Dear families,

Congratulations to our 4th and 5th graders on a terrific winter concert this past Thursday!  We were all so impressed with the hard work of our scholars and our music teacher, Ms. Schoepflin.

Thank you to all the parents who came out for our PTO meeting on Tuesday, and to Superintendent Fleishman and the School Committee members who joined us.  It is always wonderful to see how much this community cares for our school, and we appreciate all your voices so much.

Upcoming Dates To Note:

Monday, January 20th:  No school — Martin Luther King Day
Thursday, February 6th:  Early release day; 12:30pm dismissal
Friday, February 7th:  Movie Night, 6pm

See you on Monday!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

Happy New Year!  I hope 2020 is a year full of health, love, laughter, and joy for you and your family.

The home of two of our scholars was recently destroyed in a fire. Sadly, the family lost a majority of their belongings. At this time the family is in need of two dressers for the children’s clothing. If you have any gently used dressers that you would like to donate, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be arranged with the main office. Thank you.

Upcoming Dates To Note:

Tuesday, January 7th:  PTO Meeting, 6:30pm in the Library
Thursday, January 9th:  4th and 5th grade Winter Concert, 7pm
Monday, January 20th:  No school — Martin Luther King Day

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

Thank you all for joining us for a fantastic Book Fair week!  We are looking forward to this last busy week of school with our students before the holiday break.

MCAS 2020 Schedule:

Below is the 2020 MCAS testing schedule for grades 3-5.  It is very important all scholars are present on testing days.  Please mark your calendars now to avoid scheduling family vacations on testing days.

ELA

MATH

SCIENCE

Lost and Found:

A reminder that all the items in our lost and found will be laid out in the cafeteria on Tuesday, 12/17/19 from 8am-12pm, and Friday, 12/20/19 from 8am-11:30am.  Please come in the morning to look for your child’s belongings with them.  Teachers will be allowing students to go look for lost items throughout the day both days.  At 12pm on Friday, 12/20/19, all items will be donated to Goodwill.

Upcoming Dates To Note:

December 23 – January 1:  No school — December recess
Tuesday, January 7th:  PTO Meeting, 6:30pm in the Library
Monday, January 20th:  No school — Martin Luther King Day

See you Monday!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

A reminder that this Wednesday is a half-day with a 12pm dismissal, and there is no school Thursday or Friday.  We wish you all a safe and peaceful Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend!

November is National Diabetes Month.  It is important to become familiar with the warning signs of diabetes.  Knowledge is a key weapon against this disease and its complications.

Warning Signs of Type 1 Diabetes — these symptoms can occur suddenly and must receive immediate medical attention:

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination sometimes exhibited by bedwetting (in large quantities)
• Blurry vision
• Extreme hunger
• Unexplained weight loss even though eating and feeling hungry
• Sweet, fruity odor on breath
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea/vomiting
• Fatigue
• Drowsiness, lethargy
• Irritability/mood changes
• Rapid, heavy breathing
• Confusion, Stupor
• Unconsciousness

Many of these symptoms can be related to illnesses that are not associated with diabetes.  This should be discussed with a health care provider.  Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.  Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy.  Different factors, including genetics and some viruses, may contribute to type 1 diabetes.  Although type 1 diabetes usually appears during childhood or adolescence, it can develop in adults.  Despite active research, type 1 diabetes has no cure.  Treatment focuses on managing blood sugar levels with insulin, diet and lifestyle to prevent complications.  Jordan Weiss, a nine-year old from Newton, Massachusetts, passed away in 2003 from complications related to undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes.  To honor Jordan’s memory, the JBW Fund was established by his family to foster awareness and education of the warning signs of diabetes.  Sometimes the signs are obvious and sometimes the signs are subtle, limited and attributed to another illness.  The latter was the case for Jordan.  Familiarizing yourself with the warning signs could help save a life.

For more information, talk to Nurse Kristen or visit:

www.cdc.gov/diabetes

www.jdrf.org

www.joslin.org

www.diabetes.org

www.beyondtype1.org

Inclusive Schools Week is coming up December 2- 6, celebrating the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference, and other factors.

Upcoming Dates To Note:

• Wednesday, November 27^th:  Early release day; 12:00 dismissal
• Thursday, November 28^th and Friday, November 29^th:  No school — Thanksgiving recess
• December 4th:  Early release day; 12:30 dismissal
• December 9th-12th:  Lincoln-Eliot Book Fair

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

A few notes as the temperature drops and we approach the holiday season (please remember to send your students in with warm clothes in case the weather permits for outdoor recess!).

Holiday Helpers:

If your family is in need of some assistance (toys and/or clothes) during the upcoming holiday season, please complete the following steps:

Write a letter that includes:

1. Your name
2. Explanation of family need
3. Name, age and gender of each child who lives in your home under the age of 12
4. If in need of clothing, please include sizes for each child.  If in of need toys, please include interests of each child.

Send the letter to Principal Morrissey as soon as possible.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Internet Safety:

We have seen an increase in our scholars using apps outside of school (such as Tik Tok) to post videos of themselves.  Sometimes the content of the videos on these apps is not age-appropriate for elementary students.  We encourage you to have age-appropriate conversations early and often with your child about Internet safety.  We recommend not sharing the details about what young children may be exposed to online, but instead tell them to stop watching and immediately tell a trusted adult if they see something that makes them feel uncomfortable, scared, or nervous.  It is also important that parents monitor what children are doing online.  Technology is a tool that can be wonderful and challenging, and it is important to be thoughtful and safe.

