January 2018

Happy New Year!

Absence Reporting:
Please report all absences/illnesses to the school
office before the start of the school day via our new attendance form
posted on our school website: https://thoreau.concordps.org/report-
attendance-form/. The absence phone line is no longer in service.

Elementary Progress Reports: On or around February 2nd , classroom
progress reports will be published through the Aspen Portal in the
Published Reports section on the front page of the portal. If you have
multiple children attending Concord Public Schools or Concord-Carlisle
High School, each child’s name will appear next to any available reports.
Reports can be downloaded and saved as pdf files if you wish. With the
exception of specialized reports (Special Education or English Language
Learner), reports will no longer be mailed.

To access the portal, login from the Parent menu of your child’s school
website. (A link to request a password reset can also be found at this
website or email parentportal@concordps.org.) If you have not
already done so, please set a security question upon logging into the
portal, so that you can self-recover if you forget your password in the
future; password resets are addressed during business hours only.

Superintendent’s Strategic Planning Committee:  The school systems
are embarking on a strategic planning process to outline the districts’
goals for the next three to five years.  As part of our work with the
consultant, four large group meetings are scheduled.  The hope is for 9
of the 35 stakeholders in the large group to be members of the parent
community that include representatives of each K-12 school, Carlisle,
Boston, preschool and SEPAC.
The four meetings are scheduled on the following Mondays from 4:00-
7:30 pm: February 5, March 26, April 30, May 21

If you are interested in participating, please submit a letter of interest to
me via email at lhunter@concordps.org.

Volunteers Needed:  The Meals on Wheels program of Minuteman
Senior Services provides a hot lunch to homebound seniors.  Meals are
delivered 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, excluding holidays.  These
meals assist the older adult who is not capable of preparing at least one
hot nutritious meal a day.  In many cases, Meals on Wheels allows them
to live in the dignity and comfort of their own homes.  The need for
volunteers to help deliver meals in Concord is great.  Some of our
volunteers are retirees; some are parents of young children who bring
their kids along, while others deliver during their lunch hour.  For more
information on volunteering, or to apply, call 781-221- 7093,
email volunteer@minutemansenior.org, or visit our website at
www.minutemansenior.org  Thank you!

Bundle Up:
We go outside each and every day, unless we have a frigid wind chill or
it is raining.  On those cold winter days, the warmest part of the day is
mid-day. Please send your child dressed to play outside.  If we have
snow on the ground, your child will need to wear snow pants and boots
to play in the snow.