Principal’s Update

As a reminder, there is no school this Friday or Monday.

Monday is of course Memorial Day, a day we remember and honor those who have fallen while serving the United States military. Thank you to all who have served and are serving.

Larry Pimental

• Thursday, May 25th- Pajama and Popsicle Day
• Friday, May 26th -No School for students- PD Day for staff
• Monday, May 29th- No School- Memorial Day
• Wednesday, May 31st- Literacy Night- 5:30-6:30
• Friday, June 2nd- Field Day- 9:15-11:30; Art Day- 1:00-3:15
• Wednesday, June 14th- Reading With Ribby Night at Alumni Field in Keene
• Thursday, June 15th- 4th Grade Celebration- 1:30
• Friday, June 16th- Last Day of School (1/2 Day; school ends at 12:15)

I hope this newsletter finds you well. Today was a great day! It started off with great weather for all-school morning recess, then transitioned into a fun All-School Meeting where we practiced marching and waving like we would if we were in a parade, Mr. Shultz updated us on some Children and the Arts news (see below), we celebrated birthdays, and learned how to properly wipe down tables in the lunchroom.

The 28th Annual Children and the Arts Festival is happening tomorrow. This is a great family event sponsored by the Children and the Arts, so we hope you consider going. Please see the flier below for details about the event.

As part of the event there is a parade that students are invited to participate in that starts at PES at 12:00 and ends at Putnam Park. If you and your child want to march in the parade, please join us at PES around 11:30-11:45. There will be a lot of people at PES in the morning for the parade (lots of schools and groups) and the parking lot is closed to cars by 11:30, so please plan accordingly. The PES group will meet and gather close to the front entrance to get their props for the parade. The festival attracts large numbers of visitors, so if your child is walking in the parade, we ask that you be responsible for walking with them and/or have eyes on them at all times. If your child decides to walk in the parade, they are encouraged to wear their tie-dyed PES shirt if they can (not required).

Please note that this is not a Conval/PES sponsored event, and parents are responsible for their own children.

Have a great weekend,

Larry Pimental

• May 26th -No School for students- PD Day for staff
• May 29th- No School- Memorial Day
• May 31st- Literacy Night- 5:30-6:30
• June 2nd- Field Day- 9:15-11:30; Art Day- 1:00-3:15
• June 14th- Reading With Ribby Night at Alumni Field in Keene
• *June 15th- 4th Grade Celebration- 1:30
• June 16th- Last Day of School (1/2 Day; school ends at 12:15)

*Please note the change; last week’s newsletter had the incorrect date. We will celebrate the 4th graders on Thursday, June 15th.

We are looking for some help on Field Day and Art Day on June 2nd. In the morning (9-11:00ish) we will host a Field Day, and in the afternoon (1:00-3:10ish) we will have Art Day. Please know that parents are invited. If you are willing to volunteer, please sign up below. Thank you.

SIGN UP HERE: https://forms.gle/G7rEsfGwF3XiYrs68

This week, Mother Nature had other plans, so we did not start outdoor morning recess. However, next week’s forecast looks better so we are planning on having recess starting Monday.

This means that when students get off the bus, or out of the car, they will have the option of going to the playground or going to the cafeteria. We have practiced this a couple of times, including today.

For families dropping off students, it will be better to drop off along the side of the building. You can still drop off at the front if you prefer, students will just have to walk through the building before going outside.

It is important for families to know that recess will start at 8:25 and dropping off or leaving students here before then is not permittable. There will be no supervision of students prior to 8:25.

Students will learn that this is a short recess; we will head in at 8:40. For families, this means that if you drop off after 8:30 it may make more sense to drop off at the front of the building.

Pre-K families: please do not drive behind the building to drop off your children prior 8:45.

We will have staff outside at 8:25 to help direct car and foot traffic to ensure students are safe and to help answer questions. We did this in the past and we are looking forward to doing it again. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Each year, New Hampshire public and charter schools are required by state law (RSA 193-C) and federal accountability laws (Every Student Succeeds Act) to assess students using a standardized assessment. We utilize several assessments in order to comply with these requirements. The U.S. Department of Education is requiring states to administer the New Hampshire State Assessment for all third and fourth grade students. We are working hard to coordinate the administration of the statewide assessments to ensure students have access to the assessments in a safe environment. Students will take the NHSAS in their classroom between May 9th and May 22nd.

Statewide assessments are an important part of a student’s core educational program. They provide:

• An evaluation of student mastery of content and skills in various academic areas
• Serve as one tool for measuring the degree to which students are on track to graduate high school and be college- and career-ready
• Help inform future instruction in the classroom

Along with student work on classroom assignments, projects, essays, and local formative and summative assessments, statewide summative assessment results provide teachers and parents with important information about where students are on their path toward academic success.

Exemption

Parents are allowed to exempt their child from participation in the statewide assessments (permitted in RSA 193-C:6). Parents must complete and submit an exemption form that is provided by the school or district. Please contact the local school to receive a copy of the exemption form. Please understand that if you choose to exempt your child from the assessment, no scores or summary of individual student performance, based on the statewide assessment, will be provided for your child.

Results

Student results for the NH SAS are generally available immediately upon the student completing the test. The school will send a student’s Individual Score Report (ISR) home before the end of the school year. If you prefer to see the results once your child has completed the NH SAS, please contact your child’s teacher.

Please reach out to me with any questions.

The 28th Annual Children and the Arts Festival is happening on Saturday, May 20th. This is a great family event sponsored by the Children and the Arts. It is NOT a school event, however.

At PES, each grade level is excited about participating in various ways that align with this year’s theme: “Things That Go Vroom!”. Kindergarteners are making cardboard box buses that could be worn in the parade; first graders are making rocket ship puppets, and second graders are making boats, both can be carried in the parade. The third graders are working on a mug board and also created a collaborative work with students from the high school; and the fourth graders are working on designing their own food trucks.

If your children are attending this event, it is important for parents to know that they are responsible for their children, the school is not. There is a parade that children are invited to participate in that starts at PES at 12:00 and ends at Putnam Park. The festival attracts large numbers of visitors, so if your child is walking in the parade, we ask that you are responsible for walking with them and/or have eyes on them at all times. There is no parking at PES on this day. This is not a “drop your children off” type of event. Some teachers and school staff may be attending, but they are not required to. The school and school staff are not responsible for your children on this day. Please reach out to me if you have any questions.

As mentioned last week, we are planning on starting our mornings with a short recess each day once we return from April break. This means that when students get off the bus, or out of the car, they will have the option of going to the playground or going to the cafeteria. We have practiced this a couple of times, including today.

For families dropping off students, it will be better to drop off along the side of the building. You can still drop off at the front if you prefer, students will just have to walk through the building before going outside.

It is important for families to know that recess will start at 8:25 and dropping off or leaving students here before then is not permittable. There will be no supervision of students prior to 8:25.

Students will learn that this is a short recess; we will head in at 8:40. For families, this means that if you drop off after 8:30 it may make more sense to drop off at the front of the building.

Pre-K families: please do not drive behind the building to drop off your children prior 8:45.

We will have staff outside at 8:25 to help direct car and foot traffic to ensure students are safe and to help answer questions. We did this in the past and we are looking forward to doing it again. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Each year, New Hampshire public and charter schools are required by state law (RSA 193-C) and federal accountability laws (Every Student Succeeds Act) to assess students using a standardized assessment. We utilize several assessments in order to comply with these requirements. The U.S. Department of Education is requiring states to administer the New Hampshire State Assessment for all third and fourth grade students. We are working hard to coordinate the administration of the statewide assessments to ensure students have access to the assessments in a safe environment. Students will take the NHSAS in their classroom between May 9th and May 22nd.

Statewide assessments are an important part of a student’s core educational program. They provide:

• An evaluation of student mastery of content and skills in various academic areas
• Serve as one tool for measuring the degree to which students are on track to graduate high school and be college- and career-ready
• Help inform future instruction in the classroom

Along with student work on classroom assignments, projects, essays, and local formative and summative assessments, statewide summative assessment results provide teachers and parents with important information about where students are on their path toward academic success.

Exemption

Parents are allowed to exempt their child from participation in the statewide assessments (permitted in RSA 193-C:6). Parents must complete and submit an exemption form that is provided by the school or district. Please contact the local school to receive a copy of the exemption form. Please understand that if you choose to exempt your child from the assessment, no scores or summary of individual student performance, based on the statewide assessment, will be provided for your child.

Results

Student results for the NH SAS are generally available immediately upon the student completing the test. The school will send a student’s Individual Score Report (ISR) home before the end of the school year. If you prefer to see the results once your child has completed the NH SAS, please contact your child’s teacher.

Please reach out to me with any questions.

