Mathewson Elementary School
PAWprint September 22, 2023
Hello Bulldog Families,
We had a lot of Bulldog spirit shown this week with our first Spirit Week! Thanks for helping to have your children join in the fun. We hope you learned lots at our Open House session. Your children are working so hard each and every day. Next week is our Bulldog Run event! Let’s hope for good weather so families can attend. More information is below. Next week we will welcome two new staff to our building Rachel Fehr, as our Strings Teacher, and Rachel Boles, Humanities Coach. We know your children will love getting to know some new faces to our learning environment. Each week we will highlight the faces in our community on the PAWprint by sharing some information about staff. Be sure to read the full PAWprint so you don’t miss this area! Until next week take care of yourselves, others and above all else BE KIND!
With Love,
Melissa Currier, Principal
Important Dates
9/25: No School in Observance of Yom Kipper
9/28: PTA Sponsored Bulldog Run (Parents Welcome if Weather Permitting)
Upcoming Information to Know:
Bulldog Run is NEXT WEEK. Get excited!!!!
We're excited to bring back the Mathewson Bulldog Fun Run. The Bulldog Run is a walk/run fundraiser for our students. The event brings our students together to raise funds for the school. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to support events and activities for all students throughout the year. Donations can be made to the Mathewson Page or families can create specific participant pages for their children. Students can earn prizes and rewards for their participation and fundraising efforts!
Donate to support our School: Bulldog Fun Run Fundraising Page
Flyer Link (Google Doc): Bulldog Fun Run 2023
We're also looking for Company Sponsors. $50 per course marker! (Company logos will be printed in color on the course marker!)
Show your Bulldog Spirit by ordering Spirit Wear.
Apparel is available to purchase starting this FRIDAY. All orders are due by September 29th.
Link to Flyer with clickable shopping link: Mathewson PTA Spirit Wear
Link to Shop: https://ddcustomapparel.com/co...
Conference Information!
Greetings, MPS Families! We are pleased to announce our Fall 2023 Elementary Conference Schedule:
*Please note that we will have a modified early dismissal time on the conference days to accommodate the conference schedule. Therefore, students will be dismissed on October 18th, October 19th, and October 20th at 1:15pm. Parents/guardians will once again have the opportunity to select a conference time through My Conference Time. All conferences will be in person unless a parent/guardian requests a Google Meet link directly from the teacher. Fall conference sign up information will be live on our school website from Friday, October 6th, at 9:00 a.m. through Monday, October 16th, at 12:00 p.m. If you prefer a virtual session, please contact the teacher to request a Google Meet link to conduct your conference virtually after you have confirmed your conference time through My Conference Time Online Scheduler. We are looking forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s learning! Quick tip: Look for emails from “noreply@myconferencetime.com” when searching email for conference confirmation communications. |
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Mathewson PTA News
Mums Sale
Check out our Mum Sale. All Orders are due by September 29th.
Pick up will be during the school day on 10/6 between 10-2pm
You can order right on our PTA Store Link which is included on the flier.
Giggling Pig Art Enrichment
Tuesdays in October at Mathewson from 3:30-4:30
$85 per student, limited spots available
Our next meeting is…..
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
IN PERSON in the Library
We will be offering child care (Foran, Law and Harborside Key Club Members)
If parents would like to request child care, please complete this form!
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News Already Shared But Still Important….
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.
Family Arrival and Dismissal Reminders (sent out in opening letter)
Please be sure that if your child is absent you record their absence using the form in PowerSchool. Be sure to include the date/s that they are absent in the comment section. This helps us to mark the attendance accordingly. You will receive notification that your child is absent if you don’t fill out this form.
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Getting to Know Your Bulldog Staff!
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District News….
Check out this event! Community Conversation: Think Big! Dream Big! The link to an updated flyer is here: https://drive.google.com/file/...
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
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.
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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Community Connections Center News
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!
This week's CCC News contains links to register for The Circle of Security Parenting Class, Milford Recreation Department's Adaptive Programs, an app called ConnTours that you can use to find historic places in Connecticut and the Durham Fair.
Remember that the CCC Website is updated with links to community resources.
Have a Great Weekend!
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Mary-Kathryn Williams, Coordinator
Milford Community Connection Centers
203-882-6094
Mwilliams@milforded.org
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@ BePAWsitiveMPS
