Caregiver Update
Getting Ready for the 2023-2024 School Year!
Hello Clough Families!
I hope you all have been enjoying summer vacation! The rain has been slightly annoying this summer, but the Garden family has managed to find the sunny days when we can and go one some adventures. We have done a road trip to New Hampshire and a road trip to Virginia. My own kids made summer bucket lists and we have been working to check things off their lists! Hoping to get in a few more activities before it's back to school time.
Thanks to those families who have stopped by the Taft Library on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons. Clough staff have enjoyed doing read alouds throughout the summer. We still have a few more scheduled through the month of August. Hopefully your child has been finding time to read this summer. Remember that reading could be curling up with a book at the beach or on the couch, but reading can also be reading the recipe while you cook together or reading the instructions and game cards for a family game. There is still time to send me letters or emails to share what kids have been reading. My email address is lgarden@mursd.org or they can mail letters to the school. I will write back! And any email or letter I receive will be entered into a drawing in the fall for free books from the Book Fair!
Address to send the letters:
Principal Garden
c/o Clough Elementary School
10 North Avenue
Mendon, MA 01756
**Classroom assignments will be available through PowerSchool on Thursday, August 10. Reach out to the office if you have any trouble logging into your PowerSchool account. (Kindergarten letters with your orientation schedule will be mailed out Aug. 9.)
We have some exciting new happenings at Clough this year!
1. The Before and After Care Program that was formally housed at Miscoe has been moved to Clough! They will be utilizing one of the classrooms that was formerly our 1st grade Spanish Immersion classroom, as well as the gym and cafeteria. And thanks to their suggestion, we are adding a sandbox to the back playground.
2. We will have two Spanish Immersion classrooms at Clough this year. Sra. Martinez who was at Memorial last year will be coming to Clough this year to teach our SI Kindergarten class. Her para, Ana Aguilar, will be joining her. We will also be welcoming Nazaret Molina to Clough. She is coming from Spain as part of our partnership with the Spanish Embassy to teach the 2nd grade SI class. Sra. Morena will be moving to Memorial in order to continue teaching 1st grade in SI.
3. The district is creating a new therapeutic program for elementary students which will be housed at Clough. We are excited that Amy Henderson, a special education teacher who has been in the district working at Memorial, will be coming to Clough to help launch this new district-wide program. She will be teaming up with our newly hired social worker, Nicole Casasanta, to work with a specific population of our students who have significant social and emotional needs. They are creating an amazing space for this program, and we are excited to be redesigning our "relaxation station" space which will be connected to Amy and Nicole's room. The "relaxation station" room was popular with many students and staff last year so we wanted to make sure to continue to offer a place where kids and adults can go when they need to take a break.
Upcoming Events:
*Popsicles on the Playground! - The PTO is sponsoring an event to help us reconnect before school starts. Come join us on the back field and back playground at Clough on Tuesday, Aug. 22! PK, K and 1st graders are invited to come from 5:00-6:00. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders are invited to come from 6:00-7:00. PTO will be providing popsicles and you will be able to find other students who are in your class with you!
*New Family Welcome - New families who have 1st through 4th graders are invited to attend a New Family Orientation on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 3:00. You will get a brief tour of the school and office staff will be available to answer your questions. We have many new families registered so we wanted to invite students and parents to come and see your awesome new school!
*Kindergarten Meet and Greet - Incoming kindergarteners and their families are invited to a K Meet and Greet on Aug. 24 from 5:30-6:30. Kindergarten teachers will be here to meet students. The PTO will also be available to answer questions and welcome K families. We will meet on the front playground.
Don't forget...
- Check out our revamped summer learning info on the website! Lots of great optional activities to do as a family and keep the learning going all summer.
- See the flyer below about supporting next year's Clough Classic, our main PTO fundraiser.
- If you ordered the EPI school supply kits, they will be here at school in your child's classroom on the first day of school. If you need to shop for school supplies, check out this page for the supply lists.
If you have any questions please reach out (lgarden@mursd.org). You can also connect with Julia Busby in the office with any questions. (jbusby@mursd.org or 508-634-1580)
Enjoy these last weeks of summer!
Sincerely,
Liz Garden
Henry P. Clough Principal
Important Dates to Remember
22nd - Popsicles on the Clough Playground, 5:00-7:00
24th - New Family Welcome @ 3:00
24th - Kindergarten Meet and Greet @ 5:30
30th - Grade 1-4 students return
30th - K orientation times vary, please refer to your letter from your child's teacher (letters being mailed during the week of Aug. 7th)
31st - First day of Kindergarten (no Pre-K)
September:
1st - No School
4th - No School, Labor Day
5th - All students return, PK first day
20th & 21st - Clough Open House
Connect with Us!
Email: lgarden@mursd.org
Website: https://www.mursd.org/o/henry-p-clough-elementary
Location: 10 North Avenue, Mendon, MA, USA
Phone: 508-634-1580
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HPClough-Elementary-School-102887309160164
Twitter: @HPClough