Speaking of extra recess; we are planning on starting our mornings off outside with a short morning recess each day once we return from April break. This means that when students get off the bus, or out of the car, they will have the option of going to the playground or going to the cafeteria. This will take some practice, coordination, and communicated expectations, which we will have with students in the coming days. For families dropping off students, it will be better to drop off along the side of the building. You can still drop off at the front if you prefer, students will just have to walk through the building before going outside.

It is important for families to know that recess will start at 8:25 and dropping off or leaving students here before then is not permittable. There will be no supervision of students prior to 8:25.

Students will learn that this is a short recess; we will head in at 8:40. For families, this means that if you drop off after 8:30 it may make more sense to drop off at the front of the building.

Pre-K families: please do not drive behind the building to drop off your children prior 8:45.

We will have staff outside at 8:25 to help direct car and foot traffic to ensure students are safe and to help answer questions. We did this in the past and we are looking forward to doing it again. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend!

Larry Pimental

Each year, New Hampshire public and charter schools are required by state law (RSA 193-C) and federal accountability laws (Every Student Succeeds Act) to assess students using a standardized assessment. We utilize several assessments in order to comply with these requirements. The U.S. Department of Education is requiring states to administer the New Hampshire State Assessment for all third and fourth grade students. We are working hard to coordinate the administration of the statewide assessments to ensure students have access to the assessments in a safe environment. Students will take the NHSAS in their classroom between May 9th and May 22nd.

Statewide assessments are an important part of a student’s core educational program. They provide:

• An evaluation of student mastery of content and skills in various academic areas
• Serve as one tool for measuring the degree to which students are on track to graduate high school and be college- and career-ready
• Help inform future instruction in the classroom

Along with student work on classroom assignments, projects, essays, and local formative and summative assessments, statewide summative assessment results provide teachers and parents with important information about where students are on their path toward academic success.

Exemption

Parents are allowed to exempt their child from participation in the statewide assessments (permitted in RSA 193-C:6). Parents must complete and submit an exemption form that is provided by the school or district. Please contact the local school to receive a copy of the exemption form. Please understand that if you choose to exempt your child from the assessment, no scores or summary of individual student performance, based on the statewide assessment, will be provided for your child.

Results

Student results for the NH SAS are generally available immediately upon the student completing the test. The school will send a student’s Individual Score Report (ISR) home before the end of the school year. If you prefer to see the results once your child has completed the NH SAS, please contact your child’s teacher.

Please reach out to me with any questions.

The German Club of ConVal High School is proud to offer “Deutsch für Kinder” (German for Kids) to third and fourth graders in PES. We will be teaching basic German through fun and hands-on activities. The classes will be for 35 minutes after school.

The 2 Thursday sessions will be:

May 11 – All about Gummy Bears!!

May 18 – STEM in German!!

In addition to teaching German, they would also like to promote awareness of German culture and traditions in our community. First 25 students accepted.

Some important information:

• Children will need to be picked up at the latest by 4:00 pm. ConVal students need to be back to ConVal in time to catch the late bus at 4:20 pm.

• There will be at least 1 adult supervising during all of the sessions, as well as several club members.

• “Deutsch für Kinder” will be held in the cafeteria.

We are very excited to be able to offer this class, and we hope that you and your children are as well. Please return the form below to the PES main office by May 5. Danke!

Also, thanks to the families who came to our Family Fitness Night on Thursday to get a taste of elementary school physical and health education! It was a lot of fun! Thanks to Mrs. Morris for putting this together.

Below you will see some pictures and get information about the recent Choral Concert, a visit from the Peterborough Fire Department, free summer learning opportunities, and more. I hope you scroll down.

Have a nice weekend,

Larry Pimental

• Peterborough residents can vote at the Peterborough Community Center, 25 Elm Street in Peterborough, from 8am-7pm.
• Sharon residents can vote at the Sharon Town Hall, 432 NH Route123, from 11am-7pm.

Wow! What an amazing night and celebration of music! It was wonderful to see so many students all in one place sharing in a love of music and singing. It was also wonderful to see the support showcased by the parents, families, and community members of the ConVal District. Our Fourth Grade participants, in particular, were highly complimented. Their participation in this concert was greatly appreciated and truly showcased the progression of music education from the elementary up through the high school level. Your child(ren) should be immensely proud! This was a wonderful night that I hope becomes a well-loved tradition. Thank you all!

I am currently enrolled in a college class where we have been discussing how to measure

school and teacher success from a researcher’s perspective. This required us to put a value on a child’s education and determine the value of a good teacher. We were stuck on the following questions: how much influence does one teacher have? and can it be measured?

With this in mind, I thought about the teaching staff here at PES and was shocked to learn

that we have 17 staff members, who work directly with kids who graduated from the

ConVal District. Of those, 7 are classroom teachers, 8 are paraprofessionals, 1 is a special

educator, and 1 is a long term sub who taught in this building his entire career.

Mathematically, one elementary teacher who teaches for 25 years will work with

upwards of 500 children and 1,000 parents. That is a tremendous amount of impact one person can have on a community. This is particularly important when you consider how many of the students in school today could potentially return to educate future ConVal students. Being a 22 year veteran in this district, a taxpayer, and the mom of a ConVal grad, I felt both proud and pressure to learn of how many students return to the district to teach.

I still don’t know how to put a value on a good teacher or a child’s education. However, I

do know that providing each and every child with the best education possible is critical to the

success of our community. Even though I’m no closer to formulating research questions for my course, this process showed me how important our schools are to the community and the

importance of the community to our schools.

I wanted to give a quick update on the District Choral Concert : As of now, the District Concerts have been changed to NEXT WEEK. The District Band concert will be next Monday at 6:30 PM and the District Choral Concert (of which the Fourth Grade are invited participants) will be TUESDAY, MARCH 21st at 6:30 PM. If you have any questions or this changes anything, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you so much for your understanding!

Mrs. Petrick

Mrs. Morris, our wellness teacher, is planning a fun, family evening for the end of March, but needs some information from you for planning purposes. Please help us plan by filling out this short form asap: Family Fitness Night Form. Look for more information next week.

Mrs. Morris, our wellness teacher, is planning a fun, family evening for the end of March, but needs some information from you for planning purposes. Please help us plan by filling out this short form asap: Family Fitness Night Form. Look for more information next week.

Please join us on Wednesday, March 22nd as we offer two more opportunities to review our Title I Program and its effectiveness for the current school year. The 2 times for you to join us are 9:00am and 3:30.

During the program review, we want to hear from you on how we can partner together to improve our communication, documentation and how best to use our federal funds to positively impact the education of our children.

Linked HERE is an RSVP so that we know how where to best host our meeting. We hope you will join us!

Kathie Morrocco

Title I Project Manager

kmorrocco@conval.edu

603-924-3828 X 1619

Please join us on Wednesday, March 22nd as we offer two more opportunities to review our Title I Program and its effectiveness for the current school year. During the program review, we want to hear from you on how we can partner together to improve our communication, documentation and how best to use our federal funds to positively impact the education of our children.

Linked HERE is an RSVP so that we know how where to best host our meeting. We hope you will join us!

We are asking for the survey to be completed by March 8th. We appreciate your time and if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out anytime!

Kathie Morrocco

Title I Project Manager

kmorrocco@conval.edu

603-924-3828 X 1619

We have been hard at work in the Art Room these past weeks. First we explored the world of collage making. Watching the students plan out, cut out, glue and piece together paper elements with the goal of making an interesting collage was an incredibly fun experience to watch and participate in. PES artists created such beautiful works during this time and most of them capped off the experience by framing and hanging their own work.

We have since moved onto creating sculptures. This is by far my favorite kind of artwork and I am so excited to see what the artists create in this style of art making. We have learned a lot about strength, balance, and how to attach different materials to make a sculpture with. We have only just begun these works, but I am excited to see the end products.

Have a great February vacation and we will see you back at PES in March.

We have three summer learning opportunities for our elementary students for 2023!

Explore and Expand Summer Learning Program is for rising 1st through 4th graders! This four-week long program is designed to support student learning by bolstering school-year skills and helping to fight summer learning loss. Students will receive 1.5 hours of academic support from ConVal Certified Teachers and Tutors. An additional hour of the program is reserved for enrichment exploration, including drumming and cartooning residencies.

The Title 1 Program is for rising 1st through 5th graders! This four-week long program is

designed to support student learning in reading. Students will receive up to 3 hours of academic support daily from ConVal Certified Teachers. Time for snacks and breaks will be included in the 3 hours. A portion of the program will be dedicated to participating in the residencies and/or partnering with our local community to support and enrich student learning.

