The Pulse of the Pride

Lyme School Friends,

We have had a successful rentry to school after break. Students are already fully engaged in their learning. This morning, we had our final Lyme Pride Friday which was an opportunity for students to get into their K-8 Prides and do activities together. It was another great start to our day and our older students did a wonderful job with our little ones. Our first graders studying birds have had frequent visitors. Check out Ms. Cushman's picture!

It has finally arrived! Newsies is here! We hope to see you at the shows next week! We have also started preparations for the 2025-2026 school year even though there is still much to accomplish this year. There were important emails that went out to 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade families today about next year and 8th grade families earlier in the week about this year. All of that information can be found in this newsletter.

It has been a fast and furious week this week! My apologies in advance for any errors as I did my best putting this newsletter together in a bit less time than usual. There are A LOT of details as we get to the end of the year, and we try hard to ensure you are getting accurate and timely information.

Have a fabulous weekend! The next newsletter will hit your inbox on May 9th!

As always, thank you for your partnership and please reach out if we can be of assistance.

Regards,

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

Dates:

Newsies, Jr. Drama Production - May 2, 2025 @ 6PM, May 3, 2025 @ 1PM & 5PM

8th Grade DC Trip - May 19th - 23rd, 2025

Middle School 101 Meeting for 5th Grade Families - May 13, 2025 @ 5:30PM

K-5 Lyme School Bands Spring Concert - May 14, 2025 @ 6PM

Middle School Activity Night - May 16, 2025 @ 7PM

1st Grade Field Trip - May 21, 2025

Memorial Day School Closed - May 26, 2025

8th Grade Step Up to Hanover High School - May 27, 2025

Maypole Celebration - May 29, 2025 @ 1PM (rain date May 30, 2025 @ 2PM)

Field Day - June 11, 2025

8th Grade Recognition/Graduation - June 11, 2025 @ 4:30PM

Third Trimester Ends - June 11, 2025

We would like to cordially invite you to a Middle School 101 meeting for your 5th graders to learn about the middle school and how the middle school program works.

We understand that no time works well, but it is our hope that with a few weeks notice you will be able to make it. This meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 13th at 5:30 PM upstairs in the Library Commons.

For those of you that can't make it, we will share materials afterwards with you.

The math curriculum for 8th grade is a high school level algebra 1 course. For a number of years, we have received questions about high school geometry. For students that are interested in advancing in mathematics, we suggest concurrently taking VLACS geometry or geometry honors during the 8th grade year.

If your child wants to do this, we suggest you start the process of registering through VLACS this year. Students can start the course whenever they like. If you are going to move forward with VLACS, please just let us know you are doing that as we will want to ensure that Ms. Chase knows and the high schools get the information needed. We also typically offer times where the students can get help if needed.

If the class is going to make a trip to DC, then it will require a significant fundraising effort and a few parents will need to be organized to take the lead. Dr. D'Entremont is hosting a meeting on Thursday, May 15th at 5:30 PM for 7th grade families in the gym (your students are certainly welcome) to discuss the past few years and how this class would like to move forward with end of year celebrations.

There will continue to be two groups for these classes next year. Please see this form to provide input on your child's placement for next school year.

Mr. Hinsley visited with the 8th graders during ELA with Ms. Fox this week to introduce himself to those he didn't know as we get closer to the DC/Gettysburg Trip.

He spoke with them about genealogy and asked for your family to connect with him so that he can do some research for your child on your family. We work hard at connecting any family history to our trip, i.e. a specific site at Arlington National Cemetery or a name on the Vietnam War Memorial wall. These genealogical connections truly make history come alive for the students, and it is one of the unique features of the Lyme School trip.

Mr. Hinsley's phone number and email was shared with you in an email earlier in the week. If you need it, please reach out to Dr. D. or Ms. Fox.

We will send a final itinerary and some final reminders closer to the trip.

GRADUATION - 8th Grade Recognition/Graduation - June 11, 2025 @ 4:30PM in the Lyme School Gymnasium

Feel free to reach out to Chef Dindo if you every have questions or concerns at ddindo@lymeschool.org.

April Menu:

Students are taking their spring Track My Progress currently. Some students are still finishing. As expected, many of our students have done quite well and have made strong growth from their fall and winter assessments. You might wonder how we use this data? Teachers are able to narrow down using the data to address particular standards and skills that students are struggling with. This is a constant process that continues each trimester.

