The Wellfleet Elementary News

Happy Thursday, WES Families!

A Few Important Reminders:

• No School Wednesday, November 11th: A reminder that there will be no school on Wednesday in observance of Veterans Day. We hope everyone enjoys the extended break and takes a moment to recognize and thank the veterans in our community for their service and sacrifice.
• Harvest Meal Celebration Tuesday, November 24: We hope you will join us for our annual Harvest Meal lunch celebration! If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Mrs. Belair so we can plan accordingly. We look forward to celebrating together!

As always, thank you for being such an important part of our WES community. Have a wonderful weekend, and remember, amazing things happen here!

Adam O’Shea

Principal, Wellfleet Elementary School

The Following is a message from Ann Schiffenhaus, the Wellfleet Housing Coordinator. It is not affiliated with the school. If you have questions reach out to Ann at: Ann.Schiffenhaus@Welllfleet-ma.gov

Your responses will inform town staff, housing committees, and the Selectboard about community housing needs and preferences. This data will help shape the Local Comprehensive Plan currently under development. Thank you for helping shape the future of our town!

Navigation: Questions that are required have a red asterisk next to the question. You can move to the next section anytime after completing all required fields, just scroll to the bottom of the page and click next.

Privacy & Sharing: All survey data will be shared with the community. Individual responses will remain anonymous and will be aggregated to protect your privacy. If you know of someone who is looking for housing in Wellfleet, please forward this survey to them.

Please Note: This survey is not an application for housing and does not guarantee a unit.

Here is the link to the Housing Survey

Our second and third graders have been busy growing their creativity through a project called “Peculiar Plants!” Students have been writing imaginative stories filled with descriptive language, unique ideas, and plenty of creativity. The joy of writing has spread across grade levels, giving students opportunities to share their stories, strengthen their oral presentation skills, and proudly present their work to others. It has been wonderful to see their imaginations come to life through writing and storytelling!

Election Day at WES was full of excitement, smiles, and a little friendly competition! Inspired by our "Teachers' Pets" bulletin board in the front office, featuring photos of our staff members' pets, students had the opportunity to cast their votes on three very important questions: "Which pet would most likely steal your lunch?", "Which pet would most likely nap all day?", and "Which pet would most likely be President?" Throughout the day, students stopped by to cast their ballots and, of course, proudly received their very own "I Voted" sticker! It was a fun way to bring a little Election Day spirit to WES while celebrating the furry friends who make our staff's lives a little brighter!

Our first week of Thankful Thursdays at WES is off to a wonderfully thoughtful start! Several students have already returned their "Amazingly Thankful" cards, which are now being added to our Thankful Wall. It has been so heartwarming to read what makes each student feel thankful and to see the many special people, experiences, and little things they appreciate. We look forward to watching our Thankful Wall continue to grow each week as we celebrate the importance of gratitude and taking time to recognize the good things in our lives!

Julia shared that she is thankful for art and music class, Hailey is thankful for her teachers, Jacob is thankful for our Principal, Mr. O'Shea, and his friends, and Charlotte M. is thankful for all the support she receives at WES. These are just a few examples of the many wonderful things our students appreciate. We look forward to watching our Thankful Wall continue to grow while celebrating the importance of gratitude throughout our WES community!

News from the Health Office:

Several cases of head lice have been identified in the school. Please take the time to check your child’s hair. If lice are discovered in your child's hair, don't panic! They do not transmit disease, and it is a common infestation during childhood. Here are some facts about lice.

Lice are tiny parasites, about 2-4 mm in size, and can be very difficult to spot as they shy away from light. It is a wingless insect that does not hop or fly. They live on the host's head, drinking a blood meal five to eight times a day. Lice, especially the nymphs appear white to gray, and adults can be dark gray to reddish brown, especially after a blood meal.

Female lice lay approximately 6-10 eggs per day. These eggs are enclosed inside egg cases called nits. Nits are usually found close to the scalp and are affixed to the hair shaft with a glue like substance and are therefore very difficult to remove. This characteristic distinguishes them from dandruff, or other hair debris. Nits are pearly white specks that look like sugar but cannot be flecked away and are often concentrated around the ears, and the nape of the neck.

After approximately 10-12 days, the eggs hatch to produce nymphs, a smaller version of the adult. The nymphs immediately begin feeding and mature in 9-12 days into adults. Therefore it takes about 21 days for eggs to develop into adults. Within another day or two, the adult female is ready to start laying eggs. Adults live for 23-30 days and during this time each female can lay between 110-400 eggs!

