The RISE Report
Weekly Newsletter, January 29, 2023
With more winter weather on the way, we continue to remind families to use extra caution when driving on school grounds. With snowbanks and limited parking, please watch out for students and families and be sure to park in designated areas, not in the staff parking lots (Wood End and Killam). At the high school, feel free to park in open spaces in the upper parking lot by the Performing Arts Center and walk down the hill if there are no spaces available in the lower lot. Only park in designated spots, not the roadway or along the fencing by the baseball field! Also, please watch for buses loading and unloading students. We appreciate everyone's support and patience in keeping our students and families safe.
The PTN sent home a flyer last week for the upcoming Valentine cookie decorating fundraiser. Be sure to check out the PTN Corner in this newsletter (below) for all the details, and please note that all orders must be in by this Wednesday, February 1st. We also have an amazing raffle being organized for March. The PTN is collecting items for these raffle prizes, so if you have something to offer, please reach out to our board members, Corey Mathison and Meghann Cerretani.
Finally, we are accepting applications for registration for the 2023-24 preschool year for NEW families until February 17. Any applications received after this date, will be added to our waitlist until all spots have been filled. Families will be notified by March 3 of classroom placements.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Dr. King
Preschool Fun with Friends
Valentine Cookie & Raffle Fundraisers!
PTN News Corner
Bliss Confection Co. Cookie Decorating Fundraiser:
For our winter fundraiser, the RISE PTN is selling Valentine’s Day Cookie Decorating Kits from Bliss Confection Co. Each kit comes with 3 Sugar Cookies, 1 bag of icing and 1 container of sprinkles. The cost will be $18 per kit, with some of the proceeds going to help fund our PTN programming. Bliss is certified in both food safety & allergen awareness and these kits will be nut free. To order your cookie decorating kits, please complete the form that was sent home and return to your RISE Classroom Teacher by February 1, 2023 (Wednesday!).
Raffle Fundraiser:
For our next RISE PTN fundraiser, we are asking for donations to create gift baskets to raffle off in March! If you have anything to contribute to the raffle like local gift cards, tickets, hotel stays, themed gift baskets, etc., please email Corey Mathison or Meghann Cerretani and we will coordinate a time to pick up the item(s). Some creative themes for gift baskets include: Movie Night, Date Night, Shop Local, Game Night, Gift Cards, Lottery Tickets, School's Out for Summer, Outdoor Fun, Spa Retreat, Sports, Staycation, and so many more! We will be collecting items until March 1st! Once raffles are collected, we will create a document to showcase the raffle options and will be selling raffle tickets. The drawing will be done virtually to pull the winners. More to come on that in March!
PTN Meeting Dates for 2022-2023:
PTN members agreed to hold meetings virtually via Zoom on Monday evenings, 7:30-8:30 PM. Meeting dates for the remainder of the year will be on:
- February 27
- April 3
- May 22
- The end-of-year celebration is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 7
If you have any questions, or interest in volunteering this year to support our PTN, please reach out to any of our PTN board members. We welcome everyone to join!
- Co-Presidents: Meghann Cerratani & Diana Gil
- Vice-President: Rachel Bramante
- Secretary: Corey Mathison
- Treasurer: Courtney Martinello
RMHS Artists Create a Masterpiece at Police Station
If you have not seen this already, take a look! The RMHS Art Club, under the direction of Mrs. Sue Gilbert, recently completed their beautiful wall mural at the Reading Police Department. Click on this slideshow that Mrs. Gilbert put together, documenting this journey. What a talented group of artists! Congratulations and thank you to RMHS juniors Paul Sorgi, Maria (Rhea) Cremin, Angelina Ruoccio-Juhel, Riya Patel, and Aubrey Sout.
FREE Social Skills Workshop for Teachers & Families
We are excited to share that on February 2nd, globally acclaimed Social Thinking experts, Michelle Garcia Winner and Pamela Crooke, will be speaking at the Woburn Memorial High School auditorium from 5pm to 8pm. Tickets are free of charge and can be obtained via the QR code above or by clicking here. Families and teachers from surrounding communities are welcome to attend. Staff in attendance will receive PDPs. Tickets will be collected at the door and entered for numerous raffle items. Pizza and bottled water will be available during the intermission. Please register early!!
Now Hiring...Crossing Guards!
In collaboration with the Reading Police Department, we are seeking community members who may be interested in serving as a Crossing Guard. These positions are essential in ensuring the safety of our students and families. Here is a link to the job posting with information on expressing interest. Thanks in advance for helping to spread the word in our community.
Preschool Registration for 2023-2024
Returning Preschool Students (students who will be 4 by August 31, 2023)
If your child is a tuition-based student returning to preschool in the fall of 2023, please click here to complete a google form. This form will allow you to sign up for the same program your child is currently in, or request a change to another program. (Please note we have limited spaces for program transfers and reserve the right to use a lottery if multiple students are interested in the same spot). Priority for class placement is given to all returning students who submit this form by February 17, 2023.
If your child attends our preschool through an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), his or her program placement will be determined by their Special Education Team at their next IEP meeting.
NEW Students Registering for Preschool
If your child is new to RISE preschool (has not attended) you must complete the full registration packet and return the completed packet to the RISE Preschool Office at 62 Oakland Road, Reading, MA 01867. Please do not take photos and scan the packet. We will be receiving over 100 packets so we need the "hard copies" for each student.
Any questions regarding the preschool registration process or our programming can be directed to joanne.king@reading.k12.ma.us
Overview of RISE Programs
Reading Public Schools offers a variety of outstanding integrated preschool programming for Reading residents. Our integrated programs serve tuition-based students and students who receive special education services. Our goal is to create an environment of mutual respect, where all students learn from their teachers and from each other.
