October-November
Something Wicked (and FUN!) This Way Comes
For Your Calendar
October 27 1/2 day, dismissal @ 11:45, no ASP
October 28 Halloween Festival 1:00-3:00 at Fort Creek
October 31 Halloween at School (see details below)
Nov. 3 1000 Hours Quincy Bog Walk ‘n Talk, LE
Nov. 8 Progress Reports Home
Nov. 9 Parent -Teacher- Student Conferences- No School (The sign up link came out from teachers on 10/25)
Nov. 10 Veterans Day- No School
Nov. 15 Staff Meeting- No ASP
Nov. 19 1000 Hours MVCS Parade and Holiday Prep Location and time TBD
Half day Nov. 22: Dismissal at 11:45am
Thanksgiving Recess- No School Nov. 23-24
Halloween Fun
Next Tuesday, October 31st, we will be celebrating Halloween at MVCS! Students are welcome to wear costumes that day. We will have some Halloween activities going on in the afternoon, including a costume parade through Fort Creek for classes to see each other in their costumes.
Please make sure your student does not wear anything that might be scary, violent or overly distracting. We realize these statements could have different definitions for different people, so please feel free to check in if you're wondering about your child's costume. Students will be outside for most of the day and they should be able to manage their costume and remain comfortable throughout the day.
Other than the parade, individual classrooms are planning their own festivities and reaching out to families for whatever they might request/need. Please look for an email from your classroom teachers with these details.
And lastly, for the days following Halloween, candy needs to be a treat to save for home. Thank you for understanding!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
GIANT Thank Yous!
Thank you everyone for making our DOE visit great yesterday! It went well. Tal enjoyed meeting everyone and seeing our classrooms in action indoors and out! The next step is a presentation to the NH State Board of Education with the commissioner (tentatively) on November 9. All are welcome! More details to come.
Gearing Up For Winter
The cold is coming! It is time to think about cold weather gear.
Students need to have…
- A full change of clothes that's appropriate for the cold weather- long sleeves, warm socks, pants
- A full change of outer gear in case they get wet
- This could look like a pair of snow pants, rain pants, and rain jacket or some type of water resistant layer.
Please do not rely on our spare gear as your child's back-up.
This winter gear list from our handbook is a good reminder as well:
Insulated boots, winter coat, waterproof mittens or gloves, scarf/neck cover, hat, snow pants, wool/fleece socks. Taking the time to thoroughly dry these items each night will help immensely in the morning.
An Update from Alfie
Dear Families,
Some quick reminders as we head into Fall/Winter. We have been noticing that many students are now getting out of cars each morning still eating breakfast and bringing in drinks in travel mugs or to- go cups. Please remember that your student’s breakfast food/snack and drink needs to be finished before arriving at school. Moving forward If your student does have a to go cup of drink/ hot drink or food for the morning they will be asked to leave it in the vehicle when they are dropped off for the day. Families are most welcome to pull over in a parking spot to allow their kiddo time to have last sips and bites for the day. We have noticed a recent surge of caffeinated energy drinks like Prime, Power Aide, hot cocoa coming to school. We are asking that you please save/keep those type of drinks for home. Drinks with sugar and high caffeine levels do not last long and create sugar crashes for students which impacts energy levels creating the need for additional snacks/food to sustain energy throughout a school day. We ask that your student only bring water each day with them and leave all sugar drinks and caffeine at home.
Also, many students are making their way down to the burrow on a regular basis looking for additional food/snacks during the day. With the cold weather coming please check to make sure your student has plenty of snacks and food packed for lunch each day. We understand things come up and mornings can be challenging to get out the door. We also understand when a lunch boxes get tipped over and when a rogue squirrel steals a favorite bag of chips. In order to prepare for such contingencies we have created a sandwich making station upstairs in Upper El kitchenette complete with bread, sun butter & jelly with carrots/fruit available for students who feel they need a bit more to eat. It is MVCS policy to not share food and drink with others because of possible hidden allergies while respecting family decisions/choices around/about food.
Last but not least, Upper El and Middle school families get the award for being EARLY at morning Drop off and EARLY for afternoon pick up! Reminder School drop off starts at 7:45 and pick up begins at 2:45. While we would like to send all students home as quickly as possible and are excited that you are ready at the end of the day, parent pick up is beginning to become a bit of dangerous situation as All Upper El families seem to be arriving at the same time which is creating a line of traffic that is backing up into the road before or @ at 2:45. We have students and staff who are trying to move through the parking lot at @ 2:40. We appreciate you wanting to be on time but if you could stagger your arrival to arrive at 2:45 and then by just a few minutes then we will have more room/time to create a steady moving flow of traffic rather than a back up while keeping the parking lot safe for students and staff.
Thank you!
Alfie
Head Of School Report
Every month I write up a report to present at the Board of Trustees meeting. It includes information about staffing, enrollment, projects in the works, and a few financials. Here is my October Head of School Report . Reach out with any questions you may have.
Have a Question or Concern? A Celebration?
Please know that I am always available to chat or to answer any questions you have. Just send me an email and we will set up a time.
-Merrill