The Monthly Phoenix Newsletter
November, 2021
A note from Mr. Silverman
Hello ESCS Families,
It’s hard to believe we’re well into December already! I am extremely proud of the effort, perseverance, and achievement I’m seeing from our students in yet another unusual school year! As we head into the holiday season, I am very grateful to be a part of such a strong and caring community.
As you know, with the exception of rainy days, our students have been eating lunch outdoors. But with along with the holiday season, colder weather has arrived. In the coming days, students in grades 1-8 will begin eating lunch in the cafeteria. (Kindergarten students will eat lunch in their classrooms). To promote safer distancing, we will be operating the cafeteria at half capacity. Instead of seating eight students to each table, we will seat a maximum of four. With this configuration, we can accommodate one grade level in the cafeteria at a time. Students in grades 1, 2, 5, and 7 will eat lunch before going out to recess, while students in grades 3, 4, 6, and 8 will play outside before coming in to the cafeteria to eat. Lunch and recess will each be 15 minutes. In case of rain, extreme cold, or unsafe playground conditions, one grade level will eat in the hallway outside the cafeteria, while the other grade eats in the cafeteria. This will alternate on each day of inclement weather. To allow for contact tracing when necessary, each student will be assigned to a specific table and seat in the cafeteria.
Since lunchtime is an important social time for students, and students will not be able to choose their own seats on a daily basis, we are working hard to take student preference into account when assigning seats. All students were asked to fill out an index card naming 3-4 students with whom they would prefer to sit during lunch. Each student is then guaranteed to be seated with at least one of those students. In the lower grade levels, teachers are assisting students with this process, and using their own knowledge of positive peer relationships to create groupings.
As with all new procedures, this procedure may require adjustments along the way. Our community has shown great flexibility and patience over the last two years, and I have no doubt they will continue to do so.
Happy Holidays!
~Mr Silverman
Assistant Principal
Staff Update
Staff Update:
Paula Lynch (2nd-grade teacher) will be retiring at the end of December. We are grateful for Paula's contribution to ESCS and SPS. We wish Paula continued good health and enjoyable retirement.
We will welcome Maisy Bolgatz to ESCS as a 2nd-grade teacher on January 3, 2022. Maisy is thrilled to be joining the ESCS family. She moved to the area from Oakland, California where she spent three years teaching second grade. Maisy received a master's in education from the University of California at Berkeley. When she is not in the classroom, Maisy loves spending time outside with her dog, Olive.
Turkey Bowl
Faculty Thanksgiving Potluck
PTA Updates
PTA Updates
We're planning a busy winter! Here’s what the PTA is up to, and how you can help:
Free Book Wednesdays will continue as long as the weather holds, 7:30-8:30 a.m. in front of the school. Email escspta@gmail.com to volunteer your help.
Get help scheduling COVID vaccines. Padres Latinos is working with the City of Somerville to find vaccine appointments for families in need. Please fill out this form to request vaccine scheduling help: https://bit.ly/VacunaAyuda
In-school volunteers needed! Give tours to prospective families, prep classroom materials, read to students, and more. Must be fully vaccinated and fill out a CORI release. Contact Sandra Morales, smorales@k12.somerville.ma.us, to get started.
Children’s winter coats needed ASAP. Clean and in good condition only. Drop off in main office.
Join the ESCS Penny Challenge! We need 37 large buckets to kick off our holiday penny challenge. Email escspta@gmail.com if you have a bucket to donate. Once we have enough buckets, each classroom will collect pennies to support ESCS families in need this winter. Collection will run through Wednesday, December 22. The grade with the most pennies wins an ice cream party on Thursday, December 23.
Give back to our community this season:
Donate to the PTA Family Emergency Fund: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1287735
Give gift cards for families in need. Contact Family Liaison Jennifer Ochoa, jochoa@k12.somerville.ma.us to find out what stores are needed.
Shop, save, and help at our new, carefully curated gift shop. Order everything from holiday decorations to sweet treats to games and adventures for the whole family. Up to 20% of sales go back to the PTA. Shop here: https://mapta-00010144.memberhub.com/store/product-fundraisers.
The Flatbread Fundraiser scheduled for November 30 had to be postponed due to a restaurant staffing issue. We’ll announce the new date soon. In the meantime, please consider giving directly to the PTA: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ESCSPTA
ESCS Leadership Visits Raices Elementary School in Rhode Island
EL SISTEMA WINTER CONCERT
Looking Ahead
December 13 - Kindergarten Virtual Open House
December 14 - El Sistema Concert - virtual
December 24 - January 2- No School
January 3 - Students return from break
January 12 - Half day - Noon dismissal
January 17 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - no school
January 24 - End of the 2nd Term
January 26 - Half day - Noon dismissal
January 31 - ESCS Music Department Concert - virtual
February 4 - Report Cards
February 15 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (5:30 pm to 7:30 pm)
East Somerville Community School
50 Cross Street
Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 629-5400
Administration
Erick Pagan, Assistant Principal
Larry Silverman, Assistant Principal