Sunday Scoop!
Good Afternoon,
We are approaching our last week of school in November! Although I can’t believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away, school vacations always come at the best time! This upcoming short break will hopefully allow our students to take some time with their families and friends and come back feeling refreshed and ready to continue to work hard, focus on the positive and continue to learn and grow as students.
Now that the cold weather is here I wanted to remind you of a few cold weather suggestions we encourage you to support us with. We will continue to go outside for recess as often as possible. Our students really benefit from the fresh air and open space to play in so please send your child in with a coat, hat and mittens/gloves. We do remind our students that at recess they must wear their coat, hat, mittens/gloves if that is what they came into school wearing. We know these items are expensive so please let us know if you need help purchasing outdoor clothing for your child. The South Care Closet is able to support these requests and we want to help as many families as we can.
We also know that the winter brings on coughs and colds. With this being said, students should not come to school with cough drops or cough drop "lollipops" without seeking permission from our school nurse, Marina Kerkorian. Nurse Marina will let your child’s teacher know that they have permission to have cough drops, if needed. We would like to avoid the lollipop cough drops, if possible, but do understand cough drops could be helpful so Nurse Marina will encourage the use of those, when needed.
Important Dates and Upcoming Events:
Monday, November 24th: SEPAC Meeting Information below:
Monday November 24, 7pm virtual.
Link to meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86935272293?pwd=xazRToyoNFKet5pt7Z42AUioaNBALa.1
Meeting ID: 869 3527 2293
Passcode: 897074
Wednesday, November 26th: We will have our monthly Confetti Celebration in the morning. We encourage students to wear Stoneham Blue or any South School/Stoneham Apparel. We will be celebrating our Grade 3 Students Academic and Social Growth this month along with adding a Lucky Crew Member from each grade! We look forward to celebrating with lots of confetti with our students.
Wednesday, November 26th: Early Release Day for All students. Students will be dismissed at 12:00. Lunch will be served.
Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th: Thanksgiving: No school for students and staff.
Friday, December 5th & Saturday, December 6th:SHS Drama Presents: Bad Auditions by Bad Actors: SHS Drama Info Here
Saturday, December 6th: The Festival of Trees: Festival of Trees Info Here
Wednesday, December 10th & Thursday, December 11th: December Parent/Caregiver Conferences: Our conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, December 10th and Thursday, December 11th. Our two conference days are Early Release Days for our students so on December 10th and 11th all students will be dismissed from school at 12:00 PM.
Chamber of Commerce Gift Certificate Fundraiser – Our “Shop Local, Shop Stoneham” gift certificate fundraiser is underway, and purchasing certificates through the South School PTO sends 20% of your purchase back to the school. A flyer will be sent home in backpacks, and orders can also be placed online at https://forms.gle/8ksJnwQCrX5LnnJQ8
Pet Food Drive for Lucky’s Birthday – Our pet food drive is in full swing as we celebrate Lucky’s birthday by collecting pet food and supplies for animals in need. All donations will go to PAWS of Wakefield, and contributions can be dropped off in the collection bin located in the South School lobby.
Schoolwide Food Drive – Last week of the food drive! The South School community has been so generous and we're making one final delivery before Thanksgiving! Donations may be placed in the collection box in the school lobby.
Fantastic Book Fair – Mark your calendars for our upcoming book fair, which will take place at South School from December 8th through 12th. Students will have the opportunity to shop during their scheduled library time. We will be looking for volunteers if you'd like to sign up early: https://signup.com/go/qwdObSj
I want to wish you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday! Holidays often allow us to have time with family and friends and also remind us about what we are most grateful for. I can say with a full heart that I feel so lucky to be part of South School and look forward to coming to school each day. I hope that as your child’s best advocate you feel this same way.
Lastly and most importantly, Dr. DeFrancisco shared a follow up email earlier today about the tragedy that occurred on Friday evening. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all of the Stoneham and South Community that have been affected by this. If you, your child or someone you know needs anything please do not hesitate to reach out.
As always, please reach out with any questions, suggestions or concerns.
Thank you,
Kerry Robbins