Words from Winn Brook Principalrsquos Newsletter

Wacky Winter Olympics As you may imagine a Friday af‐

ternoon before winter vacation isnrsquot optimal academic learning time however it was the perfect time for Winn Brook staff and students to come together to promote commu‐nity spirit and teamwork All stu‐dents and most staff members competed in multi‐age teams dur‐ing our Wacky Winter Olym‐pics We had great fun cheering one another on and enjoying the creative and ldquowackyrdquo races that Physical Education Teacher Mr Franey designed Students and staff left the event feeling uplifted and bonded as a school community

K Information Night Parents of students entering kindergarten in Septem‐

ber 2019 are invited to join us for a district‐wide infor‐mation night on Thursday Jan 24th at 630 pm in the Chenery Middle School auditorium Superintendent John Phelan as well as other BPS staff will be present‐ing Our new centralized registration process will be discussed as well as other topics (Please note this event is for adults only)

Vacation Planning

January 22 2019 wwwbelmontk12maus Janet Carey Principal

Electronic Report Cards Our schools distribute report cards through an elec‐

tronic portal Parents should have received an email from our technology department with directions for activating your account All elementary report cards will be released simultaneously on January 25th

If you did not receive an email with these directions or if you are having difficulty activating your account please contact Nicole Femino at nfeminobelmontk12maus and include your childrsquos full name and school

Upcoming Events 124 Kindergarten Information Night CMS 630

125 PTA Movie Night 630 in the cafeteria

21 Force amp Motion program for kindergarten

27 PTA meeting 7pm in the cafeteria-Please join

us and learn about our new science curriculum

27 Food Drive amp 100th day of school

28 Skating Night at Viglirolo Rink 7-8pm

212 Light amp Color program for grade 1

214 Force amp Motion program for grade 3

215 Winter Concert

218-22 NO SCHOOLmdashFebruary vacation

Please plan your vacations so that they do not conflict with school It is very disruptive to learning when vacations are extended or when a vacation is taken while school is in session Current teaching techniques are often multi‐sensory and cooperative learning strategies are used which involve children working in small group settings It is virtually impossible for a teacher to reconstruct the learning experi‐ences that were missed due to a vacation

Massachusetts General Laws hold parents responsible for ensuring that children under their care attend school regularly Schools are required by law to monitor attendance and take action if a problem with truancy or tardiness is evident

Respect Community High Expectations

SAC Election Results This was an unusual year We had four candidates with impressive backgrounds volunteer for our School Advisory Council While they would all undoubtedly be great additions to the council there was just one seat to fill so our PTA ran an election The Depart‐ment of Elementary and Secondary Education has regulations for the formation composition and re‐sponsibilities of these groups There must be parity with school personnel and parents We therefore have a set number of seats on the council giving staff and parents equal representation The size of the council is kept consistent from year to year Thank you to those parents who took the time to cast their votes Mr Tomas Palacios received the most votes and is therefore the newest member of our council We are grateful to all of the candidates for their willingness to generously give of their time in support of our school

News from Our Nurse As the weather gets colder children often snuggle together to watch a movie to share a good book or to share pillow at a sleepover These are times when head lice can travel to your childrsquos head Although head lice do not jump or fly they can be transmitted by direct head‐to‐head contact

Please take the time to regularly inspect your childrsquos head for head lice To thoroughly check your childrsquos head use a good lice comb and some conditioner In‐structions for inspecting and treating head lice are available in the nursersquos clinic as well as on the Belmont Public School website under ldquoHealth Servicesrdquo If you do find head lice on your child please inform the school nurse Call me at 617‐993‐5706 with any ques‐tions

100th Day

MCAS Testing The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is now requiring us to administer 3rd and 4th grade MCAS tests electronically (unless a student has an Individualized Education Plan [IEP] which documents the need for a paper-based test)

Grade 3 will be taking MCAS on the following dates Language Arts April 29 amp 30 Mathematics May 20 amp 21 Grade 4 will be tested on the following dates Language Arts April 23 amp 25 Mathematics May 14 amp 16

Crossing Guards Needed The Town is currently seeking full‐time part‐time and ldquoon‐callrdquo Crossing Guards Responsibilities include moni‐toring vehicle and pedestrian traffic to escort pedestri‐ans across roadways insuring safe passage directing traffic and providing directions to motorists and pedes‐trians It is the Crossing Guardrsquos responsibility to ensure studentsrsquo and pedestrianrsquos safety at street crossing sites A minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent re‐quired as well as experience working with children and the ability to communicate effectively with students parents teachers and motorists Appointment is subject to a satisfactory CORI check Crossing Guards work September through June school day mornings and afternoons approximately 13 hours a week The starting hourly rate is $1650 and does not include benefits other than those required by law Re‐sumes are accepted at The Town of Belmont Human Resources Office 455 Concord Avenue BelmontMA 02478 or humanresoucesbelmont‐magov or fax to 671‐993‐2741

In an effort to promote our core values of respect community and high expectations Winn Brook students and staff will celebrate the 100th day of school by attempting to col-lect 100 nonperishable food items or toiletries (per class) for the Belmont Food Pantry Unless school is cancelled due to the weather the 100th day will be Feb 7th