The Buzz at Leeds
September 13, 2021
Message from Principal Wenz
We have had 6 great days to begin the school year. Now, all of our grade levels are back to school, with approximately 300 students at Leeds. Students are learning routines and procedures. One of our procedures is if your child is being dismissed differently from their regular routine, please call our main office at 413-587-1530 and Laura or Sharon will let the classroom teacher know. Teachers are instructing students and may miss an email or Dojo message. This also makes it easier for our dismissal procedures.
Our first PTO meeting is tomorrow evening on Zoom. We hope to see you there. Details are listed below under our PTO section. Our School Adjustment Counselor, Ms. Bastek, will be joining the PTO to discuss Supporting Kids with Back to School Anxiety in the Time of Covid.
Many of you know that we have our Leeds Bees. Be Kind, Be Amazing, Be Leeds! What does it mean to "Be Leeds"? Our students will learn about many "bees" through their years at Leeds. This year our Leeds educators are focusing on a theme each month. Additionally, educators are tying the themes to our Second Step curriculum (our Social Emotional curriculum). This month we are recognizing students for being kind to one another or staff members. What does it mean to be kind? How does it feel when people are kind to one another? Below is a picture of a bulletin board across from our library.
Stay safe and be well,
Chris Wenz, Principal
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Arrival
Students may arrive at school no earlier than 7:45. School for students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 will begin at 8:00.
Kindergarten: Drop off is in the Kindergarten playground. Caregivers should park in the parking lot and walk students to the playground. During inclement weather students will still enter through the playground and go into their classrooms.
Grades 1 through 5: Students arriving by car, bicycle, or walking will be dropped off in the upper loop and walk around the back side of the school to the playground. During inclement weather, students will enter the school and go to their respective locations. Staff will be located throughout the building to direct students. Bus students will arrive in the bus loop near the main entrance and will walk around the kindergarten playground to the lower playground. During inclement weather, students will enter the main entrance and go to their respective locations. Staff will be located throughout the building to direct students.
Preschool: Students will be dropped off at the Preschool door located near the preschool/kindergarten playground.
Dismissal
Bus students: Buses will load at 2:10.
Late Bird: Students will gather in cafeteria at 2:10 and be checked in. Pick up will at the main entrance door. Caregivers will buzz. Staff will call for the student to be dismissed. Caregivers need to remain outside.
Lift Off Learning: The Lift Off Learning program for some of our grade 3 through 5 students begins on Tuesday, 9/14. Letters were sent home on Friday, 9/10 with students who are participating in the program. Pick up time is 3:30 in the upper loop and bus students will load at 3:30 in our bus loop. (The bus is only for students who are eligible for transportation according the School Committee policy 1.5 miles or more from the school.)
Leeds PTO
Join us for our first PTO meeting tomorrow night!
If you would like to subscribe to the PTO email list, please click http://eepurl.com/2HJRv
Join our PTO on Facebook..... Leeds Elementary School PTO
Our first Leeds PTO meeting is tomorrow, Tuesday, 9/14 at 7:00pm via Zoom. Here is the Zoom information for the meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82821551497?pwd=WVltWTNkenp6ODUxZnRscC9kcHdXUT09
Meeting ID: 828 2155 1497
Passcode: 458939
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Meeting ID: 828 2155 1497
Passcode: 458939
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbtirwWmP9
School Council
Get involved in the LES School Council
Learn about how Leeds Elementary School operates, and help the school to grow and improve.
Officially, school councils are to assist principals in:
- Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
- Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school
- Reviewing the annual school building budget
- Formulating a school improvement plan
Beyond that, a School Council’s identity is determined by the members working in tandem with the Principal. It can entail many things. The council the last few years focused on community and engagement. As a result, we created the Class Representative program, the parent survey, Literacy Night and Technology Night, Math Night, the World Cafe, social justice projects, and the all-school read.
What’s the difference between the School Council and the PTO? At LES, the PTO runs fundraising and social events, whereas the School Council is involved more with curriculum and school priorities - though the two groups occasionally work together.
