NORTH ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dr. Paula Manchester Principal

September 5, 2017Welcome to the parents of our new scholars and returning scholars of North Elementary. I am looking forward to a great school year, as I begin this new journey with your children. Even though this may be the first few days for students, the staff at North have been very busy this summer getting ready for the upcoming year. We have been planning, reflecting, analyzing data, and making sure we provide all students with the most optimal environment for our students to learn and grow. As we all work hard to prepare for our students, we also want to make sure that we are helping to create lifelong memories for them and for you. We all know that these elementary years go by much too quickly.

To begin the school year, I want to remind everyone of our core values and some of the school goals and objectives North and our district will continue to be working on this year. In sharing these with you, I hope to reinforce the idea that our staff work hard every day to ensure there is an optimal learning environment for all students. I also want you to know that decisions are always made strategically and with your children in mind. When you send your children into school every day, know that we are all working on making it the best learning environment where all students can be successful.

Core Values:

Perseverance • Our students will accept the challenge of a rigorous learning environment and work through those challenges until they experience success.

Respect and Responsibility • We will create a safe and supportive environment for all students and adults in which everyone feels valued and respected. • All students will respect themselves, others, and their surroundings.

• We will create an environment in which everyone takes responsibility for their individual and collective actions.

Innovation • Students and adults will be innovative problem solvers, as well as purposeful and responsible users of technology. • Students and staff will be skilled at and value collaborative problem solving.

Dedication to the Community • We will help our students build character and learn respect, as they become positive and caring contributors to society.

Excellence • We will set high expectations for all students and staff. • Our students will become effective communicators and independent, creative, and critical thinkers.

School Strategic Objectives

Objective I:

Create a unified learning organization in which educators consistently utilize and collaboratively analyze data on student learning.

Strategic PrioritiesA. Implement our professional learning communities by providing collaboration among teachers

and leaders focused on improving student learning.B. Develop teacher leadership opportunities.C. Create a Leadership Team to provide collaborative opportunities to ensure consistent

expectations for all staff.D. Develop a positive culture and an effective system of peer observations and feedback to

promote a growth mindset and high expectations for all students.

Objective II

Ensure student academic growth and success through an instructional system of personalized supports and data-driven interventions.

Strategic Priorities

A. Update and revise existing curriculum documents to incorporate universal design for learning (UDL) principles.

B. Implement a balanced assessment system that provides staff with information on student learning and growth in order to identify needed interventions and supports.

C. Provide resources, staffing, and time to support individual student learning plans.

Objective IIIPrepare students for success in and beyond high school by promoting STEAM and 21st century skills.

Strategic PrioritiesA. Provide professional learning opportunities for teachers in order to improve technology

integration standards throughout the existing curriculum.B. Continue to develop and integrate STEAM to enhance the elementary curriculum (including

new science and engineering standards) piloting and adopting new instructional materials. C. Collaborate with business and higher education communities to provide learning experiences

for students and teachers.

Objective IVBuild the information management systems and technological infrastructure required to support instructional excellence.Strategic PrioritiesA. Enhance our technology infrastructure to promote a blended learning environment. B. Continue to support communication with our school community through the use of

technology. C. Maximize the use of Aspen to store all student information that can be utilized to support

instructional improvements.D. Continue recruiting and hiring highly qualified staff that will join the school community with

an understanding of the district and school vision, district and school procedures, contractual expectations and job descriptions.

As we reflect on these district and school improvement goals, we will further define action steps that we will be taking here at North Elementary. So, as you can see, we have a lot of work to do this year. I look forward to seeing you at our Back to School night on September 13th at 6:00 PM. We look forward to working with you to ensure your child has a successful year.

Once again, welcome to the new school year. I am honored to be here at North Elementary School. Let’s work together to make this the best year ever!

Arrival and Dismissal (8:50-3:15 School Day)

The school day is 8:50-3:15. There is no supervision before 8:20. Recess monitors will be outside beginning at 8:20. Students who come to school between 8:20 and 8:50 will be able to play outside until the start of the school day. On days of inclement weather, students will be supervised in the cafeteria (grades 3-5) and the gymnasium (grades K-2). If you are in need of before and/or after school care it is available through AlphaBEST. For more information, please go to https://www.alphabest.org/somerset/.

If your child does not take the bus to school, please pay attention to the posted signs. For the safety of all of our students, cars are not allowed down in front of the school. Only buses are allowed to park along the front of the building during arrival and dismissal. When driving around the school, please be vigilant of signs, buses, and children.

If you are picking up your child at the end of the day, please know that pick up students will not be called until 3:15. Please have your ID ready and anyone picking up your child must be on the emergency form parents fill out at the beginning of the year. The district has minimized the number of forms that need to be filled out. However, please review your child’s

information closely before returning the forms to school. We do need forms returned ASAP to ensure we have all emergency information available. Forms that need to be returned also include Permission to be Photographed. I do like to take a lot of pictures for the newsletter and school website. Please make sure your child’s teacher and the office is aware if you would not like your child to be photographed.

