Memorial Buzz
News from Manchester Memorial Elementary School!
September 13, 2019
Principal's Note...
It was great to see all of you at our annual Open House this week. It is always a great evening to reconnect with folks after some time away. The buzz around the school was very positive and exciting! I am glad you all had a chance to see the construction in action along with some of the creative uses of space in the building this year...ie. the "music room/auditorium."
When you have some downtime with your children this weekend, please ask them what the MMES Core Values are. I bet even our newest students will remember my conversation with them earlier this week where we discussed Honesty, Effort, Acceptance, Respect, Responsibility, and Thoughtfulness (H.E.A.R.R.T.). I blew the dust of book that I consider an "oldie but a goodie" and read it with them to make a connection between our core values and our school theme this year, "Fill a Bucket!" If you haven't read it, check out "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEg38zCOMgk
Have a great weekend!
Best,
John
Scholastic Book Fair Is Coming!
Building Project Update
9-6-19 - Most of the site prep is complete for the first phase of construction and the foundation is being poured...very exciting! This phase of construction is to build a two-story classroom wing that will house all of the classrooms starting next year! We will still use the current office, gymnasium, cafeteria, etc. next year, but all students will be in new classrooms next year!
- Recess: Grade K-2 recess is going smoothly in the courtyard and play structure between the K and 1/2/3 wings. The grade 3-5 playground was partially paved last weekend and the remaining area will be worked on in the near future. A HUGE thank you to the PTO for taking on the project of making this blank play space more interactive and fun! Stay tuned...
6-7-19 - Parent Meeting Summary: On June 5, 2019 MERSD hosted a parent information meeting regarding the upcoming construction project. A few highlights are below.
- Recess: For the 2019-2020 school year, the rear of the building including the play structure, Brook St. path, and turf field will not be accessible to MMES during the school day. The courtyard and play structure between the K wing and grade 1/2 wing (Kapok Tree area) will be available for us to have outdoor recess. A temporary, paved play area will be constructed in the courtyard between the grade 4/5 wing and the library/tech wing. Students WILL be able to have outdoor recess and lunchtime will be in our cafeteria as usual...hooray!
- Arrival and Dismissal will take place on the Lincoln St. side of the school ONLY. The Brook St. side will be inaccessible during the school day. Students who are picked up by car will be dismissed out to the front car line only. There will be no change for buses and we highly encourage students to ride the bus and carpool. Students who live in the village area will cross at the main crosswalk and walk to Vine St. to access the village neighborhood. More details to follow in August.
- Interior: This summer, the grade 3/4 wing (last wing on the left as you come down the main hallway) will be demolished to make room for the new, 2-story classroom wing to be built next year. This wing houses 3 classrooms, the foreign language room, and 2 special education (IRWL) classrooms. This means that the classrooms in that wing will be relocated to other areas of the building. We have a plan to ensure that all classes and programs will have appropriate spaces for learning. Art and foreign language will travel to classrooms while music will be in the auditorium. There are no changes to the library, technology, or PE rooms for next year.
- The themes that kept coming up were FLEXIBILITY and PATIENCE. There will be may curveballs thrown our way and the construction process can be disruptive at times. We will do our best to make sure the trains run on time, but the next 3 years will be quite out of the ordinary. If you have any questions or ideas along the way, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email or phone.
- More details including a FAQ from the meeting and video of the meeting will be posted here in the near future: https://www.mersd.org/domain/767
5-31-19 - I have been mentioning the importance of flexibility during the building project as we have gone through the design process. We are now on the doorstep of the time when we will all need to dig deep into our flexibility reserves! Teachers in c-wing will be in the building this weekend to begin packing materials to be moved into the gymnasium over the next 2 weeks. Materials and furniture will be staged in the gymnasium until they can be relocated to their new homes this summer. We need to start the packing and moving process now as c-wing needs to be completely empty when we close school on June 14th. Thank you, in advance, for your patience and understanding during this "out of the ordinary" time at MMES!
5-16-19 - MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Parent Information Meeting - June 5 @6PM - MMES Auditorium - Hope to see all families there. We will discussing safety and logistics for the 2019-2020 school year.
5-13-19: We are currently planning a ground breaking ceremony for early June that will include an assembly with the students and local dignitaries to officially kick off the project.
5-6-19: Staff in C-wing will need to move all items out of the wing so that it can be taken down this summer to make way for the new 2-story classroom wing. To achieve this, staff will work overtime (after school, weekends, etc.) to box everything up in preparation for moving in early to mid-June.
5-6-19: In early June, some site work will begin including the construction of fencing and erosion control around the jobsite. The jobsite will encompass a fairly large portion of the property including the path to Brook Street, the back playground, and Brook St. parking lot/tennis courts. Students and families will still have regular access to Brook St. for the remainder of the 2018-2019 school year.
5-6-19: The Brook St. field, path, parking lot, etc. will be inaccessible for the 2019-2020 school year between the hours of 7AM and 3:30PM. This means that back walkers will need to go over the footbridge and down Vine street to access the Brook St. neighborhood. All car pick up students will need to be dismissed via the front car line. We are hoping that families can ride the bus will ride the bus next year and/or carpool to lighten the number of vehicles in the front drop off/pick up line. If students live close enough to walk/bike safely (and they are old enough to do so), we encourage them to walk/bike.
5-6-19: We are currently working to schedule a parent meeting to discuss the logistical impacts and safety planning for the 2019-2020 school year. Stay tuned!
meHUB- Great New Resource!
The meHUB site is live!
Mission:
meHUB seeks to educate and empower Manchester and Essex youth and families by providing resources and tools that promote social-emotional well-being and positive youth development.
We also seek to build and encourage a strong support network throughout our community through collaboration and engagement, with town boards and services, regional agencies, and recreational and youth organizations.
Here is the link: https://manchesteressexhub.com/.
From MERHS Administration...
Oversight of Children at Evening Sporting Events
MERHS loves spirit at Friday evening games. Games are a wonderful place for the community to come together. We would like to remind parents that there is not specific supervision of children during the game. We request that parents attend evening games with their children (Elementary and MS Age). We want to make sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable evening. Go Hornets!
Upcoming Dates...
SEPTEMBER
11 - 6-7PM- MMES Open House
18 - K-12 Early Release for Staff Development - Noon Dismissal
October
2 - K-12 Early Release for Staff Development - Noon Dismissal
14 - Columbus Day - No School
15-19 - Scholastic Book Fair
30 - K-12 Early Release for Staff Development - Noon Dismissal
Help Wanted!
We are currently searching to build our substitute pool for the 19-20 school year. Do you know someone locally who has experience working with children in a school setting? Please have them email Mrs. Dodge directly at dodgec@mersd.org, and we can take them through the application and screening process. We are also looking for another crossing guard. Thanks so much in advance!
Notices From our Friends...
The Musary Music Lending Library
MMES is on Facebook!
Memorial School:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009186193553&hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf
MMES Library/Technology:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007713044842&fref=ts
"Like" our friends:
MERSD:
https://www.facebook.com/ManchesterEssexRegional/?fref=ts
MMPTO:
https://www.facebook.com/ManchesterMemorialPTO/?fref=ts