10/4

Congratulations to Angell who will be getting married next Friday! We're all so happy for you! 

Remember the early dismissal schedule for this week.

Thank you all for your work during the multiple fire alarms this week. The issue was a faulty head....again. I feel like this has been a reoccurring issue since I got here and I'm working with Mark Wilde to see if there is something we can do more proactively. It is also a good time to remind staff that even though this was not an issue in these events, we should not have heating elements in rooms with students. This includes but is not limited to hot plates, sandwich presses, crock pots, espresso machines, kuerigs, etc. This was district policy shared last year. I do not plan on walking around the rooms checking for these, however, if an alarm goes off in a room and these things are present a discussion will certainly be had. It is perfectly fine to have and use these machines in the teachers' room. Also, I should share my distaste for those toaster ovens. I have been in too many buildings where these have caught fire so I will ask these to be removed if I do come across them. Some scars run deep! 

Great job everyone with today's ALICE drill! You all made great decisions and your calm/poise helped students feel safe and secure during what can be a very scary drill. Here are a few reminders that we came up with during the debrief. 

• Remember you don't want to cross through that middle hallway if the intruder is at the main office. You don't want to be seen. 
• New Staff: it is by no means a requirement but if you would like to download CrisisGo on your cell phone this would likely support reunification in an actual event. Ed is the go-to person for this if you have any trouble. 
• Please remember if you do lock down, please spread students out. 
• We have a major issue with communication in the cafeteria that I will be working to rectify. However, once informed, the students and staff in there did a great job evacuating. 

The combined TPS/Paxton field hockey team is raising money for Breast Cancer Research next Tuesday. Students and staff are encouraged to wear pink and $1 donations will be collected by the team in the morning. 

Hearing/Vision screenings will take place next week, Tuesday,10/8-Wednesday, 10/9. The screenings will take place during specials this school year in room 104. Please review the schedule and reach out to me if you have any questions/concerns. Please see the attached here. 

The PTA has elected to step back from Boosterthon this year and is working with the Viking sports this year. They put on a similar scenario while taking less of the profit and creating fewer interruptions...hopefully. Many logistics are still being worked through but I wanted to get a few dates on your calendars. They will have a kick-off on 10/21 during lunches and the events themselves will take place on 11/1. I'll share more specifics as I get them. 

While we're talking about calendars, please plan on the Halloween parade on 10/31 at 9:00. It feels like it has been building upward and we'll plan for the Middle School band to lead the K-5th graders around the building for a lap in costumes. 

Lara asked me to pass along a note regarding parent-teacher conferences from the superintendent. I plan to share a similar sentiment with families today: 

Just a reminder from Dr. Reilly, the focus of the brief family conferences should be on building relationships with families and discussing how their children are adjusting to their classroom environment. During the conferences, teachers will have the chance to share insights on student progress, celebrate achievements, and explore strategies to support learning both at school and at home.

There is not enough conference time to review specific data. MCAS and Star data will be released later this month, families do not currently have access to this information.

The week ahead: 

• Monday (10/7) Day D
• Tuesday (10/8) Day A
• Wear pink in support of the TPS Paxton Field Hockey team 
• Students and staff may donate a dollar to Breast Cancer Research
• Vision and Hearing Screenings
• Wednesday (10/9) Day B
• Staff meeting canceled to provide staff time to prepare for conferences
• Vision and Hearing Screenings
• Cross Country Meet vs Central Tree
• Evening Parent Teacher Conferences
• Thursday (10/10) Day C
• Early Dismissal at 11:55 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Friday (10/11) Day D 
• Early Dismissal at 11:55