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Important Dates
at a Glance
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10/9-12
Material Pick Up
**Required for all MFCS Families to complete their Free & Reduced Reporting
10/5-18
Virtual Fall Book Fair
Please see the flier enclosed in this newsletter for more details.
**Enter the Pumpkin Decoration Book Raffle
Please see info in this newsletter!
10/16
Mobile Food Pantry
1-3pm in Concord. contact the NH Food Bank for location details.
10/24
Picture Day!
11:30am - 2:30pm
10/30
Mobile Food Pantry
1-3pm @ the Comcast parking lot, 676 Island Pond Rd.
11/1
Daylight Savings Time
Turn the clocks back one hour.
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CORPORATE SPONSORS
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We gratefully acknowledge the ongoing contributions from the following corporate partners:
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Rolling into Fall
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 Phew! We did it! We have finished our assessments - both internal and state required. That data has informed our instructional groupings and forthcoming lessons. This has been an extremely important process for staff and students and allows us to make informed and accurate decisions about student needs and levels. MFCS Families will notice that there will be some scheduling adjustments as we move into a more regular instructional schedule, which will include an additional 1-2 live classroom lessons times. Stay tuned for more information from your children's teachers. * * *
 Decorate a Pumpkin...
Enter a Book Raffle!
Carve a pumpkin and share your creation! In this crazy COVID world, we would still like to celebrate this fall season together. We hope in the coming week some of you will decorate a pumpkin (carve, paint, style) and share your creations with us by sending photographs to: stories.pictures@millfalls.org. For each submission, your name will go into a raffle to win a book from our Virtual Fall Book Fair. Please submit your images by Thursday, October 15th at 3pm. We will announce the Raffle Winners (one for K, one for Lower Elementary and one for Upper Elementary) in next week's Newsletter!
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URGENT!!!
**PAST DUE** Free & Reduced Reporting **PAST DUE**
URGENT!!! Ms. Grace is responsible for our required Free & Reduced reporting to the NH Department of Education. She urgently needs your help to complete our reporting accurately!
You will see reminder signs about this when you come to retrieve your child's learning materials today/this weekend. We must report this data to the NH-DOE next week, and we need your help to do so!
Please take a few minutes when you come to pick up your child's work to complete the form and leave it for us in our new secure mail box outside.
Like all NH public schools, Mill Falls collects data regarding the number of students who qualify for Free or Reduced meals. This information will not only help us to receive funding from federal and private sources but will also be helpful in determining available options for those who do qualify.
You may also click here for the form - a PDF which you can fill out on line by downloading the attachment and open the attachment in Preview.
We must have the form back by Tuesday at 9am!
Thank you!
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Remembering Ryan Frew
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 It is with a very heavy heart that we share this sad news: Earlier this week, we lost a member of our Mill Falls Family, Ryan Frew, dad to MFCS students Quentin and Seamus, and their little sister Layla; husband to Anastasia.
You may recall in 2017 that we celebrated Ryan when he was included in the Union Leader's 2017 40 Under 40, which recognizes some of the state's brightest young achievers who have a record of professional and volunteer accomplishments in New Hampshire. Ryan's love seemed eternally focused on his family and on the hockey players he coached over so many years. As Head Coach and General Manager of the NH Jr. Monarchs, Ryan assembled his players into a mighty MFCS volunteer crew both at our annual Family Fun Runs and as weekly readers with our students.
We always knew when Ryan was in the house - his broad smile and huge heart filled any room he entered. His passing (unrelated to COVID) was emergent and wholly unexpected and to say we will miss him is such an understatement.
Ryan is being remembered by those who knew him as a mentor and a positive force in the lives of anyone fortunate enough to have known him.
Please join us in honoring his memory by considering how you can follow his philosophy, shared in part here in his own words:
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Three-Day Weekend: No School Monday, October 12th
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Columbus Day /
Indigenous Peoples' Day
In recognition, Mill Falls will be closed on Monday, October 12th.
Enjoy the long weekend!
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World Space Week
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This week, our Art Classes worked on an art project inspired by World Space Week, which runs from October 4-10. The celestial celebration was established in 1999 by the United Nations General Assembly to promote contributions of technology and space science to the human population. This year's theme is "Satellites Improve Life."
