October 1

September 30, 2020 |

Dear Thoreau Families, All things considered, our students and staff have had an excellent start to the school year.   I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been to be reunited with our students and all of you.  As we continue to refine and adjust our routines and troubleshoot issues as they arise, I wanted to share a few updates with you and thank you for your continued partnership and support. Upcoming Events: Please find the updated school calendar here. 10/12 Columbus Day, No School 10/13  Professional Day, No School 10/16  PTG Meeting, 9:30 AM 10/16-23  Virtual Book Fair Devices: We

September 4

September 6, 2020 |

Happy Labor Day Weekend!  We have been hard at work preparing to welcome our students back and, before the long weekend officially begins, I wanted to share a few key pieces of information about our first week of school with all of you. First Day Tuesday, September 8th, is our first day of school and will be virtual.  At 9:30 AM I will be hosting a webinar to welcome students back to school.  Please use this link to join:  https://concordps.zoom.us/j/98615553471?pwd=MTl5ZzBEZlZGY28wNWo1bE14aGhRUT09 Passcode: 317692 Homeroom teachers will be hosting welcome sessions where they will share tours of their classrooms, provide information about drop

September 1

September 2, 2020 |

September 1, 2020 Dear Thoreau Families, It is hard to believe that September is already here!  Staff returned to school last week and have been hard at work preparing classrooms for receiving students again.  There is a spirit of genuine excitement building up throughout the school.  Although we know it will be challenging, we are all incredibly excited to be reopening in a few short days! This email includes important information about class placement, the Thoreau Reopening Handbook, laptops for remote instruction, and the reopening forum for parents.   Class Placements: Class placements will be posted to the Aspen Parent

August 27

August 27, 2020 |

Dear Thoreau Families,  I hope you and your children are enjoying these last few weeks of summer break and that you have found ways to make this vacation restful and fun.  The promise of a new school is always exciting but, this year especially,  I am so excited to welcome you and your students back to Thoreau!   If you are new to our school community, you will quickly realize that you have landed in a wonderful place.  The staff is not only warm, but also incredibly dedicated and has been hard at work preparing to welcome your children back to

August 20

August 21, 2020 |

August 20, 2020 Dear Thoreau Families, As you likely saw from Dr. Hunter’s email this week, the School Committee voted and approved an in person reopening of schools.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to be able to greet your children when schools reopen.  Now that an official plan has been adopted, I have a lot of information to share with you in preparation for reopening in September.  I want to start by answering a few frequently asked questions. Class Placements: We expect classroom assignments will be ready to share by the end of next week.  The entire placement process has been

June 18

June 18, 2020 |

Dear Thoreau Families, As the 2019-20 school year comes to a close, under what I can only hope is a once in a lifetime set of circumstances, I would like to thank each and every one of you.  Your partnership, support and understanding have been nothing short of astounding.  The strength of the Thoreau community has really shone through in what has been an incredibly trying year for students, parents, faculty and staff. I wish you all a restful and enjoyable summer vacation and will be counting the days until we can welcome you and your children back to 29 Prairie Street.  Our district

April 29

April 29, 2020 |

Hello Thoreau Families, I am thrilled to share the following correspondence from our PE teacher Beth Murphy.  While nothing can replace our traditional field day experience, I think the PE team has put together a wonderful program that I hope you and your children will enjoy. -Mrs. Charles National Field Day 2020 As many of you know, one of the favorite events at Thoreau each Spring is our Thoreau Field Day.  Unfortunately, as we are not returning to our beloved Thoreau building this Spring, we are not able to hold Field Day.  But wait…..my PE colleagues at Alcott (Mr. Gaudreau), Willard (Mr. Germond) and I

April 17

April 17, 2020 |

Good Morning, While I never imagined I would find myself suggesting activities for families to do over April vacation, here I am doing just that! Please see the attached calendar of fun and new activities to try next next week. Of special note are the Earth Day activities for Wednesday, April 22. Wishing you all a safe and healthy staycation. April Vacation 2020: http://https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LwXVtt9Pa4griC46Zm3PAQOvnWeU2_mq1aoEenX8AVo/edit?usp=sharing Best, Mrs. Charles

April 15

April 16, 2020 |

Dear Parents, I hope you are all well and finding yourselves in a new routine in these unusual times. Next month we begin the important process of creating new classes of students for the 2020-21 school year.   As parents, you may have insights and information that will aid in the placement process.  The deadline for parents/guardians to share any information they wish to have considered regarding placement is Friday May 15th.   Letters should be emailed to me 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

April 8

April 8, 2020 |

Dear Thoreau Families, As we navigate these unusual, and challenging times, I wanted to share two new ways our staff hope to engage our students and families.  We have created a new page on the social media platform Instagram where staff will be sharing images and videos highlighting positive aspects of their days amidst the closure.  Our handle is @thoreauelementaryconcord and we hope you enjoy following us as we try to find, and share, some bright spots in the days ahead. Another way we hope to keep students connected to one of our beloved school routines is by posting virtual