Week of May 16th, 2022

Hello Center School Community,

Covid-19 Update and message from LPS Health Team: Center School has 29 reported student cases since May 1st and two reported staff cases. The Northeast region of the country is experiencing a surge in Covid numbers. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of mitigation measures available to you and your families.

1. The importance of hand washing cannot be stressed enough with your child/ children. Hand washing is one of our best defenses against disease transmission.

2. Remind your child/children to be aware of physical distance when they are with other students.

3. Encouraging your child/children to wear their masks inside during the school day can also be beneficial.

As we approach the end of the school year, our hope is that our families and students will remain healthy to enjoy end of year happenings. Please reach out to Nurse Spear or to me with questions.

MCAS Reminder that grades 3, 4, & 5 will take the Math MCAS this week. There’s two sessions with one planned for each day.

• Grade 5 Session 1: Tuesday, May 17th.

• Grade 5 Session 2: Wednesday, May 18th.

• Grades 3 & 4 Session 1: Thursday, May 19th.

• Grades 3 & 4 Session 2: Friday, May 20th.

Calendar Reminders

5/25 Rising 4th and 5th Graders: Instrumental Demo Night 5:00 at LHS Athletic Field

5/27 - Hat Day - wear your favorite hat!

5/30 - No School! Memorial Day

6/3 - Field Day! (rain date 6th)

6/3 - 2nd Grade Egg Drop

6/9 - Spring Concert 6:30pm @ Glenbrook

6/14 -Patriotic Spirit Day: Wear Red, White & Blue for flag day

6/17-Last Day of School

Thank-you for working alongside us to keep our community safe! It’s awesome to see so many kids walking and biking again!!

​Thank-you PTO for all you…heartfelt thanks from students!

Have a peaceful week ahead.

Sincerely,

Donna Hutton, Principal

Week of April 25th, 2022

Hello Center School Families,

Welcome back from spring break! I hope everyone found time to relax and enjoy lots of extra family time.

We have eight weeks left of teaching and learning with our students! Thank-you for your support in the weeks ahead to help keep children focused right up to the finish line of the 2021-22 school year.

With the promise of lots of great weather days ahead, please be especially attentive to the increased number of students and families enjoying the walk or bike to Center. We can work together to keep our community members safe by following pedestrian safety rules and being vigilant drivers at all times.

We had 9 students and one staff member test positive for Covid-19 during the spring break. This week we had two students test positive for covid. As a reminder, we are still tracking positive COVID and close contact cases, should you need the following links for reporting.

• COVID POSITIVE: Use this form to submit a report to your child's school nurse that your child is COVID positive

• CLOSE CONTACT: Use this form to submit a report to your child's school nurse that your child is a close contact as a result of out of school exposure.

Congratulations to our 3^rd and 4^th graders who participated in the Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge (KHC) event, collectively raising ...drumroll...$21, 005! Working together, each and every donation will make a difference for people in our own community and across the nation. Kudos to Mrs. Gauthier and Mrs. Capotosto for leading the successful endeavor!

Congratulations to Mrs. Val Brown and our community for participating in the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge for the 2021-2022 school year! Joining with 686 schools across the country, Center contributed to the total of 323,586lbs of plastic being kept out of the landfills! Center placed third in the northeast with a total of 1257 pounds of plastic-amaaazing!!! Such a wonderful way to contribute to the celebration of Earth Day 2022!

On Thursday at 11:00, our 4^th graders will lead the annual tree planting ceremony on the green for Arbor Day. The Gardeners on the Green and the Longmeadow Gardeners generously donate a seedling to each 4^th grade student. If you are around the green on Thursday, you’re welcome to observe the simple yet lovely celebration of the legacy of trees in our beautiful community.

Book Fair : May 3rd-5^th : Visit our Scholastic webpage and set up your e-wallet to get ready for the spring book fair! Every purchase from the book fair earns rewards for our school - and the PTO appreciates your support! Students will have a chance to visit the fair with their class during the week and you can also plan a special visit with them during the shopping night on Wednesday, May 4th from 5:00-7:00 pm

Respectfully,

Donna Hutton, Principal

Calendar Reminders

MCAS Math Dates:

May 17th and 18th: 5th Grade

May 19th and 20th: 3rd and 4th Grades

May 24th and 25th: 5th Grade STE

5/27 - Hat Day - wear your favorite hat!

5/30 - No School Memorial Day

6/3 - Field Day (rain date 6/6)

6/9 - Spring Concert (6:30PM Glenbrook)

6/14 - Patriotic Spirit Day - Wear red, white, and blue for Flag Day

Week of April 11, 2022

Hello Center School Families,

Here’s some news for the four day week ahead.

