The Penguin Post
Each year, Phelps participates in Rock 102’s Mayflower Marathon Food Drive. Bax and Nagle of Rock 102 will be broadcasting live from the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield From November 24th-26th. Their goal is to fill FOUR, 48-foot trailers with non-perishable food donations for the Open Pantry of Springfield.
Over the past two years, Phelps has been one of the most contributing schools out of all the schools that participated - donating over 10,000 items!
This year, we are excited to share that Phelps collected 3394 items!
This year's winning classroom was Room 2 with 706 items! Room 14 came in 2nd place with 478 items! Both rooms will be getting a pizza party in December from the main office.
Thank you again for all of your generosity and teaching children the value of helping those in need.
We are at just over 96.5% average daily attendance as a school. ✅
Every Day Counts at Phelps! In November we saw an INCREASE in average daily attendance at Phelps! As we approach being one third of the way through the year, almost 35% of students in grades 1-4 have PERFECT attendance!
Did You Know?
⭐ Missing just two days each month can add up to over three weeks of missed learning in a year.
📚 Students who attend regularly are more likely to read on grade level by third grade.
🌟 Strong attendance habits begin early and set the stage for future success.
😊 Arriving on time helps children start the day feeling confident, calm, and ready to learn.
Kindergarten
1st grade
2nd grade
Kindergarten
3rd grade
4th grade
Wow, this year is flying by and we are already more than 25% done with the school year! As we head into the winter/holiday season I just wanted to give a reminder about Agawam School District’s Wellness policy. The policy can be found in the district handbook. Worth noting is the paragraph on classroom celebrations that states: “Any items brought in must be wrapped, store-bought with a list of ingredients on the label”. Here at Phelps we do have different allergies and some classrooms may be restricted on what snacks they can have. Please always check with classroom teachers prior to sending in any goodies and be aware that all goodies meant to be shared with the class will need to be approved through the nurse’s office. Non-edible items are welcomed for classroom celebrations.
Everywhere I look, I’m seeing warnings for a tough cold/flu season. In an effort to remain healthy, I encourage kiddos to wash their hands often and continue to drink their water and stay hydrated. And as always if a child has a fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea they should stay home until they have been free from fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea for 24 hours and their symptoms are improving. I would also encourage children to try and remain in class and not visit the nurse’s office whenever possible (unless truly sick or injured) as I do see quite a bit of illness in here and would prefer to avoid sharing those germs with other kiddos.
Vision/hearing screenings have begun and will continue throughout the year. Referrals will come home only if your child didn’t pass the screening at school. You may choose to opt your child out of this screening if you wish. A copy of a current screening completed by a specialist is required for this opt out. Please contact Nurse Taunya by email at tjasperson@agawamed.org or by phone at 413-821-9368 if you wish to opt out of this screening. If a current screening by a specialist isn't provided, your student will be screened per state guidelines.
As always feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns.
It's never too late to join!!!
Ready, Set, Grow is a program set up to encourage children to start saving at an early age. If you wish to have your child participate in this program, simply complete and sign the application form and return it to the school or visit a branch.
Westfield Bank will be at Phelps every Thursday morning for students to make deposits.
We’re excited to announce new grade-level and content-specific websites designed to enhance the connection between school and home! These online resources will provide students and families with helpful tools, activities, and important updates to support learning both in and outside of the classroom. Be sure to check out your child’s grade-level page to explore all the great resources we’ve made available to help foster a fun and engaging learning experience at home. Stay tuned for more updates!
To find your website - head over to https://www.agawamed.org/o/bjp and click on MENU. All of our new sites are published here!
Our new sites are a work in progress and will continue to be updated throughout the year.
Benjamin Phelps Elementary School
Email: avillamaino@agawamed.org
Website: https://www.agawamed.org/o/bjp
Location: 689 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001 USA
Phone: (413) 821-0586