Webster at Rye (10:15-11:30 AM)
November 3
Teacher Conference Day (NO STUDENTS!)
PTA Meeting (6:30 PM)
November 4
Penguin Lady Visits Grades K-4
Fun Sock Day!
November 5
Picture Retake Day
PAC Meeting (8:00 AM)
November 6
Veteran's Day Assembly (8:30 AM)
IMPORTANT FAMILY DATES THIS YEAR!
*These are dates that are NOT on the school calendar and may require an adjustment to your work/life calendar in order to attend? I will say that dates are subject to change due to weather days/conflicts but we will do everything we can to keep them!
December 10: Mall in the Hall (1:00-2:30 PM, holiday shopping for families)
January 15: Music Concert (Grades 3 & 4 only from 8:30-9:00 AM, Families Invited)
April 9: Music Concert (Grades K-2 only from 8:30-9:00 AM, Families Invited)
April 16: Earth Day Assembly (8:30-9:00 AM, Families Invited)
May 14: French Assembly (8:30-9:00 AM, Families Invited)
May 18-20: NH State Testing for Grades 3 and 4
May 28: Field Day Grades K-4
June 15: Kindergarten Picnic on the Commons (10:00 AM, no rain date)
June 16: Last Day for Kindergarten
June 17: Grade 4 Moving On Ceremony (9:00 AM)
Celebrations of Growth (Grade 2 at 2:00 PM, Grade 3 at 1:15 PM and Grade 1 at 10:15 AM)
A Note from Mrs. Pitts and MRS. ARSENAULT
Dear Families,
As we continue to navigate a time when many families across our country are feeling the effects of financial and emotional stress, we want to acknowledge how challenging this can be. Rising costs and economic uncertainty can bring added strain to households and affect many aspects of daily life.
At school, we understand that financial pressures can impact both children and parents in different ways. Please know that we are here to support our students and families, not only academically but emotionally and socially as well. If your family is experiencing stress related to finances, or if you notice that it’s affecting your child emotionally or academically, I encourage you to reach out. I can help connect you with local resources, offer emotional support, or simply provide a safe space to talk.
Together, we can make sure our students continue to feel secure, cared for, and ready to learn — even during difficult times. Please call or email Lori Arsenault, RES School Counselor (larsenault@sau50.org) or Michelle Pitts, RES Principal (mpitts@sau50.org) and trust that we will respect your privacy and support you in any way we can.
With warmth and encouragement,
Lori Arsenault ❤️
Community Resources for Support
GATHER
Learn more about this amazing organization and the support they provide with Pantry and Mobile Markets HERE. You must be a member of GATHER before signing up for their holiday distribution, so please SIGN UP HERE if you have a need. The holidays are approaching, and we will provide more information about the support offered through this seacoast resource in the weeks to come.
End 68 Hours of Hunger
If your family is experiencing food insecurity, END 68 Hours can help. This program provides children with food for the approximately 68 hours between when that student has lunch on Fridays at school and returns again on Monday for a school meal. If this support could be helpful to you, please contact Lori Arsenault (larsenault@sau50.org), RES School Counselor.
Free & Reduced Lunch Program
Your family may qualify for free or reduced lunch costs. The USDA requires completion of an application that you can access through the RSD website or by contacting the school. Lori Arsenault, RES School Counselor, will be happy to assist you in this process.
Other Resources:
Womenaid - short term financial assistance
Community Action Partnership - assisting Southern NH with economic independence
Greater Seacoast Community Health - family programs and community networking
Mainspring - Seacoast Social Services Collective
Warmly,
Michelle Pitts
-Just a reminder that all visitors for lunch must pack up and leave prior to the students lining up. When the lights go out and students are waiting to be dismissed, that is the perfect time. Staff doesn't love to ask anyone to leave so if you know this coming in, it supports our staff on duty.
Did you know?
The state of New Hampshire requires that children under two years of age are required to be rear-facing and seated in appropriate child safety seats. Car seat use reduces the risk for injury in a crash by 71–82% for children, when compared with seat belt use alone.
New Hampshire does not have a law regarding children using the front passenger seat of the vehicle; however, both The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the CDC recommend that children remain seated in the rear of a vehicle until the child is 13 years of age. There is an elevated risk of injury for children in the front seat compared with children in the rear. Benefits of rear seating for child occupants extend to side impacts as well, with children in the rear 62% less likely to sustain an injury. Not only is the overall risk higher, but the severity of injury is also greater in the front seat. A child is considered safe to use the shoulder and lap belt without a child safety seat when:
The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or face.
The lap belt is low across the hips and pelvis, not the abdomen.
The child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with his or her knees bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip.
Any questions of concerns regarding child safety seats? Schedule a child car seat check at the Rye Police Department with our National Child Passenger Safety certified car seat technician. Call us at 603-964-5522.
Halloween is coming and here is some important information!
1. Parade and Assembly:
We would love to invite families to an 8:30 AM parade and assembly. Students in grades K-4 will be parading outside of the school. These are the two events that all family members will be invited to attend during the day. PLEASE know we will not be letting parents in the building until 8:30. We are going to have our parade through the hallways and our students are going to START in the gym.
2. Parties:
Here is the FINAL presentation from our room parent training!
We ask that room parents/guardians email the teacher and Lori Flint all food choices a week ahead so there are no surprises and Mrs. Flint can process whether these are safe for all students in a particular class. Please email her if you have questions! lfint@sau50.org.
