April 2018

After a snowy start to this week, I am looking forward to the return of warmer
weather and wish you all a very happy spring!

Parent/Guardian Input on Placement:
The deadline for parents/guardians to share any information they wish to be
considered regarding placement is Monday May 4. Letters should be sent to the
main office or emailed to Mrs. Charles at acharles@concordps.org and should
include specific information related to your child such as areas of concern for
learning or observations of the type of classroom environment you feel would best
suit your child’s needs. Requests for specific teachers should not be made and
such requests are not honored. Letters received after May 4 will not be
considered. Your cooperation in keeping to the May 4 deadline is greatly
appreciated.

New Staff:
Please join me in welcoming two new additions to the Thoreau community: Speech
Language Pathologist Angela Suarez and long-term substitute teacher Ashley Fall.
Mrs. Suarez will assume the position previously held by Mrs. Wolf and Ms. Fall will
be covering Mrs. Peirce’s first grade classroom through June.

Book Character Parade:
It’s time to mark your calendars for that famous Thoreau spring tradition, the Book
Character Parade! The parade, held to celebrate National Library Week, is
scheduled for Tuesday, April 10th, from 11:15 AM to 12:00PM. This will be our 30th
year!
NOTE TO PARENTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO DISMISS THEIR CHILDREN EARLY,
AFTER THE BOOK CHARACTER PARADE IS OVER:  The Book Character
Parade early dismissal will follow the same process that we used for the Turkey
Trot.  Parents who would like to pick up their children after the Parade need to send
in dismissal notes in the morning to the teachers.  The teachers will have an “Early
Dismissal” form for parents to sign out their children.  Parents who send in notes
may pick up their children from the classroom at 12:00, but please wait outside the
building until 12:00.  Students without notes will be sent home according to their
usual Tuesday dismissal plan.
As always, we appreciate time and effort you take to make the parade a success. If
anyone has questions or problems, please let us know.
Thank you,
Mrs. Pettyjohn and Mrs. Haddad

Last day of school:
Our revised last day of school is Monday, the 25th of June and students will be
dismissed at 12:30 PM.

Noticias De La Clase De Español:
Hola a Todos,
I am writing to share with you what students are learning in Spanish class and how
much I am enjoying working with them! They are enthusiastic and curious learners.
First, I would like to report that we are having wonderful learning experiences and I
hope that they have shared some of these with you!
Some of the topics we have explored so far this year are greetings,  days of the week,
weather, introductions, numbers, colors, feelings, and names of animals. The
students have a variety of opportunities to hear and practice Spanish through
relevant and meaningful activities, such as learning songs, playing interactive
games, watching videos, and role playing. In addition, the students are learning
about cultures and traditions of Spanish speaking countries and are beginning to
make connections with their own culture and those of their classmates.
Thank you for your continued support of this program. I hope you will visit my
website to find resources (Quizlet, Kahoot, videos, useful links, songs, etc.) and
encourage your child to practice Spanish outside the classroom.
Saludos,
Señora Howard

Forgotten Lunches, Instruments, Homework, Books, Sneakers, Etc.:
In an effort to keep interruptions to learning to a minimum, we seek your support in
reducing the number of students who need to leave class to call home to request
that items be brought to school. Please help students learn to be responsible
(especially in our upper grades) by reminding them to check to be sure they leave
home with any necessary items. If it is absolutely necessary to drop something off,
please leave it in the main office.

Changes to Dismissal Plans:
Please send in a note to your child’s teacher if you need to change his/her dismissal
plans for that day. If possible, all play dates should be arranged prior to your child’s
arrival at school and after school childcare providers should be notified. If you need
to change your child’s dismissal plan unexpectedly, please notify the office by
2:30 PM. Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Dismissal/Arrival Parking:
During arrival, please reserve the van accessible spaces for vehicles with
handicapped placards. During dismissal, please be sure not to block the crosswalk
or fire lanes. Because the back parking lot is reserved for faculty, parents are
encouraged to park along both sides of West Street and on the right side of Pleasant
Street or Chase Road. If it’s not raining or snowing, parents picking up their students should meet them behind the building near the basketball court. In the case of inclement weather, pick up is in the cafeteria. Thank you!

Upcoming Events:
4/10 Book Character Parade, 11:15 AM
4/16-4/20 April Vacation