Memorial Update
Information and News from Memorial~ January 18, 2022
ST Math Progress
We have several students across the building who have completed the full year's ST Math journey and are working on the challenge puzzles. This geometric puzzle had me stumped, and it was fun to see how much perseverance our students have when the work is difficult.
Kindness Tshirts
Golden JiJis
January 18, 2022
Good Morning Memorial Families,
The month of January is sneaking on by and yet it also feels strangely like the long December break happened years ago. I have been receiving some frequent questions about COVID communication and cases across the building and thought it would make sense to update everyone at once on where we are at.
Much like the rest of the world, Memorial has seen a rise in staff, student, and family COVID infections over the past month. Mrs. Ryan continues to look carefully at seating charts and determine close contacts based on several factors. The good news is that we are still seeing very limited in school transmission at this point, and our students and staff have remained focused on keeping the environment healthy. We will be doubling down on our efforts in the cafeteria this week to try to limit the amount of time that students are sitting without masks on and we will be reminding all students to try to remain facing forward and seated at the ends of their benches (six feet apart). Because there has been some inquiry, I do want to make everyone aware that we have stopped sending an email to all families in a classroom for each individual case. We will reach out to an entire class if we see a higher rate of COVID in the classroom and of course Mrs. Ryan is still contacting individuals who are considered close contacts via the phone. We will continue to do our best to limit transmission through frequent hand washing and sanitizing, mask wearing, and limiting amounts of time seated near (within three feet) any one classmate. If you are interested in tracking the number of cases in the building and district, you can look to the District Dashboard here.
In non-COVID news, there are some pretty exciting things happening around the school and district over the next few weeks. First, Mrs. Horn has revived the Kids Heart Challenge. Last week during PE Class, students watched the American Heart Association’s “Kids Heart Challenge” introduction video and had a discussion about how to have a Heart Healthy Body. The Kids Heart Challenge teaches students the importance of a Heart Healthy Body and is also a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. Funds donated will go directly to lifesaving research for children born with heart defects. During our Kids Heart challenge unit students will be learning single rope jump rope skills, long rope skills, double dutch, Chinese jump rope, jump bands and more. Thank you, Mrs. Horn, for bringing this great cause to our school!
Along with our physical hearts, our compassionate hearts will get a workout next week as we celebrate the Great Kindness Challenge. On Friday of this week, I will send out a special edition of the weekly update fully dedicated to all things kindness. In a sneak preview, I've included the topics for our school-wide kindness spirit week below. I look forward to highlighting the many ways that Memorial students, staff, and families spread kindness! I hope your family will join in and focus on random acts of kindness for others.
I hope everyone has a healthy and joyful week!
Warmly,
Wendy
Field Day Planning 2022
We are hoping to make this the best Field Day yet and that starts with a great committee. More ideas, hands on deck, and support will make for a fantastic day!
At this point we are looking to establish a committee of parents to plan Field Day. If you are interested in helping to plan a fantastic day for Memorial staff and students, please email valcourt.erin@gmail.com.
Next Week: The Great Kindness Challenge Spirit Week
Memorial Elementary School
Upton, MA 01568
Email: wbell@mursd.org
Website: https://www.mursd.org/o/memorial-elementary
Phone: 508-529-1020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MemorialUpton
Twitter: @wlbell630