Principal Madden’s Weekly Message—Week of November 2, 2020
November Greetings,
It is hard to believe we are in November, but the chill in the air reminds us that we are moving right along.
Thank you so much for all your continued care and communication. I will be working hard this week looking at the results from the caregiver requests that were due on Friday and trying to figure out what your child’s days could look like in the hybrid and remote formats. We will be calling caregivers that we did not hear from.
Nothing will be ideal at this point, but we will keep working at it, together. I know that this is a very difficult decision and situation for all of you and your children, and I am so sorry.
I hope you received the email last Wednesday with a follow-up regarding the Town Hall last Tuesday. I have included the slide-show I shared here. I will hold another caregiver Town Hall on Thursday, November 5 from 6:00-7:00.
Town-Hall-Meeting-RRHere is the Zoom link for that meeting.
Meeting ID: 968 9774 5748
Passcode: 896453
Thank you to parent, Lauren Fleit, for hosting our virtual Halloween Party!
Our students had wonderful costumes! What fun!
Photos
• This week’s photos show our fabulous kindergarten team ready for some kindergarten students for Forest Friday here at school. These Fridays have allowed some of our kindergarten students to be outdoors exploring together on selected Fridays.
Also, our second graders got to participate in a program with Grow Food Northampton on Friday. Grow Food prepared food bags for every student that were picked up by caregivers. Then, a cooking lessons was organized with Grow Food and our second-grade teachers. You can see photos of it happening on Zoom, of one student preparing his feast while working here at school, and some of the finished feasts!
The last photo shows one of our 4th graders with the leaves that fell very quickly from our courtyard tree on Friday during that burst of snow.
• If you have a Zoom issue during the day, the best thing to do is to call the office (587-1550) or email my Administrative Assistant, Vanessa Keillor. vkeillor@northampton-k12.us
I would love to help, but I am often not at my computer, and I usually do not know how to help. Luckily, Vanessa is becoming a genius with this stuff!
From Nurse, Karen Schiaffo:
Recognizing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on children’s mental health, the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) joined forces with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Mental Health (DMH) to launch HandholdMA.org, a new family-friendly website for parents and guardians of school-aged children who are concerned about their child’s mental health.
HandholdMA.org provides families with tips, tools, and resources designed to help them navigate their child’s mental health journey with confidence. The content, which is targeted to families with kids age 6-12 years, was developed by a team of mental health and child development experts as well as family and community partners. A creative team from IDEO Cambridge designed the user experience and branding.
The content on HandholdMA.org is organized in three main sections:
- Should I worry? This section helps parents/guardians explore if their child is just being a kid or if their behavior is something to worry about. Families can learn about signs to look for and get suggestions on what to do next.
- What can I do? These are tips, tools, and strategies that have worked for other families in the past and are things they can learn about or do from home.
- Who can help? The final section includes carefully selected community organizations and government resources to help families find the right mental health services.
HandholdMA.org was developed with input from individuals representing the diversity of Massachusetts’ communities, and is available in six languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole, and Vietnamese.
Broken Chromebook??
• If you have a problem regarding your child’s chromebook, the plan going forward is listed here:
There are two options for caregivers (and if you need help with any of this, please call the school office (587-1550):
- Create a ticket for someone on IT to get back to you. The portal is at http://nps-support.northamptonit.info/support/tickets
- Schedule a drop off for replacement. You can schedule a time to come to James House (the IT office at 42 Gothic Street in Northampton). The appointments can get scheduled here, https://calendly.com/npschromebookrepair/chromebook-repair
Important Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, November 3: No School—Election Day
Thursday, November 6:00-7:00: Zoom Town Hall with Principal, Sarah Madden (information above)
Wednesday, November 11: No School—Veterans Day
Wednesday (1/2 day) & Thursday and Friday (no school), November 25-27: Thanksgiving Holiday
Stay up to date (under normal circumstances or not!) with all of our school activities on our School Website’s Calendar!
I hope that all families feel welcome, comfortable, and valued at our school. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Sarah Madden
Principal