Memorial News
January 2019
From Mr. Collier
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Happy New Year! I hope that 2019 brings health and happiness to all. I'm sure our students and staff enjoyed the winter break and were ready to return to school. Our teachers did an outstanding job getting our students re-acclimated to the classroom routines. Everyone needed that short break to get re-energized and ready to continue to learn and grow.
On January 3, 2019, I relinquished my duties as Principal of Memorial Elementary for one day to Mr. Henry Kelly. Henry was the winner of the Montvale Education Foundation's silent auction. I have to admit, he did an impressive job and the students and teachers enjoyed having him in charge of the school. Great job Henry!
Last month, I received a few phone calls about unsafe drivers on Memorial Drive. Please note that drivers are not to cross the double yellow line to quickly get a parking spot. You need to drive to the end of the road and make your turn there. Also, students and parents should not be walking in between cars. Please use the sidewalks. Finally, if you need to cross the street, please walk to the nearest crossing guard and let them stop the traffic so you can cross safely. Remember that our top priority is to make sure that everyone is safe!
In January, there are several events occurring at Memorial School. Our teachers will participate in a professional development opportunity on Monday, January 21st. They will also spend time working with their grade level colleagues to reflect and review our students' performance during the first months of school. They develop goals and strategies to ensure that our students grow at Memorial.
At this time of year, we begin registering our new kindergarten students for September 2019. The administration will be watching the new kindergarten enrollment very closely. The number of students entering kindergarten will assist us in determining our staffing requirements and the number of sections per grade level. Please encourage anyone whose child will be attending kindergarten in September to register by February 1, 2019. All registration information and forms can be found on our website at www.montvalek8.org.
On behalf of the Memorial teachers, staff, and administration, we wish you and your family a Happy New Year!
From Mrs. Dugan: A word about lice…
With temperatures getting colder and recent holiday travel, it is common to begin to see the return of lice. It is the responsibility of the parent to check your children regularly and treat lice appropriately. Please take the time to keep long hair tied back and instruct your children not to have head to head contact or share items such as hats or hair accessories. This is an important preventative measure, along with frequent checks at home. If your child has lice or you suspect this is the case, please notify the Health Office so that the class and close contacts may be screened. Keep in mind that head lice are a nuisance and not a health emergency, nor do they pose any health threat. There is no link between head lice and poor hygiene. Head lice are a common childhood problem and should be treated as such.
Memorial School Illness Guideline
As cold, flu and stomach virus season is upon us, please be reminded of the following important school health guidelines:
- Children should remain at home if there is a temperature of 100.0 or higher and should not return to school until fever free WITHOUT MEDICATION for at least 24 hours.
- Medicating your student to reduce fever and sending them to school contributes to the spread of illness and is not in your child’s best interest.
- Children should remain home if vomiting and/or diarrhea are present until they are free of symptoms for at least 24 hours.
- If your child has a frequent cough and/or constant nasal drainage, they should remain home as these symptoms contribute to the rapid spread of viral illnesses. Constant coughing in the classroom is disruptive for the students and the teacher.
Please keep in mind that sick students sent to school not only have a difficult time performing in the classroom, but they are spreading illness to their classmates and teachers. The school community is at its best when these guidelines are followed.
Thank you.
Memorial School's Teacher of the Year
Kindergarten Registration
Please spread the word that Memorial School has begun our kindergarten registration. This is the time to register any student that is eligible for kindergarten for September 2019. The child must be five years old on or before October 1, 2019. All registration forms are located on the Memorial School website at www.montvalek8.org. Kindergarten registration will conclude on Friday, February 1, 2019.
International Day 2019
Memorial School will host our International Day program on Friday, January 18th. Fieldstone eighth grade students, under the direction of Mr. Richard Jopp, an eighth grade Social Studies teacher at Fieldstone Middle School, researched and developed presentations on many different countries. Mr. Jopp designed this project-based learning experience to prepare his students for the expectations of high school.
Each eighth grade student joined a team and was assigned a country to research. They designed a presentation and activity relating to that particular country. This provided them an opportunity to implement their research and presentation skills and work collaboratively as a group, while applying the one-to-one Chromebook initiative into this project.
For our Memorial students, the day’s events will have a very similar structure to the previous year's with Memorial School parents cooking and designing the world showcase food court. I would like to thank the PTO and our parent volunteers for their hard work and efforts to prepare for this day.
PTO Hot Food Order - Second Session
You may still order Hot Food for Session II through 1/6. Late fees of $25 will start on 1/7 and final ordering will end on 1/13. There will be no orders accepted after 1/13. The new session for Hot Food begins on Monday, 1/28 and runs until Monday, 6/24. Don't delay and order today! You may order PTO Lunches for Mondays and Fridays by becoming a PTO member and purchasing food through our website. https://www.montvalepto.com/mvl/index.cfm?
*The PTO serves Pizza Lunch on Mondays and Hot Food (bagels, sandwiches and salads on Fridays). Please note that there are no refunds or exchanges with your orders.
PTO Hot Food is available for our schools only because of all of our parent volunteers that help organize, work with our vendors and serve lunch. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our parent volunteers and all of our parents that order through the PTO for all of your support. Because of you, we are able to enhance our schools curriculum by providing money for special programs and we are able give back to our schools.
Thank you for all of your support!
Montvale PTO
Delayed School Opening
On days when there is inclement weather and the school has a delayed opening, Memorial School doors will not open until 10:00 a.m. That is the time when our teachers will be on duty to supervise the students. Parents should not drop their children off before that time.
The Pre-K delayed opening schedule is as follows:
Morning Program 10:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
Afternoon Program 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Students will eat lunch during these times:
- Kindergarten - 11:30 a.m.
- Grade 1 - 12:05 p.m.
- Grade 2 - 12:20 p.m.
- Grade 3 - 12:40 p.m.
- Grade 4 - 12:55 p.m.
PTO Book Fair
Memorial School’s PTO Book Fair is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 22nd. I would like to thank our PTO volunteers for their time coordinating this event. All information pertaining to the Book Fair was distributed by the PTO.
Memorial School Winter Concert - December 13, 2018
Upcoming Events
January 2 - Kindergarten Registration Begins
January 10 - Family Night
January 11 - MEF Event: Harlem Wizards vs. Montvale Marvels
January 11 - PTO Meeting 9:00 a.m. at Fieldstone
January 18 - International Day
January 21 - School Closed for Professional Day
January 22 to January 25 - PTO Book Fair
February 1 - Kindergarten Registration Concludes