The Dolphin Dispatch
Agnes E. Little Elementary School April 2021
Annual Title I District Survey
The Pawtucket School Department is asking for parent/guardian participation in their annual Title I survey...
Thank you!
Parent Teacher Conferences 4/12
Your child's success is a team effort!
Spring Break
April 19- 23
Free school meals are available to ALL students at Jenks Middle School Wednesday April 21 from 11:30-1:30 . This will be 5 days worth of breakfasts and lunches!
Free Food Distribution Event Tomorrow!
State Testing Grades 3-5
*Please note, we have planned with student safety in mind. Distance Learners will be arriving and dismissed at separate times to not mix with other students. They will only use one classroom which has been sanitized prior to their arrival and our bathrooms are on a set sanitizing schedule. All people in our buildings wear masks at all times and maintain social distancing. Hand sanitizer will be used upon arrival and dismissal. Students will be using their own school issued Chromebooks or a sanitized Chromebook will be issued to them for the testing session.
RICAS includes two subjects: English Language Arts and Math. Each subject has two testing sessions. Most students will finish each section within two hours. Score reports for students are usually available next October and will be sent home with each student.
Agnes Little RICAS Test Schedule for both In Person and Distance Learners:
Grades 3 & 4
ELA: April 27th and 28th 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Math: May 10th and 11th 9:30- 11:30 am
Distance Learners:
* Arrive 30 minutes prior to test session at 9am
** Enter/Dismiss at Door Number 6
Grade 5
ELA: April 27th and 28th 12:30-2:30 pm
Math: May 10th and 11th 12:30- 2:30pm
Distance Learners:
* Arrive 30 minutes prior to test session at 12noon
** Enter/Dismiss at Door Number 7
Make up days available
For more information about RICAS visit :
https://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/Assessment/RICASAssessments.aspx
Slidedeck Understanding the RICAS
Slidedeck Understanding Student Scores
Jr. Scholar Little Dolphin Caring Closet is Now Open
Agnes Little is excited to announce with the support and encouragement from the Feinstein Foundation have created a school based food pantry to serve our families!
It is stocked with many food items including cereal, pancake mix, granola bars, peanut butter, jelly, pasta, rice, beans, tuna, and canned fruits and veggies. It also has personal care items such as toothpaste, deodorant, soap, and shampoo and conditioner!
It will be open on Tuesdays for pickup or delivery!
To request a bag of food from our newly stocked food pantry, email Emily at mallozzie@psdri.net and a bag will be made up for you to pick up at the main office or you can request delivery.
Weekend Food Bags are also still available and made possible by the Pawtucket Backpackers. If you would like more information on either program, email Emily!
PSD Student Travel Quarantine Policy
A friendly reminder as we approach Spring Break Week:
As of April 1, 2021 and moving forward*, The Pawtucket School District’s policy regarding student travel and quarantine lengths is as follows:
Any student traveling to a state that is listed on the RIDOH’s “hot spot list” will be required to quarantine for 10 days. The first day of quarantine is the child's first full day back in RI. The list from RIDOH changes weekly, please be sure to check the "hot spot list" before traveling and when you return. If the state is listed on the “hot spot list” On the day the child returns to Rhode Island, a quarantine is required. Here is the link to the site- Click here
Any student traveling out of the country, will be required to quarantine for 14 days. The first day of quarantine is the child’s first full day back in Rhode Island.
This policy is subject to change at any time due the changing conditions of COVID-19 and restrictions by RIDOH. The School Department continues to coordinate with RIDOH and we will provide updates as they become available.
Senior Citizen & 5th Grade Pen Pal Program
Here is what the Program Coordinator at the Senior Center has to say about this program:
"Thank you so much!
The Seniors are really loving the pen pal exchange program!
They have been eagerly awaiting their responses. So nice!
The seniors have been asking for their letters. They are so excited.
I hope the kids are enjoying it just as much.
Thank you for this collaboration. It means a lot to the Seniors."
Our Little Dolphins are truly bringing a lot of happiness to the lives of others! Great job kids!
Walking School Bus
We are now restarting our Little Walking School Bus! It operates just like a regular bus, but everyone is walking! Our teachers and volunteers meet students outside their homes or at designated spots and everyone walks to school together in the morning.
Walking School Bus has many benefits:
Improved school attendance and tardiness
Increased physical activity
Supervision and safety for our kids who may walk alone
Community support
Relationship building with new friends and teachers
Parents may go into to work earlier
Considerations:
- Your child may need to be ready for school slightly earlier usually between 7:45 and 8 am to allow time to pick up a small group of friends along the way.
- We ask children are ready to go when teachers arrive, waiting outside with a parent is best or looking out a window to watch when the "bus" arrives.
- The WSB operates everyday, rain or shine, but only in the mornings, so parents will still need to pick up their child from school at 2:40pm dismissal
- Prompt and frequent communication is needed with WSB teachers/coordinator and parents, usually through text
- We could always use parent volunteers to walk with us and help out! It's great exercise and lots of fun!
If you're interested in participating fill out the form below:
Good Deeds Over Spring Break
How can you spread kindness over your spring break?
Do something nice for a family member or send your teacher a thank you email, the possibilities are endless!
Let us know the good deeds you did when we get back to school and we will pass them along to Mr. Feinstein!
P-EBT Cards
As you know, our school is identified as a CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) recipient within the Pawtucket School Department. Because of that status, all students within our school receive free meals.
Students who are on distance learning are eligible through the Department of Human Service to receive a P-EBT card with funds of $5.86 per student, per day for each day the student was on distance learning.