Every year, we prepare for the transitions of our students. This year will be a little different as a result of the abatement construction project. All of these meetings will really need to take place before the end of school since our end of year teacher days will be dedicated to emptying the classrooms in the K-3 wing. This means that current teachers will need to meet with the educators that are receiving their students and pass on important information to their new teachers for next year during the remaining weeks of school. Even with the construction project, we are taking all the necessary steps to ensure smooth transitions.

We are asking for Parent Input in the groupings of our current split classes of 7th graders and 3rd graders for next year. Please take a moment and complete this form to provide input for your current 3rd or 7th grader.

There are also meetings organized in preparation for the next school year for 5th grade families with the transition to the middle school and the 7th grade to discuss their end of year celebrations. The 5th grade meeting is Tuesday, May 13th at 5:30 PM. The 7th grade meeting is Thursday, May 15th at 5:30 PM.

Currently, we are looking to hire a 4th grade teacher and a special education case manager for next year. In regard to teaching assignments next year, Mrs. Kilduff will be staying in kindergarten. Mrs. Cushman will remain in first grade. Mrs. Thayer will be returning to second grade. Ms. Gautreau will be staying in third grade. A new hire will join Ms. Stadheim in fourth grade and Mrs. Burns will remain in 5th grade. The middle school team of (Ms. Chase, Ms. Collins, Ms. Fox, Ms. Pizarro, and Ms. Ramirez) and the specialists (Mr. Betournay, Mrs. Damren, Ms. G., Ms. O'Leary, Ms. Stanton, and Ms. Wetterhan) will be unchanged. Plans are shaping up for an excellent 25-26 school year.

If you missed the school calendar for next year, it can be found on the website here. We will send out more details about next year as we have them. As always, please reach out if you have questions.

This week I had the pleasure of re-introducing myself to students (and staff!). I am now going by my maiden name, Ms. Wetterhahn.

In library this week, the first and second graders learned a bit more about online safety through digital citizenship lessons. First graders learned about how to stay safe when visiting a website or app and second graders learned what information is ok to share online and what is not.

The fourth through eighth graders have their opportunity to vote for NH book awards this month. Voting is open until the end of April for the Isinglass Award for grades 7 and 8. The Great Stone Face award is voted on by grades 4-6. Links to vote are live on the Lyme School Library Catalog. Stay tuned for the results in the next newsletter!

Because it was busy before break, I want to share the fifth grade projects again in case you missed them. In the month or so leading up to break, the fifth graders read books on the theme of athletes and social justice. Students identified leadership qualities of the main character and planned out a book trailer. Students used WeVideo and NoodleTools to complete their projects. Check out the final products here.

As we head into the final weeks of school, please be looking around for any misplaced library books. I will send overdue notices again in the next few weeks. Thanks for your help with this effort!

Upcoming CFL Events for Families:

May 13: 3-5 - After School Movie - Paddington in Peru

May 17: 9-12 - Friends of Lyme Library Used Book Sale

Hello Lyme Families,

I hope you’ve been enjoying this stretch of beautiful weather!

This past Wednesday, our 7th graders had the exciting opportunity to visit the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center (HACTC) to explore the wide range of programs available to them in high school. During the visit, we met current students and faculty, heard firsthand about their experiences, and even got to listen to a Lyme alum share their journey through the STEM program—such a great connection!

Every local choice high school offers access to this kind of hands-on career training for students who are interested. Our students learned about cooperative education opportunities, where high schoolers work with businesses and organizations across the Upper Valley—some even earning a paycheck—while gaining real-world job skills. They also heard from students currently enrolled in college-level, credit-bearing courses that can save both time and money in their post-secondary pursuits.

One of the most inspiring parts of the visit was hearing from students who have earned certifications that allow them to work part-time in fields that support their future goals, or even pay for college while exploring entirely different careers. Others shared how they’re preparing to move directly into apprenticeships or jobs with strong starting salaries—and little to no debt. It was amazing to see the creativity and resourcefulness in how these students are shaping their futures with passion and drive!

We’re so fortunate to have HACTC as a resource in our region. I hope our students will consider exploring it further as they think about their interests and long-term goals. There are so many paths available, and it’s always exciting to see the unique directions our students take after visits like this one.

And on that note…

Just another plug for the FREE TECH CAMP for families with students entering 7th, 8th, or 9th grade - see below for details!

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The HACTC is excited to offer our one-week Summer Tech Camp to middle school students again! (Unfortunately, the STEM camp for Girls and Gender Expansive Youth that was previously advertised has reached maximum capacity!) We hope to see some Lyme School students here at the HACTC for camp this June. We will offer 10 different hands-on activities throughout the week.

Camp will be June 23-25, 2025
Monday - 8:30-12:30pm
Tuesday-Friday 8:50-12:30pm

We already have enough students signed up to provide a bus to Lyme School for transportation, as well!

