Dates to Remember
February 8th Cutler Principal Search Zoom call with Eric Tracy, 6:30 pm
February 11th 100th Day of School! (barring any snow days before then!)
February 21 - 25 February Vacation
News about Cutler School Principal Search
The search for the new Cutler school principal has started and will continue over the next few weeks. A survey has been sent to the staff of the Cutler School, and families and caregivers of Cutler students will receive a survey next week. Eric Tracy will host a Zoom call, Tuesday, February 8th at 6:30 PM to answer questions parents and caregivers may have. The link will be sent directly to Cutler parents and caregivers today. The information gathered will be used in conjunction with this interview process to guide us to the best candidate to fill the position.
News from the Front Office
A reminder to all parents and caregivers that, should arrival be indoors, our trusty red and blue flag marked "IN" will be displayed outside the blue doors. Please make sure to check whether the flag is displayed when you drop off your children, and if it is, direct them to enter school immediately without going to the playground.
Once again, we have some reminders as we navigate the increased COVID cases in our communities. The following protocols will be in place for the next few weeks as we continue to monitor our COVID numbers.
Snack & Lunch: Lunch will take place indoors for the foreseeable future. Students will be spaced six feet apart, and re-apply their masks as soon as they have finished eating.
Masks: It is imperative that all staff and students wear masks correctly at all times (over nose and mouth). Please send your students with extra masks in their backpacks. We do have pediatric-sized surgical masks here as well.
Sanitizing: Hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes have been distributed to classrooms. Teachers are encouraging students to wash and/or sanitize hands often and are wiping down desks during the day.
Cutler Fourth Grade in the News!
Grade 4 is flying into February with lots going on! We just completed a geometry unit in math in which students learned how to identify different kinds of polygons and to notice the various attributes of shapes. We are now beginning our “Large Numbers” unit, during which we review place value concepts and students are introduced to the standard algorithms for addition and subtraction of 4+ digit numbers.
Our writing time has been consumed with drafting literary essays; students are asked to think deeply about a text, make an inference, then provide various types of evidence (e.g. mini-stories, quotes, or lists) to support their inference.
Grade 4 readers have been busily working on their inferring skills, as well as learning how to close read a text for specific information.
Waves, wavelength, and amplitude have been the recent focus of our science lessons. Students had the opportunity to explore waves and see the transfer of energy in a wave via Slinkys and jump ropes.
Social studies has brought us through the Midwest region of the United States and into our current region, the Southwest, where students are learning about the resources, industry, geography, and landmarks of this part of the country.
News About School Covid Protocol
You Can Still Sign-up for The At-Home Covid Testing Program. Students who have enrolled to receive free at-home tests received their two-pack of rapid at-home tests on Thursday 2/3. The intent is for your student to test before coming to school on Friday. The two-pack is designed to be used for Friday 2/4 and Friday 2/11. If you have not signed up and are interested you can complete the form linked here. If you have questions, please contact Thomas Geary - t.geary@hwschools.net or Rebecca LeBlanc - r.leblanc@hwschools.net.
News From the School Committee
The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District Committee is seeking candidates for election to membership on the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee. The number of members elected in 2022 shall be three (3) members; each for a term of three (3) years. Nomination papers for prospective candidates were available beginning on Monday, January 10, 2022, at their respective Town Clerk’s Office to ensure that the “the candidate” is a registered voter before gathering the signatures of at least 40 registered voters from either the Towns of Hamilton and/or Wenham. It is highly recommended you obtain 50-60 signatures to ensure at least 40 are certified. The nomination papers must be returned on or before 5:00 PM on Thursday, February 17, 2022.
The Annual Town Elections of Hamilton and Wenham will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 from 7:00 am t0 8:00 pm respectively, in the towns of Hamilton and Wenham.
School Store Just a quick change to the February Calendar for School Store. School Store will be held next week, starting on 2/14. The Committee will post an update with the daily schedule for each grade to shop at the end of this week.
Due to the rise in COVID cases in our communities, we will be postponing our January Family Game Night to a new date to be determined. Thank you for your flexibility.
Book Fair Postponed
The Scholastic Book Fair that was originally scheduled for 1/24-1/28 has been postponed. We are looking forward to having this fun event in the spring when we can ensure the safety of our volunteers and students. Thank you all for understanding!
