Mathewson Elementary School
PAWprint March 28, 2024
Hello Bulldog Families,
We hope you have a PAWmazing week off ahead!
Thank you to all that donated to our Penny Wars over the month of March. We raised over $1067 which will go to Food 2 Kids, our Fifth Grade Committee and the winning classes for indoor recess prizes. Congratulations to Mrs. Marinelli’s and Ms. Jaggers’ classes for raising the most!
In regards to the April 8th Solar Eclipse Viewing, although our STEM department originally believed that we would be able to safely view the eclipse, the Connecticut State Department of Education recently issued the following guidance: "Since there will not be a total solar eclipse occurring in Connecticut, there is no safe time to view the event without specialized glasses or filters. Viewing any part of the bright Sun, even through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics, will instantly cause severe eye injury." Even with the purchase of the eclipse glasses from online websites, it is difficult to ascertain whether the glasses have been verified to meet ISO-2312-2 regulations. As mentioned in the FAQ document, even with the availability of the glasses, it is still not advised to look toward the sun even donning this eyewear. During the totality of an eclipse, when the sky becomes the darkest, damage can still result to the eyes. Oversight of the proper wearing of these glasses with a large crowd of students is difficult, even with clear instructions provided prior to viewing.
Unfortunately, the potential risk of severe eye injury from viewing the eclipse, even inadvertently, causes us to cancel our planned viewing of the solar eclipse for Monday, April 8th. Please know that our commitment to the safety and well-being of our students and staff drives our decision
Let’s hope for less rain on the week off ahead and as always read below to find out important things to know for the weeks coming up!
Important Dates
*4/1-4/5: No School Spring Break!
*4/9: Mathewson PTA meeting at 7 pm in the Media Center
*4/10: PTA Sponsored Kindness Lazer Light Show Assemblies for K-5
*4/10: Mathewson SEL Hour from 2-3 pm
*4/12: PTA Candy Ball Dance 6:30-8:30p
Upcoming Information to Know:
We are excited to share that we have been collaborating with our MPS District Supervisor for Equity and Engagement, Mrs. Acampora, around several lessons focusing on being an “upstander” and ways to build resilience and support for our social and emotional needs. This work is a continuation of our curriculum pieces around our social and emotional learning needs, supporting all learners to have a voice and providing strategies for how to support ourselves and each other when we experience something that might be challenging. Our school counselor and our school team will continue this work with classes over the next few weeks. Each lesson is designed to be developmentally appropriate and engaging so students can learn throughout their years of development. Several of the topics we are exploring over the next few weeks are:
What it means to be an “upstander”--standing for and using your voice in the right way
Ouches and Oops--thinking about words and actions we say and use and how they might affect others and if we misstep what to do next
Circles of support--knowing when to ask for support because the problem is bigger than what I can handle
Attention Grade 5 Families check out some important info about yearbooks and well wishes here!
Robert Taylor photos: Click here for more information
Get excited our PTA Sponsored Spring Dance, Candy Ball, is on 4/12! See information about it in our PTA section below
Please click here to access an important letter from Mr. Steven Autieri re: state assessments.
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Mathewson PTA News
Our next meeting is….. Tuesday, April 9th @ 7 pm in the Media Center
Thank you to all that attended our virtual February meeting
Get Excited for our Spring Dance--Candy Ball!
Friday, April 12th @ 6:30-8:30
$12 per family
*Not a drop off event!
Giggling Pig - April
MONDAY, April 8-April 29
$80
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CCC News for the week of March 28, 2024
This week's CCC News contains information and links for a mix of resources & fun activities. Among the community services you will find links for "Foodshare Mobile Pantry dates, and a new CT Transit Program.
For Family fun you'll find information about several programs & activities to take advantage of over Spring Break.
There is also information about two fun summer camps.
Remember that the CCC Website is updated with links to community resources.
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!
Have a great week!
--
Mary-Kathryn Williams, Coordinator
Milford Community Connection Centers
203-882-6094
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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)
Student Absence Reporting Procedure:
The school attendance line is no longer the means for reporting student absence. A new requirement is for parents/guardians to fill out the Attendance Absence Form within PowerSchool any time their child is absent.
The procedure for notifying the school of your child’s early dismissal or late arrival is the same as previous years. If your child will be arriving/joining late or leaving early, please email the building secretary, the greeter and classroom teacher. Do Not fill out the PowerSchool form for late arrivals or early dismissals.
This form must be completed on the day the child is absent and must be completed on each day
Absent. If you fill out the form more than once in a day, only the latest will be seen.
The purpose of this form is to keep everyone safe and healthy by verifying the child’s symptoms.
1) Start by logging into PowerSchool (https://gradebook.milforded.org)
2) After logging in, click Forms in the left navigation.
Note: If you are on a phone’s browser and don’t see Forms at first, tap the little right-facing
arrow in the upper-left corner to show the left navigation.
3) If you have more than one child, make sure you click/tap the correct child’s name in the
upper-left corner first.
4) On the Forms page, look for the Attendance section. Click/tap the Attendance Absence Form -
Parents link.
Note: If the form never loads, please make sure you are not using the Firefox web browser.
5) Answer Yes or No to the questions and then click/tap Submit.
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@ BePAWsitiveMPS
