The Buzz at Leeds
September 27, 2021
Message from Principal Wenz
I hope that you all had a great weekend and were able to take in the start of our fall foliage.
We have a letter regarding Health and Safety Protocols from Dr. Provost, Superintendent and Lisa Safron, Director of Health, Safety, & Equity Programs. Dr. Provost updated this letter with a robo call this evening that states, "Runny nose and congestion without an underlying cause such as documented seasonal allergies continue to be significant symptoms of concern and should have been included on the list of symptoms that require individuals to stay at home and seek COVID-19 P.C.R testing." (Carta escrita en español)
Just a reminder that our Virtual Open House is scheduled for October 13th at 6:00pm. Here is a link to the Superintendent's letter. Aquí está el enlace a la versión en español.
Thank you to some of our caregivers who did turn in chrome books from last year. We are still looking for more chrome books. If you still have a chrome book at home from last year, we could use it back at school for our students this year.
We are looking for 1 recess monitor to assist in supervising students from 10:00-12:05. If you know anyone, please have them contact Principal Wenz at (413) 587-1530 or cwenz@northampton-k12.us
Please remember to do the daily self-checklist for each student. Thank you all for keeping your students home if they are ill or have symptoms. If you have questions, please reach out to Nurse Beth (bsavidge@northampton-k12.us) or (413) 587-1544.
Stay safe and be well,
Chris Wenz, Principal
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Arrival
Thank you everyone for helping us make our arrival procedure run smoothly. Lot of gratitude for pulling up and having your children ready for school. We greatly appreciate all of your support.
School Council
Get involved in the LES School Council
Our School Council will meet tomorrow night, 9/21 at 6:15pm via Zoom. Here are the Zoom details:
ID: 87345423753
Passcode: rqM8Vuu8
Learn about how Leeds Elementary School operates, and help the school to grow and improve.
Officially, school councils are to assist principals in:
- Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
- Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school
- Reviewing the annual school building budget
- Formulating a school improvement plan
Beyond that, a School Council’s identity is determined by the members working in tandem with the Principal. It can entail many things. The council the last few years focused on community and engagement. As a result, we created the Class Representative program, the parent survey, Literacy Night and Technology Night, Math Night, the World Cafe, social justice projects, and the all-school read.
What’s the difference between the School Council and the PTO? At LES, the PTO runs fundraising and social events, whereas the School Council is involved more with curriculum and school priorities - though the two groups occasionally work together.
How do I become an elected member of the School Council? Contact Jean Monska, PTO President at Jean@leedspto.org. There are currently one or two open caregiver positions on the council. If more than two people are interested in serving as official council members, we’ll have an election in October.
If I don’t become an elected member of the School Council, can I still come to meetings? Yes. You are welcome at any/all meetings, and you can help out on projects and sub- committees, if you want. Much of the time, there’s little difference between the roles of elected and unelected members. The meetings are friendly and relaxed, so feel free to drop in on one.
How much work is involved? We meet approximately six times a year. Meetings generally last 60-90 minutes. Outside of meetings, you may choose to work on some of the Council’s initiatives, like the Class Rep program. Or maybe you’ll bring something new to the group...
Leeds Equity & Inclusion Committee - A Subcommittee of our School Council
Greetings from the Leeds Equity and Inclusion Committee! We're a group of Leeds parents, caregivers, teachers, and staff who work toward creating a school community that honors self-exploration, meaningful relationships across difference, and every person’s dignity and belonging. The E&I Committee is a subcommittee of the Leeds School Council.
Our first meeting of the 2021-22 school year will take place (virtually) on Tuesday, October 13, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. New folks are warmly welcomed and encouraged to join the meeting to get a better sense of what we’re about! Please reach out to leedsequityandinclusioncomm@gmail.com for the meeting link.
We plan to meet the second Wednesday of every month throughout the year (6:30-8:00 PM). E&I participation is completely flexible--you can choose to commit to as much or as little as you’d like. This might mean staying in the loop via our email listserv (email us at leedsequityandinclusioncomm@gmail.com), attending the occasional meeting or every meeting, initiating or joining existing committee work, or some combination.
