"Paw Prints"
Farley Elementary School's Weekly Family Update
THOUGHTS and THANKS
Dear Farley Families,
As we all reflect on the many things for which we are grateful, I want to take this opportunity to share just a few of mine with you. I am thankful for our students who come to school every day ready to give it their all--they gift us with a daily reminder of what is important and why we are here. I so appreciate our teachers, paras, nurses, administrative assistants, lunchroom staff, custodians, and counselors who give our students whatever it is they need. And I am grateful for the families who keep their faith in us. You continue to share your most valuable possession with us and are true partners along this important journey. Every day I humbled by all of the dedicated and tireless individuals who I see going above and beyond to make sure great things happen for our students. To all those who give so freely and abundantly of their time, energy and talents, I offer my sincere appreciation and thanks. Your support is heavily felt and valued.
More specifically, a cornucopia of thanks again this year goes to Paquette Family Dental for donating twenty overflowing Thanksgiving Basket Bags to our Farley students and families this week. When I became the assistant principal at Farley, I also started going to Paquette Family Dental as a patient. While there, I would gush over my new school community. One November day while getting my teeth cleaned, I mentioned how many families were in need of basic essentials. By the time my cleaning was over, the Paquette family had already decided on a way they could help!
Thanksgiving can be a painful reminder of hunger with empty plates at the table. Because of Paquette Family Dental, however, Farley families' have plenty of food to go around. Farley staff would like to thank everyone at Paquette Family Dental who has donated 20 enormous Thanksgiving baskets year after year. Their outpouring of generosity is abundant, both in donations of food and funds, as well as in time and energy needed to create these beautiful baskets. Paquette Family Dental’s unwavering and continuous commitment and support to our community is truly inspiring. We are eternally grateful. See a picture of their goodness below!
My wife Liv, had four very successful shows in New York City. We are so excited to see where this opportunity takes her. She had producers and artistic directors from all over New York City, and a few Broadway celebrities, like Laura Benanti, come and watch her debut. It was an overwhelming joyous and proud occasion. Thank you to all the caregivers who sent me good luck emails and words of encouragement. They meant a lot to both of us. We are off to Rhode Island and Connecticut to visit our families for the break. We will be bundling up to watch my nephews first Thanksgiving day football game! I hope you all have a relaxing few days off too!
Read Always,
Rachel Scanlon (she, her, hers)
Principal Farley Elementary
NEED TO KNOWS:
November 22nd, 23rd, and 24th:
- No School-Thanksgiving Break
December 4th:
- School Picture Retakes
December 6th:
- Half-day for students
- Home and School Association Meeting 6pm in the library. You can join virtually as well: meet.google.com/kyj-jsgf-abr
December 21st:
- Mrs. Straus' December Around the World Concert-more detailed info to follow in December.
SPIRIT WEAR SPOTLIGHT
SPIRIT WEAR IS BACK!
Farley is excited to announce that all new spirit wear is back just in time for the holidays! Click here to place an order. Choose your own style and color. Items are shipped directly to you!
CLASS SPOTLIGHT
MRS. G. CHARBONNEAU'S GRADE 1 CLASS LOVES MATH!
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
MS. SUSANA COMPLETES ANOTHER RACE!
YEARBOOK SPOTLIGHT
PICTURES WANTED
Grade 4 caregivers, Meghan Freitas and Lainie Dougherty, are heading up the 4th grade yearbook this year! In order to have the most colorful yearbook possible, they needs lots of pictures! They are hoping to get a jump start on collecting pictures from the teachers and caregivers. They have created an email where pictures can be sent. If you have any pictures, both past and present, that would be great for the yearbook, please email them to: farleyfox2024@gmail.com. Thank you Lainie and Meghan for donating your time to this!
CHARTWELLS SPOTLIGHT
FARLEY GETS COOKING!
This month Michelle DePaul, MPH, RD, LDN, Director of HPS' Dining Services teamed up with Matt Lord, Farmer and Owner of Carver Hill Orchard in Stowe to teach Farley students a little something about nutrition. On November 14th, Mr. Lord taught our grade 4 students about the lifecycle and nutrition benefits of apples, a New England staple. Together, they celebrated their new knowledge by cooking a delicious and nutritious apple crisp! Students were sent home with a printed recipe and apple activity. Thank you, Michelle, Matt & Carver Hill Orchard for providing our schools with farm fresh apples!
