News from the Nest!

Dear Palmer River Elementary School Community,

What a great week it has been! We are so excited to see our school community settling into the new school year with such positive energy, enthusiasm, and smiles.

This week, we were especially excited to welcome our PreK students on Tuesday! It has been wonderful to see our youngest learners begin getting comfortable in their new classrooms, meeting their teachers and classmates, and discovering all that their new school has to offer. Everyone seems to be adjusting beautifully, and we are delighted to see so many happy faces throughout the building.

Thank you, families, for helping make this transition such a positive experience. Your support and encouragement at home make such a difference as our students begin this exciting new journey.

We are looking forward to another wonderful week-have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Kristine Kefor, Principal and Mrs. Cassey Monte, Assistant Principal

#WeAreDR

• Dot Day: Tuesday, Sept. 15th.
• 4th Grade Bullying Presentation w/ Brian Rose from AG’s Office: Thursday, Sept. 17th
  
• Together, We Are All Falcons Spirit Day: Friday, Sept. 18th

• October PTSA Meeting @PRES: Thursday, Oct. 8th
  
• NO SCHOOL Holiday: Monday, Oct. 12th
  
• PTSA Trunk or Treat: Saturday, Oct. 17th
  
• Fall School Pictures: Friday, Oct. 23rd

Palmer River Elementary School is officially a Unified Champion School! We are incredibly proud to share that PRES has been recognized by Special Olympics Massachusetts as a 2025–2026 Unified Champion School!

This recognition celebrates our commitment to creating an inclusive school community where acceptance, respect, belonging, and inclusion are at the heart of what we do each and every day. A special thank you to our students, staff, and families who help make PRES a place where everyone belongs and everyone is valued. We couldn't be prouder of our Falcons!

#WeAreAllFalcons #WeAreDR #EIS

With the launch of our new districtwide PK–12+ Green & Gold branding, we are all Falcons now! To celebrate, we’re excited to provide PRES families, students, and staff with the opportunity to show their Falcon pride through our new online swag store.

We are proud to partner with Strange Planet Printing to offer a variety of apparel featuring our new PRES branding, with many items available in both youth and adult sizes. Be sure to check back frequently, as new and seasonal offerings will be added throughout the year!

Wear the Green. Wear the Gold. Show your Falcon pride!

SHOP THE PRES FALCON SWAG STORE

Together, we are DR!

On Friday, September 18, our district will come together for “Together, We Are All Falcons!” - a celebration designed to ignite our districtwide spirit, honor our unified PK–12+ Falcon identity, and celebrate the pride that connects all five of our schools. Students are invited to show their school spirit by wearing Green & Gold. This celebration builds on our long-standing Green & Gold Spirit Day tradition while giving it new meaning: from our youngest learners to our graduating seniors, we are all Falcons now. Let’s fill our schools with Green & Gold and celebrate what it means to be part of one district, one community, and one Falcon family. Together, We Are DR!

Bullying is a hot topic right now and District Attorney Tom Quinn believes prevention and education is the key to assisting our schools.

Brian Rose, former Major League Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and current member of DA Tom Quinn’s Office, has been visiting many schools in Bristol County speaking to students in grades 3-8 on the subject of Bullying. He utilizes a program put together by Boston vs Bullies that has current professional athletes from our New England Sports Teams, speaking about their experiences and prevention tactics when it comes to Bullying.

The 40-minute presentation describes what Bullying is, what to do if you find yourself as the Bully, what to do when getting Bullied or witnessing Bullying both in person and online. We also talk about Internet Safety and Dangers along with real-life situations that have occurred here in Bristol County. This educational program has had great success in making students aware of the situations that might or have occurred, what to do in certain situations and the possible ramifications in the court of law.

Spreading the message of being kind to one another is the ultimate message of DA Tom Quinn. Let’s work together to make our schools a safe place of learning.

Please see the PDF below for an invitation to join the district's Wellness Committee.

Hello families! Welcome to Falcon's First Aid. My name is Elizabeth Ferreira, and I am thrilled to be your Palmer River Elementary school nurse! As we start the new school year, here are a few quick health office reminders to help keep our students safe and supported:

• Updated Records: Please send in any updated physicals and immunization records.

• Health Concerns: If your child has allergies, asthma, or other medical concerns, contact me directly so we can plan for their safety.

• Annual Medication Orders: Every year, the school requires new medical orders for EpiPens, inhalers, and daily medications. Please have your child bring these orders directly to me, or have your doctor fax them to 508-252-5110.

• Medication Drop-Off: If you haven't done so already, please bring your child’s school medications to the Health Office as soon as possible.

In the coming week, we will begin routine health screenings per the Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines. These include:

• Vision-Grades PreK-4th
  
  

• Hearing-Grades PreK-3rd
  
  

• Height & Weight-Grades 1 and 4
  
  

If your child is tested, and the results are not in the “normal” range for the vision and hearing screen, you will be notified by letter. If you receive a letter, it is recommended that you take your child to a doctor or healthcare provider for a comprehensive evaluation.

• If you want your child to participate in the screenings for his/her grade, no further action is required.

• If you do not want your child to participate in any or all of the screenings, please send a letter or email to the school nurse. This request must be written each year and be specific to which screening(s) you would like your child to opt out of participating.

Please click the button below to open and download the district calendar of events for the 2026-2027 school year. Each student will also receive a PRES take home folder that has the district calendar included.

We’re pleased to share that school breakfast and lunch are provided free of charge to all students each day. This ensures every child has access to nutritious meals to support their learning and growth. On early release days, only breakfast will be served, so students should plan accordingly. To help families stay informed, weekly menus can be found in our family newsletter.

While meals are free, milk and water are available for purchase each day for students who would like an additional drink option with their lunch.

As the year progresses, we’ll be offering snacks for purchase in the cafeteria. These will first become available to students in grades three and four. Then, once our younger students have had time to settle into lunch routines, we’ll begin offering snacks to kindergarten through second grade students later in the fall. To keep things simple, students may purchase one snack per day, and because of food allergies and intolerances, they are not permitted to buy snacks for others.

For snack and drink purchases, families are welcome to send cash or checks. However, we also offer the MySchoolBucks website and app, which many families find convenient. Through MySchoolBucks, you can create an account, reset passwords, check account balances, and deposit funds directly into your child’s meal account.

Even though meals are free, we ask all families to complete the Free & Reduced Lunch Application, as these forms directly impact school funding and grant opportunities. The application is linked below.

Palmer River Elementary School's instructional day begins at 9:05 a.m. Students may enter the building starting at 8:55 a.m. The school day ends at 3:20 p.m., and dismissal will proceed according to prearranged locations. Please inform the school office (ahalajko@drregional.org & dsarrazin@drregional.org) and your child's classroom teacher of any changes to dismissal plans before 2:45 p.m. each day.

The AM PreK session begins at 8:45am and ends at 11:15am.

The PM PreK session begins at 12:30pm and ends at 3:00pm.

Please click below for more information about our morning arrival procedures for students who arrive via car/drop off. Please review the map so you can plan for drop off in the morning.

Please click below for more information about our dismissal procedures for students who leave school via car/pick up. Please bring photo identification whenever you pick your child up at PRES.

This section will feature information about upcoming community events and activities. Check back each week for new events and updates!

The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District

Website: https://pres.drregional.org/

Location: 326 Winthrop Street, Rehoboth, MA 02769

Phone: 508-252-5100/Fax: 508-252-5110

Dighton Rehoboth Regional School District does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected group.