Some examples of past tech camp activities include: basic welding, changing a car tire, making homemade pasta and sauce, videography, photography, spa sciences, basic first aid/constructing a first aid kit, Cricut creations, Entrepreneur for a Day, Building a Toolbox, Community Service, and more. We will share this year's complete list of camp activities when we get closer to June.

Information about camp is posted here on our website.

To register for Summer Tech Camp, please complete and submit THIS online camp application.

Campers who attended tech camp last year may attend again this year if they are entering 8th or 9th grades in the fall - we offer new activities to participate in each year.

If you have any specific questions about camp - please reach out to Jen!

Jennifer Thygesen

Outreach Coordinator

Hartford Area Career and Technology Center (HACTC)

802-359-4717

thygesenj@hartfordschools.net

Happy Earth Day/Week!

Here are a few notes from the Art room and a few photos. I am also passing along information for the next Community Art Day at the Hood Museum of Art, featuring Cara Romero. (We LOVED this exhibit).

Kindergarten

In honor of Earth Day, we read the story The Curious Garden. This story is about a dreary city and a boy who discovers a tiny garden. The garden, with a little love, grows and wanders and brings joy to the city. Kinders drew their own little gardens.

First Grade

We read the book, Robosauce, which is a tricky robot book with many silly words. It features a surprise ending in which the character learns that it is more fun to play games together. The students were given a variety of tools, using them to print lines and shapes to create their own robots.

Second Grade

Second grade was very patient and persistent with their weaving this week! They found their spiralling weaving pattern and carefully tied their knots.

Third Grade

Third grade is working on designing some robots to bring something good to the world. We are excited to dig in with cardboard next week!

Fourth Grade

We looked at how lines can create this magical sense of space and mixed a zillion different greens. We also looked at paintings by Grant Wood and David Hockney.

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade constructed a base form cylinder with clay slabs. Once they had a solid base, they transformed these cylinders into a monster of their own imagining. (I am VERY EXCITED to see these safely out of the kiln!)

Middle School Students are doing an AMAZING job pulling together the final props and set pieces for the performance of Newsies, Jr!

This week all Spanish students grades Kindergarten through 5th grade have been celebrating Earth Week! Students in K-1 talked a lot about ways to help the earth through some reading in Spanish and discussion in English. They also learned about composting as a way to help the Earth, as we will be collecting compostable food scraps from our cafeteria next week.

Grades 2-5 Spanish students watched some Spanish videos to learn about ways we are hurting the Earth and things we can all do to help. This involved learning about the 3 Rs in Spanish: Reducir (reduce), Reusar (reuse), and Reciclar (recycle). Students also learned about composting in Spanish, its entire process, and how we plan to save our food scraps to help in that process in the cafeteria next week.

All students are playing bilingual compost sorting games as well. This allows us to learn some new vocabulary as well as recycle some older words. It has been really fun to watch students get excited to try composting next week in our school!

Newsies Jr. opens a week from today! Entry is free, donations are welcome.

Show days and times:

Friday, May 2nd at 6PM

Saturday, May 3rd at 1PM @ 5PM

Design lab is buzzing with robots! 3rd graders are learning how to code robots with Ozobots, offering a fun and engaging way for students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and computational skills. These small, programmable robots introduce students to the basics of coding through color-coded commands and block-based programming, making the coding fun and easy to learn. By designing paths and writing code to control the robots’ movements and behaviors, students gain hands-on experience with real-world applications of STEM. Ozobots also encourage creativity and collaboration, as learners experiment, test, and refine their code in interactive projects. This playful yet powerful approach builds a strong foundation for future exploration in robotics, computer science, and engineering.

Meanwhile, the Lyme Lions Robotics team is in final preparations for an international competition in Long Beach, CA, May 30-June2! To learn more or help the team get there, please check out their website here.

Each year, we are fortunate to have WISE of the Upper Valley come to our school to lead lessons on the prevention of domestic violence and personal advocacy in relationships. These lessons dovetail with our health curriculum, as we work to help our students build and maintain healthy relationship skills and positive self esteem.

We were fortunate to have Emily and Phoebe from WISE lead lessons with our seventh graders about active consent and with our sixth graders about stereotypes. We are grateful for this community organization and resource as they reinforce the lessons we present to our students and the message that each of us is important and that we all deserve strong and healthy relationships that build us up and provide us with self love, self advocacy, and confidence in who we are.