Regular daily dismissal takes place at 3:15 P.M. While removing a child before the end of the school day is discouraged, we recognize that, under certain unusual circumstances, it may be necessary. The child should be sent to school with a note on the morning of the dismissal. The note should be given to the child’s teacher at the beginning of the day. If someone other than the child’s parent or guardian is picking up the student, the person’s name should be included on the note and the child’s Emergency Form. In this case, the school may require identification before the child is released. When it is time for the child to be dismissed, the parent must come to the office to pick up the child and sign the child out for the day. No child will be sent out to a waiting car. A child will be released ONLY to someone on an Emergency Form.

That note should contain the following information:

When the child will be picked up. Who will be picking up the child (full name and relationship to the child). If appropriate, based on the time of dismissal, whether or not the child will be ordering

lunch. The reason for the dismissal.

The child’s parent or guardian must sign the note.

Communication Please contact your child’s teacher first about specific questions or concerns you may have. They may have the information you need to answer your question or may have. If they are not able to answer your question, feel free to contact me. Our goal is to ensure good communication between school and home. I will be sending out my monthly newsletter via email every month. We also use email frequently to communicate. You can email staff here at North Elementary by using the person’s first name and their last name separated by a dot followed by @somersetschools.org. For example, my email is paula.manchester@somersetschools.org.

Please review the student handbook for North Elementary policies and procedures. Part of our success is having all students adhere by procedures, regulations, and polices that are in the handbook. The handbook has been approved by our school committee and can be helpful for parents and students to understand expectations. These procedures have been put in place for the health and safety of all students.

Staff List

I am happy to announce the staff of 2017-2018. As you may see by some of the new names, we have some new faces that are very excited to be here.

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

DR. PAULA MANCHESTER

KINDERGARTEN

MRS. JENNIFER BALDWIN

MRS. TRACY RAYRAY

MRS. LYNN WHALEN

TLC

MS. ELIZABETH CORNELL

INSIGHTS K-2

MRS. JULIA SCHOONOVER

GRADE ONE

MRS. ELIZABETH HEDLY

MRS. KIMBERLY KILROY

MRS. ELIZABETH MACHADO

MRS. MARIA MONTE

GRADE TWO

MRS. ELIZABETH VITULLO

MRS. LYNN SYLVIA

MS. NATALIE THOMAS

INSIGHTS 3-5

MRS. ANDREA REAGAN

GRADE THREE

MRS. STACEY ASHTON

MRS. SHERYL FRIEDLAND

MRS. SUSAN CARVALHO

GRADE FOUR

MRS. MELISSA BIELLO

MRS. CARA MARUM

MRS. THERESA NOONS

MRS. KRISTEN SMITH

GRADE FIVE

MRS. MICHELLE AHERN

MRS. ALICIA FRENCH

MRS. DORENE MELLO

MRS. SUSAN MCCULLOUGH

SPECIAL EDUCTION TEACHERS

MS. KAREN SILVIA

MS. JENNIFER CAPRON

MR. JOHN SULLIVAN

SPEECH PATHOLIGISTS

MRS. LUCY CHARETTE

MS. KATIE MICHIENZI

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS

MRS. ERICA LUNN

MRS. JENNIFER BALCIUS

ART

MRS. VANESSA RING

MUSIC

MRS. STEPHANIE LAFONTAINE

MUSIC/STRINGS

MR. IRA SCHAEFER

BRASS

MRS. CHRISTINA RAUSCH

HEALTH

MRS. AMY CARR

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

MRS. COLLEEN MUNCE

MS. JULIANNE WELLS

PARA- PROFESSIONALS

MS. DANIELLE ASHLEY-SILVA

MRS. MICHELLE BERUBE

MRS. SONYA CALVANO

MS. GAIL CHASSE

MS. LISA CUNHA

MRS. CYNTHIA LOBO

MS. GAIL LOPES

MS. BONNIE MCMAHAN

MRS. KELLY MEEHAN

MRS. LEANNE PARKER

MRS. ANA REBELLO

MRS. NICOLE SILVA

MRS. TANYA SILVA

MRS. BERNICE SOLUP

MRS. ERICA SOUZA

MR. RORY SPELLMAN

TECHNOLOGY

MRS. JENNIFER ASHLEY

INTERVENTION DEPARTMENT

MRS. REBECCA HURLEY

MRS. DENISE LEE

MRS. JOCELYN ALBERNAZ

SCHOOL SECRETARY

MS. JOAN FORTIER

MRS. BIRGIT FOGG

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

MS. KELLY HASSON

TEAM CHAIR

MS. ANNE MCGRATH

SCHOOL NURSE

MRS. LISA ANDERSON

FOOD SERVICE DIRECTOR

MR. JASON MORENCY

LEAD MANAGER

MS. DOREEN O’GARA

CAFETERIA WORKERS

MS. KRISTY HASKELL

MS. CHRISTINE MASCIARELLI

MS. TERESE MACLEA

MR. WAYNE FERREIRA

MS. LORI SILVIA

MS. KERRIE AMARAL

MS. DIANE MENARD

MS. KAREN BOISSONEAULT (SUB)

