Monday Memo for Dec. 13th

Volume 31 | December 13, 2021

Monday Memo

Memo del Lunes en Espanol (haga clic aquí)

Dear Alma families,

We are so excited to announce the return of Elementary Expedition Night, an evening where we invite the community to come together, celebrate learning with our scholars and families, and showcase high quality work.

WHEN: 5:30-6:30 pm on Thursday, December 16

WHAT: Open House style Expedition Night event for K-4 scholars

All scholars will be dismissed at 3:30 pm and then may return to attend Expedition Night at 5:30. Scholars will NOT be allowed to stay at school in between dismissal and the event.

Attendance is strongly encouraged but not required for all K-4 scholars/families.
Families may expect to spend about 15-20 minutes at the event as we would like to keep the event short.

LOCATION: In your K-4 scholar’s classroom at their respective campus

Face masks will be required for all in attendance and everyone will be asked to sign in and complete a quick symptom checklist prior to entry. We also kindly ask that anyone experiencing any symptoms, or is in quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 test, please stay home.

Upcoming Events

Alma’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) and English Language Learner Parent Advisory Council (ELLPAC) will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 15th at 5:30 pm in the Community Room at our Ottiwell Campus, located at 515 Belleville Avenue. These advisory councils will meet jointly to discuss matters related to Alma’s Special Education and English Language Learner programs and policies. The meetings are open to all families, across Alma’s network.

Friday, Dec. 17th will be a half day of school and all scholars will be dismissed at 12:30 pm to allow for a staff professional development session.

Winter Break will begin Thursday, Dec. 23rd and run through Sunday, Jan. 2nd.

The week of January 3rd-7th will be half days of school at Alma. This means that all scholars across all Alma campuses will be dismissed at 12:30 pm daily for that week. The school day hours will return to normal (8:30 am to 3:30 pm) on Monday, Jan. 10th.

Last chance to complete this survey!

Would you like to help create safe routes to school for students in your community?

The survey takes less than 3 minutes and will help your school plan for more transportation choices. All responses are voluntary and confidential. Please select "New Bedford" from the District dropdown menu, then choose which Alma campus your scholar(s) attend.

Take the Survey!

Uniform Policy Reminder

School staff will be focused on reminding and enforcing Alma’s uniform policy this week. As a reminder, Alma’s uniform policy was updated and expanded with significant input from Alma families, scholars and staff. Please review the uniform notice here.

Warm Winter Clothing collection for Alma’s FHF Coat Closet

Families Helping Families is seeking warm winter clothing item donations for Alma’s Coat Closet, which will allow families to swap items to either donate in or take home to wear and enjoy this upcoming season. Donations of any size or items are greatly appreciated and may be dropped off at any campus. Text Marie Tavares 508-203-7546 with any questions.

What's For Lunch?

Breakfast and lunch menus for each campus are posted on Alma's Facebook Page — the Sarah D. Ottiwell Campus posts menus by the month, and the Frederick Douglass Campus currently posts a new menu weekly. Each meal also includes milk, vegetables and fresh fruit.

View Menus

Alma Community Spotlight

What a fun weekend at Alma del Mar!!! We were thrilled to welcome more than 200 scholars and their families to the Families Helping Families Winter Wonderland event on Saturday. You may find photos from that event posted on Facebook.

On Sunday, we hosted our first Holiday Vendor Fair with 15 local small business owners, many of whom are Alma staff members or Alma families! We encourage you to check out our school community’s small businesses on Facebook if you’re still shopping this holiday season!

*A Stitch of the Sea (https://www.facebook.com/stitchofthesea)

*R&D Customs (https://www.facebook.com/RD-Customs-102293382065574)

*Ace is Her Name (https://www.facebook.com/aceishername)

*Gotta Dance Studio/Outside the Lines (https://www.facebook.com/gottadancestudionb)

*Becca's Magical Fairytale Corner w/Usborne Books & More

(https://www.facebook.com/groups/magicalfairytalecorner)

*Violet’s Vines and More! (https://www.facebook.com/VioletsVinesandMore)

*Dee & Tea (https://www.facebook.com/Dee-Tea-Co-105478145227756)

*Baskets of Grace (https://www.facebook.com/Baskets-of-Grace-106560848103693)

*Creative Crochets by Margaret (https://www.facebook.com/Creative-Crochets-by-Margaret-1512201925693185)

*Marinna & Co. (https://www.facebook.com/Marinna-Co-112351041268953)

*Redfox Wood Crafts (https://www.facebook.com/Redfoxwoodcrafts)

Don't miss a thing!

Be sure to follow Alma at the links below to stay up to date on all the latest news and join us in celebrating scholar achievement throughout the school year!