Memorial Buzz
News from Manchester Memorial Elementary School!
February 28, 2020
Principal's Note...
I lieu of a Principal's Message this week, I wanted to draw your attention to the notice from Superintendent Beaudoin regarding the Coronavirus. See below...
Dear MERSD Community,
Understanding that many families have questions regarding the recent outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and how it may impact our school community, I write to share the most recent information we have available. MERSD is checking regularly with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as with our local and state Departments of Health, as they are providing daily updates and recommendations. You may use the following link from the CDC to stay updated: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
While this is a public health concern, the CDC continues to report that the immediate risk to the general public remains low at this time. Yet, in today’s connected world, the potential for infectious disease is always of concern. As with seasonal flu, there are general precautions we can all take to remain as healthy as possible:
- Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Cover coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue to cover coughs and sneezes, then dispose of the tissue. When a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your elbow.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces or objects. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill.
- Wash hands for 20 seconds. Washing hands often under clean, running water can help prevent the spread of germs. For more guidance see the CDC: When and How to Wash Your Hands. If you cannot wash your hands, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60-95% alcohol.
Our district Facilities Department is vigilantly sanitizing our educational spaces as we typically do during cold and flu season; however, it is important to keep children home from school when they are ill. If your child has any of the following symptoms please keep him or her home from school: temperature greater than 100, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, any rash not yet diagnosed by a physician, red or pink itchy eye, and/or drainage from eye, and any contagious illness such as chickenpox, strep throat or flu. For additional guidance on when to keep your student home, please contact your school nurse. Also please inform your school nurse should your child be diagnosed with a contagious illness.
As the situation involving the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) evolves, we will update you as information is shared with us.
Sincerely,
Pam
Pamela Beaudoin
Superintendent
Manchester Essex Regional Schools
Have a great weekend!
Best,
John
DR. SEUSS
We are kicking off March with a couple of fun events at Memorial School!
Monday, March 2nd - All day, schoolwide celebration of Dr. Seuss/Read Across America Day.
Students and staff are invited to wear Seuss-inspired gear or just fun, colorful, creative styles on Monday as we celebrate national Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss's birthday!
Seuss characters will greet the children at the morning drop off!
The PTO will have a Seuss Photo Booth and all classes will swing by to get photos taken with Seuss props.
Our lunch menu will be Seuss-inspired offerings (One Fish, two fish, etc)
There will be a door decorating contest, students will sign a Reader's Pledge, we will enjoy a school-wide Drop Everything And Read time @ 2 pm and a raffle at the end of the day.
Thursday, March 5th from 6:00-7:30 pm - MMES Annual Poetry Cafe Night in the MMES Cafeteria
Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 are invited to share original works or published poems in an open-mike format. (Interested students need to sign up in advance - Sign up sheet is outside school Library door)
The event will be hosted by Gr 3 teacher Ms. Tyler Garofalo and background music will be provided by MMES Music teacher Ms. Fiona Dooley.
The PTO will transform the school cafeteria into a cool, twinkly lit cafe for the evening and provide refreshments.
The event is FREE for all. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Email Ms. Silag @ silags@mersd.org if you have any questions!
Temporary Main Office
Upcoming Dates...
March
4 - Noon Dismissal - Professional Development for Staff
25- Noon Dismissal - Parent Teacher Conferences
April
7 - MCAS - Grade 3 ELA I
8 - Noon Dismissal - Professional Development for Staff
14 - MCAS Grade 3 ELA II
15 - MCAS Grade 4 & 5 ELA I
16 - MCAS Grade 4 & 5 ELA II
20-24 - School Closed - Spring Recess
May
5 - MCAS - Grade 3 Math I
6 - MCAS - Grade 3 Math II
7 - MCAS - Grade 5 Math I
8 - MCAS - Grade 5 Math II
13 - Noon Dismissal - Professional Development for Staff
14 - MCAS - Grade 4 Math I
15 - MCAS - Grade 4 Math II
18 - MCAS - Grade 5 Science & Technology I
19 - MCAS - Grade 5 Science & Technology II
25 - School Closed - Memorial Day
June
16 - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL if no snow days: add one day for each snow day
MMPTO CORNER
Building Project Update
2-7-19 - National Grid will be running a line from Summer Street to our property to eventually supply the new building with natural gas. They also need to install a telephone pole near where the clothing donation bin is. Unfortunately, this will most likely take place on a school day and could have a slight impact on drop-off and pickup. Stay tuned for more information if needed. The project is on or slightly ahead of schedule at this point!
12-13-19 - The phase one steel is complete and the building has been enclosed for winter weather. Interior work is starting and the distractions have been reduced significantly. Repairs to the driveway took place this week to make sure we are prepared for plowing any major snowstorms this winter. We are currently slightly ahead of schedule!
10-25-19 - Important! The steel deliveries are coming...starting 10/28/19!
The construction team will have extended working hours from 7:00am – 6:00pm, as necessary to complete steel close to school. There may be Saturday work as deemed necessary by WT Rich and Steel Erector so that the steel that is adjacent to the occupied building can take place when children are not in the building.
There will be ongoing deliveries Monday – Friday from 10/28/2019 to 11/08/2019.
10/28/2019: Crane Mobilization and first steel deliveries (2-3 trucks expected daily).
A Police detail will be in place due to going the wrong way at Union Street. Police are providing notices to cars for dates to not park from 10/28-11/8 during the hours of anticipated oversized load traffic (between 7am-3pm).
9-27-19 - The paving is finally complete on the new play area for the upper grades. When it snows in the winter, all grades will use this for their recess area so we wanted to be sure it was a big, open, and safe place. Thank you to the MMPTO for their donation of fun things to play with out there!
9-20-19 - There have been concerns about the speed that trucks are leaving the construction site at the end of the workday. Stop signs were installed at the exit from the worksite so that workers must stop before leaving the property. Phys. Ed. classes are taking place on the tennis courts because the turf is inaccessible to us. The courts will be locked during the day so that community members may use them after school hours, but not during school hours for safety reasons. There has been a lot of progress to the foundation pouring for the first wing to be built.
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!
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...
MBTS 375th Celebration
Girls on the Run
Visit the link below to register before February 11th. Program fee is $225. Information regarding financial assistance is available when you register. It is important to note that Girls on the Run uses a random lottery system if more girls sign up than max capacity. The lottery will be run on February 12th. Credit cards will not be charged until the lottery is complete.
https://www.girlsontherunboston.org/Register-Now >> Click “Spring 2020 Program”
Manchester Parks and Recreation Brochure
FEB VACA WEEK W/ KNUCKLEBONES- SURVIVOR / AMAZING RACE CHALLENGES
Once again MPR is teaming up with Knucklebones!!!! Knucklebones will bring unique games to the children of Manchester by the Sea. With over 250 seasons from the US & aboard, Survivor has created some of the greatest challenges on television. Manipulating various challenges, participants will work to outwit, outplay and outlast through mental, physical and creative tasks. Working in groups, pairs and individuals, participants will be presented with their very own season of Survivor. Please pack a peanut free lunch and water bottle every day.
Dates: Tuesday - Friday, February 18th - 21st Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
Location: Memorial School Gym Fee: $145.00
Register at www.mbtsrec.com
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