Carver Elementary
Family Engagement Edition October 2023
Parents and Families,
Tuesday, October 3, was kickoff day for our Carver Coyote Quick Kids Fun Run. Remember that this is our primary fundraiser for CES and the funds raised go toward enhancing our program for all students. Activities such as field trips, special assemblies and celebrations are allocated based on funds raised by our PTO. This year, we will also be raising funds for outdoor improvements, should there be any remaining funds at the end of the school year.
The first step is to register your student on MYBOOSTER.COM by searching for our school name. I am hopeful that you are willing to do this and I understand if this is not something that you can support. Your student should be bringing home a Fundraising Guide to help you learn more about our fundraiser, and if you have any questions, please reach out to me. I want to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for supporting us and for partnering with us here at Carver Elementary School.
Sincerely,
Ruby C. Maestas
Carver Coyote Quick Kids Fun Run Schedule
Families are invited to join us at the school for the outdoor event. Please see the schedule below. If we have inclement weather and need to move the event indoor, only the grade level students are able to fit in the gym for a glow run.
Thanks for your support, Carver Elementary School families!
Wednesday, Oct. 11 9:00 - 9:30 am Preschool (Blackden M-W-F AM Program)
Thursday, Oct. 12 9:00 - 9:30 am Preschool (Lauzon) (Wethington M-Tu-Th-F AM Program)
(Blackden Tu-Th AM Program)
Thursday, Oct. 12 1:15 - 1:45 pm Preschool (Wethington M-Tu-Th-F PM Program)
(Blackden- Tu-Th PM Program)
Friday, Oct. 13 9:00 - 10:00 am Grades 2 and 4
Friday, Oct. 13 10:25 - 11:25 am Grades 1 and 3
Friday, Oct. 13 11:55 - 12:55 pm Kindergarten and Grade 5
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Friday, 10/6/23 No School - Teacher Professional Day
Monday, 10/9/23 No School - Indigenous Peoples Day
Wednesday, 10/11/23 School Council Meeting, 3:00 pm
Wednesday, 10/11/23 CES PTO Meeting, 6:30 pm
Wednesday, 10/11 and Thursday, 10/12/23 Carver Coyote Quick Kids Fun Run (Preschool Classes)
Friday, 10/13/23 Carver Coyote Quick Kids Fun Run (K-5)
Thursday, 10/19/23 Early Release Day, 11:45 dismissal, lunches are served
Tuesday, 10/24/23 Student ALICE Lessons
Friday, 10/27/23 CES PTO Trunk or Treat🎃
Thursday, 11/2/23 Early Release Day, 11:45 am dismissal, lunches are served
Thursday, 11/2/23 Parent Teacher Conferences (by appointment)
IMPORTANT REMINDER!
Parents: please label your students' belongings; including jackets, sweatshirts and water bottles. There are already a large amount of items in the Lost and Found.
COUNSELORS' CORNER
Importance of a sleep routine
Getting enough sleep is critical for a child to be successful in school. It can be difficult for children to concentrate and learn when they do not get a good night’s sleep.
Having a bedtime routine that is consistent each night will help your child settle down and fall asleep. Components of a calming pre-bedtime routine may involve a bath/shower, reading with them, and tucking them in and saying good-night to them.
Have your child turn off electronic devices at least 60 minutes before bedtime.
Insufficient sleep is associated with lower academics and higher rates of absenteeism and tardiness. The optimal amount of sleep for most younger children is 10-12 hours per night and for adolescents (13-18 years of age) is in the range of 8-10 hours per night .
Students must leave toys and gadgets at home
We don't want items to get lost, damaged or taken. Therefore, it is best that these items stay at home, except of course if it is a special day and your child's teacher has asked to bring a specific item in for sharing time. This does include fidget toys unless approved by the teacher.
Reminder: Cell Phones are not allowed in school unless an arrangement or exception has been made between the parent, the teacher and admin.
SCHOOL PICTURES
PREORDERING DEADLINE EXTENSION!
The deadline for preordering your child’s/children’s school pictures has been extended. To take advantage of the preorder pricing and reduced shipping/handling costs, please visit our website at
www.haywardphotography.com and click on the blue “Prepay for Photo Day” button. Next, enter your school’s code CES23 and search for your child’s name to be connected to the ordering page. Package options, pricing and shipping/handling charges are different for orders placed after the preorder
window has closed.
