MacArthur Notes
October 13, 2023
Principals' Update
Greetings MacArthur Families,
Happy Friday! We hope you had a phenomenal, fall week as the weather has definitely turned to those cool, crisp mornings! Thank you to those who joined us this morning for our Principals' Forum. We enjoyed the chance to connect and discuss a variety of topics related to our MacArthur community. Please be on the lookout for these monthly check-ins. We look forward to seeing you at a future forum.
October is Bullying Prevention Month. In preparation for next week's Unity Day, this is a reminder to have your students wear orange on Wednesday, 10/18. This special event is designed to promote inclusion, kindness, and acceptance. We are excited to add this new tradition at MacArthur to ensure that students feel safe and supported during school each day. We want students to develop an understanding of who their "go-to" trusted adult is at MacArthur to problem solve when support is needed. We appreciate your partnership and trust in supporting your child(ren)'s social development.
Save the Date- Multicultural Festival: The MacArthur School Multicultural Festival is returning to November this school year! We have enjoyed this event later in the school year over the past two years and we are eager to have it during the first half of the school year once again this year. Please join us on November 16th for this special event. If you are interested in signing up to participate and share some of your cultural heritage, please complete this Google Form.
MCAS Family Reports Going Home Today: Families of our current 4th and 5th grade students should be on the lookout for their MCAS Family reports this afternoon in your children's backpack.
MacArthur received our designation from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education related to our school accountability profile. MacArthur falls in the substantial progress toward our targets designation. This includes multiple years data to best inform schools about the areas they should target moving forward. We use this data, along with our local data, to inform our instructional focus areas to help increase our student achievement.
One factor of our school's ability is the level of chronic absenteeism of our students. We mention this as today is our 30th day of school and we are sending our first round of attendance reminders related to Chapter 222, a state regulation related to communication around school attendance. This regulation requires schools to communicate with families after five absences in a school year. We greatly value your efforts to have your students in school consistently when they are healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to either of us to discuss your child's school experience.
The Waltham Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is meeting virtually on Wednesday 10/18 at 6pm. The Zoom link can be found at www.walthamsepac.com.
We would like to continue to promote participation in the PTO Online Family Directory. This directory is your opportunity to access contact information for your children's classmates and is helpful for setting up playdates or party invitations. We are unable to share contact information from the school level for privacy reasons. We encourage you to sign up for the PTO website here. https://macarthurpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home In creating a login for this website, you will have access to contact information for your children's classmates. The more families that sign up, the more effective this is as a tool for our community. Currently, we have more than 230 students signed up for the directory.
Finally, we would like to send a note of support to each of you and your families in consideration of the violent events taking place over the last week in Israel and the Gaza Strip. War and violence can bring on feelings of fear and anxiety. Please know that we are here to support you and your family as you try to communicate these violent acts with your children. Share hugs with those closest to you this weekend and reach out if we can help in any way possible.
In Partnership,
Mr. Kmiec - (781) 314-5721 kevinkmiec@walthampublicschools.org
Mr. Howes - (781) 314-5725 roberthowes@walthampublicschools.org
Lunch Menu
Healthy Waltham Food Pantry
PTO Weekly Notes
Trunk or Treat, 10/20: Trunk or Treat will run from 6:00pm-7:30pm. We are still looking for volunteers for this event so please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C48AFAB2CA6F58-trunk1#/
Pre- Registration for the event closes on Wednesday, 10/18. You can pre-register here: https://macarthurpto.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/1121
Thanksgiving Pizzi Pie Fundraiser: Flyers for our pie fundraiser went out this week! Please consider ordering a pie for your Thanksgiving dessert to support the MacArthur School!
Restaurant Night at Jake N Joes: This event will take place on Tuesday, October 17th. You can dine in or order out, just let the server know that you are participating in the MacArthur Fundraiser and to flag your check!
5th Grade Committee - Help Wanted!
We are looking for parent/caregiver volunteers to run fundraising events to support our 5th Graders! These fundraising efforts go toward the cost of the 5th Grade Celebration, Yearbook, Class Gifts, etc. If you would like to get involved please email the 5th Grade Committee Co-Chairs, Jen Cronin (jencronin33@gmail.com) and Amy Neal (rangeramy306@aol.com).
Xfinity ACP
Xfinity is proud to participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides qualified households with a credit of up to $30/mo towards internet and mobile services.
Wings for Autism
WINGS FOR AUTISM: Travel is stressful in general but can be particularly stressful for families who have a child with special needs. Here is an opportunity for a “test run”. Gain the familiarity and confidence necessary to take future trips. Children will experience:
Entering the airport The check-in process and checking bags Security screening Boarding the plane Preparing for take-off Exiting the plane When: November 4, 2023 @ 9:00 a.m. Where: Boston Logan Airport, Terminal E Cost: FREE!! Registration is required! ALL attendees must register - including parents, siblings, etc.) Adults 18 years and older must show valid identification at the airport, in order to participate in WIngs over Autism. Link for Event Registration
MacArthur Elementary School
Absence Line - (781) 314-5722
Email: kevinkmiec@walthampublicschools.org
Website: walthampublicschools.org/macarthur
Location: 494 Lincoln Street, Waltham, MA, USA
Phone: 781-314-5721