December 2015

Happy December! As 2015 draws to a close, we have much to celebrate at Thoreau. We recently welcomed 5 additions to our cohort of teachers who have achieved professional status. I would like to congratulate Mrs. Deshais, Mrs. Hollander, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Hurley and Mrs. Shaw (on childrearing leave) on this wonderful accomplishment! We are also thrilled to have Mrs. Kaufman return to Thoreau from her childrearing leave. Finally, I would like to thank the 2nd and 3rd grade parents for providing us with a delicious Staff Appreciation Breakfast last week! The cookie table was a particular highlight and we thank you for your kindness and generosity!

Upcoming Events

December 15th: Full Day for students in grades 1-2.

K students dismissed at 12:25 PM.

December 22nd: Early Release Tuesday for all students.

December 23rd: Full Day for all students.

December 24th-January 3rd: Winter Recess, no school.

January 5th: Early Release Tuesday for all students.

January 12th: Early Release Tuesday for all students.

PTG Meeting: 9:00 AM

January 18th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, no school.

TRANSPORTATION NEWS

Our transportation manager, Wayne Busa, has asked each elementary school to remind families that parents must be at their child’s bus stop, or visible to the driver, when the bus arrives to deliver the child home. Please contact the Transportation Office is you have questions about our drop off policy.

Teacher Gifts and the Conflict of Interest Law

As public school educators, the staff at Thoreau is subject to the conflict of interest law, G.L. c. 268A. This means that we may not accept any gift worth $50 or more that is given because of the positions we hold at Thoreau. The Ethics Commission recently created an exemption to permit class gifts to teachers. A teacher may accept a gift, or several gifts during the school year, from public school students and/or their parents and guardians, with an aggregated value of up to $150, if the gift is identified only as being from the class, and the identity of the givers and the individual amounts given are not identified to the recipient. Please call the main office if you have questions about the Conflict of Interest Law as it pertains to teacher gifts.

From Mrs. Murphy

Thank you so much for your positive response to the “Miles for Smiles” program. Calendars were handed out for October and November. We will take a break for the winter months. Calendars will be handed out again in April and May. Please remember this is a voluntary activity. I hope you all have a wonderful vacation!

The 2015 Thoreau Open Table Drive: Last Week!

Please support Thoreau’s Open Table Pantry Drive by providing items for gift bags that our fifth graders will be packing for the children of guests at Open Table over the holidays. We will try to fill 150 bags so start collecting your grade level items now! Collection runs till Friday, December 18th. There will be a collection box in the front hall for the items, and we are going to display the contributions so the Thoreau community can see the difference they are making day by day! Any questions, please contact Fiona Stevenson at Feinsteinfour@gmail.com, and thank you. Let’s show how Thoreau CARES.

  • Kindergarten – Juice Boxes
  • First Grade – Single Serving Cereal Box and/or Granola Bars
  • Second Grade – Macaroni & Cheese and/or tins of Tomato soup and Spaghettios
  • Third Grade – Single Servings of Apple Sauce, Pudding, Fruit Cups
  • Fourth Grade – Small Bags of Cookies and/or Chips, Popcorn, Crackers, Pretzels
  • Fifth Grade – Pencils, small journals, stickers