Music: Here’s the links to enjoy the music of our 4^th and 5^th grade Chorus and our 5^th grade Band. Orchestra is coming soon! They will also air on LCTV on April 18th at 7:30pm. Bravo to all our musicians and to Mrs. Morrisey for her leadership; and a shout out to Tracey Durant and the LCTV crew.

MCAS: If your child missed MCAS testing last week due to absence, we will have make up testing beginning Tuesday. The goal is to complete the ELA testing with 3^rd, 4^th , and 5^th graders before the spring break.

Tuesday, April 12th~ The Trex Challenge ends at Center : please send in any plastic you've been saving up! Great job helping our environment PeaceBuilders! Kudos to Mrs. Brown the “greenest” of all PeaceBuilders!

Spirit Day 4/14- Wear your tourist or vacation gear!

No School on Friday 4/14 and 4/18 - 4/22 is our much anticipated Spring Break!

For the latest updates/info regarding School Committee news, use the following link: Longmeadow School Committee Information and Links

The week of April 4^th we had 5 students test positive for covid-19 and 0 staff test positive. Please continue to Use this form to submit a report to the school nurse that your child is COVID positive and Use this form to submit a report to the nurse that your child is a close contact as a result of out of school exposure.

Yay, coming May 3^rd - Scholastic Book Fair! Details after spring break!

Please have your child check lost and found this week before items are donated. There are winter coats and sweatshirts that have been there for some time. Just a reminder that with names on clothing, water bottles and lunch bags, we can easily get things back to students.

Keep up with PTO happenings! CENTER PTO They’re having a phenomenal “come back “ year!!

Thank-you for your ongoing support and for taking the time to read messaging from all of us at Center! Our strong partnerships remain at the heart of success for our students.

Sincerely,

Donna Hutton, Principal

Trex Challenge Ending Soon!

Posted April 5, 2022

The Trex Challenge ends on April 12th. Please send in any plastic you have been saving up! We will continue to collect it after April 12th too! Anything after the 12th will go towards next year’s challenge.

#TrexRecyclingChallenge

Help us win this challenge! We have already collected over 1,000 pounds of plastic!

Please bring your plastic film/bags to Center School 837 Longmeadow St. If there are any businesses that would like to help, we can pick up your plastic. Please email vfritz@longmeadow.k12.ma.us

Although we'd love to win the challenge, please do not generate new plastic on our behalf. We care about helping the earth more than winning the challenge. Please spread this message far and wide!

Week of April 4th, 2022

Hello Center School Families,

Happy spring to all! We’ll hopefully enjoy some outdoor lunches this week although it looks like April showers ahead. Our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will take the ELA MCAS this week. Here’s the letter for your review that was sent in March to families.

We hope to see you at the PTO Community meeting on Wednesday at 7:00 pm in the cafeteria. It’s election time already! Thank-you for taking chances on the raffle, which was a phenomenal success and your generosity will get us started on our Teaching and Learning Garden!! As this endeavor evolves, we will keep you posted.

We’ve had 6 students test positive for covid in the past two weeks and no staff members test positive. Please continue to report Covid situations: Use this form to submit a report to your child's school nurse that your child is COVID positive AND Use this form to submit a report to your child's school nurse that your child is a close contact as a result of out of school exposure.

During April and May, PeaceBuilders will focus on helping others. Our students are generally intuitively helpful, but we will more explicitly model and teach ways children can fulfill their responsibility to help others in their school community and beyond.

The warmer weather brings lots more opportunities for students to walk and bike to school. Please review Kids and Bicycle Safety with your child; and PLEASE don’t send your child out on their bike without a helmet!! We'll be reviewing safety with students as well.

Here’s your April Health Newsletter from Nurse Spear: Erin April Newletter 2022

Here’s your calendar reminders for April:

4/6 - 7pm PTO Community Meeting and Election

4/11 - Grade 3 Fire Safety Presentations

4/14 - Wear your vacationer/tourist gear!

4/15 - No School!

4/18 - 4/22 - Spring Break!

Warm regards,

Donna Hutton, Principal

Reminders

Hello Center School Families,

Reminders...

1. Conferences tomorrow and Thursday: Please promptly pick up your child(ren) at 11:30 am so teachers have time to eat lunch and make last minute preparations for the afternoon. We look forward to celebrating students’ progress with you!

2. Please check the lost and found outside of the cafeteria when you are here for conferences. Lots of missing items need their home!