Additional Details

● July 5 through July 27

● 3 Mornings a Week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)

● 9:00 am – 12 pm

● Location: Peterborough Elementary and Antrim Elementary

● Transportation will be provided

● Class Size for Explore and Expand: 15 students to 1 teacher

● Group Size for Title 1: 1 teacher to 4 – 5 students

● Classes/Groups will be mixed grades

Middle School Summer Academy is offered to rising 5th and 6th graders! This four-week long

program is designed to introduce students to middle and high school learning opportunities while bolstering school-year skills and helping to fight summer learning loss. Students in the Middle School Summer Academy have the opportunity to participate in a Residency, similar to Explore and Expand or participate in the high school Theater program.

Additional Details

● July 5 through July 27

● 4 Mornings a Week (Monday through Thursday)

● 9:00 am – 12:15pm (12:15 allows students to participate in the Theater program)

● Location: ConVal High School

● Transportation will be provided

● Class Size : 15 students to 1 Teacher

Upcoming Dates!

● Registration Forms Sent Out – March 17, 2023

● Registration Forms Due – April 7, 2023

● Confirmations or Waitlist – May 1st, 2023

If you have questions, please reach out to:

Title 1: Kathie Morrocco kmorrocco@conval.edu

Explore and Expand & Summer Academy: Amy Janoch ajanoch@conval.edu

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a federal program that allows low-income families to get free/reduced-priced broadband. Although school districts cannot sign parents up, there are new, customizable flyers that school may share with families to promote this offer. Parents must sign up on their own.

Please see the flier below, or click HERE, for more information

We have three summer learning opportunities for our elementary students for 2023!

Explore and Expand Summer Learning Program is for rising 1st through 4th graders! This four-week long program is designed to support student learning by bolstering school-year skills and helping to fight summer learning loss. Students will receive 1.5 hours of academic support from ConVal Certified Teachers and Tutors. An additional hour of the program is reserved for enrichment exploration, including drumming and cartooning residencies.

The Title 1 Program is for rising 1st through 5th graders! This four-week long program is

designed to support student learning in reading. Students will receive up to 3 hours of academic support daily from ConVal Certified Teachers. Time for snacks and breaks will be included in the 3 hours. A portion of the program will be dedicated to participating in the residencies and/or partnering with our local community to support and enrich student learning.

Additional Details

● July 5 through July 27

● 3 Mornings a Week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)

● 9:00 am – 12 pm

● Location: Peterborough Elementary and Antrim Elementary

● Transportation will be provided

● Class Size for Explore and Expand: 15 students to 1 teacher

● Group Size for Title 1: 1 teacher to 4 – 5 students

● Classes/Groups will be mixed grades

Middle School Summer Academy is offered to rising 5th and 6th graders! This four-week long

program is designed to introduce students to middle and high school learning opportunities while bolstering school-year skills and helping to fight summer learning loss. Students in the Middle School Summer Academy have the opportunity to participate in a Residency, similar to Explore and Expand or participate in the high school Theater program.

Additional Details

● July 5 through July 27

● 4 Mornings a Week (Monday through Thursday)

● 9:00 am – 12:15pm (12:15 allows students to participate in the Theater program)

● Location: ConVal High School

● Transportation will be provided

● Class Size : 15 students to 1 Teacher

Upcoming Dates!

● Registration Forms Sent Out – March 17, 2023

● Registration Forms Due – April 7, 2023

● Confirmations or Waitlist – May 1st, 2023

If you have questions, please reach out to:

Title 1: Kathie Morrocco kmorrocco@conval.edu

Explore and Expand & Summer Academy: Amy Janoch ajanoch@conval.edu

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a federal program that allows low-income families to get free/reduced-priced broadband. Although school districts cannot sign parents up, there are new, customizable flyers that school may share with families to promote this offer. Parents must sign up on their own.

Please see the flier below, or click HERE, for more information

When my son was in elementary school I had been a teacher at the middle and high school levels. To be honest, when he was in kindergarten and first grade I used to pull him out for a variety of reasons. After all, it was just kindergarten. What I know now is that all foundational skills happen at the elementary grades: learning how to read, write, add, subtract…..you get it. Missing a week of school in first grade could mean missing direct instruction of a vowel sound, or how to use math arrays which help develop neural pathways for future estimating ability (heuristics).

All States in the U.S. have compulsory education laws that require all public and most

private schools to enforce. The law has several key factors for parents to be familiar with; I will try to clarify those here:

1. A student is considered truant after 5 full days or 10 half days of unexcused absence.
2. There is a list of reasons school administrators are allowed to consider an absence excused that can be found by clicking this link.
3. The school board must create a policy to reflect the law.
4. Schools must have a tiered approach to address individual student absences. Our tiered approach is as follows:

a. After 5 unexcused or excused absences a letter will be mailed to the guardian

letting them know the number of absences and to encourage the student to attend school. This letter will come from a school administrator.

b. If the absences continue, a second letter will be sent out requesting a meeting to

find ways to work together to increase student attendance. This letter will come

from a school administrator.

c. In the event that the school and family are unable to increase student attendance,

the school will again request a meeting with the guardian, inform the SAU office

and the Department of Children, Youth and Families of the truancy.

As a school, we will be sending out letters to families for excused absences as well. This

is not a punitive letter, simply a reminder of the number of days a child has missed. The purpose of compulsory education to support children’s intellectual, social and emotional growth. Children who are absent, for whatever reason, are not able to access learning in a structured, systematic way.

Our intention is to work together with families to make sure kids get the opportunity they

deserve to build a strong, academic foundation that will support all future learning.

We have three summer learning opportunities for our elementary students for 2023!

Explore and Expand Summer Learning Program is for rising 1st through 4th graders! This four-week long program is designed to support student learning by bolstering school-year skills and helping to fight summer learning loss. Students will receive 1.5 hours of academic support from ConVal Certified Teachers and Tutors. An additional hour of the program is reserved for enrichment exploration, including drumming and cartooning residencies.

The Title 1 Program is for rising 1st through 5th graders! This four-week long program is

designed to support student learning in reading. Students will receive up to 3 hours of academic support daily from ConVal Certified Teachers. Time for snacks and breaks will be included in the 3 hours. A portion of the program will be dedicated to participating in the residencies and/or partnering with our local community to support and enrich student learning.

Additional Details

● July 5 through July 27

● 3 Mornings a Week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)

● 9:00 am – 12 pm

● Location: Peterborough Elementary and Antrim Elementary

● Transportation will be provided

● Class Size for Explore and Expand: 15 students to 1 teacher

● Group Size for Title 1: 1 teacher to 4 – 5 students

● Classes/Groups will be mixed grades

Middle School Summer Academy is offered to rising 5th and 6th graders! This four-week long

program is designed to introduce students to middle and high school learning opportunities while bolstering school-year skills and helping to fight summer learning loss. Students in the Middle School Summer Academy have the opportunity to participate in a Residency, similar to Explore and Expand or participate in the high school Theater program.

Additional Details

● July 5 through July 27

● 4 Mornings a Week (Monday through Thursday)

● 9:00 am – 12:15pm (12:15 allows students to participate in the Theater program)

● Location: ConVal High School

● Transportation will be provided

● Class Size : 15 students to 1 Teacher

Upcoming Dates!

● Registration Forms Sent Out – March 17, 2023

● Registration Forms Due – April 7, 2023

● Confirmations or Waitlist – May 1st, 2023

If you have questions, please reach out to:

Title 1: Kathie Morrocco kmorrocco@conval.edu

Explore and Expand & Summer Academy: Amy Janoch ajanoch@conval.edu

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a federal program that allows low-income families to get free/reduced-priced broadband. Although school districts cannot sign parents up, there are new, customizable flyers that school may share with families to promote this offer. Parents must sign up on their own.

Please see the flier below, or click HERE, for more information

Mrs. Dunning reported that in math, 2nd grade is focusing on Time, Shapes and Fractions. The literacy concept of the week was cause and effect. They read non-fiction stories in their guided reading groups and will be using the information to determine the cause and effect of the events they read about. And in writing, students have been learning how to write opinion pieces! (i.e. How many recesses should students have? Should students have homework? etc).

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a federal program that allows low-income families to get free/reduced-priced broadband. Although school districts cannot sign parents up, there are new, customizable flyers that school may share with families to promote this offer. Parents must sign up on their own.

Please see the flier below, or click HERE, for more information

Also, drop off time on delayed openings is 10:25.

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a federal program that allows low-income families to get free/reduced-priced broadband. Although school districts cannot sign parents up, there are new, customizable flyers that school may share with families to promote this offer. Parents must sign up on their own.

Please see the flier below, or click HERE, for more information

I hope this letter finds you well. This was a quick week in school. With the Monday holiday and the Friday snow day, it surely went fast. I am sorry if you were looking for a newsletter last week. I was having some technical difficulties with the software program we use to create it. I am sure it was a user (me) problem more than a program problem!