Below are some key points you can discuss with your child:

• We know that children use games and websites (such as RoBlox, Tik Tok, Fortnite, YouTube, etc.) where they may interact with others, including strangers, or with content that is unkind and inappropriate.
• Sometimes when we share something online, the intent is unclear or can be misunderstood.
• When students see something that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe, they should tell a trusted adult as soon as possible for help.
• Our digital footprint is permanent: the sites we visit, messages we send, etc. can never be truly deleted, just like our actions and words.

I urge all parents and guardians to be attentive to what games, apps, and websites your children use.  An excellent resource for parents/guardians is Common Sense Media, which also has a number of helpful resources under the “Advice for Parents” tab.

At this link you will find the Elementary Acceptable Use Guidelines, which provide more information about what we teach students about using computers and the Internet at the elementary level.

Frequent unannounced spot-checks, limits on usage (specific times, taking devices away at night, etc.), and device-free time are all essential.  We appreciate your partnership as we work together to nurture kind, thoughtful, respectful, and resilient children.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Paola Leber (School Psychologist), Jennifer Roy (Instructional Technology Specialist), your child’s teacher, or me if you have questions, concerns, or would like additional guidance before talking with your child.  As always, thank you for your continued support and partnership.

I also came across this great article which I wanted to share with you all, full of ideas for starting conversations with your kids about school:

50 Questions To Ask Your Kids Instead Of Asking “How Was Your Day”

Upcoming Dates To Note:

• Wednesday, November 27^th:  Early release day; 12:00 dismissal
• Thursday, November 28^th and Friday, November 29^th:  No school — Thanksgiving recess
• December 4th:  Early release day; 12:30 dismissal
• December 9th-12th:  Lincoln-Eliot Book Fair

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

Well, it certainly feels like winter out there. With the dip in temperatures, many of you may wonder how we make decisions about whether to have indoor or outdoor recess. Consistent with other NPS elementary schools, we use the Child Care Weather Watch resource to determine when it is safe to go outside. Each day, we check the “feels like” temperature (temperature after accounting for wind chill) to determine whether we will have inside or outside recess. We use the 20 degrees minimum temperature for outside recess. This is within the threshold of the yellow/caution zone.

We know our children benefit from fresh air and exercise and we wish for them to get outside as much as possible. Staff and families have also observed that there have been a number of days in the past when the temperature was just below 20, but it was lovely outside! We want kids to go out AND we need to keep them safe! Depending on “yellow zone” conditions, we may also elect to shorten the amount of time children are outside. We will make those judgments on a case-by-case basis. You can help us by making sure that your child comes to school with warm clothing: coats, mittens/gloves, hats, and snow pants.

Please mark your calendars:

• Monday, November 11^th:  Veteran’s Day — No School
• Tuesday, November 12^th:  PTO meeting, 6:30pm in the Library
• Friday, November 15th: Picture Retake Day, 9:00am
• Wednesday, November 27^th: Early release day: 12:00 dismissal
• Thursday, November 28^th and Friday, November 29^th:  No school — Thanksgiving recess

See you Tuesday!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

We had our first Safety Day this week.  The morning consisted of practicing an evacuation, shelter in place and lockdown drills.  Our scholars did an excellent job of quickly and quietly exiting the building, and following all protocols.  We are proud of everyone for taking the drills seriously, following directions and actively participating.

Please mark your calendars:

• Monday, November 11^th:  Veteran’s Day — No School
• Tuesday, November 12^th:  PTO meeting, 6:30pm in the Library
• Friday, November 15th: Picture Retake Day, 9:00am
• Wednesday, November 27^th:  Early release day: 12:00 dismissal
• Thursday, November 28^th and Friday, November 29^th:  No school — Thanksgiving recess

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

Thank you to everyone for a fantastic Fall Festival, especially to the team who organized the event and the volunteers who made it all possible!

Join us on October 29 as Lincoln-Eliot Scholars Walk & Roll to School:
Getting kids to and from school safely is an important priority for your family, for the school, and for the community.  Lincoln-Eliot, along with every elementary school in Massachusetts, participates in the Safe Routes to School Program to help ensure the safety of our students.  On Tuesday, Oct. 29, we encourage students to arrive to school by foot, bus, bike or scooter.  We’ll have giveaways for the kids and information on pedestrian and bike safety.  More information on Walk and Roll to School day, and tips for safe walking and riding will be available around the school in the coming week.

Volunteers are needed to help for 30 minutes at drop off.  If you have time and are interested, it’s an easy and fun way to encourage the kids while teaching them about the benefits of walking and rolling to school.  Please email Wendy Lennon at wendylennon@comcast.net.

Lincoln Eliot’s Safety Day, October 29th, 9:00- 10:30 a.m.
As a school, we will practice our district’s updated emergency procedures and protocols both in and out of school.  This will include having students practice a fire drill, a shelter-in-place, and lockdown for times when we want to keep everyone safe inside their learning spaces.  We will also practice how to respond if there is a hostile event in our school and we need to quickly and safely evacuate to an alternative site, Our Lady Church.  The staff reviewed all procedures and protocols during our September professional development afternoon.  The superintendent also shared resources in his update that was emailed to families, Safety in the Newton Public Schools.  Some of these procedures and protocols may raise questions for families.  If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me or our school Social Worker, Julian Turner.

Please mark your calendars:

• Monday, October 28^th:  Flu shot registration due
• Wednesday, October 30^th:  Flu shot clinic
• Wednesday, October 30^th:  Early release day: 12:30 dismissal
• Monday, November 11^th:  Veteran’s Day — No School
• Tuesday, November 12^th:  PTO meeting, 6:30pm in the Library
• Wednesday: November 27^th:  Early release day: 12:00 dismissal
• Thursday, November 28^th and Friday, November 29^th:  No school — Thanksgiving recess

See you Monday!

Principal Morrissey