Volume 26, Issue 12 Thursday, May 15, 2017
Important Dates
May 25, 6:30PM Spring Spectacular
June 1, 7:00PM School Committee Meeting
June 2, Field Day
June 6,, 6:30PM T.E.A.M. SRS Meeting
7:00PM New Salem Town Meeting
June 6-9, Scholastic Buy 1, Get 1 Free Book Fair
June 10, 10:00AM Wendell Town Meeting
June 13, 10AM 100 Mile Club Medal Ceremony
June 16, 1:00PM Talent Show
June 22, Last Day of School
10:00AM Sixth Grade Graduation
11:30AM Dismissal
NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Greetings,
Congratulations to Ariel Barilla and her husband on their beautiful and healthy baby boy. He was born on April 18. Ariel worked through her entire pregnancy and is now enjoying maternity leave through the end of the school year. She will do some work for us digitally from home, and will be back in the office on June 26.
To kick off April vacation, the 100 Mile Club held the third annual Run4KidsMA at the Mahar Track. Nan Mead and Christine Morin organized the event with Sarah Woodward of Mahar, and we are very thankful for the support of the Mahar Track Team volunteers. Kara Lubin, the founder of the 100 Mile Club, came out from California to join us! She brought along ultra-runners Michael and Kimberly Miller from Arizona, Eliot El Lee from Colorado, and Newton Baker from Vermont. We also had a family from the Hoover School in Melrose, MA return to participate! The day was filled with inspiration and excitement. Many of our students, parents, and staff members hit mileage milestones—one fourth grader made it to 200 miles! The Kim Bop Sun food truck was at the event serving up hot, delicious food. Grade 5 students held a fundraiser selling pizza slices, snacks, and beverages to help raise money towards their Nature’s Classroom trip next year. The PTCA sold Dean’s Beans Coffee and SRS tee shirts. This event raised $650 for the 100 Mile Club, which will be used to sponsor students who otherwise would not be able to participate in the Club's rewards and lap tracking expenses.
The 100 Mile Club has had a nice turnout these last few weeks as Swift River students, parents, and staff members have racked up their miles on the track and worked to reach our collective goal of 10,000 miles. Nan and Christine greatly appreciate the staff members and parents who volunteer to help scan laps and monitor students each afternoon. It is very rewarding to be a part of this program. I look forward to spending at least half an hour for a few afternoons each week catching up on the track. The 100 Mile Club held the annual Mother’s Day Run, a small but very sweet event, in the rain! Each child was given a flower to present to their mom! The end-of-year Medal Ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, and each student will receive a certificate with their total miles for the year. All students who reach 100 miles will receive a gold medal.
During April vacation, Larry and Walter worked outside removing sand and winter debris, and mulching the garden beds. They set up all the picnic tables for students to use during lunch. The inside of the building received a thorough cleaning, and windows were washed. We are now gearing up for the end-of-year events and summer work.
Students in Grades 3-6 have successfully completed the English Language Arts portion of the MCAS tests. The Grade 6 tests were scheduled for two 110 minute sessions, but took most of the students three and half hours to complete each session. We hope there will be a forum to allow schools to provide feedback to the state, and to allow us to communicate this information. The Math portion of MCAS testing began this week; MCAS testing will wrap up with Science and Technology tests for Grade 5 in late May.
Please be sure to join us at the second annual Spring Spectacular on Thursday, May 25 at 6:15 PM in the Gym. We will debut our new Band Ensemble and Chorale, and enjoy Chorus performances from each grade. I am so excited to see these young musicians in action. I have been watching and listening to rehearsals throughout the winter and spring, and I am very impressed with our local talent. Mr. Cortina has outdone himself! There will be a baked potato bar in the Cafeteria at 5:00 PM for families who would like to purchase dinner and support fundraising for the Grade 6 Field Trip.
As the school year winds down, I am grateful that Swift River School has so much support and generosity from our communities. Knowing how much our school means to everyone, I’d like to remind our New Salem families to attend the New Salem Town Meeting on Monday, June 6 at 7:00 PM, and remind our Wendell families to attend the Wendell Town Meeting on Saturday, June 10 at 10:00 AM. Both meetings will be held at the respective Town Halls. I hope to see you there.
Fondly,
Kelley Sullivan
Basic Rights in Special Education
Annual Workshop
Sponsored by the Erving School Union #28
Special Education Parent Advisory Committee
with Prudence Marsh,
Director of Student Support Services
Monday, May 22, 2017
Erving Elementary School Conference Room
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Please join us for this opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable information about the special education process.
Thank you!
The staff at Swift River School would like to thank everyone for making us feel so special last week during Teacher Appreciation Week. You added so many fun, thoughtful, tasty additions to our days.
Spring Spectacular
We are very excited to bring you the second annual Spring Spectacular Concert on May 25 at 6:30 PM! This year will be EXTRA spectacular with the premiere of the Swift River Concert Band. Students in Grades 3-6 have been practicing together since October to showcase their very first performance as an ensemble. Additionally, we will have many special performances from all the grades, featuring traditional pieces, folk tunes, and even some popular music from the last few years!
Also, please join us for the Baked Potato Bar fundraiser to support the Grade 6 Field Trip, starting at 5:00 PM. We request that all students arrive at Swift River School no later than 6:00 PM to be ready for their performances.
It’s going to be a fantastic end of the year show! We hope to see you there!
TEAM SRS Update
A big thank you to all the volunteers who supported Dinner Angels and helped to provide a lovely and much-appreciated meal for teachers during Parent-Teacher Conferences!
We had fun at our Neon Bowling event! Thank you to all who participated.
Another huge thank you to the parent volunteers who showered the teachers with gratitude and praise during Teacher Appreciation Week! The teachers loved the goodies, flowers, food, fancy soap, soft TP, and the inspiring quotes posted throughout the building. Be on the lookout for information regarding Bus Driver Appreciation Day which we will celebrate in June.
Get your Dean’s Beans fix! Be sure to stock up for the summer before school gets out. SRS Blend coffee is for sale in the Office.
Come join us at the Spring Spectacular Concert on Thursday, May 25. There will be a Baked Potato Bar and Bake Sale to fundraise for the Grade 6 Field Trip, and TEAM SRS will host a Spring SRS Tee Shirt Clearance Sale! All inventory will be for sale at discounted prices to make room for next year’s new design. Sale prices are as follows:
$8.00 for tee shirts
$10.00 for V-neck tee shirts (only one left in stock)
$10.00 for crewneck sweatshirts
$20.00 for hoodie sweatshirts
We held our annual election at the April meeting. Thank you to all who volunteered their time and Congratulations to our 2017-2018 officers!
Co-Presidents:Ashley Beauchesne, Caissie Putnam
Treasurer: Karyn Briand
Secretary: Gosia Spooner
We are so excited to have them on the team! Come join us at our next meeting on June 6 at 6:30 PM in the Café to help us welcome next year’s officers!
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
These announcements and events are not school-sponsored.
New Salem Library News
The Friends of the New Salem Public Library have purchased a number of passes to local area museums, which are available to sign out at the front desk of the Library. Among the museums sponsored by the Friends are: the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Mass MoCA in North Adams, and Historic Deerfield. In addition, the Library has passes for Magic Wings Butterfly Conservancy in South Deerfield, Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, and DCR parking passes for all MA State Parks. With the snow gone and the onset of warmer weather, it’s a perfect time of year to take a drive to visit any of these special places! For additional information, call the New Salem Public Library at 978-544-6334.
The New Salem/Wendell School District assures that all programs, activities and employment opportunities are offered without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, economic status, homelessness, sexual orientation and physical or mental disability.