Johnson Jaguars

Dear Johnson Families,

I want to thank our students and families who participated in Saturday’s Johnson Fall Fun Fair. A huge shoutout of acknowledgement and thanks to the event coordinators Melissa Skeffington and Shannon Carlson for their hard work in organizing this wonderful community celebration. I would also like to thank the many parent volunteers, along with former Johnson students (now in middle school and beyond), for making this a fun-filled afternoon for our students!

ADHD Awareness Month

Greetings from Dr. Maria Reardon (school psychologist and Special education coordinator) and the Special Education team at Johnson Elementary School! October is ADHD Awareness month! Please take a moment this month to consider folks in our community who live with ADHD. Although each person with ADHD is a unique individual, there are similarities. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately 10% of children according to the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html). Certainly, we all work to manage our attention and impulsiveness at times (long meetings come to mind). Our students with ADHD find that regulating attention is so difficult that it effects their learning, playing and development. Executive Functions are also a significant problem and getting things done, organizing materials and activities, and managing emotions can be difficult. It is important to remember that our children’s brains are still developing and the prefrontal cortex which regulates these skills is not fully mature until early adulthood. Parents can expect messy bedrooms for a while!

Attention and Executive Functions are developing skills and, as with all skills, there are differences between children. We should expect that children are still learning to manage their attention, emotions and behaviors and allow for moments of independence (and discomfort). This helps them to learn coping skills and to develop confidence. We can also support students’ development by encouraging them to plan tasks and activities ahead of time. For example, before starting an activity take a moment to plan with them. Ask them what materials they’ll need, how long they expect they’ll work on it and what steps they’ll take. Ask also how they’ll know if it’s going according to their plan and what they’ll do if it’s not. The skills they will develop with your coaching will be helpful to them throughout their lives.

Interested in more information about ADHD? Please follow this link.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/documents/adhdfactsheetenglish.pdf

Best regards,

John

SPIRIT DAY PARADE! MONDAY, OCTOBER 31ST - 2:15PM

We are happy to keep our Spirit Day Parade alive. This event is optional to all students at Johnson. If you plan to participate in the parade, please be sure to review these guidelines so that we can ensure a fun and inclusive parade. If you have any questions about what is acceptable, please reach out to Principal Jordan (jjordan@natickps.org) before October 31. Our parade will be led by our first grade students and each grade will follow in order (2nd, 3rd, 4th). For safety reasons NO MASKS will be allowed to be worn. Students will exit the back door and parade up and around the school for all to see. Classes will pause for a photo on the front steps nearest the playground.

The parade will begin at 2:15 pm. Caregivers and family members are invited to line up along the parade route from the back of the building to the hard top at the front of the building. All students that are participating will exit the back doors and re enter the building in the front at the auditorium door.

If students do not want to participate they may join each other in the library for an activity facilitated by one of our staff. Or, sometimes students will walk in the parade and not wear a costume. These options are available for any student. Please let your classroom teacher know if your student will participate in either of these options. Upon completion of the parade, classes return to their rooms and get ready for dismissal. We look forward to a festive parade and hope you can join us.

Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires. “Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage.

This week's theme — “Fire won't wait. Plan your escape” — emphasizes how we must all prepare fire escape plans, test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms every month and replace them every 10 years, implement appropriate building codes, and when possible, install residential fire sprinklers.

Last week during Fire Prevention Week, Johnson had the pleasure of having three firefighters from the Natick Fire Department came and spent the morning with out third graders. They went over lots of fire safety with them.

THANK YOU to the Natick Fire Department

Firefighter Tanya Quigley-Boylan, Firefighter Jeff Libby and Firefighter Jack Haigis

Thank you to everyone who attended the Fall Fun Fair on Saturday! We had a great turnout, including current and past Jaguars, several local celebrities (Johnson staff), families, and friends. What a testament to how special this Johnson community is.

Thanks, too, to all the volunteers. More than 60 volunteers came together to pull this event off. 60! We may be a small community, but we are mighty!

And a final, special thank you to Shannon Carlson and Melissa Augustine, with generous support from Emily Grant, for spearheading the whole endeavor.

Picture packages from COFFEE POND have arrived and were sent home earlier this week. If you have any questions or concerns please contact COFFEE POND directly – They have Customer Care staff ready to handle any and all questions.

PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR THE BEST WAY TO CONTACT COFFEE POND.

Parents w/questions (late orders; missing orders, refunds etc.) should contact our dedicated Lifeguards:

By phone:

1-800-632-2323 ext "0"

By Email:

Lifeguards@coffeepond.com

By US Mail:

Lifeguards

Coffee Pond Productions, Inc.

3 Speen Street, Suite 200

Framingham, MA 01701

A reminder - some parents ordered a digital sharing file (and no prints)…in those instances, your photograph has been e-mailed to the address that you provided to Coffee Pond. Again, if you have any questions, the Customer Care department would be happy to assist you.

• September 1 - October 30: Paw print campaign
• Wednesday, October 26th - Early Release Day - Dismissal 12:15pm
• Thursday, October 27th - 7:00PM - SPARK Kindness Presents: Changing the Game -
• Wednesday, November 2nd - Early Release PK and Elementary ONLY!
• Friday, November 4th - Picture re-take Day
• Friday, November 11th - Schools closed in observance of Veteran's Day
• Wednesday, November 16th - Early Release - CONFERENCES, PRE-K, Elementary, Middle ONLY
• Wednesday, November 23rd - Early Release Day - THANKSGIVING - 12:15 pm Dismissal
• Thursday and Friday Nov. 24 & Nov. 25 - School Closed for Thanksgiving
• Monday, November 28th - ALL SCHOOLS CLOSED - District wide Professional Development!

Changing the Game: Making Youth Sports a Positive, Character Building, and Growth Experience
Thursday, October 27 at 7pm via Zoom — For youth sports coaches at all levels of play, parents and caregivers of active kids
(young people involved in sports and teen athletes are also welcome to attend)
John O’Sullivan, internationally known bestselling author, speaker and podcast host, will offer strategies to promote a positive and character-building sports experience for young people. Youth sports should be focused on learning sport-specific skills, as well as helping kids get the most out of their sports experience, all while growing as a person, learning life lessons, and having fun. ASL Interpretation will be provided at this event. Learn more about this FREE online program and register at www.SPARKKindness.org

1 - Breakfast and Lunch is free to all students this school year. Even though meals are free to students all year, we ask that you do fill out an application because you may qualify families for additional supports.

Complete your Free and Reduced Meal application today.

2 - REMINDER FOR PARENTS WHO WANT TO VOLUNTEER - Volunteer--CORI Checks

If you want to volunteer in schools, you must have a CORI check conducted and you must go into the building with identification (drivers license or passport) to do this. Click here for description of what a CORI check is and does. Without a CORI check, you cannot volunteer in the school. Here is the form to fill out for a CORI.

3 - FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

We have a range of financial supports available in the Natick Public Schools. This includes assistance with school fees, such as the bus and picture day, scholarships for programs such as the Book Fair and connections to community resources that may be helpful. If you are interested in these programs, please contact Laura Loftus, our school counselors, to have a private conversation. Her email is lloftus@natickps.org.

Johnson Elementary Parent Teacher Organization
Sign Up for PTO Emails
Mark Your Calendar with Johnson PTO Events!

Thank you to Keri Clark, Memorial School PTO President and the Memorial School PTO for including the Johnson Community with their upcoming events. Please take a look and feel free to attend any of these Memorial PTO sponsored events.

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title II
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title VI
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964Title IX
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5