Dear Families,
Another fabulous week in the books with so much ahead to look forward to! It’s clear from walking through the classrooms and seeing what the students are working on that they’re actively engaged and proud of their work. More kids wanted to show me their progress than I could possibly have time to see and hear about, and that’s a great sign!
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!
Yes, this year’s play will be High School Musical! The kids are beyond excited, so if you have children in grades 5-8, please encourage them to get involved. All details about tryouts and ways to be involved, either through the cast or the crew, will be posted in the “High School Musical” Team that they’ve all been invited to join.
CELLPHONES AND WATCHES
Students’ use of their phones and watches during the day has become increasingly problematic, so I want you to know that we are going to be doubling down on our efforts to have students leave their devices in the lockers during school from this point forward. We’ll be speaking to them when we return next week and we’d appreciate your support on the home front. Next week will be warnings to students and directives to put phones in lockers; after that we are taking them for the day and contacting you to discuss further consequences if it continues. Using watches without permission is also not OK and should not be seen as a way “around” the “phone” policy. Any calls home need to be made through the office or the nurse.
7th and 8th GRADE MIDTERMS
Parents of 7th and 8th graders should have received my letter regarding midterms and the testing schedule for the week of January 23rd. If you did not get it, please reach out as soon as possible.
8th GRADE HIGH SCHOOL SELECTIONS DEADLINE APPROACHING
Parents of 8th graders – please remember that your high school selections are due at the end of next week. Please don’t wait until the last day, and please reach out to either Mr. McVeigh or me as soon as possible if you have any questions or concerns.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PTA:
PTA Meeting Wednesday, January 18, 2023, from 6-7 PM in the School Library!
We hope you’ll join us at the PTA meeting where we will discuss our mission and events. There will also be special guest speakers such as Ashley Macri (School Psychologist), Mia Kargen (JPK teacher), and Christine Perricelli (Chair of CSE). They will present strategies around self-regulation in children, which will be useful information for all parents! Plus, Mrs. Perricelli will introduce supportive services that are available at Poco. We encourage you all to attend this special evening. We will also take a survey so that we can learn what you need in order to foster wellness and create a great community. Bring all your questions and ideas. See you then!
6th – 8th GRADE WINTER “GLOW IN THE SNOW” DANCE – JANUARY 20
We are bringing back our Middle School Dance for 6th - 8th graders this year, hosted by the Student Government! Our winter dance "Glow in the Snow" will be on Friday, January 20, from 6 - 8pm. There will be music, fun and light refreshments, but we recommend your child eats dinner prior to drop-off. The dance ends PROMPTLY at 8pm, please be in the bus circle by 7:50pm to expedite the pick-up.
ONE POCO NIGHT – JANUARY 26 – PLEASE SIGN UP!
You should have received a special email about our upcoming ONE POCO NIGHT – we are very excited! I hope you sign up to share food, or a craft, or a performance (or a combination of them), but most importantly that you come celebrate together! Here is the sign-up link again, in case you missed it:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f094fa9a62ca6fd0-onepoco#/
QUICK FAMILY CULTURE SURVEY – PLEASE COMPLETE FOR US!!
As we begin planning for this community event, please fill out THIS SURVEY on your family’s culture(s). This information will help us understand the cultural roots that make up our community and better inform our teaching. Thank you for your participation!
2ND QUARTER ENDS JANUARY 27
Just a reminder that the 2nd quarter ends on Friday, January 27th, so please reach out to your child’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns, and teachers will be doing the same. We still have three solid weeks to go. If your child is in the middle school, please log into the parent portal, review your child’s gradebook, and start a conversation if appropriate.
COVID HOME TEST KITS STILL AVAILABLE
There is still plenty of general winter sickness around us, especially coming off of the holiday break. Please pay extra close attention to symptoms of flu or COVID, and If you’re in need of COVID home test kits, even if just to have in your closet, please reach out to Nurse Juliet and we can send home some boxes in your child’s backpack. We have plenty to share with you.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
As you know, this Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, where our nation commemorates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929) and commits daily to embracing nonviolence and working toward creating a just, humane, equitable, and peaceful world. However, to honor his legacy with personal and collective reflection and action only on the third Monday in January is to minimize the message behind his life’s work. Instead, we must strive to achieve his vision each and every day in all ways, no matter how small.
Have a fantastic weekend.
Adam