Our integrated preschool programs are multi-age, and students may enter when they turn three years old. This enables our younger students to learn from their older classmates. Our four-year-old students love being role models and leaders to our three-year-old students.
Our integrated programs are designed to support the learning and growth of both tuition students and students with disabilities. Our approach is play-based. Students learn school, social and academic skills through center activities, free play, circle time, recess, and more.
For the 2023-24 school year, we will be offering 5 full-day, 3 full-day, and 4 half-day programs at three locations including RMHS, Wood End Elementary and Killam Elementary Schools. Locations and times are subject to change.
If you have questions about our programs, you are welcome to contact Dr. King.
Kindergarten Information for Our 5 Year-Olds
Kindergarten Registration Night will take place on Tuesday, January 31st, 6:00-7:00 pm. Families will be able to drop off the registration form and accompanying documents. This event will be held at Reading Memorial High School. Last names beginning in A-L, 6:00-6:30 p.m. Last names beginning in M-Z, 6:30-7:00 p.m. If you cannot make it to this event, you may mail or drop off the registration packet to the Superintendent's Office. You can reach out with questions by emailing RPSStudentRegistration@reading.k12.ma.us
Ongoing Information:
Introduction to Kindergarten Presentation from January 4th:
Here's the link to January 4th Introduction to Kindergarten Presentation in video form: Virtual Kindergarten Information Session-20230104_190233-Meeting Recording.mp4 - Google Drive
Here's a link to the January 4th Introduction to Kindergarten presentation in English.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sK9kOUVIc0t58Mn9k4Jld725ULiwsiddo5Cav0A3l2k/edit?usp=sharing
Aqui está o link para a apresentação de Introdução ao Jardim de Infância de 4 de janeiro em português.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Dyq75gPb2YB6MY3t2pUTSAJjbEseopwE-RHNSludJUE/edit?usp=sharing
Aquí está el enlace a la presentación de Introducción a Kindergarten del 4 de enero en español.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GUKK3DNGRyIwMjQhzW1QY_AfA1YR65JbKBiyRgSK4lM/edit?usp=sharing
This month’s bitmoji room includes lots of activities that families can enjoy over the February break. Get ready for a nature walk, family game night, and some cooking! Feel free to reach out if you need these activities tweaked to meet your family’s needs.
Have a great month!
Linda Boyages, OT #1537
Occupational Therapist
RISE Preschool
Health Updates from Director of Nurses
A reminder that we continue to see cases of COVID and flu in our schools. We appreciate your efforts to keep all of our students and staff healthy and safe. We have masks available in all health offices for students and staff and are continuing with symptomatic COVID testing at school. Please continue to monitor for symptoms and keep your child home and test them if they have any symptoms. Contact your school nurse if you have questions or if you need any additional at home COVID test kits.
The next clinic for both flu and COVID vaccines will be on Friday Feb 3rd at Coolidge Middle School from 2-5pm. Here is the link to register.
We are updating our student electronic health record software system. The new Health Portal will allow parents to directly message school nurses, update any emergency contacts and medical conditions and securely upload medical documents to their child’s health record. Families will be receiving an email inviting them to log into the Health Portal.
Please note that even if parents opt in to consent for administration of over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen, a doctor’s note will still be required for elementary students to receive any medication at school. Middle and high school students can receive Tylenol and Ibuprofen with parent consent.
Thank you for your continued support,
Mary Giuliana
Latest News from SEPAC
SEPAC works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of
all children with special needs in the community.
Click here for the lottery for Swim Buddies, the Burbank YMCA's Adaptive Swim Lesson program. See the attached flyer for SPLASH! the new free adaptive water exercise program at the Burbank YMCA for ages 18+. Both programs are provided at no cost to participants thanks to Town of Reading ARPA funds.
Click here for slides from our January 17th presentation on Special Needs Planning. Attorney Lisa Cukier presented an overview of topics such as wills, guardianship, custody, special needs trusts, and more. Video of this presentation will be coming! We plan to do a more in-depth follow up on specific topics of interest to our parents. Please fill out this brief 2-page survey to let us know what you'd like.
Seeking 3-4 parents to meet with Student Services approximately every other month to hear updates about implementation of recommendations from the recent Program Reviews (SAIL, SOAR, REACH, EMBARK, RISE). Email sepacreading@gmail.com to participate.
Mark Your Calendars! Bullying: What Parents Need to Know. Virtual Parent Training
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 7pm, via zoom.
Click here to register (you MUST pre-register to get the zoom link)
Parents and professionals are welcome to join this extremely important discussion which will cover the following topics: What is bullying? What are the school’s legal obligations
to prevent and address bullying? What are some strategies and tools for dealing
with bullying? How to address bullying on the IEP?
For much more information about the Special Education Parent Advisory Council, click here for our latest newsletter. We encourage you to join SEPAC's mailing list, follow SEPAC on Facebook, and follow SEPAC on Instagram
About These Services
The Town of Reading contracts with William James College to offer a special service for our residents. The William James INTERFACE Referral Service maintains a mental health and wellness referral help line Monday through Friday, 9 am-5 pm, at 888-244-6843 (toll free). This is a free, confidential referral service for individuals across the lifespan living in Reading. Callers are matched with licensed mental health providers from our extensive database. Each referral meets the location, insurance, and specialty needs of the caller. Click here to learn more!
Important Dates Coming Up:
January
31: Kindergarten registration night at RMHS, 6:00-7:00 PM
February
14: Happy Valentines Day!
20: Presidents' Day; No School
20-24: February Recess; No School
About R.I.S.E.
Email: joanne.king@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: https://rise.reading.k12.ma.us/
Location: 62 Oakland Road, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: 781-942-9179