The Buzz at Leeds
May 16, 2022
Message from Principal Wenz
It is hard to believe that a weekend filled with beautiful sunshine could be tainted with such violence and hatred in our country and around the world. As I watched the news this weekend, I thought of our Leeds community and am wondering how everyone is and how you are processing and holding up in these hard times. It is difficult to believe that we are dealing with such an increase in hatred, racism, and violent acts.
Our Equity and Inclusion committee have shared some resources in their section of the newsletter. Leeds Elementary School will continue to stand against violence, white nationalism, white supremacy, and hate of all types. If we fill our schools with kindness, compassion, and acceptance, then there will be no place for hate. If you or your child need assistance, please contact Ms. Bastek (sbastek@northampton-k12.us or 587-1535), our School Adjustment Counselor, or me (cwenz@northampton-k12.us or 1530).
Stay safe and be well,
Chris Wenz, Principal
Message from our Food Service Director - Mistelle Hannah 2022-2023
Leeds PTO
PTO Auction
Thank you to the PTO for a wonderful evening at the Black Birch Vineyard in Hatfield. Lots of gratitude for everyone who sponsored, donated, purchased items in the Auction to support Leeds Elementary School. A huge shout out to our PTO board for their dedication and hard work this year with all of our fundraising events and all of the other ways they support the children and families of our school.
Our PTO is Seeking Board Members
Dear Parents and Caregivers:
As the end of this school year comes to a close, we are reaching out to ask that you consider joining the PTO board. We know that it often feels impossible to find the time and space to fit anything in beyond working and caregiving but, if you have even a little bit of room in your life to do something more, becoming a part of this awesome group of caregivers, teachers and staff is a great way to give back to our school.
The PTO supports teachers, families and students in a variety of ways. We raise money through fundraisers like the Spring Auction but also organize fun, community events like Trunk-or-Treat, the Variety Show and the Leeds t-shirt design competition. One of the most gratifying projects that we work on every year is PTO Gives; in December, teachers sent us their wish lists for their classroom and we were able to gift something to every teacher, ranging from a class set of binoculars to art supplies to an ipad. This spring we enjoyed collaborating with HIgh Five Books to put together a book fair which brought in enough money to purchase new books for the library. With your help, we can continue these projects and much more!
At least two of the current board members are able to stay on for the 2022-2023 school year but we need at least two more people to join the board. We are especially looking for caregivers of students in grades K-2 as the continuing members of the board will have students in grades 4 and 5. No experience is necessary and all are urged to consider this opportunity to not only support our school but to also connect with other parents and caregivers.
The board consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. These roles can be shared and if you are interested in learning more, please contact meghan@leedspto.org. We hope to hear from you soon!
Warmly,
Jean, Liz, Jenna and Meghan
Leeds Equity and Inclusion Committee
The next meeting of the Leeds Equity & Inclusion Committee will take place (virtually) on Wednesday, May 18, 6:00-7:30pm. (This is a new time just for this month’s meeting). 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 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.
In the wake of the tragic white supremacist mass shooting in Buffalo, Nwe’re sharing a few resources for parents and caregivers related to talking with children about racicm, violence, and scary events in the news:
National Association of School Psychologists’ Talking to Children about Violence
Center for Racial Justice in Education’s Resources for Talking about Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence
Child Mind Institute’s Helping Children Cope with Frightening News
Donations for Recess Equipment
- We are looking 6 used baseball gloves with at least 1 left handed glove for students who are looking to toss a tennis ball.
- We are looking for 6 used lacrosse sticks. We have a parent volunteer to come on some days for some of our students to toss a tennis ball at recess.
- We are looking for a soccer goal.
- We are looking for tennis balls.
- We are looking for 2 checkers games and 2 chess games.
Thank you everyone!
Spiffy Coalition
Hello SPIFFY partners,
The SPIFFY Coalition is engaging in a strategic planning process and hoping to talk with parents/caregivers throughout Hampshire County about their opinions related to youth substance use and mental health to inform our future prevention work.
Attached are flyers in both English and Spanish with more information. Please consider participating or forwarding this information on to others who may be interested.
Thank you for your help with this!
Lisa Goldsmith, LICSW
SPIFFY Coalition Coordinator
Collaborative for Educational Services
Department of Healthy Families and Communities
123 Hawley Street (office)
97 Hawley Street (mailing address)
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 239-7365
Preferred pronouns: she/her/hersFollow the SPIFFY Coalition on Facebook!
MCAS - Grades 3 through 5 Students
If you have any questions regarding MCAS, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or me. Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessments will begin in April. This year we have 2 sessions of each subject matter. Here is the schedule:
Grade 5
- 5/17 & 5/18 Science
Grade 4
- 5/12 & 5/13 Mathematics
Grade 3
- 5/19 & 5/20 Mathematics
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
------------------------------------------------
Calendar of Events
Upcoming Dates
5/17 Grade 5 Science MCAS
5/18 Grade 5 Science MCAS
5/18 Leeds School Council @6:15
5/19 Grade 3 Math MCAS
5/20 Grade 3 Math MCAS
5/27 Grade 5 Field Trip - Smith Art Museum
5/30 No School - Memorial Day
6/1 Field Day
6/3 Grade 5 Field Trip to JFK Middle School
6/3 Rain Date - Field Day
6/6 - 6/10 Grade 5 Science Week
6/8 Early Release Day @11:30
6/20 No School - Juneteenth
6/23 Last day for Preschool
6/23 Grade 5 Promotion Ceremony
6/24 Step Up Day for students in grades K-4
6/27 Last Day of School - Early Release Day @11:30
------------------------------------------------
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