Our Art Teacher, Ms. Melissa, also wanted to share this resource for our families to enjoy. She writes: As I was reading on NASA's site, I discovered that they have a monthly art challenge. Students create art based on the topic of the month and send it to NASA. They post the art for a week after the entry due date. The art challenge for the month of October is Jupiter's moon Europa. Below the frozen layer of ice on the moon's surface, is an ocean. It is not known what exists in those waters. The challenge for students is to create a scene of what they think lives below the icy layer. I just love art with science!
Here is the link to the monthly art challenge:
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Fall Book Fair...Virtual of course!
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Virtual Fall Book Fair!
This Monday we kicked off our annual Fall Book Fair and like so much else these days, this one is a little different than usual.
This virtual online fair features over 6000 products and all orders ship to your home. Free shipping is available on book-only orders over $25. All purchases benefit our school! Please click here to view the flyer.
Visit our Virtual Fall Book Fair here:
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Picture Day 2020...COVID-style
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 Picture Day
October 24, 11am-2:30pm
Amidst a chaotic world, Mill Falls would like to try and give you a piece of normalcy through hosting Picture Day! Like so many things during this time of COVID, we have had to creatively schedule this event. This year's Saturday snapshot day will once again be organized by Ms. Grace. Due to COVID safety protocol, we will only be doing individual portraits which will be taken outdoors; we will not be able to do classroom or sibling shots, or our panoramic this year.
Things to Note:
The photography team asks that parents wait for their children in the background and that we work together to avoid any clustering. Ms. Grace will be there to help the photographers.
How Touch-less Picture Day Will Work:
A unique bar code will be generated for each student by the photography company in advance of the Saturday Picture Day. When a student arrives to be photographed, he/she will simply state his/her name to the photography team, and the rest will be handled electronically.
Payment:
We strongly encourage ordering on-line and paying by credit card. Families will use Coffee Pond's website.
However, if you do need to pay by cash or check, please let Grace know so that she can send home paper order forms for you to bring on Picture Day. The due date for order forms is October 24, 2020.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please reach out to her at
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Family Tech Support
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This year, Ms. Jody is serving as our Family Tech Support person. She is available by email and Zoom on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (note, she is not available on Wednesdays).
She can be reached on Zoom (for live chats via the waiting room one at a time) from:
10am-12pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Meeting ID: 797 9462 3236 PW: 6nEvDQ
If Jody cannot answer your question, she will reach out to our team to get an answer for you.
Academic questions? These should be sent to your child's classroom teacher(s).
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Material Pickup for Fully Remote Learners
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 Pickup Days
for Remote Learning
As we do each Friday, today at 8am we set out the crates full of materials for the coming week for our Fully Remote Learners. These plastic covered bins are organized by classroom and within that, by child. The crates will be out all weekend.
 Please note: Ms. Grace has put some additional information outside to help you complete the Free & Reduced Reporting. Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete those forms before you leave campus!
Please note, not every class will have materials to pick up each Friday; Teachers will be in touch with their classroom families so you should know by Wednesday afternoon whether you will need to come in to pick up materials on that Friday.
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Hybrid Student Morning Arrival & Wellness Check Updates
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MORNING WELLNESS CHECK: Families with Hybrid (in-person) Learners, please review the steps below:
- Families are asked to complete the Wellness Check Form QUESTIONS ONLY each morning BEFORE arriving at school about travel, new symptoms, contact with confirmed or suspected case of COVID.
- Mill Falls Staff will greet each car, review the form and take each student's temperature before the student exits the vehicle.
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Important Attendance Information
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 Regular and consistent attendance is the bedrock of solid learning. Therefore, no matter the learning model, it will be expected that all students will be present and ready for learning each school day, just as in pre-COVID times. If your child is going to be absent or tardy or must end the day early, parents/guardians are required to alert the front office by phone or email.
We wanted to take a moment to highlight the attendance expectations on days when students are learning from home (Remote Learning). Each day, our Students Learning at Home are expected to attend: 1. 8:45am Morning Meeting followed by their Planning Session 2: All Scheduled Live Lessons (specific schedule shared by teachers) 3: At least ONE Daily Check in (specific schedule shared by teachers) 4: Additionally, ALL work must be turned in by 3:15pm To be marked PRESENT for the day: a Remote Student must attend items 1-3 above and turn in all work by 3:15pm. A student will be marked unexcused TARDY for the day, if he/she misses 1 or 2 of the items above, and still turns in all work by 3:15pm. A student will be marked unexcused ABSENT if he/she misses 3 or more of the items in the list above, even if they turn in work by 3:15pm. Please note, repeated unexcused absences and tardies will trigger our Attendance Protocol as noted in our Family Handbook.