The preordering link will now expire on Tuesday, October 10th
Celebrating Birthdays
We are excited to partner with you to celebrate your child's birthday. Please remember that we are doing our best to be health and allergy conscious. If you wish to send something in to celebrate your child's birthday, refrain from sending in any food items. We encourage low-cost or no-cost items. Here are some ideas for including the entire class in the celebration: join the teacher to read a special story, send in birthday pencils, write special notes or make homemade party hats. At school, your child's birthday will be announced at our morning announcements. If/When appropriate, teachers may elect to have the class sing a special song for your child and share a special birthday message in the classroom. Some classes will hold a monthly birthday celebration and have extra recess or a classroom dance party.
Upcoming Volunteer Trainings
If you would like to volunteer at Carver Elementary School, you must attend a Volunteer Training. Please see below for the upcoming sessions that have been scheduled. To RSVP, please contact the main office. All Volunteers must also have an up to date CORI. CORIs are good for three years. If you need to update yours, please bring identification with you to the training.
Thursday, 10/12/23 at 3:10 pm
Our school app is sunsetting.
Instead we will be using ClassTag and Aspen for school to home communication. It may help to delete the app from phones to avoid any confusion.
From the CES Health Office
Being Prepared with Extra Clothing
Students of all ages will occasionally need a clothing change in school due to getting wet on the playground, food/drink spills, bathroom accidents, clothing malfunctions, etc. The Health Office has a very limited amount of clothing to supply students in need of a change. Students tend to prefer and be more comfortable in their own clothing from home. Therefore, *please provide your student with extra clothing* that can be kept in their locker just in case an unexpected need arises. Calling a parent/guardian during the day to bring in a change of clothes creates a potential inconvenience for parents/guardians and also disrupts the student’s day.
Annual Student Health Screenings
All Massachusetts students are required to have in-school health screenings annually unless written request from parent/guardian to decline screening is received for the current school year. In this case, parents/guardians must provide documentation of alternate recent screening done by student’s health care provider.
Vision- grades PK, K, 1, 2, 3,
Hearing- grades K, 1, 2, 3
BMI- 1, 4
Postural - grade 5
Questions?
Contact your school nurses Mrs. Berkobein, RN or Mrs. Goldstein, RN
FAN Days
We are trying something new this year, Fan Days. Wear your favorite sports team t-shirt or gear. Whether your child is a fan of the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox, Crusaders, the list goes on...we aim to make fan days easier for the kids to join in.
Here are the fan days for the school year:
October 19
November 20
December 19
January 18
February 28
March 28
April 10
May 9
Every Friday is COYOTE Spirit Day
Students and staff all join together by wearing Coyote spirit gear or Coyote colors gray, maroon and white.
School Starts at 8:15 and ends at 2:45
School starts at 8:15 and ends at 11:45
School Meals are Free for everyone this school year!
Year at a Glance
REMINDER: Parent Portal Updates, check yes or no for photos instructions below:
THANK YOU TO OUR CUSTODIAL STAFF
On Monday, 10/2/23, CES and the PTO sponsored Custodial Appreciation Day. The custodial staff were given handmade cards and notes by the students and staff to show our appreciation.
Brayden Boyle, David Kanke, Derek Howard, Carla Alves Donahue and John Gagnon
Missing from photo: Smokey Howard and John Borgeson
MEET BENZY
Benzy, our school dog.
- Greeter: As a greeter, Benzy’s job is to sit and allow the students to greet him when they arrive at school. Students may greet Benzy by petting him under the chin or simply by a face-to-face “Hi Benzy” or “Good Morning Benzy”.
- Therapy Dog: Benzy continues to be a ‘Therapy Dog in training’, mostly because he is still a young dog, currently 2 ½ years old. As he continues to mature and develop, he will continue to learn the skills necessary to be a therapy dog. In this role, it is not okay for him to sniff, roll over, nip or lick even if he is only giving kisses:) Students may ask their teacher to see Benzy if they are having a difficult time. Teachers may also recommend that a student check in with Benzy.
- Reading Dog: This is also know as “Reader Dog”. When Benzy is in the role of Reader Dog. He is laying on the floor in a comfortable position as students are seated next to him as they read him a book or two. His job as a reader dog is to listen, relax and enjoy the story. The confidence this brings to the students who are reading to Benzy helps to increase their reading fluency by being a wonderful listener. Benzy completed a full Reader Dog course and was assessed in skills that demonstrated he could 'down' for the duration of at least 30 minutes at a time, without moaning, growling, barking, sniffing, licking or rolling around being silly.
Most of the time that Benzy is at school, he is a working dog. However he is learning to relax and have a little down time though because working all day at school gets exhausting, even for Benzy. He loves being a working dog because he gets to be with students all day. There's no greater joy for him, than to be with Carver Elementary Coyote Kids!