Shutesbury

PUBLICATION INFORMATION – Please submit any submissions for the Community section to:  [email protected] by Wednesdays at 1:00.  Online attachments must be compressed (less than 500KB) and in PDF format.  Hard copies (65) must be submitted by Thursdays at 1:00.  Call x100 with any questions.

DATES TO REMEMBER

January 9, 2015

Dear SES Community,

2015 has begun in quite a frosty fashion! Our first week back from break was certainly busy, including a two-hour delay due to the extreme cold! We are so happy to have the students back at school and hope that all of our SES families enjoyed the break.

I am excited to announce that student council has tallied the votes and the new SES mascot is… THE MOOSE! We had over 200 votes for the mascot, and the moose won by more than 35 votes! The next step for student council is to lead a mascot design project. Students will be able to create an interpretation of our mascot and submit it. The school will vote on the design and will then create school t-shirts and paint a mural. In the meantime, we are collecting quite an assortment of special moose “items.” Ms. Birtwell even brought in a HUGE antler! We have some great items on display near the office. Come take a look!

The next few weeks have a lot of “extra” happenings. The two Superintendent candidates will be visiting SES in the mornings of January 12^th (Tara Brandt) and 13^th (Jennifer Haggerty).  From 8:00-8:45am on both of those mornings, the Shutesbury public is invited to come to a breakfast reception in the library to meet the candidates. After the breakfast the candidates will tour the school. Please see the letter in this packet from Superintendent Mahler with more information about the candidates and about their public forum at Erving Elementary School on January 26^th at 6:00 pm.

Superintendent Mahler is also holding a regionalization forum on January 13^th at 6:30 pm in the SES library. At this meeting, the community may ask and discuss questions around the regionalization issues and related upcoming events.

With this chilly and bright start to 2015, I want to take a moment to thank the Shutesbury Community for their deep support and love for our school. This school is a truly special place for our children and our town and I feel honored to be a part of it.

Thank you to all!

Jackie Mendonsa, Principal

U28 Superintendent Regionalization Forum – January 13th at 6:30 p.m. in the Shutesbury Elementary School Library.  There is a similar meeting in Leverett on January 7th at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s library – folks from Shutesbury are welcome to attend either meeting or both.

Host:  Bob Mahler, Superintendent 

Topic: Regionalization

Goal: To have people fully prepared to participate in the decision that may create significant changes in the education, finance and governance of the elementary schools in Leverett and Shutesbury, and would impact all schools and towns that are part of Union #28.

Agenda:

Ø  Basic description of regionalization proposal/process.

Ø  Community brainstorm on questions, concerns and ideas about upcoming regionalization proposal.

Ø  Meeting participants generate, craft and clarify questions for Regionalization Committee.

SAVE THE DATE:  Drama Club’s “Wizard of Oz” Performance – Friday, February 27 at 2:00pm (during assembly) and 6:00pm.  Written and directed by 3^rd grader Arin Andrews (and his mother, Corinne!) and starring Shutesbury Elementary School Drama Club students from Kindergarten through 4^th Grade.  There will be no Drama Club on Thursdays, Jan. 15 and Jan. 22.  Please send in a yellow note regarding the change in your child’s after school plans if they usually attend Drama Club.

SES Student Interview of the Week!

Jack!

JM: What do you love about SES?

JB: Well, the school has Legos and I love them. I also really like learning about how to read. After I read Aesop’s Fables, I want to read The Hobbit!

JM: What do you like to do in your free time?

JB: My brother and I love Legos. We even have more Legos than Lego Club and they have like 1,000.

JM: What do you want to be when you grow up?

JB: I want to be a lot of things. I want to be a spaceman. If I can’t be a spaceman I want to be a cowboy. Those are the two options (smiles proudly).