Jaguar Tracks
August 2021
Dear JE families,
As our summer comes to a close, I find myself counting the days until the first day of school. I cannot wait to meet all of our students and work collaboratively with our staff to establish a rigorous and supportive learning environment at JE. Our team returns on August 30th to prepare for our best year yet!
This year, we will pace for excellence. This means that we will engage each initiative strategically as we establish a full on-site, in-person learning environment. As I work to acclimate myself to our community, I will spend a lot of time listening, learning and observing. I come with experiences, ideas and enthusiasm--and believe that all great initiatives are built on a strong foundation. Our goal is always to finish what we start and reflect to improve.
This is my first official Jaguar Tracks! This is our primary form of family communication. You can expect to receive this newsletter weekly. The goal of each Jaguar Tracks is to:
- provide a window into your child's learning experience,
- connect the community with opportunities to get involved,
- seek feedback and input through surveys and forums,
- keep us organized with upcoming events and key dates.
In this newsletter, you will meet our new staff, find key information in preparation for the first day of school and receive important dates for August and September to mark on your calendars. I also encourage you to save the JE website to the "bookmark tab" on your web-browser. This website houses school supply information and other pertinent dates as well as our handbook.
Lastly, I have a goal to know 100% of our student's names in the first month of school--please help me with this and hold me accountable!
In community,
Caitlin Shelburne, Principal
Meet Principal Shelburne
Please save my email address and reach out with questions, comments or thoughts. My door is open!
Email: caitlin.shelburne@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.reading.k12.ma.us/joshuaeaton/
Location: 365 Summer Avenue, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: (781) 942-9161
Twitter: @jejaguars
Meet our New and Promoted Staff!
Audrey Donlon
Kaitlyn Fitch
Kristina Smith
Welcome to JE!
Jason Pratt
Alyssa Rolli
From the Desk of our PTO Co-Presidents
Welcome back JE families! We hope that everyone had a wonderful summer! All of us in PTO are very excited to start a new school year with some veterans, some fresh faces, and lots of great ideas!
Please welcome the following PTO members for the 2021-2022 school year:
- Co-Presidents-Natalie Cusato and Meredith Yoder
- Vice President- Dennis Camacho
- Treasurer- Casey Prescott
- Secretary- Ann Taylor
- Social chair- Amanda Rotondo
- Enrichment chairs- Laura Patterson and Jessica Rogers
- Fundraising chair- Caroline Courtney
- Volunteer coordinators- Tori Murphy and Caroline Betcher
- School resources and Staff appreciation coordinator- Brenna Westover and Julie Irwin
- Community Service coordinators- Emily James and Alexis McDermott
Attached to the Tracks this week you will find the tentative PTO calendar for the school year. Please note that the calendar was created with the assumption of a "normal" school year, but as we know, COVID restrictions likely will not make all of these events possible. Still, we wanted to reserve time and space for our usual PTO events with the hopes that perhaps they can be held in some capacity or form. As COVID restrictions evolve, we will continue to update the calendar as needed. Thank you for your continued understanding and patience with us as we figure out how to negotiate pandemic life in a way that is both safe and provides some level of fun and normalcy for our kids.
Our first PTO event of the year will be our Incoming Kindergarten Playdate this Thursday, August 26 from 4-6 pm on the JE playground. This should be a fun event for new families and students to meet each other prior to the first day of school. Popsicles will be provided. If you have not already, please RSVP to this event ASAP to Amanda or Catherine at JEPTOsocial@gmail.com. If you ordered a Welcome bag, you can pick this bag up at the playdate. If you cannot make the playdate, please email Natalie at jeptopresident@gmail.com to arrange a pick-up time.
We are very excited for our first PTO general meeting to be held in the cafeteria at JE following Curriculum night on September 9th. The meeting will be from 7:30-8:30 pm. Please join us to learn more about PTO, including ways to help out and get involved! We are excited to see some new faces as we start this new year!
For your calendars, our Back to School Picnic will be held this year on September 15th from 5:30-7pm on the JE playground/fields. This is a fun event where families bring their own dinner and get to socialize with new and old friends. Slush is provided. More details to come on this event in next week's Tracks.
Thank you for continued support and involvement! Happy fall!
Natalie and Meredith, PTO Co-Presidents
Back to School
Re-Opening: Safety Procedures and Guidelines
With the new school year fast approaching, we realize many families have questions about what this year will look like for our students. To help answer these questions, we will host a series of district and school-specific virtual forums, with the specific dates and times listed below. These sessions are designed to give you the opportunity to ask questions regarding our plans for opening at the district level, or within our school community. We look forward to engaging with the community through these forums to ensure a successful year for every student. Also linked below is the communication sent by Superintendent, Dr. Milaschewski with common questions and answers.
District Community Forum with Superintendent, Dr. Milaschewski
- August 23rd, 5:00-5:45 p.m. on Microsoft TEAMS (link sent to families)
Joshua Eaton Community Forum with Principal Shelburne
- August 25th 5:00-5:45 on this LINK
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
TO DO: In order for us to ensure your child gets dismissed safely, please complete the DISMISSAL SURVEY linked in the document below. This survey is open until August 30th. 1 survey is needed PER child.
School Hours Full day K-5:
- M-Th: 8:15 - 2:45
- F: 8:15 - 12:45
School Hours for 1/2 day K:
- M-Th: 8:05 - 11:30
- F: 8:05 - 12:45
Reading Public Schools is a METCO District
"Since its founding during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, the METCO program has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students of color in predominately white school districts, creating the opportunity for those districts to experience the advantages of learning and working in a racially and ethnically diverse setting."
Upcoming Dates
Mark your calendars!
August
30-31: Teacher In-Service & Training
September
1: First day of school for students Grades 1-12; Kindergarten Screening; RISE PreK Orientation
2: Kindergarten Screening (all appointments have been scheduled)
3: No school, PreK-12
6: No school, Labor Day; Rosh Hashanah begins
7: Full day for student in Grades 1-12; Rosh Hashanah
8: Rosh Hashanah
9: First day of school for PreK-K students; 12:45 dismissal; Elementary Open Houses (Back-to-School Nights)
10: Full day of school for elementary students, 2:45 dismissal