The Buzz at Leeds
January 3, 2022
Message from Principal Wenz
Happy New Year everyone! Let's hope that this year brings many positive experiences for our Leeds' community members. We will resume school tomorrow, Tuesday, January 4th. Our lunch choice will be Chicken or Cheese Quesadillas with Salsa & Sour Cream, and Sweet Potato Fries or Carrots. Additionally, our Lift Off Learning after school program for our grade 3 through 5 students will start again tomorrow, January 4th. For those who have opted into our pooled testing, they will be tested tomorrow. I would like to welcome Ms. Bastoni as our Long Term Art substitute teacher. She will be filling in for Ms. Macutkiewicz until she returns. She will begin tomorrow, January 4th.
January is a very busy month. We do not have school on the following days:
- Thursday, January 6th in observance of Three King's Day or
- Monday, January 17th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day or
- Friday, January 28th for a teacher work day.
We have early dismissal days at the end of the month for Teacher/Caregiver conferences. Dismissal is at 11:30 for Kindergarten through Grade 5 students on each of the following days:
- Monday, 1/24
- Tuesday, 1/25
- Wednesday, 1/26
- Thursday, 1/27
- Monday, 1/31
Ms. DeWitt, our School Secretary, has taken a leave of absence to care for a family member. If you need to contact the office, please contact Laura Ziomek our Administrative Assistant at 413-587-1540 or lziomek@northampton-k12.us. Thank you!
Just a reminder that we do go outside for recess if it "feels like" 15 degrees or higher. Please make sure everyone has appropriate winter clothing. If your family is in need of winter clothing or boots, please contact our Adjustment Counselor, Susannah Bastek by email sbastek@northampton-k12.us or call her at 413-587-1535.
Stay safe and be well,
Chris Wenz, Principal
School Culture & Climate Survey
Our district is conducting a culture and climate survey. We would love your feedback. Please click one of the survey links below to share your family's experience with our school. Your feedback will help us strengthen our partnerships and work on engaging with families. Thank you !
https://forms.gle/i3rBrLfAsx15TNFo7 English
https://forms.gle/vZxsbsTer1XL18F49 Spanish
https://forms.gle/AEPfWedanLQkwSfLA French
https://forms.gle/2GpTTV4XeLppzibJA Swahili
https://forms.gle/sK4Jq3rbfQSwuzQS8 Kinyarwanda
https://forms.gle/QizHD36TeonxXCSC7 Chinese
Letter from Dr. Provost & Lisa Safron, Director of Health & Safety - December 30, 2021
Leeds PTO
Our next PTO meeting is Tuesday, January 11th via Zoom. More details to come.
Leeds Equity & Inclusion Committee - A Subcommittee of our School Council
The next meeting of the Leeds Equity & Inclusion Committee will take place (virtually) on Wednesday, January 12, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. New folks are always welcome and encouraged to join! Please reach out to leedsequityandinclusioncomm@gmail.com for the meeting link, to join our email listserv, or with your questions/ideas. We plan to meet the second Wednesday of every month throughout the year. E&I participation is always completely flexible–you can choose to commit to as much or as little as you’d like.
Upcoming virtual webinars/workshops:
REAL will offer a Book Talk on Tues, January 4, 7-8pm ET, with Oakland-based writer, Courtney Martin, author of "Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter's School." Email sarahlaurenmarcus@gmail.com for the Zoom link. If you'd like to purchase the book from High Five Books, use code LEARNINGINPUBLIC to get 15% off. This event will be free, though participants will be encouraged to donate to a community organization/cause of Courtney Martin's choosing.
Raising Race-Conscious Children will offer an interactive workshop/webinar on Sun, January 9, 8:00pm ET, on talking about race with young children. (A follow-up workshop/webinar is scheduled for Jan. 23rd). Check link for pricing details - individual registration is $45 for the first webinar, and $70 for both. Registration for the 1/9 webinar may close on 1/7.
Current and upcoming in-person events/exhibits:
The Eric Carle Museum’s current exhibitions include:
“The Undefeated: An Exhibition of Original Paintings by Kadir Nelson,” on exhibit through April 3. “Nelson portrays American heroes, past and present, including the countless African American activists, artists, athletes, musicians, and writers whose contributions have enriched American culture.”
Early Bird / Late Bird / LEAP
- Our January Early/Late Bird form is now closed. If you need assistance, please contact our coordinator, Gabrielle Hollender.
Payments: Pay Online (preferred) or make checks payable to "City of Northampton"
*Note: UniPay seems to have an aversion to Visa cards... so please try another card for payment
Please be sure to choose the dates you need for after school care. We have a limited number of staff and may not always be able to accommodate drop ins.
- Late Bird - 2:10-5:15 (Please send your child with a snack from home.)
Just a reminder that we do not have school on the following dates in January:
- Thursday, January 6th
- Monday, January 17th
- Friday, January 28th
Additionally, we will be having PreK through Grade 5 Caregiver/Teacher conferences on the dates listed below. We will have Early Bird on these dates, but we will not have Late Bird. Teachers will reach out to schedule conferences. Preschool teachers will contact caregivers regarding their schedule.
- Monday, January 24th
- Tuesday, January 25th
- Wednesday, January 26th
- Thursday, January 27th
- Monday, January 31st
LEAP
Be on the look out for the February Early / Late Bird forms and LEAP forms (our enrichment program) will be sent out in early January. If you or you know someone who would like to be a LEAP instructor, please reach out to Gabrielle with more information, (ghollender@northampton-k12.us or 413-587-1530 ext 3659)
Online payments are accepted for Early Bird/Late Bird and the LEAP program.
Online payment instructions: I know some of you had difficulty with our online payment system, so we have created a document with instructions. Here is the link.
BEHAVIOR POLICY: All staff and students will adhere to the Northampton Code of Conduct found at http://www.northamptonschools.org/project/code-of-conduct/
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
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Calendar of Events
Upcoming Dates
1/4/2022 - School Resumes
1/4/2022 - Lift Off Learning Resumes
1/6 - No School in observance of Three Kings Day
1/11- Leeds PTO Meeting @7:00pm via Zoom
1/12 - Fire Drill @9:15
1/12 - Leeds Equity and Inclusion Committee Meeting @6:30pm
1/17 - No School in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
1/18 - School Council Meeting @6:15pm via Zoom
1/24 - Early Dismissal @11:30 Caregiver / Teacher Conferences No Late Bird
1/25 - Early Dismissal @11:30 Caregiver / Teacher Conferences No Lift Off / No Late Bird
1/26 - Early Dismissal @11:30 Caregiver / Teacher Conferences No Lift Off / No Late Bird
1/27 - Early Dismissal @11:30 Caregiver / Teacher Conferences No Lift Off / No Late Bird
1/28 - No School - Teacher Work Day
1/31 - Early Dismissal @11:30 Caregiver / Teacher Conferences No Late Bird
2/9 - Early Dismissal @11:30 Half Teacher Work Day
2/21 through 2/25 Winter Break - No School
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Contact us:
(sharondewitt@northampton-k12.us)
Laura Ziomek, Administrative Assistant
Gabrielle Hollender, Early Bird/Late Bird Afterschool Coordinator
(ghollender@northampton-k12.us)
Chris Wenz, Principal
Email: sharondewitt@northampton-k12.us
Website: http://www.northamptonschools.org/project/leeds-elementary-school/
Location: 20 Florence Street, Leeds, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 587-1530