One of the things that snow days allow for administrators, is time to review various school wide data. Today, we reviewed student attendance. School attendance at the elementary level is crucial in setting students up for success for their academic career. Early childhood language, reading, math, and social skills are the foundation to solid academic (and life) skills. While a day here or there does not necessarily risk future success, frequent or habitual absences may. That’s why schools have attendance policies. Obviously students get sick and need to stay home, or there may be a time when an appointment has to be scheduled during the school day. We certainly understand this. We ask that you communicate with us when your child is going to be out, and be aware that we will communicate with you when/if days out of school start to accumulate. Thank you.

This week I thought I would share some community activities and happenings with you. While they are not school sponsored or hosted events, the greater Peterborough/Monadnock region offers a lot to students and families. Below are some fliers from local/regional community resources.

Have a great weekend,

Larry Pimental

Please see the flier below, or click HERE, for more information

This is also a good time for us, as a school, to assess how we are doing in terms of teaching and learning. On Wednesday at our faculty meeting, we reviewed our progress towards our school-wide SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Our goals are student-focused, and two of the goals are centered on students meeting certain benchmarks in reading and math. Our teachers, school, and district are focused on each child’s growth, and having SMART goals is a way for us to keep the main thing (learning), the main thing. If you are interested in learning more about or school SMART goals, please let me know.

Finally, I want to say thank you to the students, staff, families, and to our music teacher, Mrs. Petrick, for a phenomenal winter concert! The preparation and turnout was amazing, the performance was fantastic, and the effort from Mrs. Petrick was appreciated. Hopefully, all those who participated and attended were part of a new PES tradition.

Have a great weekened,

Larry Pimental

Over the past couple of weeks we have blended in a little indoor recess in the gym when students first arrive to school. We can’t have the whole school in the gym running around at the same time, so we have assigned each grade a day for a little morning exercise. Instead of getting off the bus or out of the car and going right to class, students by grade level, go to the gym on the following days:

• Mondays- 4th grade
• Tuesdays- Kindergarten
• Wednesdays- 1st grade
• Thursdays- 2nd grade
• Fridays- 3rd grade

It has been fun. If students would prefer to just hang out in a quieter and calmer environment, they can go to the lunchroom and talk to friends, color, or read books. Of course breakfast is available to purchase as well.

For more information, please take a look at their newsletter below.

Fourth Graders have been invited to participate in the ConVal High School Choral and Band Holiday Concert this year. Students that attend will be singing alongside the high school choir, and sharing some music of their own! The concert will be on Tuesday, December 20th at 6:30 PM, so students should arrive at the high school no later than 6:15 PM. Students are encouraged to dress up and be in festive colors. (Please reach out with any questions or concerns.) The concert promises to be a fun, but long evening. Students in Fourth Grade are encouraged to stay and show their support to the ConVal Music Dept., however, they will be able to leave after intermission.

Reminder: Fourth Graders were sent home with a permission slip about the High School Concert and a field trip to the high school for a dress rehearsal. The dress rehearsal is in the morning on Tuesday, December 20th from 8:50 – 10:15 AM. Students who wish to attend the field trip and/or the concert (and have their name printed in the program) must return the permission slips by Monday, December 12th.

Concert Dress:

Students are asked to dress nicely and appropriately. No graphic t-shirts or clothes with writing on them. Black and white is traditional, although students are encouraged to add in festive colors!

**Third Graders are encouraged to wear an “ugly” holiday sweater if they can.**

(This article from Mrs. Lee is the second from her about social emotional learning. Last month’s topic was about the teaching of bullying prevention our school counselor, Mrs. Swasey, is doing in classrooms.)

The next topic for our social emotional learning is empathy. This follows the bullying

lesson because in order to be an up-stander (a person who supports someone being bullied), a

person needs to be able to feel empathy. When most of us think about empathy we think about

affective empathy. Affective empathy is the ability to share in how another person is feeling

without having to suffer that feeling yourself. For example, feeling excited for your child when

they ride without training wheels for the first time. Most children learn affective empathy

naturally in social situations—watching friends and family. A common way to teach affective

empathy is through literature—particularly when reading with an adult.

The other type of empathy is cognitive empathy. Cognitive empathy is the ability to

recognize and understand another person’s mental state. This is sometimes referred to as the

ability to ‘read the room’. Part of our curriculum is teaching children how to look for clues on a

person’s face and body that may indicate how that person is feeling. They will also learn about

perspective and how different people think different things are scary, funny, sad, etc. This is very

difficult for children to do because their life experiences are so limited—they don’t have a lot to

reflect on in order to relate to someone else. By learning that other people may not share their

perspective (cognitive affect) they can begin to feel connected to another person’s emotional

state (affective empathy).

Below are books that help teach empathy as well as some research articles for those of

you who want to expand your knowledge:

K-4: Norman Didn’t Do It! (Yes, he did) by Ryan Higgins

Norman is a porcupine who is envious of his best friend getting a new friend (a tree). He is mean to the new friend but after reflection (and fear he may have been caught) he feels empathy and remorse and tries to undo what he did.

Grades 3-4: Watercress, by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin
A young girl is embarrassed by her parents’ and their financial status. When her mother shares a story about life during the famine, the young girl’s perspective changes and she shows her parents the empathy they deserve.

Video link: This Ted Talk link will take you to a seven minute video about the role of social models, mirror neurons, and their relationship to building empathy and perspective taking.

Article link: How Children Develop Empathy, by Dr. David Walsh and Erin Walsh, M.A.

In the name of safety, we are asking that when you are picking up your children (particularly on Wednesdays), do not get out of your car until you get to the front of the Main Entrance. When students see parents (or whomever is picking them up) out of their cars further down the lane, or across the parking lot, they want to run in that direction, and that is not safe. If you are leaving your car while it is parked further down the loop, it is causing some traffic issues as well. If you want to park your car, and meet your child at the front door, please park in the parking lot. Thank you for your attention.

Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and the ConVal School Board invite members of the community to offer feedback on the District’s draft strategic plan as it works to finalize the roadmap it will follow in the five years to come.

For more information, please click HERE

Dear PES families,

We can’t believe it either, but the holidays are right around the corner! This year, we’re partnering with Minted to help us fundraise for PES-PTO, and we need your help to reach our goal.

Using our unique code FUNDRAISEPETERBOROUGH, you can get 20% OFF all your Minted holiday card & gift purchases-and for every order placed, Minted will donate 15% back to our organization. With high-quality products designed by independent artists, like custom photo gifts, holiday cards, tote bags, stationery, and more, Minted has meaningful gifts for every special occasion.

To participate, simply visit minted.com/holiday to start your holiday shopping. Apply code FUNDRAISEPETERBOROUGH at checkout to claim your 20% discount. It’s that easy! Minted will track every purchase made using our code, and we’ll get 15% of the proceeds donated back to PES-PTO.

Please feel free to forward this email with friends and family-the more people shop Minted using our code, the more our organization earns!

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

PES-PTO

PS. Don’t forget you can also earn PTO money using Amazon Smile and Box Tops

Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and the ConVal School Board invite members of the community to offer feedback on the District’s draft strategic plan as it works to finalize the roadmap it will follow in the five years to come.

For more information, please click HERE

I hope this newsletter finds you well. This week started on a Halloween Monday. I will be honest: I was wondering how the day and week would go starting off on Halloween. I can tell you, it went really well. Thanks to our teachers and staff for putting together a great day and week. On Monday we held our Halloween parade. For the first time in a couple of years, 250+ of us marched around downtown Peterborough, most in costumes, then returned to school for a popcorn snack from the PTO. It was great for the students to see each other in costumes, and to see families and community members lining the street.

As we have moved into November, I am reminded that we need to turn back the clocks this weekend. That means the days are getting shorter and likely colder. This week we were blessed with great weather so this morning we took advantage of it with an all-school recess during our morning meeting time. It was a chance to get some morning fresh air and movement, and to play with some friends.

We are noticing that more and more students are coming to the office asking for water bottles. Please have your child bring in a reusable water bottle each day. We have a couple of refilling stations at PES that students can use. If your child needs a water bottle, please let me know.

We are looking forward to seeing you for parent teacher conferences next week.

Have a great weekend,

Larry Pimental

This month our counselor, Jen Swasey, will begin teaching 1st- 4th grade students about bullying prevention. Ms. Swasey will be using the Second Step bully prevention curriculum . The curriculum addresses bully prevention in three parts: Recognize, Report and Refuse.

Recognize: This step teaches students how to recognize bullying behavior. Bullying behavior is one sided, intentional, aggressive behavior that usually is repeated overtime. An imbalance of power in a relationship may also occur. At this age, students often confuse mean behavior and bullying behavior. This distinction is important for kids to understand because children are more likely to respond to mean behavior than they are to respond to bullying behavior. The feelings associated with being bullied make retaliation unlikely.

