Glover Elementary School
Summer Update
A Message from Mrs. McDavitt
I hope this email finds you well and that you are enjoying your summer! I hope you have found some time to rest, relax, rejuvenate and rebuild after the trying year we all had. I am optimistically looking forward to a great 21-22 school year! Although much has yet to be determined with regard to COVID protocols, I can assure you that when I have any information to share, I will do so in an expeditious way. We continue to follow all DESE and MA DPH guidance and Superintendent Jette has been in communication with DESE over the past three weeks to make sure he has the most updated information and how it will impact MPS. We hope to have more concrete guidance, particularly around mask recommendations for students, in the coming weeks and I anticipate that Superintendent Jette will be making a decision on expectations for the fall at that time.
The Dreaded Summer Slide
There is still plenty of time! Many have inquired about ways to keep skills sharp so that students are prepared to return confidently in the fall. The very best way is to continue using Lexia and iReady, practicing math facts, and read, read, read! Read anything and everything! To access more information about the summer reading program, click here: K-5 Summer Reading Information and K-5 Summer Reading Registration. In addition, Dr. Spaulding sent this letter to all elementary families in June about Lexia and iReady. You can access that letter here.
Looking for some great read-alouds? How about listening to stories read by some of your favorite Glover all-stars? Another way to keep reading skills fresh is to listen to fluent readers read aloud. Click here to access A Collection of Read-Alouds from your Glover Staff!
New Glover Families and Returning Remote Students
I would like to encourage all new families (besides incoming Kindergartners- see below) and families of students who were fully remote and returning to in-person learning this fall to reach out to me directly to set up a time to come visit the school, take a tour, ask questions, and get acclimated to everything Glover. Please just email me at kmcdavitt@miltonps.org and we will set up a time that works for you!
Class Placement
Suggested School Supplies
School Building Update
Welcome New (and not-so-new) Staff!
Kindergarten: Joining Ms. Elovich, Mrs. Kates, Mrs. Brandi, and Mrs. Brink is Ms. Natakki Jones. Ms. Jones is a strong early childhood educator who looks forward to joining our wonderful community. We will have 5 Kindergarten classes.
First Grade: We welcome Lea Franklin back to the Co-Taught First Grade alongside Ms. Donohue. She is rejoining her team of Ms. Grant-Heal, Mme. Bonner, and Mme. Brown. We will have 4 First Grade classes (2 French and 2 English).
Second Grade: Geralyn Comer will be moving up to Second Grade alongside Mrs. Vanacore/Ms. Craven (Co-Taught), Mrs. Coates, Mme. Jungels, and Mme. Stallions. We will have 5 Second Grade classes (3 English and 2 French).
Third Grade: We welcome Jessica Pero to the English side of Third Grade French alongside Mme. Koita. Mrs. Pero is a veteran BPS educator and Glover parent. We also welcome Ms. Caprial Harris, who will be filling Ms. Hammond’s year-long leave of absence. Mrs. O’Leary will continue in Grade 3 and Mrs. White (special educator in Co-Taught 3) will be out on maternity leave for the start of school. Her leave will be covered by a special educator. We will have 5 Third Grade classes (3 English and 2 French).
Fourth Grade: Joining Mrs. Kempf, Mr. Hoff, Ms. Spitz/Ms. Renehan (Co-Taught), and Ms. Morris, we welcome the amazing duo of Ms. Samah Hashem and Mrs. Sara Murphy. Ms. Hashem is moving up to fourth grade from third and Mrs. Murphy is a special educator returning from a year-long leave of absence. We will have 5 Fourth Grade classes (3 English and 2 French).
Fifth Grade: We welcome Mrs. Katie Maliel back to Grade 5. She will be joined by Ms. Gardiner and Mrs. Ryan (Co-Taught), Mrs. Good, Ms. Mazzotta, and Ms. Scialom who will teach 0.3 French in Grade 5. Mrs. Ryan will be out on maternity leave for the start of the year and her leave will be covered by a special educator. We will have 4 Fifth Grade classes (2 English and 2 French). We anticipate going back to our typical Grade 5 structure in which students are mixed French-English for the first 70% of their day but we await official guidance on this in terms of COVID protocols.
Other New Staff: We welcome Karine Scialom as our 0.3 French Grade Five teacher and French Reading Specialist. We are pleased to share that our STEP (Social Emotional Therapeutic Program) will be led by Caitlyn Sevigny (Adjustment Counselor) and Allie Lanctot (BCBA/Special Educator). Kristin Collins, ELL teacher, will be out on maternity leave at the start of the year and her leave will be covered by a long-term substitute.
Incoming Kindergarten Families
We look forward to welcoming our newest Glover Kids and will be providing a series of opportunities to visit the school, meet the teachers, and get to know new friends. We will have two popsicle playdates: the first is on Thursday, August 26 in the evening at 6pm and the second is on Friday, August 27 at 10am. Please choose the one that works best for your schedule and please also know that if you cannot make it, there are additional opportunities lined up! By the time we have these playdates, students will know who their teachers are and this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends who will be in their classes in the fall.
In addition, we will be hosting Kindergarten Orientation on Wednesday, September 1. More information will follow but the general idea is that children will arrive in small groups, go to their classrooms, learn how to navigate the building, and then spend some time with their teachers in their classrooms doing some fun activities. Families are welcome to join Kindergartners on this visit. Again, detailed information will be sent in late August.
Communication
This email contains some pertinent information related to summer and start of school activities. Much of this information can be also found in the Superintendent’s Weekly Update. If you do not receive the Superintendent’s Weekly Update and would like to, please enter your email here to subscribe to this one weekly email.
During the school year, I will send one Glover Elementary School Weekly Update every Monday morning at 7am. Please refer to this communication for the most up-to-date information related to your child’s educational experience here at Glover. Throughout the month of August, I will continue to communicate as information needs to be shared. If you know of someone who hasn’t received this email, please encourage them to reach out to me directly as their email address may need to be changed in our database.
Logistics
Transportation
Late Registration to ride the bus for the 2021-2022 school is now open and can be found at this link. Please read all details on the registration form before registering your child. The MPS Transportation Department is working on rider seat assignments and expects this will be completed by August 9th. Families will receive an email no later than August 13th confirming ridership or placement on the waitlist. Bus passes will be mailed the week of August 23rd.
After School Enrichment/Before School Programming
Health News: Physicals
MPS Quality Review
At the School Committee Meeting last week, Cambridge Education reported the Quality Review Main Findings which can be read at this link. I also encourage you to watch the School Committee meeting at this link. As the details of the Quality Review are available, we will share them with the MPS community via email and on our website. The School Committee and MPS leadership will also be available for more in depth discussions in the fall.
For Your Calendar:
Thursday, August 6: Popsicle Playdate for incoming K at 6pm
Friday, August 27: Popsicle Playdate for incoming K at 10am
Monday, August 30: Teachers Return (Professional Development)
Tuesday, August 31: Teachers Professional Development
Wednesday, September 1: First Day of School- Grades 1-5
Wednesday, September 1: Kindergarten Orientation
Friday, September 3: No School
Monday, September 6: No School (Labor Day)
Tuesday, September 7: First Day of School- Kindergarten
Tuesday, September 7: BooHoo/Yahoo Gathering for Parents/Guardians at 9am
Thursday, September 16: No School (Yom Kippur)
Thursday, September 30: Glover Open House