The Thursday Owl - April 15, 2021

ALCOTT NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS



FUEL your child’s education today - Alcott PTG Fund to Uphold Education and Learning (FUEL): FUEL your child’s education today by contributing to our annual appeal! Typically the PTG spends over $135 per student/year to provide valuable enhancements to their school experience. This year the PTG prioritized funds for families impacted by Covid-19.

The appeal campaign supplements PTG fundraising efforts with with a goal to raise $15,000 from our community. We are asking you to help us achieve our target through your gift today!

Donate here via Paypal or credit card. Donate $100 or more and receive an Alcott blanket. You can also send cash or a check (payable to “Alcott PTG” with “annual appeal” in memo) back to school with your child in a sealed envelope. LOOK FOR THE FLYER IN YOUR CHILD’S BAG IN THE COMING WEEKS!

Concord Middle School Building Committee forum, this Friday, April 16th, 9:30am (via Thoreau PTG Zoom) Thoreau Elementary Principal Angel Charles and the Thoreau PTG will be hosting the Concord Middle School Building Committee at their Thoreau PTG Zoom this Friday, April 16th at 9:30am.  Several key members of the Concord Middle School planning committee will be in attendance, including Dr. Laurie Hunter (District Superintendent), Heather Bout (Chair of Communications Subcommittee), Kristen Olson (Head Architect), and one of the CMS committee co-chairs.  Families of Concord Integrated preschool, Willard and Alcott are warmly invited.  This forum is an excellent opportunity to hear the latest updates on the CMSBC planning process, to ask questions, and to give your input on the new Concord Middle School. The members of the CMS planning committee REALLY want to hear input from you! Hope to see you all on Friday morning at 9:30am!

Zoom Details
Topic: PTG Meeting
Time: Apr 16, 2021 09:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://concordps.zoom.us/j/95412596890

Meeting ID: 954 1259 6890
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,95412596890# US (New York)
+13017158592,,95412596890# US (Washington DC)

Apr 19-23: April Recess - No School
May 28: Professional Day - No School for Students
May 31: Memorial Day - No School
Jun 16: Last Day of School


2020-2021 School Calendar

IN THE COMMUNITY

CFPL Poetry Walk: The Children’s Department at the Concord Free Public Library has installed a Poetry Walk on the Main Library front lawn to celebrate National Poetry Month through the month of April. The Poetry Walk, originally conceptualized in partnership with local non-profit Gaining Ground, features Renga-style poems celebrating the seasons written by students in the Virtual Writing Studio, led by staff and resident poet Cary Stough. In addition, visitors can also enjoy the book, The year comes round: haiku through the seasons written by Sid Farrar. The book is beautifully illustrated by Concord’s own Caldecott Honor winner, Ilse Plume.

CONTINUING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Family-friendly walking tours: Are you looking for a fun and educational family experience over April vacation? At 10 am Monday - Friday, April 19-23, the Concord Visitor Center is offering a 45 minute family-friendly walking tour focused on the history of Downtown Concord. This is a fun opportunity to learn about local history while remaining socially distant. Meet at the Visitor Center at 58 Main Street in Concord Center at 10:45 with a mask. Reservations are preferred by calling: 978-318-3061.Check out our many other tour options for all ages at www.visitconcord.org.

Concord Children’s Center is Celebrating its 45th Anniversary! Concord Children’s Center will be celebrating its 45th anniversary in April with a series of small-scale, COVID-safe events that are open to all.

  • Family Scavenger Hunt: A fun activity for the entire family! Download a scavenger hunt form and then find the picture of the decorated “45” at participating local businesses from Monday, April 12-Tuesday, April 27. Return your completed sheet to CCC Development Coordinator Jennifer Saxe and get one entry for the child’s prize in our 45th anniversary raffle!

  • Raffle: The grand finale of CCC’s 45th anniversary celebrations! On Thursday, April 29, we will be holding a virtual raffle at 8:30 p.m. Participants have the chance to win one of five prizes, with one of these prizes being just for kids! Allocate your raffle tickets among the five prizes however you wish — apply them all to one prize or divvy them up among a few items. You do not need to be on the raffle call to win. Raffle tickets will be on sale from Monday, April 12-Tuesday, April 27, and are 1/$10, 3/$25, or 10/$75. Massachusetts law does not provide for the sale of raffle tickets on-line or through the mail, so all sales must be in person. To purchase tickets, please email CCC Development Coordinator Jennifer Saxe.

More information on the festivities can be found on the Concord Children’s Center website.Shop through Amazon Smile: Do you shop on Amazon? If so, one easy way to support our PTG is to shop through smile.amazon.com. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of all qualifying purchases to a charitable organization of your choice. There is no catch and no extra fees; just designate “Alcott School Parent Teacher Group Inc” as your charity, then shop through the “AmazonSmile” link!