FARLEY HOME and SCHOOL ASSOCIATION UPDATES
PLEASE JOIN OUR NEXT HOME AND SCHOOL MEETING!
Please join Farley's Home and School Association's next meeting on Wednesday, December 6th at 6:00pm. We will meet in the library. Free childcare will be provided! You can also attend virtually using this link: meet.google.com/kyj-jsgf-abr
OTHER UPDATES AND REMINDERS
A MESSAGE FROM SEPAC
SEPAC-Hudson will host an in-person Special Education Parent Forum with Superintendent, Dr. Brian Reagan. The forum will be held on Tuesday, December 5, 2024 from 6:30p.m. to 7:30p.m in room F101 at Hudson High School (69 Brigham Street, Hudson, MA). Interpretation is available upon request.
STUDENTS CAN SHARE THEIR TALENTS
Hudson's Got Talent Jr is returning for its 14th show. If you child would like to participate in this district-wide activity, please read the information below and register before 12/3. Click the link to print out a form and give it to Heather Paquette.
THE PAPER STORE SUPPORTS HPS!
This is only at the Paper Store in Hudson from November 20th-26th.
WHAT IS ELPAC (ENGLISH LEARNER PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL?
Any school district or charter school operating a language acquisition program for ELs serving 100 or more English Learner (ELs) or in which ELs comprise at least five percent of the district's or charter school's student population, whichever is less, are required to establish an ELPAC. ELPACs are intended by law to advise school districts and schools regarding matters that impact ELs, such as providing advice on English learner education programs, meeting regularly with school officials about educational opportunities for ELs, and providing input on school or district improvement plans as they relate to ELs. Mrs. Wendy Anderson, the Director of English Leaner Education for HPS, will be holding ELPAC meetings throughout the year. The first meeting is November 30th from 5-6pm. These meetings will be held virtually. Here is the link to the Google Meet: meet.google.com/cuk-xsba-bqj. If you have any questions, please reach out to Wendy Anderson directly. Her contact information is below as well as a flier about the ELPAC meetings.
Wendy Anderson
Director of English Learner Education
(978) 567-6100 ext. 41113
FARLEY FAMILY DIRECTORY IS COMPLETE!
Home and School has finished compiling all the contact information voluntarily submitted by Farley families for our school directory. The directory is linked below. Please note that this directory is published for the private use of Farley Elementary School Families only. This directory is for the personal use of the authorized reader and cannot be shared (including on social media), duplicated, or used for commercial purpose.
If you need to make any changes, would like to be added to the January edition please use the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSff1IG-Xt95f2rCz0YhdinmH1fHLsZ8DZcdVdfbSqP1N8qFgg/viewform.
Thank you to caregiver Sarah Tracy for creating the directory!
WHAT IS RTI?
All students at Farley take part in an RTI block. Response to Intervention (RTI) at Farley refers to the reading and math support given to students as a part of the regular education curriculum. It aims to make sure every child gets the help they need to succeed in math and reading. During the RTI block, students work in small groups of 3-4 students to achieve the goals determined by the literacy and math assessments as well as teacher observations. Regular education RTI may be provided by classroom teachers, math or reading interventionists, ESL teachers, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals. Small groups, instructors, and goals change over the year, as students’ skills develop. If your child is receiving intervention services you will get an email that explains your child’s reading and/or math goal. We monitor student progress every 6-8 weeks and will keep you updated on your child’s progress. For more information about RTI, go to What is Response to Intervention (RTI)? | RTI Action Network.
ATTENDANCE LETTER RECAP
We are now almost three full months into the 2023-2024 school year and I know that you have many hopes and dreams for the days to come. To make sure those hopes and dreams are realized, I want to ask for your commitment to making sure your child attends school every day possible this year. The evidence is clear: children with good attendance are more likely to be successful in school and in life. Research shows that high attendance rates in elementary school are directly linked to high student achievement in high school and college.
Every day counts. Missing school even 10% of the time has a significant impact on reading and math achievement as children progress through school. Good attendance starts early. Attendance habits established Kindergarten through Grade 2 have lasting effects on students throughout their education: students with low attendance in the early grades are more likely to have low attendance—and lower academic performance—throughout middle and high school. Irregular attendance is also associated with higher high school drop-out rates.
