The RISE Report
Weekly Newsletter, November 13, 2022
I hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend. We are looking forward to the parent/teacher conferences which begin this week. Our teachers will be discussing your child's transition to preschool this year, as well as some goals we are working on for the remainder of the year. While some conferences are being held remotely, many are in person so we ask all families to arrive on time. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions, or need to change your time.
All elementary students (K-5) will be dismissed at 12:45 on Wednesday for conferences. We are asking RISE families to pick up their children at 12:30 to avoid the traffic. This also allows families time to pick up elementary students at another location if needed. There is no school for students on Friday as we wrap up conferences. The Thanksgiving recess begins on Wednesday, November 23 with an 11:00 dismissal for all students, PreK-12. Please be mindful of the release times and the number of students being dismissed at each school. Give your self some extra time and use caution when driving on or around school grounds as parking is very limited.
I also want to take a moment to thank the families who participated in the RISE Program review interviews this past Wednesday. It is so important to hear from our families and understand their concerns as we work through this process to make RISE the best program it can be for our students and their families. Thank you!
Have a wonderful week,
Conferences Begin This Week!
The talent Behind the Scenes!
PTN News Corner
Fire Safety & Prevention:
Our SAFE Coordinator at the Reading Fire Department, Lt. Ryan Buckley, spent time visiting our students at Killam on Thursday. This week, he will be meeting with classrooms at RMHS on Monday morning to share important information about fire safety.
PTN General Meeting:
We will have our first general meeting of the school year on Monday, November 21, from 7:30-8:30 PM via ZOOM. We have a lot to talk about including electing new board members, planning enrichment programs for the year, asking for volunteers, and setting up our meeting dates. We hope you can join us...ALL families are welcome!
Dues Drive:
This is also the time of year when dues are collected from each family to support the work of the PTN. Informational flyers were sent home in backpacks last week. We are hoping this gives families enough time to respond and send in the suggested amount ($35 per family) before we begin our holiday activities in November and December.
If you have any questions, or interest in volunteering this year to support our PTN, please reach out to PTN President, Courtney Martinello. We welcome everyone to join!
Dress for the weather
Native American Heritage Month
A Proclamation on National Native American Heritage Month, 2021 | The White House
15 Classroom Activities, Books, and Resources for Native American Heritage Month - Waterford.org
Native American Heritage Month | NCAI
American Indian History and Heritage | NEH-Edsitement
20th Anniversary of the Festival of Trees
Join us on December 3rd & 4th at
Parker Middle School as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Festival of Trees!
Join us for live performances, food trucks, games, crafts, carols and more! Activities may be added, but the highlight of the event is the trees.
Please consider adding to our Festive Forest by donating a tree. Our goal is to reach 100!
Remember it does not need to be a traditional tree...creativity is welcome!
Respiratory Illnesses in Children
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Northeast and much of the US are seeing increases in respiratory illness in infants and children. Some of these infants and children are requiring hospitalization for support with breathing and hydration. Emergency departments and other acute care health facilities have been managing significant increases in the number of patients requiring care.
Most of these illnesses are caused by respiratory viral infections, including common seasonal viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus and enterovirus, and influenza. Infants and children may be particularly susceptible to seasonal respiratory viral infections during the 2022-2023 fall and winter because they have had limited previous exposure to these respiratory viruses. We anticipate that there could be more respiratory illnesses as RSV continues to spread and influenza season ramps up.
The Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics want to remind parents and families about steps to take to prevent illness and stay healthy this season:
2. Vaccinate your children ages 6 months and older against COVID-19; children 5 and older who had their primary series more than 2 months ago should receive an updated COVID-19 booster as soon as possible.
3. Remember, you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot at the same time.
4. If your infant has been offered treatment with protective antibodies due to their prematurity or another condition, keep on schedule with their monthly treatments.
5. Practice hand hygiene frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or if a tissue is not available, cover them with an elbow, not a hand.
6. Clean high touch surfaces in your home frequently with household disinfectants.
7. Keep children home from daycare or school who have fever, especially with a cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, congestion, runny nose, or sore throat, until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medications that reduce fever.
8. Avoid social gatherings if you or your children are ill.
9. Contact your pediatrician or healthcare provider if you believe your child needs medical care. Your provider can offer advice on whether your child needs to be evaluated in person, tested for COVID or flu, and the best location (doctor’s office, urgent care, emergency room) for care.
Please click this LINK to request an appointment at our next vaccine clinic on November 16 from 2-5 PM.
Thank you for doing all you can to keep you and your family healthy during this fall and winter season.
Happy November!
It’s so hard to believe that it’s already November! Below is my November Bitmoji Room filled with fun and exciting activities to try this month. You might notice a turkey theme happening here. 😊
I hope you find time to try one or two of these activities. Please feel free to share any feedback too…things you like or things you want to see in coming months.
Have a great month!
Linda Boyages, OT #1537
Occupational Therapist
RISE Preschool
Basic Rights: Transition Planning (for IEP students ages 14-22)
Transition planning is an on-going process that begins at age 14 to prepare students with disabilities for life after high school. It requires planning, skill development, and network support.
This training will provide an understanding of the transition planning process:
- why transition planning is important,
- services that could be included,
- who is eligible,
- student and parent roles in transition planning,
- role of student’s vision,
- how to prepare for a transition planning meeting,
- age of majority,
- anticipated graduation date, and
- procedural due process rights for resolving disputes.
You won’t regret learning this information. Click here because YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER in order to get the workshop link.
Also, click here for our current SEPAC update, which includes information on how to participate in the creation of our tree for the REF Festival of Trees! 🖍️🎄🎨
To receive SEPAC updates, email sepacreading@gmail.com. Not on our mailing list? Click here to join SEPAC's mailing list and while you’re at it, follow SEPAC on Facebook and on Instagram.
Important Dates to Remember:
November
16: Early Release for Conferences; 12:30 dismissal for all RISE students; No PM classes
18: Teacher In-Service/Conferences; No school for students
23: Early Release; 11:00 AM dismissal for all students; No PM classes
24-25: Thanksgiving Recess
About R.I.S.E.
Email: joanne.king@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: https://rise.reading.k12.ma.us/
Location: 62 Oakland Road, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: 781-942-9179