Golf anyone? Upon returning from April break, students in the primary grades have been using their eye- hand coordination skills to attempt to make a putt, as they aim for a small hole. Using the skill cue words of “ step, tick, tock” , students practiced aiming for their target with accuracy. Skill cues help kids commit their motor planning skills to memory as they continually work to refine their skills.

After a nice break from school, the third grade wasted no time getting right back into action in PE! This week, students performed the jump band routines they created with a partner or in small groups. The kids worked hard practicing prior to break and returned ready to demonstrate their hard work for their classmates.

Using jump bands demands a lot of communication and teamwork, as well as a strong work ethic and fitness. Third graders have much to be proud of!

Staffing:

The Nurse's office is staffed Monday-Friday by a Registered Nurse. Please email

nurse@lymeschool.org and/or call the Main Office 795-2125 if your child is absent from

school due to illness or injury.

Duties include Nursing care, Health Screening, Medication administration, First

Aid, Emergency care, Individualized Health Planning, Health Education, and

collaborative work with families, teachers, special education services, our

guidance counselor and behavioral coach.

Kati Miller RN BSN: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

Matthew Greenway RN BSN: Wednesday/as needed coverage

Celeste McCool RN BSN: Wednesday/as needed coverage

Medication Administration:

If your child requires emergency medications (epipen, inhaler, etc.) to be kept securely

in the Nurse's office, please contact nurse@lymeschool.org to set up a time to deliver

the medication along with an updated allergy or asthma action plan from your child's

Healthcare Provider.

Returning students need an updated allergy or asthma action plan at the start of each

school year.

For daily medication administration, please complete and return the forms below with

your child's Healthcare provider.

All medications need to be dropped off before the first day of school.

Authorization for RX Medication Administration

Medication or Procedure Order Form

COVID-19 Information:

Please review the provided link regarding COVID-19 recommendations from the Center

for Disease Control (CDC) if your child is experiencing respiratory illness symptoms or

has tested positive for COVID-19.

CDC Guidelines

The Lyme School Nurse's office is here to support you and your child and to promote

healthy outcomes for students and staff.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns you or your student may have

regarding the upcoming school year.

We look forward to a new school year and appreciate your cooperation.

Kati Miller RN BSN

Lyme School

As of March, 1 2024 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance to provide "practical recommendations and information to help people lower risk from a range of common respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, flu and RSV."

We follow these guidelines. Please review the following links from the CDC for more information and reach out to me with any questions/concerns.

Thank you for your efforts in keeping our Lyme School students, staff, and families healthy.

Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick

Testing and Respiratory Viruses

Masks and Respiratory Viruses Prevention

The Lyme School Apparel Store has a variety of apparel and accessories all customizable with a variety of school logos. The Lyme School PTO earns 12% of all sales. Thank you for supporting our school and go Lions! #LYMESCHOOLROCKS

The HACTC is excited to offer our one-week Summer Tech Camp to middle school students again! We hope to see some Lyme School students here at the HACTC for camp this June. We will offer 10 different hands-on activities throughout the week.

Also, new this year: we will also offer a Computer Camp for Girls and Gender Expansive Youth. This camp is limited to the first 12 applicants.

Both camps will be held the same week - June 23-27, 2025 - tech camp in the morning, and computer camp for girls and gender expansive youth in the afternoon.

Some examples of past tech camp activities include: basic welding, changing a car tire, making homemade pasta and sauce, videography, photography, spa sciences, basic first aid/constructing a first aid kit, Cricut creations, Entrepreneur for a Day, Building a Toolbox, Community Service, and more. We will share this year's complete list of camp activities when we get closer to June.

Bussing for the AM tech camp again for schools/towns that send 10 or more students will be provided - we will pick up at Lyme School. No transportation will be provided for the PM computer camp.

Information about camp is posted here on our web site. The camps have separate online applications.

To register for Summer Tech Camp in the mornings, please complete and submit THIS online camp application.

To register for Computer Camp for girls and gender expansive youth in the afternoons, please complete and submit THIS online camp application.

Campers who attended tech camp last year may attend again this year if they are entering 8th or 9th grades in the fall - we offer new activities to participate in each year. Also, girls and gender expansive youth may sign up for both AM and PM camp programs (please be sure to complete both applications!).

If you have any specifics questions about camp - please reach out to Jen!

Jennifer Thygesen

Outreach Coordinator

Hartford Area Career and Technology Center (HACTC)

802-359-4717

thygesenj@hartfordschools.net

OUR VALUES

● Fairness ● Acceptance of Others ● Integrity ● Responsibility

● Perseverance ● Individuality ● Compassion ● Courage

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

Elise Foxall, Academic Director

Geoff Tomlinson, Student Services Director