Memorial Update
December 11, 2023
Around Memorial
4th Grade Book Club
Pattern Block Creation
Nipmuc Intern Working with 1st Graders
December 11, 2023
Good Morning Memorial Families,
Wow, the rain and wind were a lot last night. The weather feels more like April than December! I am hoping that we can get a little snow on the ground in the next few weeks just so it feels a bit more like the holidays, but December has not been a great month for snow the past few years.
This week I wanted to highlight a piece of our Bridges in Mathematics curriculum. One of the wonderful aspects of this program is the focus on developing conceptual understanding through modeling that develops and builds from year to year. I am linking this document from the Bridges resources that I recommend you print out and refer to. It highlights the models that are used each year in the program and gives examples of how the models are used. One fact that many parents are not aware of is that standard algorithms for multi-digit addition and subtraction (lining up numbers, trading, regrouping) are not expected to be the strategy of choice until fourth grade according to the Massachusetts curriculum standards. By that point, children have had extensive practice with using place value properties to compute, and the algorithm makes much more sense. It is in fourth grade that fluency and efficiency begin to become important. When children are introduced to the standard algorithms too early, it slows down conceptual understanding because they will defer to the "quickest method" before they truly understand what it means. We will be holding a math night later this winter and will have opportunities for you, as parents, to practice arithmetic using the models in the above linked document.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Warmly,
Lauren and Wendy
MUYSA Spring Soccer Travel Registration
Travel Program Notice:
As a reminder, we close the travel program much sooner than the in-town program. There is a lot more planning done within MUYSA and the league to get travel teams approved and schedules out on time. Ideally, we want as many players registered by 12/23/23. After that date, we will keep registration open until 1/6/24 but a late fee of $25 will be added to the registration. Once registration is closed, we will have a waitlist for each division but only if divisions need additional players. We will also monitor numbers in each division so we can do our best to balance roster numbers between teams. We are avoiding late adds once teams are created as it is additional work for our volunteers and the league in general.
Please go to www.muysa.org and login to register or make payments. If you think that you might have an account already, please use the "Forgot your Username" link at the Login screen to check any email addresses you might have opened an account with already. There have been many duplicate accounts created and a lot of confusion and duplicate registrations that can be avoided by finding existing accounts.
Memorial PTO's Storytime with Santa
Join us for Storytime with Santa
Date: December 15th Time: 5:30-7:30PM
Location: Memorial Elementary School Library
Pre-Registration Required: https://rb.gy/nfi2kx
Upcoming Events
December 22nd~ Early Release, Beginning of Winter Break
December 25th-January 1st~ No School, Winter Break
School Drop Off and Pick Up Routines and Directions
Please click here for more information on parent drop off and pick up, including a video explaining the process
School Hours
Our school hours are 8:45am-3:15pm. Drop off begins at 8:45 and students who arrive after 9:00am are considered tardy. We will begin dismissal right around 3:15pm.
Due to the hectic nature of the late afternoon, we will no longer be allowing parent dismissals from the main office after 2:45pm. If your child has an appointment, please plan to dismiss him/her earlier, or make use of our pick up line at 3:15pm. Thank you for understanding.
Memorial PTO December Newsletter
Please click here to access the PTO Newsletter for the month of November.
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