Haynes Elementary School
The Month of April
News and Updates
April 23, 2023
April Edition
Principal's Message
Dear Families,
On behalf of the staff and administration at Haynes Elementary School, we hope you had a safe, healthy, and relaxing April vacation. As I write this message to you, I am hearing the wonderful sounds of spring; birds chirping outside my window and rain drops falling from the sky. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year in New England. I love watching the buds appearing on the trees, the season's first flowers begin to bloom, and the sun extending our workday every week.
As we return from April vacation, our staff at Haynes will be busy finalizing class placement, creating the FY2024 daily school schedule, hiring for next year, and much more. We are planning our amazing events like the kindergarten "Hatching Out", school-wide fun run, annual field day, and upcoming fifth grade activities.
This week, we will begin the second phase of our MCAS testing for FY2023. We appreciate everyone recognizing the significance of being in attendance during the MCAS testing days. The students have been absolutely fantastic throughout this process.
We hope you enjoy our newsletter. Although there is some new information, other information is similar to our last announcement. As always, thank you for your continuous support for Haynes.
Sincerely,
Nadine Ekstrom, Ph.D.
Interim Principal
Haynes will be celebrating National Poetry Month!
Throughout April, one of our main bulletin boards will be featuring a weekly poem and poet. Additionally, the library has many poetry anthologies. We encourage students to check out these titles!
To end National Poetry Month, students will be participating in Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 27th. This day helps bring recognition to different poets and exposes students to various poetic forms. Poetry is best when shared! Therefore on the morning of the 27th, students will pick up a poem to keep in their pocket for the day. They can share their poem with others at school and at home.
TECHNOLOGY TIPS FOR PARENTS
The best place for parents to start is with the non-technical pieces of the puzzle:
Charge devices in a family area rather than bedrooms. The best "screen time" solution is simply not allowing physical access to the device.
Require children to inform parents when using a device. Casual, no-barrier access to technology can encourage a casual attitude toward inappropriate behaviors and content.
Check in on children periodically while they are using technology. The best filtering solution is knowing a parent will be checking in.
Clearly communicate to children that parents may examine their internet use, and exercise that authority when there is a concern.
After establishing good practices for children accessing technology, parents may want to start looking at various helpful resources online:
Common Sense Media is the best resource out there for parents searching for helpful information for children's internet use at home. Specifically, the section "Parenting, Media, and Everything in Between" offers parents articles that contain detailed help articles. They have articles on specific devices, social media platforms, age ranges, etc.
Know how to manage parental controls on different devices:
Apple iPhone or iPad
Android Phone or Tablet
Apple Macintosh
Microsoft Windows
Google Chromebook (Note that this is Google's consumer child safety product; it is not the enterprise product we use on school Chromebooks.)There are also many devices and services out there that can make your home wifi more secure, including Circle, Gryphon, OpenDNS, as well as services from your internet provider. Note that many of these solutions help manage your home wifi, but not children's cellular access on phones.
Install History Trends Unlimited to get a quick visual view of their browsing history if your child is using Google Chrome on a Chromebook, Mac or Windows computer.
A Note from Sudbury Public Schools Transportation Department
Dear Parents/Guardians:
If you will not need school bus transportation for the upcoming year, no further action is necessary.
School bus registration is now open for the 2023-2024 school year. All families who choose school bus transportation, whether no-fee or fee-based, must register and pay (if applicable) by May 12, 2023.
Incoming Kindergarten students through grade 6 living two or more miles from their districted schools are eligible to receive no-fee transportation. Incoming Kindergarten students through grade 6 living less than two miles from their districted schools are eligible for fee-based transportation, based on space availability.
All incoming 7th and 8th grade students who wish to ride the bus
MUST REGISTER AND PAY FOR TRANSPORTATION REGARDLESS OF DISTANCE TO SCHOOL.
Transportation fees for the 2023-2024 school year are:
First student: $420
Family cap: $765
Late fee: $75
Click here to register for the school bus.
Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School will be contacting rising 9th graders closer to the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
Please direct any questions about K-8th grade transportation to the Transportation Department at transportation@sudbury.k12.ma.us or by calling 978-639-3215.
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming Spring Scholastic Book Fair May 15-19. Students will visit the book fair during their Library class, as well as other before and after-school hours. Hosted by HOP, scholarships are available. Please email Dr. Ekstrom for details. This event is an opportunity for students of all ages to build their home libraries and further their love of reading. As always, all purchases benefit our school.
Some FUN Event Dates!!!
Please watch for more details...
Kindergarten Orientation - Wednesday, May 10th
Field Day - Friday, May 12th
Fun Run - Thursday, June 1st
Grade 5 Moving On - Tuesday, June 13th
Last Day of School - Thursday, June 15th
MCAS Update
MCAS - As you can see from the dates listed below, MCAS testing is quickly approaching! Please encourage your child to get sufficient rest the night before their tests, to eat breakfast, and to extend their best effort. Children should also be encouraged to bring a small water bottle to school; hydration is a key to concentration. Please try to avoid any appointments or trips that will prevent your child from attending school on testing days. If you would like to learn more about MCAS, you may find the parent resources on this link helpful. Feel free to reach out to Assistant Principal Lisa Williams if you have any questions.
MCAS Dates
Grade 5 Mathematics - April 26th & April 27th
Grade 3 MCAS Mathematics - May 4th & May 5th
Grade 4 MCAS Mathematics - May 2nd & May 3rd
2023-2024 School Calendar
Sudbury Public Schools 2023-2024 Calendar is now available.
FY2022 - FY2023 Calendar
Please look at our FY2023 school calendar for Josiah Haynes Elementary School
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, April 26
Grade 4/Boundless Adventures Field Trip
Grade 5/MCAS
Thursday, April 27
Grade 5/MCAS
Week of May 1
Teacher Appreciation Week
Tuesday, May 2
Grade 4/MCAS
Wednesday, May 3
Grade 4/MCAS
Thursday, May 4
Grade 3/MCAS
Friday, May 5
Grade 3/MCAS
Bingo
Monday, May 8
Grade 5/MCAS
Tuesday, May 9
Grade 5/MCAS
Wednesday, May 10
Early Release
Kindergarten Orientation
Friday, May 12
Food Pantry