JW Killam Principal's Corner
Ms. Leveque's Weekly Newsletter
From the Desk of Ms. Leveque
It’s hard to believe that we are already midway through November! This is an extremely busy month in the elementary world. From the Scholastic Book Fair to the Parent-Teacher Conferences, we have a lot to look forward to as a school community. At each step, the staff and I continue to pause and reflect on how much has already been accomplished this school year. We have math centers in full swing, Know Atom science experiments are up and running in the 3rd-5th grade classrooms, and students are wrapping up their first unit of writing. Students are getting instruction that meets them right in their instructional range. As a staff, we have held individual grade level meetings to pour over the data from the beginning of the year and plan the best ways to provide intervention and enrichment for all classes. This is an ongoing practice that is embedded in our schedules and as we grow in our understanding of the students in front of us, we are able to better adjust our instruction. Teaching is an art and it continues to evolve. We are excited by what is ahead for our students!
Best,
Ms. Leveque
Important Killam Dates
Week of November 18th: Parent-Teacher Conference Week. First term report cards will be handed out at the conference. All progress reports for students on IEPs will be emailed.
-PTO Sponsored Scholastic Book Fair
Monday, November 18th: TRRFCC Time-- wear class colors!
Friday, November 22nd: No School for students
Wednesday, November 27th: 11am Dismissal (YMCA closed after school)
-Killam Koala Spirit Day; show your Killam pride by wearing your Killam gear or class colors!
Thursday, November 28th-29th: No School for the Thanksgiving Break
Helpful Planning for November- School Routine Disruptions
November 22nd: No school
November 27th: 11 am dismissal for all
November 28th-29th: No school for Thanksgiving break
Friendly Reminders about Rolling Car Drop-Off
-Pull all the way to the end of the driveway. Do not stop and drop-off directly in front of the school.
-Students should exit independently from the passenger side doors.
-Parents do not exit the vehicles. If you need to help your child get out of the car, you need to park and walk the student to their arrival spots.
-The end of the driveway is a right turn only.
Thanks for helping us get our students safely to school each day. With your help, we can get all students in the building prior to the tardy bell (8:25)!
Killam Koalas Outdoors
As we appear to be entering winter chills, we want students to have a consistent outdoor experience between grades and classrooms. To support this, we have set guidelines for temperature/weather type when deciding morning drop-off and outdoor vs. indoor recess for all classrooms. Below are guidelines for morning drop-off and outdoor recess for ‘19-20 school year.
·Students will be outdoors if the temperature (including wind chill) is 20 degrees or warmer and it’s not raining, sleeting, hailing, or blizzarding. We use the WeatherBug app to check in throughout the day so feel free to check it from home!
-For indoor morning drop-offs: The timeframe remains the same as outdoor days. Supervision and doors open at 8:10am. Students in grades K-2 head to the gymnasium. Students in grades 3-5 head to the cafeteria. Students in half-day K always go directly to their classroom (same 8:05 arrival as outdoor days). At 8:15, students head to their classrooms.
· On questionable, cold days the office will make an announcement before the first recess announcing outdoor or indoor recess. If no announcement is made then it is outdoor recess. Again, please send your child with appropriate outdoor clothing because if the temperature rises to 20 or above during the day, we will head outside.
· If students want to play in snow they must be wearing snow pants, boots, jackets, and gloves/mittens. If students do not wish to play in the snow, they will remain on the blacktop.
· With a large amount of students out on the playground at each recess, we need to be extra vigilant about safety. There is no throwing of snowballs or ice. A reflection form will be used to re-teach and discuss the safety concerns if a student does not follow this rule.
· Label each article of clothing so that if something is misplaced, it can be returned to you as quickly as possible.
Please be aware that all students go outside when the weather meets these conditions. Additionally, please send your child to school wearing appropriate outdoor clothing for the weather. We highly encourage you to practice getting dressed in the snow gear as quickly as possible- make a game of it and time it! The expectation is, if you child is well enough to come to school, they are well enough to go outdoors.
Thanks for taking the time to remind students of the winter expectations. Snow play is beloved by many and we want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to safely enjoy their recess time during these months.
PTO Corner
PTO Sponsored Scholastic Book Fair: Please consider signing up to volunteer at the PTO sponsored Book Fair. Volunteers are needed to help when the classes visit, as well as when the Fair is open to parents on Wednesday, November 20th and Friday, November 22nd. This is a great fundraiser, 25% of the sales will go to the activities and events sponsored by the PTO!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4AA5AA29A02-2019
New in 2019 - Pay PTO dues with Venmo at @KillamPTO!
Please be sure to include your child/family’s name in the notes when you submit your Venmo payment so we can credit the dues to the appropriate family.
2020-2021 Incoming Kindergarten Information
SEPAC
The SEPAC meets throughout the school year in the RMHS Library Media Center at 7:00 p.m. Please plan to attend on the following dates, or click here for additional information:
- Tuesday, December 10th: A representative from the DESE (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) is scheduled to present about the new Tiered Focused Monitoring (TFM) parent information plan.
- Tuesday, January 14th
- Tuesday, February 11th
- Tuesday, March 10th
- Tuesday, April 14th
- Tuesday, May 12th
The mission of the Reading Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is to work for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community. To that end, they will work to:
- Promote a network of parents of children with special needs, and provide a forum to share information;
- Advise the Director of Student Services, School Committee, and Superintendent on special education programs and policies, and parent and teacher training needs;
- Promote communication and sharing of information between SEPAC members, local, state and national organizations, councils and groups, as well as within the community to encourage understanding, acceptance and inclusion of students with special needs;
- Provide informational workshops to parents, educators, students and professionals.
About These Services
Ms. Sarah Leveque, Principal
Email: sarah.leveque@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: http://reading.k12.ma.us/killam/
Location: 333 Charles Street, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: 781-944-7831
Facebook: facebook.com/JWKillamSchool
Twitter: @Killamnews