3. Here we Grow! WOW!!! More than half way to the goal...Don’t miss out!!! Maybe we’ll surpass the goal by the end of the week... PTO Raffle: Thank-you for your generosity to help us create and grow a beautiful garden:

PTO Teaching Learning GARDEN RAFFLE

1. Don’t miss the Longmeadow High School Senior Class Production of Shrek this week! March 24th at 7 PM, March 25th at 7 PM, and March 26th at 1 PM.

Sincerely,

Donna Hutton, Principal

First Week of Spring 2022

Posted March 21, 2022

Hello Center School Families,

Here’s some reminders for the week:

1. Conferences Wednesday and Thursday: Please promptly pick up your child(ren) at 11:30 am so teachers have time to eat lunch and make last minute preparations for the afternoon. We look forward to celebrating students’ progress with you!

1. PTO Raffle this week: Thank-you for your generosity to help us create and grow a beautiful garden with and for our students!

PTO Teaching Learning GARDEN RAFFLE Don’t miss out on an opportunity to win one of the fun prizes!

1. We are beginning to enjoy lunch outdoors again! If your child brings a lunch for home, think outside eating and ease of opening items, napkins/wipes, etc. when preparing items. We love the spring weather outdoors!

2. Covid: We had one staff member and three students report positive test results this past week. Please Use this form to submit a report to your child's school nurse that your child is COVID positive CLOSE CONTACT: Use this form to submit a report to your child's school nurse that your child is a close contact as a result of out of school exposure

April happenings:

4/6 - 7pm PTO Community Meeting and Election

4/14 – Spirit Day: Wear your vacationer/tourist gear!

4/15 - No School!

4/18 - 4/22 - Spring Break!

Sincerely,

Donna Hutton, Principal

CENTER SCHOOL TEACHING GARDEN FUNDRAISER

MARCH 21st – 25th

Imagine a teaching garden at Center School for outdoor classrooms and community members to enjoy. A garden that can grow each year, and foster a love of nature and our environment in our children. Principal Hutton can imagine this and we want help to bring this garden to life!

All next week [March 21 - 25] the PTO will be hosting an online raffle with all money we raise being used as seed money (pun intended) for the garden. Look for the link to the Rallyup Online Raffle Site in Monday's enewsletter or posted on the socials throughout the week. Winners will be drawn over the following weekend, contacted by email and announced in Monday's 3/28 enewsletter.

Raffle tickets can be purchased until 11:59pm on Friday, March 25

*This raffle is only open to students in grades 3rd, 4th, and 5th* Win the chance for your child to be Peacebuilder Reader for the Week! Each day the student will read one book, chosen from the Peacebuilder Collection in the Center School Library, to either a kindergarten or first grade class.

*This raffle is only open to students in grades 3rd, 4th, and 5th* Your child will get to be Principal for the Day! They'll get to approve core curriculum, answer parent emails and finalize the 2022-2023 budget report. Just kidding... But a fun behind the scenes experience is totally in store for a lucky kiddo during this special day with Principal Hutton!

*Open to all grades* Your child will get to have lunch with Principal Hutton and Assistant Principal Dutko! They'll get to invite a friend and choose a local restaurant to get takeout from. Yum!

*Open to all grades* Skip the carline! You will have your own VIP reserved parking spot with your name on it in front of Center School from September 2022 to June 2023.

CAN I SUPPORT WITHOUT THE RAFFLE? YOU SURE CAN!

In addition to the raffle, all donations made through the PTO general donation website during the week will be earmarked for the garden as well. So many ways to help our garden grow!

[ DONATE NOW ]

Week of March 14^th, 2022

Hello Center School Families,

We strive to create a positive and vibrant school community by building positive relationships with our students and families. Conferences are approaching and we hope you have scheduled your meeting with your child’s teacher as we consider this time important to our partnership.

March conferences take on a much different feeling than our mid -year conferences as our students and families are settled into the familiarity of the school year and the expectations. While it’s inevitable that you may already be looking ahead to the transition to the next grade, we still have lots of teaching and learning ahead for your child for this year. That understood, your child’s teacher will continue to discuss how your student is progressing with grade level standards and importantly, how your child is growing with behaviors that demonstrate school success and citizenship. Teachers will share work samples with you that provide evidence and support for learning goals for the remainder of the school year. It’s exciting to consider all the ways students have grown with the many possibilities still ahead!

Once again, here’s some helpful reminders for successful conferences.

1. Talk with your child about school. What does he/she feel are strengths and growth areas? Is there any special topic your child wishes you to talk about with the teacher?

2. Does your child feel a sense of belonging to the classroom community? To the school community? This is critical for us to learn from you.

3. Time is precious: prepare notes with topics you want to discuss and questions you may have about your child’s learning and progress.