Report: Once students know how to identify bullying behavior they can learn how to report it. It sounds like a simple step that doesn’t need teaching but reporting bullying is different from reporting mean behavior. Generally mean behavior is met with some kind of retaliation: telling a teacher, hitting back, yelling at the person. Bullying however, can feel isolating which amplifies feelings of loneliness and fear of telling. We teach the students the importance of reporting the behavior if you are the person being bullied or if you see it happening to someone else. This is where the students practice using their assertive voice in talking with a trusted adult.

Refuse: In this section students are empowered to refuse bullying behavior by being assertive and respectful. Students will learn and practice assertive ways to stand up for themselves. One of the most impactful ways to stop bullying is to change the thinking of by-stander to an up-stander. Being bullied creates a feeling of aloneness. It takes one person to walk up to the bullied, ask them to join their group, or otherwise separate them from the bully to alleviate feelings of helplessness.

Developmentally, elementary students are capable of feeling empathy and showing compassion. However, the ability to see things from someone else’s perspective is still a work in progress. Teaching students why bullying behavior is unacceptable and encouraging empathy takes time. Which is why teaching these three skills is so important.

Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and the ConVal School Board invite members of the community to offer feedback on the District’s draft strategic plan as it works to finalize the roadmap it will follow in the five years to come.

For more information, please click HERE

CONVAL SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMUNITY FORUM

ConVal High School in the Lucy Hurlin Theater.

Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Your ConVal School Board and Administration are finalizing the activities for the next ConVal Community Forum on Thursday, November 10 at 6:30-8:30PM. We are excited about providing you this opportunity for a constructive, open, informative and meaningful dialog. With an activity such as this there are lots of things to know so you can be prepared for participating in and making this a successful experience. To learn all about this activity please see below:

. To view the Agenda please click HERE

Where and when is the Community Forum?

ConVal High School in the Lucy Hurlin Theater and via Live Stream on Thursday, November 10 at 6:30-8:30PM.

What is a community forum?

A community forum is a meeting where there are presentations and all can discuss, share knowledge, and talk to each other about topics of mutual interest.

Why do we need a community forum?

School board meetings, being business meetings, provide a limited venue for The ConVal School Board and Administration to engage with our community. We believe in being open and transparent in all of our activities. We believe in ensuring that the ConVal community is engaged and informed. A community forum is one mechanism to achieve these goals.

How do I attend the Community forum?

We are providing two ways for the public to attend the community forum. You can come to the Lucy Hurlin Theater at ConVal high school to attend in person or you can attend the forum via a Live Stream feed from the forum.

How is the Community Forum organized?

We have selected three important topics to be presented. Each topic will start with a presentation and after the presentation there will be an opportunity for either audience to ask questions. Each question will be answered by the presenter or by a member of the School Board or Administration. We have also allowed time for both audiences to ask questions on any other school district relevant topic. There will be a moderator that will control the flow of information and activities at the community forum.

How are questions presented?

After each of the prepared topics are presented, the in-person audience will have an opportunity to ask questions directly to the moderator who will direct the question to the appropriate person to answer. Members of the audience that are remote and on the live-stream will be able to submit their questions via email to community forum members. These folks will select questions from the emails received and give to the moderator who will direct the question to the appropriate person to answer.

How do I attend remotely via live stream and how do I submit questions?

The live stream will be done as a YouTube event. This means that the community forum will be recorded as a video on U-tube so that not only can it be viewed as it is taking place but it can be viewed at any time after the community forum is completed as it will always be on YouTube servers..

To view this forum via live stream at 6:30 PM on Thursday, November 10th, click on this YouTube link ConVal Events or type in this link https://www.youtube.com/c/ConValEvents then select the “2022 November 10 Community Forum” video from the list of available videos.

To send in a question via email please use the following email address Forum@conval.edu.

Why should I attend the ConVal community forum?

It is your money, it is your school district, it is the education of your children, and it is your community. Be involved. Make a difference.

How do I get some information about the presentations prior to the forum?

A draft copy of the ConVal Strategic plan is available for your review. The link address to click on to review the draft copy is below. You will have time to formulate your questions and send them in advance of the forum, if you desire. To send in a question via email please use the following email address Forum@conval.edu.

What topics are being presented?

1. PRESENTATIONS.

There will be three presentations at this forum being:

A. Renovation project. This presentation will be done by Jim Fredrickson, School Board Representative – Sharon and will be an overview/status/update of the renovation project that is currently scoped to include the high school, ATC, and the two middle schools (Great Brook and SMS). This will be the first presentation and with Q/A’s is scheduled to take 20 minutes.

B. The Strategic Plan, It will be presented in two parts. The first by Tom Burges – School Board Representative – Peterborough and the second will be presented by Kimberly Saunders, ConVal Superintendent. This presentation will give the audience information about the background for a Strategic plan, the activities, including community involvement that has taken place, activities that will take place to produce a final plan, how the plan is implemented and summarizes the five year Strategic Plan that will involve the below priority areas:

QUALITY CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

SUPPORTIVE STRUCTURES & CLIMATE

SUPPORTIVE STRUCTURES FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY

EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES, FINANCIAL PROCESSES, AND INFRASTRUCTURE

MAINTAIN HIGH QUALITY STAFFING THROUGH RETENTION, RECRUITMENT, AND CULTIVATING AND MAINTAINING A DESIRABLE WORK ENVIRONMENT.

This will be the second presentation and with Q/A’s is scheduled to take one hour.

C. Upcoming Events. This presentation will be done by Dick Dunning and will be an overview of school board upcoming activities that are important for the community to know about, including budget, board meetings, committees etc. and to let the community know why it is important for them to participate.

This will be the third presentation and with Q/A’s is scheduled to take 15 minutes.

Meet and greet.

New for this forum. The meet and greet will take place from 8:30 – 9-00 PM in the ConVal High School cafeteria, which is directly across from the Lucy Hurlin Theater. It is an informal gathering opportunity for our community members, School Board Representatives and Administration to take advantage of light refreshments and talk to each other about topics of interest that affect our school district and community. There is not any formal agenda for this event

Links to important information

. To view the Agenda please click HERE

. To view a draft of the Strategic Plan please click HERE

. To see why you should attend in person please Click HERE.

. To see why you should attend on-line please click HERE

As part of our continuing commitment to provide an open, transparent and informative dialogue with the ConVal community, your School Board and Administration announce our fourth ConVal Quarterly Community Forum. This forum will take place both at the Lucy Hurlin Theater at ConVal High School and via live stream on Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM.

Live stream participants will be able to submit questions to the forum presenters, school board and administration during the forum via email.

The Live Stream can be viewed on YouTube post Forum. Additional reminders will follow in the coming weeks, including an agenda.

After discussion, the School Board has decided to host a Meet and Greet for in-house attendees of the forum. The Meet and Greet will start at 8:30 PM. It will be an informal get together with you, school board representatives and administration. It is important for all of us to get to know each other as we all have the same goal, with that being providing the best and most cost effective education for our children.

Our planned presentation and discussion topics are:

1. Building renovations – initial activities and direction.
2. Strategic Plan – This important and far-reaching topic discusses the Strategic Planning process and summarizes the five year Strategic Plan that will involve the below priority areas:

• QUALITY CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
• SUPPORTIVE STRUCTURES & CLIMATE
• SUPPORTIVE STRUCTURES FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY
• EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES, FINANCIAL PROCESSES, AND INFRASTRUCTURE
• MAINTAIN HIGH QUALITY STAFFING THROUGH RETENTION, RECRUITMENT, AND CULTIVATING AND MAINTAINING A DESIRABLE WORK ENVIRONMENT.

1. Upcoming Events. Activities that are important for the community to know about. The Safety audit, Key pending legislation impacting education, Status of pre K enrollment, Budget upcoming activities and schedules, School board meetings, Committee meetings etc.

We previously sent out a survey asking questions about the need for childcare and desire to attend the Meet and Greet. Due to logistics, lack of community need, and availability of staff, we will not be offering childcare for this forum. If you did not respond to the survey please click on the below link and fill it out so we will be fully prepared for our in-house audience and attendance at the Meet and Greet.

Please mark your calendars for this forum. Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

• To see why you should attend in person please click HERE

• To see why you should attend on-line please click HERE

• To respond to our survey please click HERE

Thank you in advance for your participation and support.

Your ConVal School Board and Administration

We are planning a costume parade on Halloween. Specific details, such as time and route, will be forthcoming. Students should come to school in their normal school clothes. There will be time to change into their costumes before the parade, and costumes should be easy for children to put on (please no make up or anything that requires extra ordinary assistance). Costumes accessories like toy weapons, bats, batons, etc. should remain at home. Also, masks can make walking difficult and even dangerous, so please save leave those at home as well. If you prefer to not have your child march, please let me know. We will have staff and activities at school for those who remain on campus. Also, if your child is in need of a costume, please give me a call. I may be able to help.