I am meeting with the Rye PD tomorrow to discuss the process of fingerprinting which is not necessary for this one event. More info to come.
4. Costumes:
Students may wear costumes, but weapons (even toys) are not allowed. Gruesome costumes depicting blood are also not allowed. Masks are ok but should be appropriate and not scary for our youngest children who are in the parade and at the assembly.
Please complete this permission form either allowing or not allowing your child to be screened. If this form is not received by 11/9, your child WILL NOT take part in the program.
Digital Citizenship Learning at RES
Last week we held our annual Digital Citizenship assembly for Kindergarten through 4th grade! During the assembly, students reviewed what it means to be safe, responsible, and kind when using technology. At RES, we use age-appropriate technology intentionally and carefully to nurture growth, spark curiosity, and expand learning beyond classroom walls—whether that is through targeted skill practice with tools like Lexia, iReady, and STAR, or creative projects like coding, research, and virtual field trips. To maintain a healthy screen-time balance, we prioritize daily tech-free times like recess, quiet time, and lunch so students can recharge and build meaningful relationships, while Securly content filtering and app restrictions keep their online experience safe. We look forward to continuing these important conversations with follow-up Digital Citizenship lessons throughout the school year!
Hello RES Families,
I am Ms. Gina, also known as Mrs. Henshaw, the school speech language therapist. On Monday, I met with all three kindergarten classes to talk about communication. We talked about the different communication tools that they may see students around our school using, including AAC talkers (iPads with communication apps on them), sign language, etc. We briefly touched on other tools that students/people use to help with things that may be tricky, for example a wheelchair to get around, a hearing aid, glasses for seeing better. The kindergarten students had the opportunity to interact with an AAC (which stands for Alternative and Augmentative Communication) device themselves, and they went home with a coloring sheet to “create their own talker”.
Sharing this information with your children is an attempt to normalize the wonderful diversity in all levels of abilities found within our school. It aligned nicely with Alternative Communication Awareness Month, a global campaign celebrated every October to highlight tools and methods that help people communicate without or alongside traditional speech. Attached are some resources for you for continued information in this area, one of which was created by our very own RES Occupational Therapist Kelsey Crowell called Starting the Conversation, which helps guide parents with advice on how to answer questions or talk about various topics.
Here is the link to the read aloud book that we read during our meeting!
Another great story
Eddie the Elephant Has Something to Say Read Aloud
Please reach out to your child’s teacher or myself if you have any questions on the information I’ve shared.
Warm Regards,
Ms. Gina
A great way for us to celebrate John Schu's upcoming visit is to pre-sell the books he has written! John will sign all books purchased during his visit. If you are interested in pre ordering any of his published books, this link has the book choices and payment options.
Bookelicious Presents Author John Schu Pre Event Book Sale Fall 2026
Click here to learn more about John's work!
Books will be shipped to RES prior to John's arrival. Orders are due by October 29th to ensure delivery before our event.
It is that time of year when we start to invite family members to lunch at RES. This is very optional and we don't want families to feel pressured to attend. This is an occasional event as we do want children to build independence and social skills in the cafeteria, a perfect time for this! Please know that this opportunity is very unique to RES and we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines out of respect for our staff and safety protocols.
- Email resoffice@sau50.org if you would like to attend with the date/time. It is important to anticipate who will be in the building. We love these opportunities for students and their family members but we will always put safety first.
- one family member at a time to have lunch with their child(ren) as we really do get quite tight at certain lunches.
- Adults must bring their own lunch and can bring lunch for their own child but not other students.
- We do have a focus during this time...eating for energy and brain power!
- Family members must meet the child in the cafeteria and leave from the cafeteria BEFORE we line up all the children.
- Days for family visits are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
- Lunch times are:
Kindergarten-11:45-12:10
First Grade-12:15-12:40
Second Grade-12:15-12:40
Third Grade- 11:15-11:40
Fourth Grade-11:15-11:40
SAU 50 Connections
In an effort to create a ONE STOP SHOP for families, we publish the RES and RJH newsletter on Thursdays and share the link in one place:). We will also include any SAU 50 Newsletters and School Board Reports as well.
ASE Session 2 Sign-ups Are Open!
- Program Dates: November 2nd – December 18th
- Sign-up Deadline: Friday, October 30th
- Note: A second "Cooking with Miss Hixon" section has been added on Wednesdays.
- You can view program offerings and sign up HERE
Election Day Bake Sale
- Date: Tuesday, November 3rd
- We will have a table set up outside the voting area and need your help! We are looking for volunteers to staff the table and for donations of yummy bakedd goods!
- To volunteer to staff the table, please sign up HERE
- To donate baked goods, please sign up HERE
Trunk or Treat is this Sunday, October 25th
- Last chance to skip the line and cash in on the Early Bird Special for Raffle Ticket! Sales close tonight at midnight. Order HERE
- Pre-sale tickets will be sent home in backpacks tomorrow.
- Tickets will be available at the event for $1 per ticket.
We hope to see you there! And if you would like to volunteer for one of the few remaining spots, please sign up HERE
Next PTA Meeting
Tuesday, November 3rd at 6:30 PM via Google Meet. Please mark your calendars!
Contact Information
Email: mpitts@sau50.org
Website: https://res.sau50.org
Location: 461 Sagamore Road, Rye, NH, USA
Phone: (603) 436-4731