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Health & Wellness Reminders in the Age of COVID
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Health & Wellness Reminders:
Students exhibiting symptoms must present a negative Antigen Test AND improvement of symptoms before returning to school.
If the COVID test is positive, your child will need to isolate at home for at least 10 days, including the final day without fever. We strongly advise family members also seek testing
If testing is not accessed, then your child will need to stay home for 10 days including the final day without fever (without fever reducing medication).
If the COVID test is negative, please keep in mind that your child must still remain at home until there is an improvement of symptoms and no fever or vomiting for 24 hours, as per our usual health and wellness protocol.
* * * To assist in everyone's understanding of the protocol we've designed, we ask that you review the COVID Handbook Insert (esp. pages 6-8) as well as the chart below. Thank you so very much for your ongoing partnership in keeping our school community well!
A reminder that the NH State Epidemiologist strongly urges the following: Persons experiencing symptoms related to COVID, or concerned that they may have been exposed to the virus, are strongly urged to seek Antigen Testing. This assists in our overall ability to keep our school community safe and informed about COVID and viral spread. Thank you!
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COVID & Community Resources
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 Family Support Hot Line: Waypoint Family support can help with anything from where to get covid testing or child care.
Call: 800-640-6486 M-F 8:30-4:30
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 Free COVID Tests
Families who live in the Greater Manchester area may call the Manchester COVID-19 Hotline at to arrange for a free testing appointment. East and West Side locations available. This is NOT an antibody test. The hotline is available Monday - Friday from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Call: 603-668-1547. Testing appointments are required.
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 Mobile Food Pantries
The NH Food Bank will be holding 12 Mobile Food Pantries around the state in the month of October. Please see the dates and locations of some of the sites below.
ALL Mobile Food Pantries take place from 1-3pm. - Concord: Friday, Oct 16th. Please contact the NH Food Bank for location details.
- Manchester: Friday, Oct 30th @ Comcast, 676 Island Pond Road.
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Laura's Corner
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Student & Family Support
Below is some information from Ms. Laura W. about supporting students who are learning from home.
The Importance of the Prepared Environment:
Fostering Student Independence During Remote Learning
A Deeper Dive into the Importance of Independence
The Power of Accomplishment
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And here are some books that staff have suggested for families with young children in these COVID times.
A reminder, we do try to talk about the need for keeping space between people these days using the term Physical Distancing, rather than 'social distancing':
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Share Your Images & Stories from Home!
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 We would once again like to ask our Mill Falls Families to share images and stories from their Remote Learning experience - daily work as well as Big Work Wednesday Projects, which we can share in our newsletter.
Please send your photographs, brief stories (remember sharing humorous moments will help keep us all healthy!), and quotes to Ms. Meryl at: stories.pictures@millfalls.org.
Please be sure to send the photos at small to medium resolution, and send along a description / story about what is going on in the photos. Thank you!
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Montessori Moments From Near & Far...
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Please enjoy some photographs from this week here at school and some sent in from families working remotely:
Below: Handwriting, Hundred Board & Bead Chain Work.
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Below: Music Class with Mr. Craig.
 
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Below: This week, our Kinders did their annual Apple Tasting which includes sampling different types of apples, then charting their favorites!
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Below: Happy Space Week in Art Class with Ms. Melissa
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Left: Wyatt and his sister Charlotte enjoying a story on RAZkids!
Below: Bead Chain work in Glacier.
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Below: The first official Montessori Work Cycle
in action in the Yosemite Kinder Room!
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Big Work Wednesday
Over the years you may have heard the term, Big Work. But what is this exactly? Well, for starters, it's a work that is driven by student interest. Something that sparks excitement and motivation in learning. And here's the key, once the student has found his/her interest and, with a bit of guidance initially, it's independent! Students choose the topic, decide on a project and begin. Here are some examples from this week:
Below: Tilda and Lillian worked together to research Munchkin cats.
Below: Simon has been reading extensively about Harry Houdini and has begun a multi-part project on him beginning with a slideshow.
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Below: After a lesson in Montessori Cosmic Nesting Boxes & My Cosmic Place in Space, Gabby made a slideshow about where she is in space and a quiz/game for her peers!
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Below: Exploring and modeling planet Earth.
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Counting the days until we see you (hint, it's a long weekend).
Have a wonderful weekend & see you Tuesday!
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