Good Afternoon,

As the Director of Learning Recovery, I want to be sure that our programming is designed to support all students. With that, I would like your feedback regarding the Summer Programming offered this past summer.

While I have heard from many of the families whose children attended Explore and Expand and Summer Academy this past summer, I would like feedback from families of students who did not attend. Your feedback will help us to make adjustments and increase access to our summer programs.

Using this link, please complete this 4 question survey. If you have multiple students at different levels, please complete the survey for each level.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Amy Janoch

Last week I overheard some parents talking about a Title One meeting they saw advertised.

Specifically, they were wondering what Title One was. Title One is a government grant program that offers financial assistance to schools that qualify. Again this year, PES qualified for Title One funds based on financial data from families who attend our school. One important data point is the numbers from our Free and Reduced Lunch Program—this is why we ask everyone to fill out the form. Sometimes people don’t think they qualify so they don’t fill out the form, but they may.

The money is used to hire Title One teachers who work with students who need extra support to be successful in class. This year we have one and a half Title One teachers: one full time teacher, Mrs. Wilmont and a part time teacher who is split between PES and another school, Mrs. Morrocco.

Title One teachers can teach reading or math, in the classroom or in a separate location. They

review school-wide data to find students who have specific skill deficits. Those students are

chosen to participate in a 30 minute intervention each day. Their progress is tracked regularly so that decisions can be made to the curriculum so that students can reach their instructional goal. When a student meets their instructional goal they can either be released from Title One or start working on a new goal. Once a student is released from Title One, the classroom teachers and Title One teachers continue to track the students by regularly reviewing their assessment date, both in their classroom and with district wide assessments—like the NWEA.

It was so nice to see everyone who attended Open House. What a turnout! I know the staff was happy to have families in the building. My hope is that we can have more family and community engagement meetings as this year moves along. I am planning on hosting a couple of meetings in the coming weeks with parents and staff so that we can plan, together, ways to enrich and improve student learning at PES. Please be on the lookout for an invitation in the next week or two!

I want to thank the families that joined us for our Annual Title One Meeting prior to Open House. I appreciated the time and the discussion about how we can best support our students’ learning and how important it is to engage families in what we do. I look forward to more conversations and creating actionable activities to support learning.

Also, I want to give a shout-out to the PES PTO. They have been active in working with us in the past, and they are active in working with us now! I got the chance to meet with some members last week, and this week they joined the PES Family Engagement Leadership Team meeting on Monday afternoon to discuss and share ideas. Thanks for their continued support. Please check out their news below.

This morning, the first graders led our All-School Meeting. They led the school in the Pledge of Allegiance, they introduced the “butterfly” handshake, and then led a movement activity and song about bugs. It was fun stuff!

Finally, Wednesday is School Picture Day. See the information below.

Have a great weekend!

Larry Pimental

As you know, Mrs. Morris is our new PE teacher. This year we have moved to a wellness model similar to other schools, which is a combination of physical and health education. So far this year, from my frequent trips into the gym, I have observed students running, galloping, and doing a variety of movement activities and playing active games. I asked Mrs. Morris to update me on how things are going. Below is her response:

“We have been actively learning the skills needed to develop cooperation, self-control, listening, following directions, routines, and teamwork while learning our school motto of being Respectful, Safe and Kind in our “HUGE” classroom! They are doing AWESOME!”

My experience tells me that the first day can be a little hectic during drop off and pick up times. I hope everyone brings a little patience with them as we work out the kinks and newer families learn the systems. As a reminder, if you are driving your child to school, you can drop her/him off at the front door (around the loop) or along the side of the building starting at 8:25; students will not be allowed into the building until then, and can not be left at school unattended. We will have staff and volunteers available to meet your children at 8:25, help them out of the car, and walk them to their classroom . Please do not let your children out of the car until they get to the front or to the side of the building. Parents should remain in the car (unless you need to help unbuckle or get your child out of the car).

For safety and security reasons, parents will not be permitted to enter the building in the mornings. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Like drop off in the morning, the first few days of parent pick up can appear a bit confusing as we learn which student goes with which parent/vehicle, and parents learn where to go to pick up their child. That’s why it is important for you to communicate with the office about how your child is getting home each day. We use Pick Up Patrol software so you can easily update your child’s afterschool plans using your computer or cell phone (for those new to PES, be on the lookout for Pick Up Patrol information in the papers your child will come home with on Wednesday, or stop by the office on the Meet and Greet day). Additionally, you will receive a car tag to hang the rearview mirror; please write your child’s name on it so that we can easily identify your vehicle.

If you are picking up your child, you will do so at a specific location, identified by a color, with each color corresponding to your child’s last name. So, children with last names starting with A through F are picked up in the Blue location, G through M in the Yellow, and N through Z in the Red. Please see the map below, and look for signs when you arrive.

Drivers will park your car in the car lane corresponding with the appropriate color, facing the exit, and we have room for a double lane. Parents should not stray from their cars; either remain in your car or stand close to it. Please have your car tag hanging from your mirror. If you need one, please let us know. We ask that you do not call out to your child because we don’t want them running across the parking lot. We will halt traffic and/or walk them to your car. Thank you for your attention.

My experience tells me that the first day can be a little hectic during drop off and pick up times. I hope everyone brings a little patience with them as we work out the kinks and newer families learn the systems. As a reminder, if you are driving your child to school, you can drop her/him off at the front door (around the loop) or along the side of the building starting at 8:25; students will not be allowed into the building until then, and can not be left at school unattended. We will have staff and volunteers available to meet your children at 8:25, help them out of the car, and walk them to their classroom . Please do not let your children out of the car until they get to the front or to the side of the building. Parents should remain in the car (unless you need to help unbuckle or get your child out of the car).

Like drop off in the morning, the first few days of parent pick up can appear a bit confusing as we learn which student goes with which parent/vehicle, and parents learn where to go to pick up their child. That’s why it is important for you to communicate with the office about how your child is getting home each day. We use Pick Up Patrol software so you can easily update your child’s afterschool plans using your computer or cell phone (for those new to PES, be on the lookout for Pick Up Patrol information in the papers your child will come home with on Wednesday, or stop by the office on the Meet and Greet day). Additionally, you will receive a car tag to hang the rearview mirror; please write your child’s name on it so that we can easily identify your vehicle.

If you are picking up your child, you will do so at a specific location, identified by a color, with each color corresponding to your child’s last name. So, children with last names starting with A through F are picked up in the Blue location, G through M in the Yellow, and N through Z in the Red. Please see the map below, and look for signs when you arrive.

In an effort to continue to improve, and engage families in our decision making processes, we are hoping you are willing to fill out this short survey. Thank you for your support.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5teHjjEcfB3rO6F4E7CZc6n74i5tKagvY0yHTz2drU5CdjA/viewform

Happy Summer PES Families! Take a break and when you’re ready here are some things you can do to help your child maintain their literacy skills and avoid the summer slide:

• Sign up for the Peterborough Town Library summer reading program. Summer Reading Kick-Off Concert with The Folksoul Band, for more information and other programs for children, visit this link: Peterborough Town Library
• A great resource for families with fun literacy activities for all grade levels Reading Rockets
• Grade level word lists sorted in decodable groups and irregular words University of Florida Literacy Institute
• Summer Reading Recommendations by grade level American Library Association and
• Reading Rockets Summer Reading List
• Vocabulary is a strong indicator of reading success. This is a great site for the whole family and it helps underdeveloped countries supply rice for those in need free rice.
• If your child used Lexia in the classroom, you have access to the program over the summer to continue their learning go to Lexia Core 5, enter their previous year’s teacher email, then their user name and password. Students that use the program usually remember their user name and password, if not you can email me at aaldrich@conval.edu and I will get the information to you. It’s essential to supervise the use of this program in case students need help and to check for understanding. No more than 60 minutes a week is recommended for usage. Students will be given certificates when we return to school if they use the program and progress a level.

School families and friends, we hope you and your students will visit your school garden this summer and help keep it a beautiful, delicious, and enjoyable place for garden learning in the fall. Please click here to sign up and join in the fun! Cornucopia Project staff will happily provide you with any information, tools, or help you need. Please reach out with any questions to Jess Gerrior, Program Coordinator: jess@cornucopiaproject.org or (802) 518-0373.

Thanks so much!

Jess Gerrior

Programs Coordinator

Visit us: CornucopiapPoject.org

Join the Monadnock Farm to School Network!

