Pool Testing Resumes November 30th
Important News to Notice Right Away!
The Ski, Skate, Board Event is the largest and most significant fundraiser held by The Friends of Cutler each year. Proceeds from this event enable the Friends to fund field trips, classroom supplies, guest experts, cultural enrichment presentations and field trips, to name a few. This is a fun event and we are enormously grateful for your help, We encourage you to volunteer your time if you possibly can!
*****The Ski, Skate and Board event is THIS WEEK! ***** We need an "all hands on deck" approach to make this event a success! Drop off/ setup days are 11/17-11/19, and the event is 11/20 & 11/21.
There is no need for or ski experience to volunteer; we have plenty of jobs that are not ski related! The only prerequisite is that you are willing to help! Please check out the Sign-Up Genius links below to volunteer. All volunteers completing a 2-hour shift will gain access to the coveted 'Pre-Sale'!
We appreciate your help and could not do this without all of you!
News about School Picture Re-take Day
Please note that our picture re-take day is this Friday, November 19th, starting at 9:00 am in the Gym.
* If you are requesting a re-take then please make sure that your child brings the original package of photographs you were sent, but are unhappy with, in with them on the 19th. This will aid in processing and delivering the new photographs.
* If your child was an absentee on our original picture day, you will have already been sent an order form and your child should bring that in on the 19th. If you ordered on line you do not need to be concerned.
All children requesting photographs whether it is a re-take or absentee issue, will have their photographs taken!
News from the Counselor's Corner
Please see Mrs. Creilson's newsletter below. In it she continues last week’s discussion about Positive Childhood Experiences(PCES) that increase resilience and support social and emotional well-being.
Counselor’s Corner Newsletter 11/15/2
News from the Health Office
If you are planning to be away for extra days around the Thanksgiving Break, it would be helpful if you could inform Lynne Nardella, School Nurse, your classroom teacher, and Janie Bellenis in the front office. This kind of 'heads up' gives us all the chance to plan ahead.
Covid Vaccine Guidelines
The following are guidelines for symptoms after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, particularly after the second dose:
It is common for people to experience symptoms such as injection site soreness, headache, fatigue, low grade fever, muscle aches, and chills. These symptoms may last a few days. If they do not resolve after a few days, we would recommend seeking COVID-19 testing.
If your child(ren) develops respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, or loss of taste or smell, these are not expected side effects from the vaccine. These may be due to an illness exposure that occurred around the same time as your child(ren)’s vaccination. If they experience these symptoms, please check our guidelines for when to stay home and/or seek COVID-19 testing.
Once your child(ren) receives their second COVID-19 vaccination, please provide a copy of their vaccine record to your school nurse.
Here are the CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals. People are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
Please contact your school nurse or health care provider with any specific questions.
Vaccines for 5-11 year-olds
There have been a couple of inquiries regarding vaccines for 5-11 year-old students. After speaking with the Town Health Nurses, we have learned that you should first attempt to get the vaccine at your child’s pediatrician’s office. At this time there is no plan to vaccinate 5-11 year-old students at school.
Per the DESE all students who are absent with Covid 19 symptoms must call their pediatricians and obtain a PCR test or an alternative diagnosis before returning to school.
Pool testing
Per the DESE recommendation, there will be no Pool Testing the Tuesday before the Thanksgiving holiday, (November 23rd). Pool Testing will resume the week after the holiday weekend (November 30th).
Mask Mandate Extension
By now you are aware that Commissioner Riley extended the mask mandate for all schools until “at least January 15, 2022”. Currently, if a school building demonstrates a vaccination rate of 80 percent or more of all students and staff in the school through an attestation form submitted to DESE, then vaccinated individuals in that school would no longer be subject to the mask requirement. Many of you have asked about the 80 percent rule. Whether or not to follow the 80% rule is a local decision. The HWRSD also has a school committee policy (EBCFA - Face Coverings) that is in place locally. It requires that all individuals in school buildings wear face coverings. This policy is reviewed at each school committee meeting to determine changes or to stay the current
course.
Mrs Brousseau would love to have one or two volunteers to help prepare art materials and display student art work. Please note that some of the projects can be taken away and completed at home. If you are interested in helping, please contact Kristen Brousseau directly at
k.brousseau@hwschools.net.
News about Next School Store
School store will be this week! We have implemented some new guidelines in order to help make it run more smoothly and efficiently. Grade levels will be assigned a day and students' names will be checked off a list. Please see the schedule below. If for some reason your student can not attend on the scheduled day, Thursday and Friday will be make up days.
Monday, November 15th - Kindergarten
Tuesday, November 16th - 1st and 2nd grades
Wednesday, November 17th - 3rd and 4th grades
Thursday, November 18th - 5th grade and makeup students
Friday, November 19th - makeup students
News about Fourth Grade Ukulele 'Ukes on Deck'
The fourth Grade Ukulele group 'Ukes on Deck', will meet for the first time this Thursday, November 18th. 'Ukes on Deck' will meet on Thursdays going forward from 3:00pm - 3:40pm. All Fourth Graders are welcome to join. Students can either bring their own ukulele or borrow one from Mrs. Graham who can be reached at m.graham@hwschools.net.
News about Professional Development Day, Friday November 12th
People often ask what happens when teachers have a full day of professional development. Last Friday, the entire district spent 2.5 hours working with our consultants from Equity Journey Partners.
Topics addressed were:
How our social identities impact how we feel and move through the world.
How privilege operates to normalize some identities over others.
How social identity manifests in the school and classroom.
At the Elementary level, teachers also worked in grade-level groups to adjust curriculum pacing and resources.
News From HW Friends of the Arts
HW Friends of the Arts will hold their monthly meeting this week, Wednesday, November 17th at 6:30 pm. Please note, they will be meeting in the high school conference room which is on your right off the main lobby. Guests this month will be two high school students that attended the Montserrat program this summer. They will be showing some of their work. Also joining the meeting will be A J Lease, Theatre Teacher, and Ferrini Dramatics Center Manager. All are welcome to attend!
Lost and Found
The Lost and Found area in the cafeteria is bulging! If there is a possibility that your child may have something there, please ask them to visit and check it out for items that belong to them. Parents are welcome to come into the building to check themselves. After the Thanksgiving Break we will be packing up leftover items and donating them to charity.
Problem Solving Quick Guide
Every once in a while you may run into an issue and not know who to call or email. The new HWRSD - Problem Solving Quick Guide will help you figure out who to call when specific issues arise. More often than not, we would ask you to start with the source, at the building level. The quick guide is set up by level so that you can quickly find whom to contact. If you have a general question, our parent liaison, Jen Caufield can help.
