Mathewson Elementary School
PAWprint September 1, 2023
Hello Bulldog Families,
Thanks for one totally PAWsome start to our school year. Like with anything we are figuring things out in the first two weeks of school so thanks for your patience as we get into the routines of school.
This week we kicked off Professional Learning with staff on Monday and Tuesday with an 80s theme. We know school is about learning and fun, so adult learners had a lot of fun coming back to the school year rockin some 80s gear and games. You will probably see some 80s type spirit days in the future but to kick off our spirit days for the year we have a spirit color week at the end of September. Information on this is below.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we enjoyed getting to know our new learning spaces, friends and caring adults in the building. We welcomed our new K families on Tuesday for a quick welcome to the building and initiation into our Bulldog community. Be sure to check out the Mathewson Website or our Twitter Account for pictures from this first week (and beyond).
Please be sure to read the PAWprint weekly for updated information about information for each week to come. We look forward to your partnership and support throughout the year! We couldn’t do it without you!
With Love,
Melissa Currier, Principal
Upcoming Information to Know:
We welcomed our new staff to our building this year including:
Mrs. Diandra Swaller, Kindergarten
Mr. Christopher Brewster, Building Intern/Guest Teacher
Ms. Rachel Boles, Humanities Coach (beginning in October)
Mr. John Sheedy, Custodian
We thank our custodial team for all their hard work this summer! Our school has never shined more! Mr. Dave, Mr. Bill, Mr. Mike and Mr. John worked very hard and it goes noticed. To begin our year we say goodbye to one of our night-time custodians Mr. Bill, who moved to Calf Pen. For this year you will see Mr. Dave during the day and helping with a.m. arrival, and Mr. John and Mr. Mike at night and assisting with the afternoon dismissal procedures.
We love to celebrate your child’s birthday and make holidays throughout the year special, however, we do not allow goodie bags of any kind to come into school. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you wish to come in and be a guest reader for the class or hand out a pencil, crayons or bookmark instead. To ensure all items are safe for all children we just ask that a gift bag of any kind not come in for birthdays or holidays. Thank you.
Thanks to our PAWsome PTA for hosting our Playground Playdate at Eisenhower Park last Saturday. Thanks to all the families that attended, to see some new and returning faces of friends before the year began. Even our mascot, Spike, was there to play!
Thank you to our PTA also for hosting our staff luncheon on our first day back. Nothing is better than not having to plan a lunch on day one 🙂. We appreciate you taking care of our adult learners!
Our playgrounds at Mathewson are still under construction. While we wish they were ready for day one we know they will be worth the wait. Until they are up and ready for us to run and play on we are lucky to have enough “green” spaces around the building for students to fully enjoy recess outside. Be sure to wear sneakers daily to help with recess safety and PE.
We are scheduling our first incident management/safety drills of the year the week of September 5th. Communication will be sent out prior to these first drills. These drills consist of fire drills throughout the year as well as other various safety and evacuation drills. It is important we practice so we know what to do in case of a true emergency.
Mathewson Spirit Week is the week of September 18th!
Our first PTA in-school event is on Thursday, September 28th! Mathewson Bulldog Run 2023
The Bulldog Fun Run is back! Save the date: Thursday, September 28th in the morning. Students may begin fundraising on Givebacks (formerly MemberHub). Click this link to check out the fundraiser. You can choose to donate to the general Mathewson page or you can create an individual fundraising page! Students can earn individual, class, or grade level prizes for their fundraising efforts.
We're also looking for Company Sponsors. $50 per course marker! (Company logos will be printed in color on the course marker!)
More information and details coming at the first PTA meeting!
Friendly Reminder: No Food or Drink on School Buses: Just a friendly reminder this year. Food and drinks are not allowed on our school buses when students are being transported to or from school. Consuming these items while in transit can cause a safety concern; your bus driver will be reminding you as the school year gets underway.
Breakfast: Breakfast meals will be FREE OF CHARGE for ALL students in the Milford Public Schools. Lunch: For students who QUALIFY for free or reduced-price meals, (determined by the completion of the Free/Reduced Price Meals Application or via Direct Certification), lunch meals will continue to be offered FREE OF CHARGE. We strongly encourage everyone to click on the appropriate link below to complete the form; many of the income benchmarks have changed over the past 2 years – and you may now qualify even if you haven’t in the past.
Free/Reduced-Price Meals Application Online
Free/Reduced-Price Meals Application (print out/paper version)
Chromebook Insurance: You Can Renew Right on the Parent Portal: Our low-cost Chromebook Insurance program is WELL worth the annual renewal fee ($25 per year). If you’ve got kids, then you already know there’s always the potential for something to happen to the Chromebook during the year: lost (~$230 replacement cost), replacement mainboard (~$90), cracked screen (~$40), broken hinges (~$15), or broken keyboard (~$60), just to name a few. For $25, you can have peace of mind and save a lot of aggravation when something goes wrong. You can reserve your Chromebook insurance right on your Parent Portal account. If you have any questions, please contact our BIDS dept. at (203) 783-3446.
Family Arrival and Dismissal Reminders (sent out in opening letter)
Does Your Child Want to Play an Instrument This Year?Just a quick reminder … if your child is interested in learning how to play a musical instrument (kids entering Grade 4 and Grade 5), don’t forget to read all the information on the Music Department Website. It is important that you click on the REGISTRATION tab in order to correctly arrange your child’s schedule.
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Please read the letter information below that was sent by Dr. Cutaia, Supt. of MPS, on 8/28 to families:
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I hope this letter finds you and your families enjoying a wonderful summer so far.
Today, I am writing to address recent legislation that was approved at the Connecticut General Assembly regarding the age of entrance for incoming public school students throughout Connecticut. On June 29, 2023, Public Act 23-208 was approved which, among other topics, states, “public schools shall be open to all children five years of age and over who reach age five on or before the first day of September of any school year.” This requirement will go into effect next year on July 1, 2024 (for the 2024-25 school year).
Currently in Connecticut, children must reach the age of five or older on or before December 31st of any school year to attend public school in Connecticut.
Public Act 23-208 also includes the following provision: “a child who has not reached the age of five on or before the first day of September of the school year may be admitted (1) upon a written request by the parent or guardian of such child to the principal of the school in which such child would be enrolled, and (2) following an assessment of such child, conducted by such principal and an appropriate certified staff member of the school, to ensure that admitting such child is developmentally appropriate.”
While we wait for state guidance on the implementation of the new requirements, we have begun to have some initial dialogue within the Milford Public Schools as we prepare for this shift. Please know we will keep you informed as we learn more.
Thank you, as always, for your support as we work together for the betterment of the Milford Public Schools.
Sincerely,
Anna Cutaia, Ed. D.
Superintendent
Click here for a printable copy.
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WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL !
Today August 30, 2023 our CCC Community Connection Center's CCC News has gone live! Milford’s Community providers information & updates can be found on our NEW CCC district website along with the CCC’s programs! To locate the CCC’s web page go to Milford’s main page and click on the Menu tab & scroll down under district Information to find the Community Connections Centers!
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Mary-Kathryn Williams, Coordinator
Milford Community Connection Centers
203-882-6094
Mwilliams@milforded.org
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@ BePAWsitiveMPS