As you are likely aware, we have a few, long serving teachers and staff members retiring at the end of the school year. Next week will be the final week of working at PES for Mr. Szep, Mrs. Compton, Mrs. Gordon, Mrs. Murphy, and Mrs. Weil. Together they have served Peterborough Elementary children for over 125 combined years. They will surely be missed. Thanks to all five of you for your incredible service and friendship to so many in our community. We wish you the best, and hope you come by to visit.

* (this is a change due to bus availability).

School families and friends, we hope you and your students will visit your school garden this summer and help keep it a beautiful, delicious, and enjoyable place for garden learning in the fall. Please click here to sign up and join in the fun! Cornucopia Project staff will happily provide you with any information, tools, or help you need. Please reach out with any questions to Jess Gerrior, Program Coordinator: jess@cornucopiaproject.org or (802) 518-0373.

Thanks so much!

Jess Gerrior

Programs Coordinator

Visit us: CornucopiapPoject.org

Join the Monadnock Farm to School Network!

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

We had a great turnout for our Family Engagement Math Night. It was nice having families on campus, talking to teachers, and learning and playing some math games with their children. This morning during our all school meeting I reminded our students to play the games over the summer to help keep their math skills sharp. Thank you to all the families who attended. If you could not, your child should have gone home with a packet today.

Thanks to the PES PTO for hosting their spring book fair this week. It is always great to see children excited about books and reading. Speaking of reading, if your child participated in the Reading with Ribby program, they will likely be coming home with their t-shirt and ticket to the Swamp Bats game. Be on the lookout. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Aldrich at aaldrich@conval.edu.

We still have room in our FREE summer learning programs taking place at PES this summer. This learning opportunity includes free transportation. Check out the information below. If you are interested in having your child attend one of our summer programs, please contact me.

Finally, we are planning on holding Field Day on Monday morning.

Have a nice weekend,

We are excited to offer summer learning opportunities this year: the Explore and Expand, and the Title 1 Summer Reading Program. These programs are free, include transportation, and offer students the chance to increase math and/or literacy skills.

The Explore and Expand Program

• Starts July 5 and runs through July 28th

• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

• 9:00 – 12:00

• Reading: foundation skills or unit study skills (retelling, summarizing)

• Math: hands on learning programs

  • Grades 1 and 2 building number sense

  • Grades 3 – 4 fractional reasoning: students will gain a conceptual understanding of fractions using fraction blocks, rectangular grids and the number lines. Students will develop an understanding of the meaning of a unit fraction, the concept of equivalent fractions and comparing fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator.

  • Grades 5 – 6 hands-on equations: hands-on equations is a concrete, manipulative based introduction to algebra. Students will use basic addition / subtraction facts to learn the “rules” of legal moves you can make to solve equations. This class will teach concepts that prepare students for Algebra I.

• Residencies each week – African drumming, cartooning, etc.

• Locations

  • 1st Grade through 4th Grade, PES

  • 5th and 6th ConVal High School

Title I Summer Reading

• July, from the 5th – 28th

  • Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

  • 9:00am-12:00pm

    • Students will be able to participate in engaging reading activities that meet their individual needs. Groups will be approximately 1:4 and this program is free to all students in grades 1-4. Additionally, we involve our community in our summer plans to enrich their experiences with our local community members. In past years we have provided integrated reading and writing activities with our town library, fire department, police department, restaurants, NH Fish and Game, and more. The students truly have a great time in a more relaxed, summer feel for reading practice!

    • Location- PES

We hope that your child will join us for one of these programs. If you are ready to register your child, you may do so at the following links:

• Students entering Grades 1 to 4

• Students entering Grade 5 for the Title 1 Program

• South Meadow and Great Brook students entering Grades 5 to 8

If you would like some help registering your child, or have any questions, please contact me, Ms. Lee, or your child’s teacher as soon as possible. We are hoping to secure staffing, so it is helpful to know how many students plan on attending.

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

As a reminder, there is not school on Monday in honor of Memorial Day. Today, during our all school meeting, Mr. Rothhaus’ and Ms. Dunning’s classes teamed up to share with us the history of Memorial Day. Following the history, guest speaker, Mr. Dick Dunning shared with us the significance of honoring the American flag, the meaning of Memorial Day, and the importance of never forgetting those who have sacrificed. On behalf of the PES community, I want to thank Mr. Dunning, and all those who have served and sacrificed for our country.

Have a nice weekend,

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

On Saturday, May 21st, the The Children and the Arts Festival is taking place in downtown Peterborough. This is a great family event sponsored by the Children and the Arts. It is NOT a school event. It is important for parents to know that they are responsible for their own children. There is a parade that children are invited to participate in that starts at PES and ends at Putnam Park. Some teachers and school staff may be attending, but they are not required to. The school and school staff are not responsible for your children on this day. Please contact me if you have any questions.

If you do go, please check out the art display at the library. It’s a wonderful collaboration between PES 1st graders and Conval High School art students. While you are at the library enjoy the Story Walk which will run from 9:00-3:00. And don’t miss the Conval Elementary Teachers Drum Circle! For a complete schedule see below.

Have a great weekend,

Larry Pimental

This is not intended to be a long night, rather a quick chance to pick up some math games and tools to use with your child. It is not a required event, and we do not want to stress anyone out about attending or not attending. If you can’t make it, no worries, we will still send home the games with your child the next day!

In order to accommodate everyone, while also trying to maintain some physical distance, we are going to split the night into two parts. Families with students whose last names end in A-J are invited from 6:00-6:30, and those whose name ends in K-Z are invited from 6:45-7:15. We are splitting this night to accommodate space in the classrooms and in the parking lot. Please limit the number of guests.

We are excited to offer summer learning opportunities this year: the Explore and Expand, and the Title 1 Summer Reading Program. These programs are free, include transportation, and offer students the chance to increase math and/or literacy skills.

The Explore and Expand Program

• Starts July 5 and runs through July 28th

• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

• 9:00 – 12:00

• Reading: foundation skills or unit study skills (retelling, summarizing)

• Math: hands on learning programs

  • Grades 1 and 2 building number sense

  • Grades 3 – 4 fractional reasoning: students will gain a conceptual understanding of fractions using fraction blocks, rectangular grids and the number lines. Students will develop an understanding of the meaning of a unit fraction, the concept of equivalent fractions and comparing fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator.

  • Grades 5 – 6 hands-on equations: hands-on equations is a concrete, manipulative based introduction to algebra. Students will use basic addition / subtraction facts to learn the “rules” of legal moves you can make to solve equations. This class will teach concepts that prepare students for Algebra I.

• Residencies each week – African drumming, cartooning, etc.

• Locations

  • 1st Grade through 4th Grade, PES

  • 5th and 6th ConVal High School

Title I Summer Reading

• July, from the 5th – 28th

  • Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

  • 9:00am-12:00pm

    • Students will be able to participate in engaging reading activities that meet their individual needs. Groups will be approximately 1:4 and this program is free to all students in grades 1-4. Additionally, we involve our community in our summer plans to enrich their experiences with our local community members. In past years we have provided integrated reading and writing activities with our town library, fire department, police department, restaurants, NH Fish and Game, and more. The students truly have a great time in a more relaxed, summer feel for reading practice!

    • Location- PES

We hope that your child will join us for one of these programs. If you are ready to register your child, you may do so at the following links:

• Students entering Grades 1 to 4

• Students entering Grade 5 for the Title 1 Program

• South Meadow and Great Brook students entering Grades 5 to 8

If you would like some help registering your child, or have any questions, please contact me, Ms. Lee, or your child’s teacher as soon as possible. We are hoping to secure staffing, so it is helpful to know how many students plan on attending.

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

This week’s highlights include the first graders going to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord on Thursday, and then sharing their experience with the school during our all-school meeting this morning. They shared a slide show and their favorite experiences of the day. Thank you first graders and first grade teachers!

Another highlight was kindergarten and 3rd grade students making bug print T-shirts and learning some line-dancing. Also, in art all students have been making a variety of 3-dimensional bug sculptures. They look amazing, and I can’t wait for you to see them.

This week the 4th graders took the state assessments in reading, writing, and math; next week the 3rd graders will take theirs. In New Hampshire, schools use the NHSAS assessment. I am happy to report the 4th grade did a great job, and I am confident that the 3rd graders will too.

Please make sure you read below for information about some upcoming events.

Have a great weekend,

Larry Pimental

We are excited to offer summer learning opportunities this year: the Explore and Expand, and the Title 1 Summer Reading Program. These programs are free, include transportation, and offer students the chance to increase math and/or literacy skills.

The Explore and Expand Program

• Starts July 5 and runs through July 28th

• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

• 9:00 – 12:00

• Reading: foundation skills or unit study skills (retelling, summarizing)

• Math: hands on learning programs

  • Grades 1 and 2 building number sense

  • Grades 3 – 4 fractional reasoning: students will gain a conceptual understanding of fractions using fraction blocks, rectangular grids and the number lines. Students will develop an understanding of the meaning of a unit fraction, the concept of equivalent fractions and comparing fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator.