CUSTODIANS

MR. JEFFREY ALVES

MR. MICHAEL ALVES

MR. THOMAS DORGAN

MR. DAVID CRISAFULLI

MR. MATTHEW POIRIER

PLAYGROUND

MRS. CAROL TURNER

MRS. JUDITH MARLEY

MRS. JOAN PLUMMER

MRS. DEBORAH MEDEIROS

MRS. MARCIA ZAGORSKI

TBD

AttendanceAttendance is a major factor in student success in school. When they are not in school, they are missing valuable instruction time. Good attendance also fosters good work ethic and good habits

they will need later on in life. Family and sharing time with each other are very important. Throughout the school year, there are several opportunities to plan family vacations. Please do not schedule vacations when student should be at school. Our school day begins at 8:50. The beginning of the day is very important to get kids oriented and ready for their school day. Please make an effort to schedule doctors/dentist appointments after school hours.

Positive School Climate To help enhance a positive school community, North Elementary currently sets expectations in addition to implementing and using curriculum that helps support social emotional leaning. The first step North takes is subscribe to PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports). What this means is that we set behavioral expectations that carry throughout the building and school grounds. Using the expectations of Respect, Responsible and Safety, each area of the building and school grounds, all students are expected to abide by. This creates a safe learning environment for all students. Over the first month of school, staff will be reviewing these expectations with students.

In addition to setting behavior expectations throughout the building, North Elementary staff will continue to teach lessons using the PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) curriculum. This program promotes social emotional competencies in elementary students. Topics in these lessons include emotional literacy, self-control, social competence, positive peer relations, and problem-solving strategies. In connection with these lessons, North Elementary will continue to have the “Word of the Week” to help students make real word connections to the social emotional learning happening in the building. These words will connect to our monthly positive character traits.

We will continue to reflect on ensuring we have a positive school climate by looking at additional ways we can continue to provide social emotional learning in our school. As one of the three-year focus topics for Professional Development Plan for the district, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a topic that we will continue to focus on here a North Elementary.

PTO

Please consider supporting our PTO. Times are alternating to help accommodate different schedules and increase participation. All meetings are held in the North Elementary School library.

Meeting Dates For 2017-2018

September 19th, 6:30-7:30

October 17th, 4:00-5:00

November 14th, 6:30-7:30

December 19th, 4:00-5:00

January 16th, 6:30-7:30

February 13th, 4:00-5:00

March 20th, 6:30-7:30

April 24th, 4:00-5:00

May 15th- 6:30-7:30

DATES TO REMEMBER

Trimester 1

9/5/17 -12/1/17

Trimester 2

12/2/17- 3/15/18

Trimester 3

3/16/18-6/13/2018 Re

Parent Conferences

December 101h & December 14th

Volunteering We encourage and appreciate parents who would like to volunteer. All parents need to fill out a CORI release. I will be setting up a brief meeting with all parents to discuss the expectation of student confidentially as well as give you an opportunity to ask any questions that you may have. Thank you in advance to those parents who are able to volunteer. If you are a parent who would still like to help but are unable to volunteer during the day because you are working, there are things you can still do to help. We have many opportunities that you can do at home or are only one-time events. Connect with our PTO or ask your child’s teacher how you can help. A few ideas include:From home:

 Type children’s stories to make class books

 Help organize class trips or activities

 Make games and materials for centers

One-time events:

 Speak to the class about a career or hobby

 Chaperone a field trip

 Read with children

 Help with photocopying or bulletin boards

Health and Allergies

We have several students across all grade levels attending North Elementary with a severe food allergy that can cause an anaphylactic reaction. We ask that food not be brought in for the classroom and that students not share food at any time. The majority of children with food allergies have a severe allergy to nuts. Because these children can react to nuts from inhalation, touch, or ingestion; a life-threatening reaction can occur.

When selecting your child’s snack to be eaten in the classroom, please check the nutritional fact label to ensure that the product does not contain peanuts, tree nuts, or mixed nuts or was not “manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts or tree nuts.” Products that may contain trace peanuts or tree nuts are also not safe in the classroom. Items including granola bars, nut spreads, and snack items must be carefully read as more and more products are processed in a plant that processes nuts.

Your child may have nut products at lunch; we ask this for food consumed in the classrooms. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding that these guidelines are for the health and welfare of our students. Students are taught never to share food. All of us need to do what we can to provide these children with a safe learning environment.