MEMORIAL SCHOOL
ANNOUNCEMENT
October 18, 2020
Greetings Memorial School Community,

Thank you for taking the time to read these important updates for Memorial School.  
As I shared in last week's newsletter, we will be returning to in-person (Tier Two) school beginning on Monday, October 26th.

Professional Development Day
 
This Friday, October 23rd, district staff will have the last of three Professional Development days to prepare for the transition to Tier Two (in person with restrictions) that also offers families the choice to continue with remote learning. There will not be any additional assignments for students on this day.

Additional information about this plan can be viewed by clicking the button below:
Bus Transportation Survey

An important bus transportation survey was sent out via Constant Contact on Friday, October 16th, asking any family that is planning to have their child(ren) ride the bus this school year, either to or from school, to complete a brief survey to give our contracted bus company, Salter, the information they need to prepare safe rides for students. If you do not fill out this form, the bus company will assume your child is not taking the bus. 

You can also access this survey by clicking the button below.
YMCA - AM/PM Childcare Survey

Hello Families!

We here at the SDYMCA are trying to gather information regarding the need for childcare in the SAU 17 Community with their anticipated return to a live-learning option. Please take the following survey to help us best provide programs for your towns.
Face Mask Expectations

When students return to school on October 26th, the district will have mask requirements for students and staff in the school building. As stated in the district's re-entry plan, "Masks are required at all times. Students will receive mask breaks by their teachers as well as during lunch and recess... Families are required to provide masks for their child(ren) to wear to school (or contact the school counselor for assistance). The mask fabric design may not be distracting and must follow the dress code. Students who refuse to comply with the mask requirement will be sent home."

Below are some additional tips on choosing masks and how to appropriately wear them to ensure the highest levels of safety for all.
Front Office Relocation

The Memorial School front office relocation project is in its final stages. The project, designed to improve school safety, has relocated the front office to the West Main Street entrance. (This entrance is known as “the horseshoe” and is typically where parent drop-off occurs when school is in session.) Additionally, we will be updating the parking lot in the next week or so to designate handicap and visitor parking for the new front entrance area. Our main parking lot can still be accessed by using the school entrance off of Crane Crossing. Thank you and I apologize in advance for any confusion as we all make this adjustment together.

Cafe Services

Please see the handout below from Cafe Services for information on free meals available to students, parents, and community members. This is a wonderful service and we are grateful to be able to offer it.
Technology Help Desk

Parents can email helpdesk@sau17.net to put in a ticket, or call the main SAU number at 642-3688, then press # and leave a message. A member of the district’s IT department will respond to all requests as quickly as possible. Additional information can be found on the Memorial School Online Learning Site.

Social Emotional Learning Update

Today is the day for teachers, students, parents, communities, and the entire world to come together to end bullying. We must all understand that the root of bullying comes from a place of pain. As Scarlett reminds us, "Hurt people, hurt people." Let us all have a better understanding of pain people suffer and be kind to all.
 
October is also National Bullying Prevention Month. This month was founded by PACER'S National Bullying Prevention Center to raise awareness of bullying and the role we all play in making a difference. We must unite as a nation to prevent childhood bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion through education. It was initially held the first week in October, but the event was expanded in 2010 to span the entire month.
 
In the Choose Love Curriculum that I continue to share with students they say, “We can’t always choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how we respond...Our thoughts become our feelings and our feelings become our behavior. When we change our thoughts we can change our feelings and how we respond.” Even though we can’t always choose what happens to us, we have the power to choose how we respond. 
 
Click here for New Hampshire’s Department of Education thoughts on the Choose Love Movement.
 
~ Mrs. Collins

Final Thoughts

Thank you all for your continued patience and support. We are truly grateful for the wonderful communities that we serve.

Appreciatively,
Ryan McCluskey