It has been brought to our attention that some families may not have received the benefit or the correct amount of benefits. The Department of Human Services will be making up any lost P-EBT benefit for families dating back to October. If your child(ren) was full distance learning, the benefit will be for 20 days for the month. If the child(ren) was hybrid learning, the benefit will be for 11 days for the month. Only those families that did not receive the appropriate amount will be getting the funds.
If you have any questions, please contact Sandra Simoes at 401-729-6377 or by email at simoess@psdri.net.
Pawtucket School Department Virtual Poetry Slam
Pawtucket School Department Kindergarten Registration is OPEN
Click here for District K Registration Website
All children entering the Pawtucket School Department for the first time in the fall of 2021 should register at this time.
Children must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2021 to enter Kindergarten
Children now attending Kindergarten outside of the Pawtucket School Department, but who will enter 1st grade in Pawtucket in September, 2021, should also register.
The following documents are required to register your child for school:
· Proof of Residency: Bank statement, health insurance statement, payroll stub,
federal, state or local government correspondence, car insurance bill, utility bill, lease (choose three).
* All proof of residency documents must be current (within 30 days) and have your name, date and address visible.
· Original Birth Certificate or Passport
· Parent Photo ID (license or passport)
· Health information requirements: Up to date immunization records along with the current physical, vision screening and lead screening documentation.
Please be sure to upload all required documents and complete all fields before submitting.
Incomplete registrations cannot be processed.
Please contact our registration department with any questions or concerns 401-729-6376 or 401-729-6389 or email registration@psdri.net
The Pawtucket School Department now accepts ALL student registrations via our online Student Registration Portal. Please access the portal by visiting www.psdri.net - hover over “Parents & Students” then click “New Students”.
If you already have a Skyward account in our district, please go to step 2 and use that information to log in.
Community Corner
Resources for Adults
Rent Relief RI
Rhode Island has received $200 million in rent relief funds from the federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program. This program provides rental and utility relief payments to help eligible renters maintain housing stability. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program can pay for rent and utilities owed back to April 1, 2020. The program also covers up to three (3) months of upcoming rent. Utilities may include electricity, water, sewer, trash, and heat. Renters may apply for help with paying for utilities even if they do not need help paying for rent.
Applicants are eligible for up to a total of 12 months of assistance. In some instances, an additional 3 months may be available. There is no monthly cap on eligible rent relief. The monthly amount is determined by the rent payment agreed to in the lease
For more information, visit www.RentReliefRI.com
Eligibility
Three eligibility criteria:
• Income
• COVID-19 Impact
• Risk of housing instability or homelessness
Applicants must have:
• Qualified for unemployment benefits
OR
• Have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to COVID-19.
A call center is also available for tenants and landlords with questions about the program.
- RentReliefRI Call Center: 1-855-608-8756
- Hours of Operation: M-F: 8:30 am - 5:30 am; Saturday: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Health Coverage is Now More Affordable than Ever
HealthSource RI is offering a New Enrollment Period (NEP) to give Rhode Island residents additional time to sign up for 2021 coverage. This NEP began on February 15th and will continue through August 15th, 2021, and is open to eligible Rhode Islanders. Lawfully present immigrants (asylees, green card holders, refugees, etc.) can enroll in health coverage. Coverage starts the first of the month following a complete enrollment. Thanks to recent changes at the federal level, health coverage through HealthSource RI is now more affordable than ever! The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), recently signed into law by President Biden, provides most HealthSource RI customers with additional financial help to reduce their monthly coverage costs. Additionally, customers who were not eligible to receive financial help in the past may now be eligible. To learn more, call 1-855-840-4774 to see what financial help you may be eligible for.
City of Pawtucket COVID-19 Updates
Community Alert: Overdose Watch
April is Financial Literacy Month
RISLA, the College Planning Center, and RIDE invite students and families to join one of these free virtual sessions:
For the Kids...
Monthly Creativity Contests
The Empowerment Factory is currently running a series of Monthly Creativity Contests now with added prizes for the teachers too!
If you aren't familiar with The Empowerment Factory, we are a small non-profit located in Pawtucket that aims to empower RI youth. The purpose of this contest series is to celebrate what is good in the world. Together, we can lift each other up with actions of kindness, creativity, joy, and love.
Each monthly contest will have a different topic to draw inspiration from. This month’s topic is “What is Bravery?” and artwork can be submitted at empowermentfactory.org/contests. There will be six winners every month: two in grades K-5, two in grades 6-8, and two in grades 9-12. Monthly winners will receive games and prizes valued up to $25 each, and be entered to win a grand prize!
Teachers can also win prizes by their students entering their school and teachers’ names in the art submission form. At the end of June, the teacher with the most student participation will win a $50 gift card for school supplies.
Children's Programs at the Pawtucket Public Library
For Older Siblings...
Free Support to go to College
FREE Support to go to College! The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner (OPC) are working on a new initiative to provide free college enrollment resources to the graduating Class of 2020. Many Rhode Island students have had their college plans disrupted by the pandemic and our goal is to provide these graduates with free information and support to re-start their path into college. To get services, all students need to do is complete this survey. Thank you for sharing this opportunity with your networks! Feel free to reach out to CollegeEnrollmentSupport@ride.ri.gov with any questions related to the survey
Agnes E. Little Elementary School
We are the Little Dolphins!
Email: mallozzie@psdri.net
Website: http://pawtucket.little.schooldesk.net/
Location: 60 S Bend St Pawtucket, RI 02860
Phone: 401-729-6256
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgnesLittleElementary
Twitter: @MallozziEmily