How do I become an elected member of the School Council? Contact Jean Monska, PTO President at Jean@leedspto.org. There are currently one or two open caregiver positions on the council. If more than two people are interested in serving as official council members, we’ll have an election in October.
If I don’t become an elected member of the School Council, can I still come to meetings? Yes. You are welcome at any/all meetings, and you can help out on projects and sub- committees, if you want. Much of the time, there’s little difference between the roles of elected and unelected members. The meetings are friendly and relaxed, so feel free to drop in on one.
How much work is involved? We meet approximately six times a year. Meetings generally last 60-90 minutes. Outside of meetings, you may choose to work on some of the Council’s initiatives, like the Class Rep program. Or maybe you’ll bring something new to the group...
Early Bird / Late Bird
Thank you everyone for being patient with the new systems in place. Here is the link to our October sign up form. This form will send you an email of the dates and times you have selected. Please be thoughtful of your needs when selecting dates and times, as we need to staff accordingly.
Online payment instructions: I know some of you had difficulty with our online payment system, so we have created a document with instructions. Here is the link.
BEHAVIOR POLICY: All staff and students will adhere to the Northampton Code of Conduct found at http://www.northamptonschools.org/project/code-of-conduct/
We are still in the hiring process for the full-time Coordinator.
We are also looking for staff to be part of our program from 2:15 - 5:15. If you know someone, please have them contact Principal Wenz.
COVID NEWS
Some School Health and Safety Protocols
Visitors/Volunteers
No visitors, with the exception of student teachers and practicum students unless their colleges are locked down.
No volunteers in the building.
Team Meetings- Zooms preferred, in person if needed
Classrooms
No rugs in the classrooms
Use water bottles
Maintain 3-feet of distance whenever possible
All adults and students MUST wear a mask inside the building unless there are documented medical/behavioral needs that prevent the student from wearing a mask
HEPA filters MUST be on at all times
Classroom / Grouping seating plan for contact tracing
Bathrooms
Due to building codes, our multiple student bathrooms are girls and boys. We are limiting those bathrooms to 2 students at a time.
Preschool, Kindergarten classrooms have bathrooms directly off of the classroom.
We have a single bathroom next to the cafeteria that is gender neutral.
Lunch / Recess
All students MUST have assigned seats in the cafeteria
We will have assigned tables by classroom / grade level for cleaning and contact tracing purposes.
Once seated in the cafeteria, students should remain in seats except when needing to use the restroom. Adults will pick-up trash at the tables.
We are fortunate to have 1 grade level at a time with ample spacing for students' safety.
No Gaga Pit
Students and staff will wear masks outside at this time.
There is 5 minutes to transition from recess to cafeteria for custodians to clean.
Nurse Beth's Update
Hi Everyone and welcome back! I am so excited to partner with you to ensure a happy, healthy, and safe environment for your students to learn! Here are a few helpful actions you can take to help me facilitate this.
Medications: if your child needs a medication during the school day I am happy to help you with this. Please ensure I have your pediatrician's order, the medication in the original bottle, and the medication authorization form filled out. A parent or responsible adult will need to hand the medication to me directly for safe keeping.
Link to the form:
http://www.northamptonschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Medication-Authorization-Form.pdf
Health Information: Please get the Emergency Health form back to me as soon as possible so I can update information in my medical records. This is especially helpful if there were an emergency.
I would appreciate an up to date physical. If your child is not vaccinated, I will need a religious exemption form filled out, even if you had one done previously. This needs to be done yearly. If I do not get an exemption form or immunization records by the middle of October, your child will be excluded from school.
Thank you for your help! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
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Beth Savidge MSN, RN
Leeds Elementary School Nurse(413) 587-1544 (phone)
(413) 587-1543 (fax)
District Nurse Newsletter
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Calendar of Events
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Contact us:
(sharondewitt@northampton-k12.us)
Laura Ziomek, Administrative Assistant
Chris Wenz, Principal
Email: sharondewitt@northampton-k12.us
Website: http://www.northamptonschools.org/project/leeds-elementary-school/
Location: 20 Florence Street, Leeds, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 587-1530