FYI, recent projects of the E&I Committee include:
"Let's Talk: Discussions of books, media, and ideas,” a series of gatherings that support relationship building among adult members of our school community and conversations on topics pertaining to inclusion and equity
Acquisition of dozens of wonderful diverse and inclusive books for the Leeds School Library, plus coordination of the selection and community-sourced donation of dozens more additional titles that are now available
New artwork displayed in school hallways that communicate messages and images that welcome, inspire, and celebrate all kinds of diversity
Rotating display in the school lobby, in partnership with High Five Books, featuring beautiful books and related prompts to engage students and all members of our school community in reflection and conversation
World Café, a (pre-pandemic) schoolwide learning event supported by local restaurants, at which Leeds families displayed written materials, pictures, snacks, and other items representing their heritage and countries around the globe
...and more!
Thanks for reading--we hope to hear from you! Please be in touch with any questions.
Caregiver Workshop - First Aid
October 13th at 7:00pm or October 15th at 10:00am
Please click here for the form and we'll send you the link to sign in 24 hours prior to your selected course. See you soon! This course is funded by the Northampton Preschool Partnership and Northampton Public Schools in collaboration with the Northampton Parents Center.
Caregiver Workshop - Confident and Curious: How to help tweens and teens reduce worrying, navigate social challenges and develop the competence they need.
Good afternoon!
As a school district, we aim to support families through this difficult time. So, we’ve invited Dr. Sharon Saline, local clinical psychologist and international ADHD expert, to offer some workshops based on your survey responses about mental health. These presentations are aimed at improving daily life for students and caregivers during these challenging times. A Spanish Interpreter will be available.
Confident and Curious: How to help tweens and teens reduce worrying, navigate social challenges and develop the competence they need.
For parents and caregivers of middle and high school students:
Date: September 29, 2021
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Are you concerned about the amount of anxiety your tween or teen lives with? In a world that’s increasingly unpredictable with new COVID challenges, today’s kids are more anxious and uncertain than ever before. For middle and high school students who are alternative learners--those with ADHD, ASD and learning disabilities, managing anxiety in conjunction with executive functioning deficits can seem especially daunting and unmanageable. Dr. Saline discusses the psychological and biological roots of general anxiety, explains the causes and consequences of social anxiety and offers parents practical strategies for helping their kids calm down and build resilience. You’ll walk away with effective tools to help your tween or teen worry less, realistically evaluate situations and feel more confident.
Below are the links to the bonus handouts "Help Your Child or Teen Manage Their Anxiety" & "Reading Recommendations: Anxiety and Kids."
September 29 - Middle and High School Caregiver Workshop:
https://drsharonsaline.com/downloadables/2021-fall-northampton-middle-and-high-school-parent-workshop/
Time: Sep 29, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83802014912
Meeting ID: 838 0201 4912
Passcode: 123
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,83802014912#,,,,*123# US (New York)
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+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
Leeds PTO
There are many ways to be part of our Leeds PTO. If you would like to help in any way, please contact Jean Monska, our PTO president via email jean@leedspto.org
If you would like to subscribe to the PTO email list, please click http://eepurl.com/2HJRv
Join our PTO on Facebook..... Leeds Elementary School PTO
Early Bird / Late Bird
Late Bird - 2:10-5:15 (Please send your child with a snack from home.)
Thank you everyone for being patient with the new systems in place. Here is the link to our October sign up form. This form will send you an email of the dates and times you have selected. Please be thoughtful of your needs when selecting dates and times, as we need to staff accordingly.
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/
We are still in the hiring process for the full-time Coordinator.
We are also looking for staff to be part of our program from 2:00 - 4:15 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. If you know someone, please have them contact Principal Wenz.
COVID NEWS
Daily Self-Checklist
We are continuing to do Self Checks in the morning. Here is a link to the checklist. We are sending a paper copy home in your child's red folder.
Mask Mandate
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Calendar of Events
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Contact us:
(sharondewitt@northampton-k12.us)
Laura Ziomek, Administrative Assistant
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