Potential Means of Head Lice Transmission:

• close personal contact (head to head)

• sharing of combs, brushes, barrettes, and other hair accessories

• shared hats, coats and jackets

• pillows and bedding

• headphones

• sharing towels

• sleepovers can be a source of transmission for all the above reasons

• car seats, movie seats, and head rests

• Halloween wigs and hats if sharing and playing dressup

Signs of Headlice:

• scratching and intense scalp itching

• redness or small bite marks on the scalp

• tiny gray adult lice on hair and scalp

• nits: oval pearl white specks that can't be flecked away

It is extremely important to check your child's hair frequently at home for nits and lice, particularly when there have been cases in the community. It is best to check with natural light and a fine toothed lice comb, such as the Lice Meister. A magnifying glass can be useful.

Treatment includes a lice killing shampoo, and lice removal with a lice comb. Nit picking (removing the eggs) is an extremely important process that cannot be avoided. All bedding and recently worn clothing should be washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer. Car seats and furniture should be vacuumed. A sticky lint roller may be useful for touching up the sofa, chairs, and car seats. Items that cannot be washed can be stored in a plastic bag for two weeks, or even placed in the freezer overnight. Combs and brushes can be soaked in alcohol or lice killing shampoo. Head Lice can survive away from the host for up to 24 hours, and nits may survive for 10 days in a hot and humid climate, which is why it is so important to sanitize the environment.

Children with long hair may choose to wear their hair tied back. Weekly combing with a good quality comb, such as the Lice Meister, will comb away any potential exposure. It is a good practice to comb your child’s hair after sleep overs, travel, movies, or if you think there was an exposure.

Don't be embarrassed to notify the school nurse and your child's playmates if you discover that your child has head lice. Cleanliness and personal hygiene have not been linked to head lice. Parental cooperation will help protect all children, including your own.

Please feel free to contact Claudia Cope-Crosen, RN, in the Health Office if you have any questions. copec@nausetschools.org or 508-349-3101 x. 104.

Sincerely,

Claudia Cope-Crosen, M.Ed, BSN, RN

Headlice.org

CDC headlice info for parents

LiceMeister Comb

After School Assistance

After School Assistance is available each Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoon for students in grades 2–5. Teachers will be available to work with students who would benefit from additional academic support until 2:30 p.m. Please email Mrs. Belair to sign your child up. belairl@nausetschools.org

After School Assistance Schedule

• Mondays: Ms. Shuemaker and Ms. Blute
• Tuesdays: Mr. Pursel, Mrs. Connolly, and Mrs. Bradford
• Thursdays: Mrs. McNulty, Mrs. Botting, and Ms. Wolf

Students made predictions and then tested their ideas in Ms. Shuemaker's science class. They learned that density plays a part in whether something sinks or floats. The students also got to try to retrieve the clementine without spilling any water. Were they able to complete this task? Ask a 1st or 3rd grader.

💌Please reach out to Lindsey Belair at Belairl@nausetschools.org with any dismissal changes, concerns, or questions. If you haven't signed up your child for the After School Child Care program, please let Mrs. Belair know what your child's plan is for dismissal each day. You can send in a note with your child or reach out by phone or email.

🚗 If your child is being picked up from school, they will be dismissed form the cafeteria doors, and parents/guardians should be in the side parking lot waiting. A staff member will call the students out as parents arrive.

🚌If your child is taking the bus, they will be dismissed one bus at a time.

🏫If you have signed your child up for the After School Child Care program and chose your days of need, your child will automatically be dismissed there on those days.

📝Once after school assistance begins, (for grades 2-5 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays), if your child is signed up they will automatically be dismissed there and pick-up will be at the WES front doors, at 2:30. If they are signed up for the After School Child Care program, they will be dismissed there after after-school assistance.

• School Arrival: Students may arrive at school at 7:30am. Breakfast is available, and students may otherwise sit in the cafeteria until the bell rings at 7:45am.
• Bus drop-off takes place at 7:30am daily.
• Parent/Guardian drop-off takes place at 7:30am at the front loop. Students will be greeted by staff personnel and then go directly into the cafeteria.
• School Departure: Students are dismissed beginning at 2:00pm daily. The dismissal process takes about 10 minutes.
• If students are participating in the After School Child Care program (ASCC) then they will be dismissed directly there.
• Students being picked up by a parent/guardian will be picked up in the parking lot located at the north end of the building.
• Students taking the bus will listen for their bus to be called
• Supply Lists: All school supplies are provided to our students. Thank you Wellfleet taxpayers!