Helpful Links:

PTG online volunteer information and sign-up: Please visit our SignUpGenius Page and our website to discover all the ways both working and non-working parents and guardians are needed to support our wonderful staff, students, and families. Have something to offer that you don’t see listed there? There’s a place for you to submit that info as well! We hope to hear from you!

The Thursday Owl - April 8, 2021

ALCOTT NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS


The Alcott Chess Club has kicked off its final 10-week session for the school year, but it's not too late to join the fun! Give your child something to do for those rainy evenings, and for those times when they just want to kick back and have some fun. Email Ken Belt at alcottchess@hotmail.com if you're interested. And be sure to watch for details on the annual Alcott chess tournament after vacation. You won't want to miss it. It's your move!

Apr 19-23: April Recess - No School
May 28: Professional Day - No School for Students
May 31: Memorial Day - No School


2020-2021 School Calendar

IN THE COMMUNITY

Family-friendly walking tours: Are you looking for a fun and educational family experience over April vacation? At 10 am Monday - Friday, April 19-23, the Concord Visitor Center is offering a 45 minute family-friendly walking tour focused on the history of Downtown Concord. This is a fun opportunity to learn about local history while remaining socially distant. Meet at the Visitor Center at 58 Main Street in Concord Center at 10:45 with a mask. Reservations are preferred by calling: 978-318-3061.Check out our many other tour options for all ages at www.visitconcord.org.

Debate & Public Speaking for Your Child - Online Summer Programs! Lumos is offering online speech and debate programs for students grades 4-10 through Zoom. Your child will meet new friends, develop critical thinking skills, and practice their public speaking in a fun, low-pressure learning environment!

  • Public Speaking Confidence

  • 4:1 Student Teacher Ratio

  • Fun and Engaging Activities!

This program is perfect for first time debaters or shy students! Lumos programs are really fun, high energy, and give students a great opportunity to build their confidence in a supportive learning environment! Please register quickly as we typically sell out and do need to move to a waitlist. Find more information and register at: LumosDebate.com

Concord Recreation Programs:
Boredom Buster for April Vacation! Looking for something to do at home over April Vacation? Purchase a Boredom Buster activity from Concord Rec! Activities include building a bird house, paper airplane, and decorating your own bag.

Youth Track Program (Grades 3-6) The emphasis in this program is on participating, learning, improving, and doing the best one can. This informal and fun track & field clinic is open to students in grades 3-6. It is designed to familiarize participants with this universal sport. Track events include the 100, 200, and 400 meters for all grades, the 50 meter dash for 3rd and 4th graders, and the 800 meters and one mile for the 5th and 6th graders. Field events include the softball throw for distance and the running long jump.

Revolutionary Soccer Camp (Grades 1st-5th, Week of July 6th & Week of July 19th) The objective of the Revolution Academy Soccer Camp is to put players in an environment that encourages creativity, individuality, and imagination through age-appropriate coaching while fostering a competitive, professional and fun atmosphere.

Intro To Film Camp (Grades 4th-6th, August 2nd-13th) Our goal is to create a fun, age-appropriate, and hands-on experience for kids to learn about film and filmmaking in a camp environment. Both weeks will culminate in the creation of a short film created by the children.

Concord Children’s Center is Celebrating its 45th Anniversary! Concord Children’s Center will be celebrating its 45th anniversary in April with a series of small-scale, COVID-safe events that are open to all.

  • Family Scavenger Hunt: A fun activity for the entire family! Download a scavenger hunt form and then find the picture of the decorated “45” at participating local businesses from Monday, April 12-Tuesday, April 27. Return your completed sheet to CCC Development Coordinator Jennifer Saxe and get one entry for the child’s prize in our 45th anniversary raffle!

  • Raffle: The grand finale of CCC’s 45th anniversary celebrations! On Thursday, April 29, we will be holding a virtual raffle at 8:30 p.m. Participants have the chance to win one of five prizes, with one of these prizes being just for kids! Allocate your raffle tickets among the five prizes however you wish — apply them all to one prize or divvy them up among a few items. You do not need to be on the raffle call to win. Raffle tickets will be on sale from Monday, April 12-Tuesday, April 27, and are 1/$10, 3/$25, or 10/$75. Massachusetts law does not provide for the sale of raffle tickets on-line or through the mail, so all sales must be in person. To purchase tickets, please email CCC Development Coordinator Jennifer Saxe.

More information on the festivities can be found on the Concord Children’s Center website.

CONTINUING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Shop through Amazon Smile: Do you shop on Amazon? If so, one easy way to support our PTG is to shop through smile.amazon.com. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of all qualifying purchases to a charitable organization of your choice. There is no catch and no extra fees; just designate “Alcott School Parent Teacher Group Inc” as your charity, then shop through the “AmazonSmile” link!

