JW Killam Principal's Corner
Ms. Leveque's Weekly Newsletter
From the Desk of Ms. Leveque
We have had a week of community building at Killam School! Monday was our first round of TRRFCC Time. As you recall from previous newsletters, as a staff, we are invested in making sure our students get the best elementary education possible. We want to build a community of learners and engaged citizens who know how to work together, take risks, and see the joy in learning. At the end of last year, the staff proposed a change in our whole school assemblies and I gladly agreed to their proposal. While we will still hold a few whole school assemblies throughout the year, we will focus most of our monthly meetings on small group activities. The activities are teacher determined and will showcase a bit about our staff. During the TRRFCC times, the focus is on embedding our core values into fun learning environments that promote working with new people and recognizing that learning can take on many forms. Thank you to everyone who donated supplies- it was a huge success and we were able to run every opportunity we had planned. Below are photos from the first TRRFCC time.
On Tuesday, we also participated in Mix It Up Day at lunch. This is promoted through the Teaching Tolerance organization and encourages schools around the country to invite students to step out of their comfort zones at lunch and connect with someone new. Lunch rooms are often challenging places for students to navigate, and this day works to push past the social boundaries that are often encountered in lunch rooms. Under the guidance of Mrs. Iozzo, students were grouped across grade levels and provided conversations starters at the tables. Students were encouraged to meet someone knew, make a connection with someone, or try to engage in a conversation with someone. The students could not stop talking about how much they loved this event and we are looking at ways to hold a Mix It Up Day more regularly at the Killam School! Photos are shown later in the newsletter.
On a separate note, we know Halloween is an exciting day for many students. As you can imagine, the energy is extremely high in the building that day. In order to help us stay focused and safe, this is a reminder that there should be no Halloween costumes worn at school Thursday. Enjoy the trick-or-treating after school.
Best,
Ms. Leveque
TRRFCC Time
Cardboard Creation Station
OSMO Learning
Engineering Challenges
Important Killam Dates
Saturday, October 26th: PTO Sponsored Killam School Halloween Bash, 5-7pm
Monday, October 28th: Diwali
Tuesday, October 29th: Grades K-2 Free Coding Drop-In Session at Killam. No RSVP necessary (see flier below)
Thursday, October 31st: No Halloween costumes at school. Thank you for helping us stay focused!
Friday, November 1st: Care Packages for Veterans due (see below)
November 1st-6th: Treats for Troops Candy donations due (see below)
Helpful Planning for November- School Routine Disruptions
November 5th, 11th, and 22nd: No school
November 27th: 11 am dismissal for all
November 28th-29th: No school for Thanksgiving break
PTO Corner
Killam Halloween Bash
Halloween is tomorrow! Our PTO Sponsored Killam Halloween Bash is this Saturday from 5-7 pm. Please remember your tickets as they are needed for admission.
New in 2019 - Pay PTO dues with Venmo at @KillamPTO!
Please be sure to include your child/family’s name in the notes when you submit your Venmo payment so we can credit the dues to the appropriate family.
Donations for Veterans
In alignment with our core values, the Killam School would like to thank and support our active and retired service people in honor of Veteran's Day. Below are two ways to support our veterans.
CARE PACKAGES FOR VETERANS
We have many veterans within our school community and we were approached by one father, asking if would accept donations for care packages. From now through Friday, November 1st, if you would like to donate any of the following products, we will be collecting them in our main lobby:
-candy
-coffee
-snacks
-toiletries (no aerosols)
-decks of playing cards
-microwave popcorn
-instant noodles or macaroni and cheese
-socks
-baby wipes
-chapsticks
-batteries
-handmade cards
All donations for Care Packages for Veterans are due on November 1st.
TREATS FOR TROOPS
Once again, Cub Scout Pack 735 is partnering with Killam School to collect excess Halloween Candy for “Treats For Troops” on 11/1 - 11/6. Up to 300 pounds of your child’s candy donation will be packaged and shipped to Troops who are deployed on active duty. This means the world to these brave men and women! Drop off excess candy in the candy donation bucket near the office at J.W. Killam!
Donations are shipped by Future of Dentistry- www.futureofdentistry.com
All donations for Treats for Troops are due November 1st-November 6th.
SEPAC
The SEPAC meets throughout the school year in the RMHS Library Media Center at 7:00 p.m. Please plan to attend on the following dates, or click here for additional information:
- Tuesday, November 5th - note: the location will be community Room A at the Reading Public Library for this meeting
- Tuesday, December 10th
- Tuesday, January 14th
- Tuesday, February 11th
- Tuesday, March 10th
- Tuesday, April 14th
- Tuesday, May 12th
The mission of the Reading Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is to work for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community. To that end, they will work to:
- Promote a network of parents of children with special needs, and provide a forum to share information;
- Advise the Director of Student Services, School Committee, and Superintendent on special education programs and policies, and parent and teacher training needs;
- Promote communication and sharing of information between SEPAC members, local, state and national organizations, councils and groups, as well as within the community to encourage understanding, acceptance and inclusion of students with special needs;
- Provide informational workshops to parents, educators, students and professionals.
Friends of Reading METCO Family Dinner
Greenwood Memorial United Methodists Church
378 A Washington St
There is a parking lot next to church on Washington Street with additional parking on street, if needed.
Please enter at the Dakota Street side of the building.
A Note from the Health Office
Hearing and Vision screenings for students in grades 1 – 5 has begun; I will contact you if I find that your child needs further evaluation by their health care provider. If your student wears glasses, please be sure they bring them to school.
Thank you,
Mrs. Grottkau
2020-2021 Incoming Kindergarten Information
MCAS Results
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has released district and school level accountability and performance results for the MCAS 2019. Click here to download the Assistant Superintendent's report on Reading Public Schools. I am reviewing these results and planning Killam's next steps related to this information. I will share a report on this with the school community in the coming weeks.
About These Services
Ms. Sarah Leveque, Principal
Email: sarah.leveque@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: http://reading.k12.ma.us/killam/
Location: 333 Charles Street, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: 781-944-7831
Facebook: facebook.com/JWKillamSchool
Twitter: @Killamnews