Dear Franklin Families,
I hope that all of you had an enjoyable weekend, including the fun of our Halloween Bash! Even the downpours could not spoil the afternoon thanks to the hard work and creativity of event planning committee members Jessica Allen, Panasaya Buckley, Emilie Chang, Amy Jarry, and Kelley Torcasio. We are grateful for all of the volunteers and all who attended as we continued a beloved Franklin tradition in a new outdoor setting.
For those of you who were unable to attend the PTO Meeting on October 18th, here is a recording from that evening. Our next gathering will be a Parent Coffee on Friday, November 19th. Weather permitting, we will gather outside under the tent for that conversation, during which I will share more information about our work to strengthen our school community through Culturally Responsive Teaching. In the increasingly likely case of inclement weather or chilly temperatures, we will gather on Zoom. A final decision will be announced early in the week of November 15th.
Franklin’s Responsive School Team has planned a new event for Buddy Classes on the day before Thanksgiving. On this day, we will have our first Franklin Friendship Walk, in which buddy classes will walk together, side by side, through our school's neighborhood. Our walk will take place on Wednesday, November 24th at 10:45 a.m. and proceed along the following route: Start in the driveway between the school and field; West on Derby; Right on Parmenter; Right on Falmouth; Right on Arlington/Arbor; Right on Cherry; Right on Russell; Through the back gate into the field and back to the school. This is a one-mile route that has a continuous sidewalk and does not involve any street crossings. We invite families to be spectators along the route! At the walk’s end, students and staff will enjoy a special activity with their buddy classrooms.
Happy Diwali to all of our families who are celebrating this week!
Understanding our Differences: Understanding Our Differences is a non-profit organization founded in Newton in 1978 that works in partnership with the Newton Public Schools to teach elementary school students about disabilities. The curriculum fosters inclusion of people with disabilities in our schools and in our community. Students in 3rd grade will learn about: Blindness/Low Vision and Deafness/Hard of Hearing. Students in 4th grade will learn about Physical Disabilities and Chronic Medical Conditions (or Learning Disabilities). Students in 5th grade will learn about Autism and Intellectual Disabilities. To learn more about UOD CLICK HERE.
Weekly COVID Case Numbers: This week, Franklin School recorded no COVID cases. Information on districtwide COVID cases and vaccination rates can be found on the Newton Health and Human Services website here: NPS COVID Case Count and Vaccination Rates.
Parent Coffee/PTO Evening Meeting Dates: This year, we have a mixture of morning Parent Coffees and evening PTO Meetings through which we hope to engage all of you in conversation about life and learning in our school community. Please join us on the following dates. We will meet in-person when feasible and rely on virtual meetings when necessary. At this point, in-person meetings will need to be outdoors, so we expect to be limited by weather or lack of daylight as we move farther into the fall. We will let you know the format for each meeting as the date approaches.
November 19th 8:30 a.m.
January 20th 7:30 p.m.
February 18th 8:30 a.m.
March 24th 7:30 p.m.
April 29th 8:30 a.m.
June 2nd 7:30 p.m.
Absences: If your child will be absent from school for any reason, please call the Student Absence Line at 617-559-9509 before 7:50. Also, please be sure that teachers have accurate information about dismissal routines for your child.
Early Release Dates: We will have dismiss at 12:10 p.m. on the following dates: December 9th, February 3rd, March 24th, and May 12th.
With best wishes,
Mark Chitty