4. Please be on time. The meetings are closely scheduled and teachers want every minute possible with you!

5. Teachers value and appreciate your insights. Please feel comfortable to share.

6. Do you want to know ways to support learning at home? Keep you child focused as we move to spring? Teachers will offer suggestions!

7. Please thank our teachers for their work. I know they will thank you for your ongoing support and advocacy for your child.

8. Provide feedback to your child after the conference. Always emphasize the positives and discuss the plan for growth areas.

9. Conferences with special teachers including instrumental music teachers should be scheduled separately with the teacher.

COVID NEWS

COVID Reporting – Gratitude to our community for sharing the responsibility to maintain a healthy school environment by reporting to the school COVID positive cases, and any close contact exposure. We ask that you continue to use these forms to report either scenario.

• COVID POSITIVE: Use this form to submit a report to your child's school nurse that your child is COVID positive

• CLOSE CONTACT: Use this form to submit a report to your child's school nurse that your child is a close contact as a result of out of school exposure.

• Active Cases - Center had 0 staff members and 4 students test positive for COVID during the week of 3/7/22. When positive cases are identified, the District consults with the officials from the Longmeadow Health Department and follows the DESE/DPH Protocols for Responding to COVID-19 Scenarios: https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/protocols/protocols.pdf. Reminder that we no longer send a school wide notification, but inform families who have children in the classroom when there is a positive case in that class.

It's still pretty wet and muddy on the playground... Please continue to keep this in mind when helping your child choose footwear this week.

Visit Longmeadow School Committee Information and Links to keep updated on the work of our School Committee.

March 17^th: Spirit Day: Wear your GREEN!

March 23^rd and 24^th: Dismissal 11:30 am

April 14^th: Spirit Day: Wear your vacation/tourist apparel!

April 15^th - No School

April 18-22^nd Spring Vacation

Field Day returns on June 3rd with a rain date on June 6th! Watch for information coming your way!

Respectfully,

Donna Hutton, Principal

Birthday/Special Occasion Book Program

Posted March 7, 2022

Center School is pleased to announce that we will once again be offering a Birthday / Special Occasion Book Program! This program provides a way for families to choose a book together to commemorate a special occasion, and donate it to the Center School library for all students to enjoy. Books may be purchased for any reason: to celebrate a child’s birthday, in gratitude to a special teacher, in honor of a family member or friend, or any other special occasion!

Center’s Librarian / Media Specialist, Mrs. Mulcahy, has made an Amazon “Wish List” of book titles, which can be viewed here. A bookplate will be placed inside the book with the honoree’s name. Additionally, if the book is part of a birthday celebration, the student may unwrap it in the library or classroom and/or share with the class as a read aloud.

If you have any questions please email Jennifer Mulcahy: jmulcahy@longmeadow.k12.ma.us

Week of February 28th, 2022

Hello and Welcome Back Center School Families!

Here comes March and some reminders (and some repeat reminders) about what’s ahead. I hope your child (ren) had a fabulous week of fun and enjoyed the snow day on Friday! Spring is not too far away now!

March 2^nd : Read Across America: What favorite will you read with your child today? Thank-you in advance to all our special readers coming to share!

March 3^rd: As of this date, masking will be optional for all individuals in LPS schools, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will still be required in health offices, on school buses, and for those who are on strict mask wearing days 6-10 after testing positive for COVID. A gentle reminder to please help your child understand that we expect them to continue to demonstrate acceptance and a high level of sensitivity towards members of our community with regards to personal choices, whatever the choice might be...we expect the same from staff members. Thank-you for supporting and helping us with this messaging with your child(ren).

PTO Community Meeting March 9th in the cafeteria. Please join us!

CONFERENCES: Please sign up for your conference with your child’s teacher as we consider the spring conference to be an important meeting to discuss your child’s progress.

March 23^rd and 24^th : Dismissal at 11:30 am Conferences 12:15 pm -3:15 pm ; Evening conferences on the 24^th: 6:00 pm -8:00 pm

MCAS DATES & MCAS RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES

ELA

April 5th and 6th: 3rd and 4th Grades

April 7th and 8th: 5th Grade

Mathematics

May 17th and 18th: 5th Grade

May 19th and 20th: 3rd and 4th Grades

Science and Technology

May 24th and 25th: 5th Grade only

Spirit Days: March 17^th Wear your green!

April 14^th Wear your vacationer/tourist gear!

Please be sure your child dresses appropriately for outdoor recess and for the ever changing weather!

Have a wonderful week ahead. We have so much more teaching and learning ahead; and we certainly anticipate the joy and awesomeness from our students to continue!

Regards,

Donna Hutton, Principal