• Electronics: Upon arrival, student electronics (phone/watch) should be turned off and stowed away in their backpack. If parents/caregivers need to contact your student, please call the school at 508-349-3101, and the front office can get a message to your student.

• Breakfast and lunch: are free for all students! If your child eats breakfast at home and you DO NOT want them to access the breakfast offered, please let the teacher know.
• Snack: Please send your student with a healthy snack and reusable water bottle daily. We are seeking to provide a healthy snack grant on Tuesdays and Thursday, and are awaiting if we received the grant. Plan to provide a healthy snack daily until you hear otherwise.

Here are a list of upcoming events:

Wednesday, November 11th:

• No School - Veterans Day

• Grade 4 trip to Herring River Restoration 9:45am-11:45am

• Grade 3 Field Trip to Duck Harbor & Wellfleet Bay 10:30am-1:30pm

• No School - Thanksgiving Break

• Early Dismissal 11:00am

• Early Dismissal 11:00am

• No School - Holiday Break

• No School - MLK Day

• No School - PD Day

• WET Fest Grades 3-5

• No School - February Break

• Early Dismissal 11:00am

• Evening Parent/Teacher conferences

• Early Dismissal 11:00am
• Afternoon Parent/Teacher conferences

• No School - April break

• Early Dismissal 11:00am

• No School - Memorial Day

• No School - Juneteenth

Below is an important message from our newly appointed Director of Digital Learning and Technology, Lisa Orlandella.

I am pleased to announce that we have reached our goal of transitioning paper-based registration forms to the Aspen Go Parent Portal.

Directions for logging into Aspen (slide deck)

Parent/Caregiver Directions for Online Returning Student Registration (OLRR) (slide deck)

Parent/Caregiver Directions for Online Returning Student Registration (OLRR) (video)

By having parents enter their information directly into Aspen, we can significantly reduce the potential for data entry errors, improve the accuracy of student records, and strengthen the security of sensitive information.

This means our online re-registration includes parent sign-off of the following:

• Medical Information

• Permission to Publish Form

• Acceptable Use Policy Agreement & Student Technology User Agreement

• Students' Rights and Responsibilities Handbook

WES November Breakfast Menu

WES November Lunch Menu

Truro Community Education Classes

FleetFund Info

Rental Assistance

Community Outreach in Wellfleet

Register with Wellfleet Rec

Free Play Fridays at Wellfleet Library

Storytime with Anna at Wellfleet Library

NEED Academy seeking Cook

Cape Kids Weekend Meal Bags

HPC Adopt-A-Family For the Holidays Sign-Up

Nut Stomp 2026

Sustainable Cape Deliveries

Children's Community Garden

Fall Circus Classes at TCS

As you may know, the Nauset District has discontinued its use of ParentSquare and has transitioned to a new platform. If you download the Nauset App, you will receive all alerts, newsletters, and any other info from your child's school and the Nauset district. It’s the easiest way to stay updated with school news, alerts, and important announcements.

Similar to last year, I will continue using Smore to send out our weekly newsletters during the school year. These will begin the week before our return and will continue consistently throughout the year.

📱 Download the Nauset App:

• Apple App Store

• Google Play Store

WES School Health Services-Resource page: Contact Mrs. Cope-Crosen for more information at copec@nausetschools.org

The Lawrence Fund was established in March of 2023 by Ariana Bradford (Staff Member at WES) and Joan Zukas (School Committee member). The Fund was established to honor Lawrence Zukas, father to Ariana and husband to Joan. Its’ purpose is to financially support students and their families who may be in need of funds for camps, sports equipment, shoes, coats, boots, musical instruments, school supplies including technology support, etc. Request can be made to Mrs. Ariana Bradford, Mr. Adam O’Shea, Mrs. Claudia Cope or your child’s teacher. No proof of need is asked, The Lawrence Fund is just happy to help. Any additional questions can be answered by Claudia Cope at copec@nausetschools.org or by phone at (508) 349-3101.

Throughout the school year you may want to reach out to your child's teacher, or reach out to me.

All Nauset staff follow the email formatting below:

• the staff person's last name
• then the initial of their first name
• ending with @nausetschools.org

Now there is an exception to the rule: Ms. Claudia Cope-Crosen, our school nurse, is simply copec@nausetschools.org