Pawsome News
March 24, 2020
Dear Pawsome Loring Families,
I hope you are all doing well and figuring out how to balance being at home a lot more than usual. I have been exploring some of the kindergarten resources with my son. We did Cosmic Yoga and GoNoodle during the snowy day and he loved it! Please make sure to take a look at the extended learning activities and resources available through sudburystudents.org. These resources are organized by content area and grade band. Families are encouraged to use the menu to structure at-home learning. Additional resources will be added to the grade level bands, so please check back periodically for new ideas.
Families who do not have access to a device at home may request one. The next distribution date is Wednesday, March 25 from 10 a.m.-12 noon. Families requiring a device are asked to complete the linked request form by the end of the “school” day today.
Best,
Sara
This was shared with me and I think it's an important message to share with others:
Dear parents with school aged children.
You might be inclined to create a minute by minute schedule for your kids. You have high hopes of hours of learning, including online activities, science experiments, and book reports. You’ll limit technology until everything is done! But here’s the thing...
Our kids are just as scared as we are right now. Our kids not only can hear everything that is going on around them, but they feel our constant tension and anxiety. They have never experienced anything like this before. Although the idea of being off of school for 4 weeks sounds awesome, they are probably picturing a fun time like summer break, not the reality of being trapped at home and not seeing their friends.
Over the coming weeks, you will see an increase in behavior issues with your kids. Whether it’s anxiety, or anger, or protest that they can’t do things normally - it will happen. You’ll see more meltdowns, tantrums, and oppositional behavior in the coming weeks. This is normal and expected under these circumstances.
What kids need right now is to feel comforted and loved. To feel like it’s all going to be ok. And that might mean that you tear up your perfect schedule and love on your kids a bit more. Play outside and go on walks. Bake cookies and paint pictures. Play board games and watch movies. Do a science experiment together or find virtual field trips of the zoo. Start a book and read together as a family. Snuggle under warm blankets and do nothing.
Don’t worry about them regressing in school. Every single kid is in this boat and they all will be ok. When we are back in the classroom, we will all course correct and meet them where they are. Teachers are experts at this! Don’t pick fights with your kids because they don’t want to do math. Don’t scream at your kids for not following the schedule. Don’t mandate 2 hours of learning time if they are resisting it.
If I can leave you with one thing, it’s this: at the end of all of this, your kids’ mental health will be more important than their academic skills. And how they felt during this time will stay with them long after the memory of what they did during those 4 weeks is long gone. So keep that in mind, every single day.
Stay safe.
PTO Facebook Group
Possible Activities to Try
A Parent’s Guide to Surviving COVID-19: 8 Strategies to Keep Children Healthy and Happy
The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read Alouds & Activities
Here is a great video to explain germs and the importance of washing your hands. I showed it to my son Marlo and he has become quite a good hand washer!
YEARBOOKS ON SALE NOW
As always, scholarships are available, please contact: karen_blumberg@sudbury.k12.ma.us
Student Placement 2020-2021
Dear Parents,
While continuing to navigate the days left in this year, we are already looking ahead and planning for the next. Part of this planning is the formation of new classrooms for next year. We take great care in doing so and take into account several factors including teacher input, the need to create balanced classes with regard to the number of students, students’ gender, academic, social, and emotional needs. Above all, creating classes that provide for the most effective instruction for all students is our top priority. We have found that when children are grouped appropriately, they have the greatest opportunity for success.
We have experienced success with our class makeups due in large part to the exceptional care our educators put into creating class groupings. The process we use is thoughtful and thorough, consisting of careful consideration of the whole child. Multiple meetings involving grade level teams, specialists, special educators, the mental health team and administrators result in classes we are confident will best support your child’s growth and development. It is our firm belief that each student will have his or her needs met regardless of the assigned teacher; all of our teachers are highly qualified professionals. In addition, although our teachers employ a range of styles, they teach under the same umbrella of shared core values, curriculum, and best instructional practices. It is not necessary, nor is it expected, that parents communicate regarding class placement.
Parents frequently acknowledge how well our teachers know their children. However, you may believe there is information that may be helpful for us to know in placing your child and we are happy to provide an outlet for you to share that information. To that end, if you would like to share input related to placement, please complete google form here. You will need to fill out this form for each child who is a current and continuing Loring Student. This does not pertain to current 5th grade students or incoming Kindergartners.
As part of the placement process, the placement team will review any information you share. If you choose to provide us information, do so no later than THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020. Please also be aware that teachers, in the course of the placement process, will have access to parent input. Requests for a specific teacher will not be accepted. You may indicate if one of your children has already had a specific teacher and you wish for the sibling to have a different experience. Similarly, given the complexity and multi-faceted nature of the class placement process, we cannot accept requests for friends to be placed together. Finally, please be aware that, for all the reasons described, changes to placement, once it is complete, are rarely, if ever, made.
Placement is a responsibility we take very seriously. We appreciate your support in our work as we begin this process.
School Bus Registration
School Bus Registration is now open for the 2020-2021 School Year
All families who choose school bus transportation, whether no-fee or fee-based, must register and pay (if applicable) by March 31, 2020.
Incoming students in Kindergarten through grade 6 living more than two miles from their districted schools are eligible to receive no-fee transportation. Incoming students in Kindergarten through grade 6 living less than two miles from their districted schools are eligible for fee-based transportation, based on space availability.
Transportation fees can be paid online through the MySchoolBucks.com portal with a credit or debit card. Please note, there is a processing fee of 3.95% assessed at check out, and is noted in the program fee line. You may also pay by check, payable to Town of Sudbury and mailed to:
Sudbury Public Schools
Transportation Department
40 Fairbank Road
Sudbury, MA 01776
Envelopes with payments must be postmarked on or before March 31, 2020.
Registration will shut down on April 1, 2020, and will reopen on April 27, 2020.
All registrations from that point on will be charged an additional $75, and passes will be granted based on availability.
Registration is done thru MySchoolBucks.com. If you have not already created an account on MySchoolBucks for school lunch, you will need to do so and register for transportation thru that portal.
How to create a MySchoolBucks account:
Start by choosing state/district (Sudbury Public Schools), entering your name and email address, creating a password, and answering two security questions. After clicking Create Account, enter your student’s name and student ID. You will find your student ID information on the Aspen Family Portal under MySchoolBucks ID. You will then be able to register your child for transportation.
Late registration is subject to the availability of space regardless of no-fee or fee-based status. Bus routes and bus stops are based on registrations and payments received by the March 31, 2020 deadline. Bus passes will be issued by the end of August 2020.
All registered bus riders will be issued a bus pass. Students must carry the bus pass with them for bus transportation.
Please direct any questions to the Transportation Department to transportation@sudbury.k12.ma.us or call 978-639-3215.
Food & Other Resources for Families During the School Closure
Contact Us
Email: sara_harvey@sudbury.k12.ma.us
Website: http://www.sudbury.k12.ma.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=52&Itemid=222
Location: 80 Woodside Road, Sudbury, MA, USA
Phone: 978-579-0870
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