3/15

This morning we had the police chief's administrative assistant walk through the building to see how we are doing with recognizing people who don't belong since we incorporated the visitor badges. We did have two staff members see her and reach out to the main office. Thank you! If you ever have a situation like this and can't get a hold of someone in the office, I encourage you to continue calling until you get a response or to call BethAnne or me on the radio or even cell phones. We want to make sure we address these situations quickly. If you do see someone without a visitor badge or CORI badge, please don't hesitate to stop and ask them. If you don't feel comfortable with this call the office immediately. 

The faculty council met this week. Attached are the notes. 

A note from the library:

Dear TPS Teachers and Staff,

I am writing with some updates about the TPS Library!  Back in January, Nicole and I had the chance

to visit with teachers at a teacher meeting, and we were so fortunate to hear directly from you about your ideas for what material in the library would serve your students and your work.  Since then, we have been hard at work updating our collection, and with big support from our administration, our PTA, and donations from our local libraries, we have managed to add some exciting new titles to our collection.  Based on your requests and recommendations, we have been specifically focusing on Biography, World History and Government, Science and Technology, and Social and Emotional Growth, and we have even started a (very) small (but growing!) World Languages collection.

I'm attaching a flyer with previews of just a few of our new titles - we want you to be as excited as we are about getting these books into the hands of TPS readers!

Also - April is National School Library Month!  With that in mind, we wanted to let you know about a new idea we have been piloting in Amy Holwell's classroom.  Amy has set up a small "branch library", with 10-15 selections from the school library made available right in her classroom.  Students can choose to borrow these books directly from the classroom, and Amy checks the books out to her students right from the room.  Students can return the books to the library or back to the classroom, and when you are ready for more titles, we can help you replenish your selection. In this way, we bring the books to your students, you expand your classroom library (without having to purchase books on your own) and we see healthy circulation numbers for books we know that kids would love.  If you would like to try this set-up in your classroom - as part of our School Library Awareness Month celebrations - or even starting next week as the library will be closed for the Book Fair - please let us know and we will help you get started!

See you in the library! jessie.trowbridge@gmail.com.

Our Spirit Week reminder: 

A note from Amy McGeary in relation to the upcoming eclipse: 

I have been getting some questions regarding the solar eclipse that will be happening next month. I have shared some safety information and ask that you review the DESE link and NASA website below for more information. There is a concern of the timing because it will be during dismissal for all of the schools. 

DATE: April 8, 2024

TIME: The eclipse will begin shortly after 2 PM ET and will last about 2 and a half hours until about 4:30 PM ET.

SAFETY: Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.

When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times. Eclipse glasses are NOT regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the Sun. Safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and ought to comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard. NASA does not approve any particular brand of solar viewers.

DESE Information - Regarding Solar Eclipse

• Visit NASA's website for comprehensive information about the eclipse.
• NSTA's website  contains a document with relevant information for school administrators.

The Week Ahead: 

• Monday (3/18) Day D
• Jersey Day for Spirit Week 
• School Council Meeting
• Student Staff Basketball
• Family Book Fair (4:00-6:00)
• Tuesday (3/19) Day A
• Dress as your favorite Book Character for Spirit Week
• Family Book Fair (5:30-7:30)
• Wednesday (3/20) Day B
• Pajama Day for Spirit Week
• Thursday (3/21) Day C 
• Crazy Day for Spirit Week
• Family Book Fair (3:00-5:00)
• The Enchanted Book Shop at 6:00
• Friday (3/22) Day D
• Color Wars for Spirit Week
• The Enchanted Book Shop at 6:00

• **Last day of school is June 17th (1/2 day)