Happy December!
Greetings FSS Families,
I hope you had a happy, healthy, and restful break! We blinked and November has come and gone. As we move into the home-stretch to our ⛄December Break⛄, it has been nice to reflect on all of the new and different things we have learned and accomplished. There were times when it was much harder than others but we supported each other, asked questions, and worked together. We have also expanded our vocabulary to include words and phrases such as: SeeSaw, Google Classroom, Google Meet links, Chromebook, and Gmail 😄. While I am not making light of our situation, I do want to celebrate all of our students’, families’, and FSS staff members’ hard work and dedication💚.
With a little over three weeks left before we welcome in 2021, I want to encourage and stress the importance of a strong finish. At Federal Street School, we believe that education is a collaborative effort between home and school and this begins with daily attendance ⏰. While we understand that circumstances arise, it is the expectation of the school, that students are participating daily in all aspects of their day. When we do return to school, this will make the transition smoother and it will build solid routines now. To honor the collaborative effort between home and school, our teachers, staff, and administration will continue to reach out to families to offer support or additional resources if attendance has become a challenge.
We appreciate all of our families and caregivers that have been working with our kiddos each day. We know it is a lot of work and appreciate seeing your involvement. As we move forward, I invite you to take a step back and allow your child to attempt assignments independently, ask the teacher or staff member for help, and work through some challenges. I know it is difficult to watch your child struggle, but as we move into the second half of the school year, this gradual release will also allow for a smoother transition back into the classroom.
Lastly, I have truly enjoyed visiting all of our classrooms, seeing the kiddos smiling faces, hearing their enthusiasm, and experiencing their resiliency. This has been a huge learning experience for all of us and their resolve has been inspiring. We are very lucky to have each and every one of them as part of our school community. Thank you for all of your support, hard work, and collaboration over these last few months. 🤗
On behalf of the entire FSS staff, I hope these next few weeks are filled with health and happiness. I hope there are more good days than bad. We are immensely grateful for your teamwork and support. 👏
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
With gratitude,
Michelle Fenimore ⛄
Principal
Proud Artist!
Don't Let That Turkey Out Of Sight!
A Note From The Nurse
Hello Federal Street School Families!
As we enter the 10th month of the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to acknowledge the many ways that this has been hard on our community. I know that both children and parents have struggled with the loss of in-person social activities and our usual systems of support. The term “pandemic fatigue” has been used to describe both the mental and emotional symptoms (restlessness, anxiety, lethargy, lack of motivation, etc.) and the relaxing of precautions (decreases in mask-wearing, social distancing, etc.) that have been observed recently. I encourage you to seek support if your or your child’s mental health is suffering. This website from Community Action can help you find local professional counseling: https://www.look4help.org/guided-search/mental-health/ and of course, our school counselors will continue to be available remotely for any student who needs support. Also, I urge all families & staff to recommit to safety precautions, any social activity should include wearing masks, and ideally maintain 6 feet of distance between people who are not members of the same household. Sleepovers and birthday parties are strongly discouraged at this time. I know that this is hard, but your vigilance is more important than ever due to the rising number of cases across the county. If we all work together, we can protect our most vulnerable community members and move ourselves closer to being able to return to some sense of normalcy.
*Reminder: all students must be vaccinated for influenza by December 31, 2020, including those who continue to learn remotely. Please contact me if you need help finding a place to get your family vaccinated.
Thank you!
Rebecca Carlson RN, BSN
School Nurse, Federal Street School
Contact FSS and Follow Us On Twitter!
Email: micfen1@gpsk12.org
Website: www.gpsk12.org
Location: 125 Federal Street, Greenfield, MA, USA
Phone: 413-772-1380
Twitter: @PrincipalFSS