  • Grades 5 – 6 hands-on equations: hands-on equations is a concrete, manipulative based introduction to algebra. Students will use basic addition / subtraction facts to learn the “rules” of legal moves you can make to solve equations. This class will teach concepts that prepare students for Algebra I.

• Residencies each week – African drumming, cartooning, etc.

• Locations

  • 1st Grade through 4th Grade, PES

  • 5th and 6th ConVal High School

Title I Summer Reading

• July, from the 5th – 28th

  • Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

  • 9:00am-12:00pm

    • Students will be able to participate in engaging reading activities that meet their individual needs. Groups will be approximately 1:4 and this program is free to all students in grades 1-4. Additionally, we involve our community in our summer plans to enrich their experiences with our local community members. In past years we have provided integrated reading and writing activities with our town library, fire department, police department, restaurants, NH Fish and Game, and more. The students truly have a great time in a more relaxed, summer feel for reading practice!

    • Location- PES

We hope that your child will join us for one of these programs. If you are ready to register your child, you may do so at the following links:

• Students entering Grades 1 to 4

• Students entering Grade 5 for the Title 1 Program

• South Meadow and Great Brook students entering Grades 5 to 8

If you would like some help registering your child, or have any questions, please contact me, Ms. Lee, or your child’s teacher as soon as possible. We are hoping to secure staffing, so it is helpful to know how many students plan on attending.

• Family Engagement Night at PES, Thursday, June 2nd. You are invited to join us for a night of math games! During this event, your child will show you some of the math learning games they play and know, and you will leave with a few goodies for you and your child to play at home.

• Field Day is coming June 3rd! We are planning a fun day of games and activities. Please make sure your child brings a water bottle, hat (for the sun), and maybe a change of clothes. If it is a sunny day, please apply sunscreen before your child arrives to school.

• 4th Grade Farewell- June 16th…stay tuned for details.

• Last Day of School, June 17th (the day ends at 12:00)

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. We celebrated staff this week for Teacher Appreciation Week. I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to our wonderful group of educators for caring for the students at PES! Thank you for ensuring our students are known, needed, and cared for; for being flexible and compassionate; for supporting each other and this administrator.

I want to give a special thanks to the PES PTO for providing so much “appreciation” to our staff, it has been amazing! Thank you for providing our teachers with healthy (and not-so-healthy) treats, flowers, gifts, raffles, and overall kindness and generosity! Most of all, thank you for your continued support!

Well, here we are in May. As I mentioned before, it tends to be a busy month. In fact we had at least five classes take walking field trips into town this week. Classes learned about bees (see below) or the Nubanusit Brook water shed. More trips are planned in the coming days and weeks. We also had visitors from the Harris Center, the Cornucopia Project (see below), and the Children and the Arts committee.

Also coming this month, are spring assessments. Students in grades 3 and 4 will be taking the NHSAS between May 9 and the 20, and students in grades K through 4 will be taking the NWEA sometime between May 23-June 10. For specific days, please contact your child’s teacher.

Have a great weekend.

Happy Mother’s Day,

Larry Pimental

As mentioned above, several classes walked to the Peterborough Community Center to learn about pollination with Melissa Stephenson of the NH Bee Initiative. At The Good of the Hive’s honey bee mural at the Peterborough Community Center students got to see an empty beehive and learn about, and hold, various components of of a hive.

The Conval School Board will be hosting their third community forum on Thursday, May 12th at 7:00pm in the Lucy Hurlin Theater at Conval High School. You are invited! If you can’t make it, but would like to watch it, it will be livestreamed. To access this YouTube feed please click on this link ConVal Events or type in this link https://www.youtube.com/c/ConValEvents then select the “2022 May 12 Community Forum” video from the list of available videos. The agenda is below.

PES PTO WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

PTO News

Meetings: 2nd Thursday of every month 6:30 p.m

May 12, 2022 at the PES Library.

Thank you!!!!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make Teacher Appreciation Week such a success. Thank you to all the families who donated gift cards, flowers, food, and time.

Thank you to these businesses as well: Sweet! Macaron, Beepa & Lulu’s,

UPCOMING EVENTS

Children and the Arts

Children and the Arts is back!! Join us at the food court Saturday, May 21 for our “Walking Tacos” food tent. This is a great fundraiser and many hands make for light work. Set up, serve, run the cash box, or help tear down–we’ve got a job for you. Sign up here.

Spring Scholastic Book Fair

We’re excited to host the Scholastic Book Fair May 31-June 4. Come stock up on summer reading! There are lots of ways to help. Check out volunteer opportunities for the book fair.

JOIN THE PTO!

Nominations for the 2022-2023 PES PTO officers are open! This is a great way to meet other parents and help our school. Please consider joining the PTO as a general member (lend a hand when and where you can) or step right into an office. Check out the open positions and current ballot, then add your name for consideration by emailing pespto@gmail.com

• Family Engagement Night at PES, June 2nd….stay tuned for details!
• Field Day is coming June 3rd!
• End of the Year Rolling Rally, June 15th
• Last Day of School, June 17th (the day ends at 12:00)

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well and looking forward to the April break next week. I know the students are, and so am I. It is hard to believe spring break is upon us already, and when we return we will be in May. In May we begin our spring assessments for students in grades 3 and 4. Please see below for details.

Thank you to the PTO for the popcorn snack today. It is always a welcomed treat.

I would also like to thank the parents who joined us this morning for coffee and conversation about how we can better serve our students and support and engage families. Having family and community engagement is critical to the work we do. We will continue to schedule times to meet with families and communities members so that we can engage and enrich our students’ experiences at PES.

Have a great week,

Larry

Each year, New Hampshire public and charter schools are required by state law (RSA 193-C) and federal accountability laws (Every Student Succeeds Act) to assess students using a standardized assessment. We utilize several assessments in order to comply with these requirements. The U.S. Department of Education is requiring states to administer a state assessment for all third and fourth grade students. Students will take the NHSAS in their classroom between May 9th and May 20th.

Statewide assessments are an important part of a student’s core educational program:

• Provide an evaluation of student mastery of grade-level content and skills in the academic areas of reading, writing, and math

• Serve as one tool for measuring the degree to which students are on track to graduate high school and be college- and career-ready

• Help inform future instruction in the classroom

Along with student work on classroom assignments, projects, essays, and local formative and summative assessments, statewide summative assessment results provide teachers and parents with important information about where students are on their path toward academic success.

Exemption

Parents are allowed to exempt their child from participation in the statewide assessments (permitted in NH RSA 193-C:6). Parents must complete and submit an exemption form that is provided by the school or district. Please contact the school to receive a copy of the exemption form. Please understand that if you choose to exempt your child from the assessment, no scores or summary of individual student performance, based on the statewide assessment, will be provided for your child.

Note: Federal law requires 95 percent of students (and 95 percent of all students within subgroups) to participate in the annual statewide assessment. If a school has less than 95 percent participation, the number of students under 95 percent will be calculated as zeros in the school’s achievement and growth indicators. While the zeros will be included in the calculation, no one particular student will be identified with those zeros.

Results

Student results for the NHSAS are generally available immediately upon the student completing the test. The school will send a student’s Individual Score Report (ISR) home before the end of the school year. If you prefer to see the results once your child has completed the NHSAS, please contact your child’s teacher.

Please reach out to me with any questions.

We are planning to meet as a stakeholder group (families and community members) to review our current schoolwide plan, and we would like to ask you to be part of this discussion. We plan to have a few focus areas and would appreciate your participation and input. All the decisions we make together will help us to better plan how we use our Title I federal grant dollars more effectively.

I know we are all busy, and finding common time is a challenge, but your input is important to us. We are hoping to meet with parents/community members on Friday, April 22nd at 9:15AM in the PES cafeteria. I am hoping that you will consider joining us. Please RSVP me if you can and will attend.

The German Club of ConVal High School is proud to offer “Deutsch für Kinder” (German for Kids) to fourth graders in P.E.S. (3rd graders after all 4th have opted in). We will be teaching basic German through fun and hands-on activities. The class will be for 30 minutes after school.

The 3 Monday sessions will be: May 3, May 10, and May 17.

In addition to teaching German, we would also like to promote awareness of German culture and traditions in our community. First 25 students accepted.

Some important information:

• Children will need to be picked up at the latest by 4:15 pm. ConVal students need to be back to ConVal in time to catch the late bus at 4:20 pm.

• There will be at least 1 adult supervising during all of the sessions, as well as several club members.

• “Deutsch für Kinder” will be held in library.

• There is a cost of $5.00 total for all three sessions.

If you are interested, a permission slip is required and can be found below.