Helpful Links:

PTG online volunteer information and sign-up: Please visit our SignUpGenius Page and our website to discover all the ways both working and non-working parents and guardians are needed to support our wonderful staff, students, and families. Have something to offer that you don’t see listed there? There’s a place for you to submit that info as well! We hope to hear from you!

April Newsletter

Happy Spring!  We are in the final stages of preparing to bring all students back to full days of in person learning.  As such, this month’s newsletter is filled with information and updates about our return on Monday, April 5th.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out at any time!

Devices: Laptops, iPads and chargers should be returned to school on April 5th.  Once we return to full days, devices will be stored at school.  We are also asking students to bring a pair of headphones.

Supplies: Students should start bringing their remote learning supplies (art materials, books, etc) back to school so that they can use them in the afternoons while they are in person.

Extra Masks: We are recommending that kids bring extra masks in their backpacks.  It is likely that kids will need to change their mask at least once or twice during a full school day.

Lunch and Recess: We are committed to sending students outside for lunch and recess unless weather absolutely prohibits it.  Your teachers will give you specifics about what your child will need to bring for this time period, but it will certainly include a bag for carrying lunches and belongings outside.  As the weather gets warmer, we would also encourage you to include hats and sunscreen in the items that you send in for the lunch and recess block.  If indoor lunch is necessary, students will remain seated six feet apart.  An adult will do a read aloud or show a school related video to deter talking while students are unmasked.

Sample Afternoon Schedule: To clarify some questions about what afternoons will look like after April 5th, I want to share a sample schedule with families.  Of course, it will vary from class to class, but this should give you a sense of what to expect:

12:15-1:15

Lunch and Recess

1:15-1:40

In Person Time with Classroom Teacher

1:40-2:00

Zoom for Specials

2:00-2:25

Assignment/Project for Specials

2:25-3:15

In Person Time with Classroom Teacher

3:15-3:30

Pack up and Dismissal Procedures

Specials: All specials will continue to be taught using the zoom platform. All children will attend a 20 minute zoom session with the specialist and and complete 25 minutes of asynchronous work using Seesaw (K-2) or Google Drive (3-5).

Instrumental Music: Per Dr. Hunter’s March 31st letter:

  • All fourth grade students will participate in the general music activities with their homeroom class, including those students who usually participate in band and orchestra.

  • Band and orchestra teachers  will continue to post content and practice goals on the Google Classrooms.

  • Band and orchestra teachers will coordinate additional (outside-of-school) Zoom opportunities for 4th and 5th grade students to continue playing their instruments at home – dates will be forthcoming.

Pooled Testing: We continue to recommend that as many students sign up for weekly asymptomatic pooled testing as possible.  This is a great way to mitigate the spread of the virus once we return fully in person.  Currently, Alcott has about 62% of students signed up.  Our goal is for at least 75% of students to participate.

Transportation: Updated bus lists have been posted to the district’s website.  If you completed the survey requesting to be reassigned to a bus, please check here to see if transportation was able to accommodate your request.

Dismissal:  As we move to a full day schedule, we will be adjusting our dismissal time to 3:30 PM.  If the new schedule means your child will be changing his or her after school plans, ie taking the bus, walking, attending Concord Rec, please let the homeroom teacher know.

Play Structures: The play structures will be used on a rotating basis during recess.

  • Recess on the playground will be monitored by the adult assigned to that particular class

  • Masks will be worn at all times when using play structures

  • Students will wash/sanitize immediately before entering structure area

  • Students will wash/sanitize immediately after leaving structure area

Parent Volunteers:  While we are currently exploring ways in which we can welcome our parents back to campus, access to the interior of school by visitors including parents continues to be extremely limited. Parent meetings with school staff will continue to be conducted virtually.

Lunch Ordering Information: If you are interested in ordering lunch through the school now that students will be attending full days, you can find the information on ordering below.  Lunch remains free for all students this year.

NutriSlice is our contactless ordering system available on both desktop, and mobile platforms. There will be no in-person ordering or payment at this time.

  • Please create your students accounts here

    • You will need your students lunch ID # to complete the profile. If you or your student does not remember theirs, or if you are a new student to the district, please email bmacknight@concordps.org

    • When ordering, please be sure that you are selecting the appropriate building for your student(s). Menus are published and ready for your review.

    • Ordering can be done daily by 8:00 am day of attendance, as well as 5 days in advance.

    • If you would like to order more than one meal to cover days that your student will be learning from home, please put that note into the order for the day your student will be physically present. There is a “notes” section where this can be added.

    • Feedback mechanisms on NutriSlice, we encourage you to rate and provide feedback on meals so that we can learn and improve our services to better fit your needs.

Travel Reminder: The Governor’s recent announcement regarding travel will not impact our travel protocol.  With the upcoming April vacation corresponding to a full return at middle and high schools, testing upon return from travel will ensure positive cases do not enter any of the school environments when we open.