MHS/WES Newsletter
Friday, February 7, 2020
News from the principal
Thank you!
Important Dates
- Feb 12th & 13th ~ HALF DAY Parent Conferences
- Feb 17-21st ~ No School, February Vacation
- March 3rd ~ No School
- March 4 ~ PTO Meeting @ 6:30 PM in the WES Library
- March 9th ~Half Day all schools-MHS/WES start dismissal at 11:55
- March 19th ~ School Improvement Meeting at 4:15 p.m.
PTO News
Due to the rescheduling of conferences the next PTO meeting will now be combined with the March meeting. It has been moved up to March 4. The treasurer’s report will be presented at 6:15 (which is open to all) and the meeting will begin at 6:30.
Thank you for the donations of hats, mittens, gloves and scarves to help keep local families warm this winter. We appreciate your kindness.
2nd Grade News
From our School Nurses:
Dear Westminster/ Meetinghouse Elementary Families,
We have begun to see influenza (flu), strep throat and other student illness in our school district. We have put measures in place to prevent the spread of these illnesses, and appreciate when you communicate with us when your child is absent.
Please notify your school nurse if your child is diagnosed with influenza by your physician (by swab).
Here are a few friendly reminders on when to send to school and when to keep home:
INFLUENZA: Symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, chills, headache,feeling tired and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. Some may not have fever.
FEVER: Keep your child home with a temperature over 100 degrees. They must be fever free without Tylenol or Ibuprofen for 24 hours before returning to school. We strongly discourage giving a fever reducer before school if temperature is over 100 and sending them to school.
DIARRHEA: Keep your child home if they are experiencing frequent diarrhea; they should have no diarrhea and be able to tolerate foods for 24 hours.
VOMITING: Keep your child home if they are vomiting. We recommend 24 hours no vomiting and tolerating foods and liquids. Sometimes after having a stomach bug children may need one day to recover as it can be quite exhausting on their bodies.
STREP THROAT: Keep your child home until 24 hours after antibiotic has been started and without a fever.
CONJUNCTIVITIS (PINK EYE): Keep your child home until 24 hours after treatment has been started. Specifically 3 doses of the antibiotic given.
HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE: You may send to school as long as the child is well enough to attend school with no open/draining sores. However, if sores are too uncomfortable for child you may need to keep them home.
RASHES: Unexplainable rashes can be tricky. Any unexplained rash, fever or pain causing discomfort or concern should be evaluated by your physician to determine the cause.
Any questions or concerns feel free to contact the school nurses,
Ally Law RN Meetinghouse School 978-874-0163
Jessica Heffernan RN Westminster Elementary 978-874-2043
Fifth Grade News
Can you believe it’s 2020? This is the year your child will graduate from Elementary School! Wow! But before that, there is so much learning that will take place in the meantime! We really work to foster more independence during these months in anticipation for that jump to middle school.
The 2020 Spelling Bee at WES was as intense as ever! Congratulations to every fourth and fifth grader who gave it their all in their class bees, and the students who represented their classes on the big stage. I know a few of us teachers would’ve been out pretty early with some of those words!
Parent-teacher conferences will take place on Wednesday 2/12 and Thursday 2/13. Fifth grade is going to be putting on a Learner’s Showcase Invention Convention that will take the place of one of the conference nights. Your child’s teacher has been in contact with you about the scheduling of these conferences. As for the Learner’s Showcase which all students will participate in, please SAVE THE DATE for March 25th from 6:00-7:30. This event will take place in the hallways of WES and is an opportunity for parents to see just how innovative and creative your children are! Please note that this project is entirely done in school, 100% by students, so you do not want to miss this night to see their work!
Lastly, with the illnesses we are all experiencing, all fifth grade classrooms could use tissues, wipes and hand sanitizer.. We would also like to remind students to dress with layers so that they can be comfortable in the varying temperatures of the classrooms. Winter jackets are great for wearing to recess but are bulky and distracting to be worn in class. This is also a great time with all the sickness around to wash winter coats, hats and gloves too! Thanks so much for your help in keeping our students as healthy as possible during this season!
Greetings from the Purple Palette and Paintbrush!
Save the Date: “Creation Celebration” is May 7!
Looking for volunteers to help organize artwork, mount artwork to black paper, and especially help for the night of the show!!!! Contact abanning@awrsd.org for more info.
Here are a few photos of artists in action in the studio:
Free Family STEM Fun Night!!
Free Program for families with children ages 4-7 yrs.
Friday, March 13th
Meetinghouse School Cafeteria
6:00-7:30 PM
Come explore STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)
through FUN Hands-On Activities
for families with children ages 4—7 yrs.
Meetinghouse School,
8 South Street, Westminster 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Free Program sponsored by
MHS/WES, CFCE Program and Westminster Cultural Council
Register with Jana Harrison, CFCE Coordinator
Register: Jana Harrison: jharrison@awrsd.org