Duval Dispatch

Dear Duval Families!

We hope you all had a wonderful long weekend!

We are starting to play music before announcements each morning. We will shout out to a different family each morning. Please share a song that is meaningful to your family. Also, if you have not yet sent in a family picture, please send one in for our family bulletin board.

We kicked off the year with our first All School Meeting, a special time for us to celebrate students and staff, build community, and focus on our Duval values! This year’s theme is “Many Families, One Pod,” and each month we’ll explore a different way we can help everyone feel connected and included.

September’s Theme: Belonging!

This month, we’re talking about what it means to belong and how we can make sure others feel included. Our September Pod Challenge is simple: Find someone who may feel left out, and include them!

Students who are caught being Safe, Respectful, Kind, or Productive—especially when they are going out of their way to include others—may earn a Dolphin Dollar! 🐬 Dolphin Dollars will be collected throughout the year and can be traded in for fun activities, special experiences, and prizes.

As we head into week 2 time will be spent getting used to new routines, teachers, and classrooms. We will reinforce our commitment to the Duval Values, and set the expectation that we follow those every day. Please note that this year we have adopted a rotation specialist schedule on A, B, C, and D day. The schedule will be provided by your classroom teachers!

We are both very committed to a productive home/school relationship to ensure we have a safe, fun, challenging, and welcoming environment for each and every child. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have ideas, suggestions, or concerns throughout the year!

Need school supplies? Contact Mrs. Salamone or Ms. Craig and we will provide backpacks or any other school supplies you may need!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Year of Celebrations!

Ms. Craig and Mrs. Salamone

PS. Here's our Welcome Back Video!

Everyone at Duval is expected to follow and support the 10 basic values that families, students, and staff agreed on during the 2024-2025 school year. Along with our theme celebrations, we will also be highlighting each of our 10 values over the course of the year. Please take a moment to read through these with your child(ren) and talk about ways we can ALL support the Duval Values.

The WH Elementary Handbook can be found HERE.

A few quick reminders to help keep arrival and dismissal safe and running smoothly:

Parent Pick-Up Placards

• This week, we will be sending home yellow parent pick-up placards.
• Placards will include your child’s name and grade.
• Please have the placard visible in your windshield at pick-up each day.
• This helps speed up dismissal and lets staff know you are approved to pick up your child.
• If someone else will be picking up your child: Please call the main office to let us know and, if possible, pass the placard along to the person picking up.

Please Pull Forward!

• When entering the parent pick-up line, please pull forward as much as possible.
• Please do not leave large gaps between cars.
• Keeping the line condensed helps us get buses safely off the street and into the driveway so students can board their buses.
• A little extra space in the line can create a big traffic backup, so thank you for helping us keep things moving!

Thank you for helping us make arrival and dismissal safe, smooth, and efficient for everyone!

If you have a dismissal change from your child's regular routine, a note MUST be sent in ahead of time. Please DO NOT rely on an email or even a phone call during the day.

Please call the Duval main office at 781-618-7055 (Press 1), if your child is going to be absent or late. We take the responsibility to care for your child very seriously and we need to know your child is safe!

To ensure maximum SAFETY around the building, Duval enforces a set of traffic and behavioral expectations. We maintain a section in each Duval Dispatch to reinforce those concepts.

This is a LINK to our Traffic Protocols. Adjustments or reminders will be placed here in the Dispatch.

Basics:

- Drive slowly and only ONE WAY around the building.

- Do NOT drive around the building when school is in session.

- There is NO PASSING at any time in the driveways.

- Front entry area is only used for emergencies or picking up sick children.

Each Dispatch, we have a section for Nurse Melissa to share the latest health news. Here is this month's update.

Thank you.

We hope everyone had a great first few days of school and enjoyed the long weekend!

We're looking forward to seeing our returning families and new families at our first PTO meeting on Tuesday, September 8th at 7:00 pm at the Duval library. Come say hello, meet new friends, and learn about the the great upcoming events at Duval!

Our local dining partnerships are coming up! Thank you to Hornstra Farms for supporting Duval on September 14th and Napoli Pizza on September 30th and October 1st!

Last call! The Duval merch store will be closing the first sale of the season on September 8th. Check it out now!

https://duval-elementary-merch.cheddarup.com

Upcoming PTO dates:

PTO Meeting - September 8th at 7:00 pm

Duval Merch Store Closing - September 8th

Hornstra Farms Partnership - September 14th

Napoli Pizza Partnership - September 30th & October 1st

Monster Mash - October 23rd

Basket Raffle - November 6th

Please follow our social media pages for the most up to date information. We can also be reached via email at duvalpto@gmail.com.

Sept. 7- Labor Day. No School

Sept. 8 - PTO Meeting at 7:00pm in the Duval Library

Sept. 14 - SEPAC Meet and Greet at 6:30pm in High School Library

Sept. 23 - Instrument Rental night 6pm in WMS Cafe

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Calendar Items for the Year. Click HERE.

Flyers from the community will be posted here.

• WH Elementary Handbook

• School Lunch Menus

• Infinite Campus Log In for grades, class info. Need help? Contact Tech: 781-618-8100

• School Status (emails, texts from WH or Duval)

• YMCA Before/After School Care Information

• The WHRSD and Duval School PTO Facebook pages.

• Anonymous Bullying or Harassment reporting: call 781-618-7086

John H. Duval Elementary provides a safe, supportive environment where children are able to reach for the stars!

Email: ashley.craig@whrsd.org
Website: https://whd.whrsd.org
Location: 60 Regal Street, Whitman, MA 02382
Phone: 781-618-7055
Twitter: @DuvalElementary