As caregivers, you are your child’s most influential teacher, I am asking for your support in helping your child get to school every day and to get to school on time-by 8:35 every day. We realize that every family faces challenges. Please let your child’s teacher know if your family needs help dealing with a challenge to your child’s good school attendance. We will do our best to help you and your family ensure that your child’s school attendance stays on track.
Like last year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has mandated that families, whose children have 5 or more absences or 5 or more tardies be formally notified, in written form, of their child’s attendance. While Farley keeps accurate records of which absences are “excused” and “unexcused” the DESE does NOT distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences.
Every school in the Hudson district will be sending these letters home twice month. Please do NOT worry or panic if you receive one of these notifications. We understand that kids, especially elementary age, get sick more often, have medical appointments, etc. We also understand that Covid-19 and the flu are still an issue. Farley staff always reaches out personally-via email or phone if attendance or tardies are a true concern. We like to work one-on-one with families to help rectify any attendance issues that arise. So, again, if you receive a letter in the mail, do not fret.
MRS. MAGUIRE SAYS ARTSONIA IS FOR EVERYONE!
Here is a message from Mrs. Maguire our Art Teacher,
Hello Farley Families,
The Elementary Visual Arts Department is excited to announce the start of Artsonia in the coming weeks. Artsonia is the World’s Largest Student Art Museum. Yet it’s so much more than that! It’s a free, safe, educational program designed to connect parents and families with their child’s creative activities at school. Students will upload their own artwork at school and have the ability to upload artwork from home. See here for more information: Six Tips for Understanding Artsonia or About Artsonia
If you would NOT like to participate at this time please click this link to OPT-OUT by October 22. If you would like to participate please wait until next week for your school code and we will get started!
My hope is to start uploading student work before the end of October. Should you have any questions please feel free to email me at cpmaguire@hudson.k12.ma.us
Thanks so much,
Cassia Maguire
Visual Arts Teacher
C.A. Farley Elementary School
DON'T FORGET TO ATTEND MS. SUSANA'S PORTUGUESE STORY HOUR!
PAW PRINT REWARD STICKERS!
Students get Paw Print Stickers for going above and beyond. When a staff member "catches" them doing something spectacular, they get two stickers-one to wear and one to put on their homeroom Fox poster. When their classroom Fox poster fills up with stickers, they get to have a classroom celebration. If you see a paw print on your child's clothing or backpack, please ask them why they got it.
"ALL THINGS TECHNOLOGY"
Two weeks ago, Ellen Schuck, the Head of Technology for the district, sent out her Technology Newsletter. This publication has essential information about all things related to HPS technology, including how caregivers can access the "ASPEN Parent Portal". Below is the link to her newsletter.
HUDSON IS HIRING!
Farley has filled all of their paraprofessional positions but is still in need of substitutes. We are looking for both day-to-day subs and permanent building subs. Day-to-Day subbing offers employees a flexible schedule. Our Permanent Building Substitute works every day but in a variety of classrooms. The permanent building substitute job is a salaried, benefit eligible position. If you are interested or would like more information, please feel free to email Mrs. Scanlon @ rscanlon@hudson.k12.ma.us or Mrs. Duke @ amduke@hudson.k12.ma.us directly to set up an interview. You can also apply online using the link below:
https://www.hudson.k12.ma.us/departments/human_resources/employment_opportunities
NEED MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SCHOOL AND THE DISTRICT?
IN NEED OF FOOD ASSISTANCE?
For help with food throughout the year, head to the MetroWestFoodCollaborative.org. In addition, "The Find Food Menu" on the MWFC website offers information about other food resources, where to find SNAP & HIP retailers, local farmer's markets and CSAs. Lastly, click the link or pictures below to get specific information about food options/distribution for Hudson residents.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GgOhaseQU4WCfjeKki-oMRrG_xQ3e7D4/view?usp=sharing
DON'T FORGET TO #EXPLAINYOURBRAIN
Farley's Instructional Focus is getting all students to "explain their brains" across all content areas. Whenever possible, don't forget to ask your child to explain their thinking and reasoning.
Farley Elementary School
Email: rscanlon@hudson.k12.ma.us
Website: https://cafarley.hudson.k12.ma.us/
Location: 119 Cottage Street, Hudson, MA, USA
Phone: 978-567-6153