A message or two! From the Principal for you.
A message or two! From the Principal for you.
A Marion Cross Crosswords publication for you to enjoy
Good afternoon Norwich and Upper Valley residents. I thought it would be nice to post this for you to enjoy. I know that parents with MCS schoolchildren receive this, however there is information in here that might be of interest to others in the community.
A Message From the Principal
Dear MCS Families,
This past weekend I took a trip to Morrisville to pick up bees for my apiary. As I was putting them in the hives Saturday afternoon I thought about how often things do not go as planned. Last fall I had six thriving hives and was able to harvest 20 quarts of honey. In anticipation for winter I did the necessary mite treatments, wrapped the hives, and made certain each hive had enough honey to survive. Our wild winter temperature fluctuations in December and January brought rain, which translated into moisture in the hives. A sudden temperature drop turned the moisture to ice and killed the bees in four of my hives. The other two were thriving right up until the first of April and overnight one hive completely perished. The final survivors in hive #6 were few in numbers, but surviving...until just last week when they too perished. This left me with two choices - consider myself a failed beekeeper and quit or take time to reflect, look for opportunities for growth, and move forward. I chose the second option and installed new bees last weekend, who are thriving this weekend
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You might ask why is Mr. Gonyaw sharing his bee woes? I see a correlation with our current situation. We began this school year with all the necessary ingredients to have a fantastic, and typical, school year. A few weeks ago we were thrown a curveball, and just like the fluctuation of winter weather for the apiary it has caused uncertainty and upset. How we choose to perceive this situation and what we can glean from it are fully our choice.
This week I met with a group of parents with children in grades 4-6 at a parent chat on Zoom. It was evident to me that many families are making the best of this situation. It was mentioned that for some this is an opportunity to teach children independence. Others mentioned that they have enjoyed the added time that is spent learning together as a family. All present indicated how much strong relationships between children, families, and teachers has made this situation better for all involved. This week also had an increase in positive email communications coming my way, perhaps due to teacher/staff appreciation week. The MCS building has had an increase in teachers coming to prepare materials for children. Across the board, teachers miss the daily in person interactions with children. However, they have all mentioned what lessons have been learned and how our current situation has changed their thinking in one way another. Throughout the communications that came my way this week was the theme of people making the best of a tricky situation. I am confident that just as my apiary was given the opportunity to rebound and will soon be back to six (or more) thriving hives, so will MCS rebound. We will come back as a stronger system and community having all learned valuable insights.
Teacher/staff appreciation
Thank you to all of the families and organizations who made this week special for MCS staff members. On Monday we were treated to a slideshow highlighting positive photos and messages. Throughout the week teachers received thoughtful notes. Many of you participated in special parades and the PTO organized Pie Day with the support of The Blue Sparrow. On behalf of all of us at MCS, I would like to send out a huge thank you!
Class Placement
Thank you to the many parents and guardians who took the time to send me your perspectives about class placement for your child(ren). This coming Wednesday teachers will be working to make class lists for the coming school year. We will keep your preferences in mind during this process. Report cards will include class placement information. This will allow your family to leave the school year with this piece of knowledge.
Parent Nights
As the weeks progress and we are distanced from one another, we thought that it might be valuable to have check-in time. Katie, Nurse Pam, Mr. Bagnato, and Mr. Gonyaw will be hosting bi-weekly check-in times. The forum will be through a zoom meeting. The four of us will be available to hear any questions, concerns, or celebration that you would like to bring. On Thursday we hosted 4-6 grade family members. Next Wednesday we will host K-3 families who wish to join. Below are the links to join the meetings. The same links will work for future gatherings on the same days at the same times.
Topic: K-3rd Grade Parent Check-In
Time: May 13, 2020 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://sau70.zoom.us/j/91886647425?pwd=M0w3ZFc3cTVCc1RmcCtDNGpmMW9yQT09
Meeting ID: 918 8664 7425
Password: 485858
Topic: 4th, 5th and 6th Grade Parent Check-in
Time: May 12, 2020 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://sau70.zoom.us/j/99250394755?pwd=SVluRG55bm83MnM3Rm80Y3pFOTM1QT09
Meeting ID: 992 5039 4755
Password: 394550
Wishing you well,
Shawn
Important Dates
May 25 - Holiday, No School
School News and Information
Superintendent's Performance Review - Parent Community
Dear MCS Parent Community Members,
The school board’s Superintendent Performance Evaluation Committee would greatly appreciate your taking the time to respond to our evaluation of Superintendent Jay Badams’s performance during the 2019-2020 school year. Your responses will be anonymous and will be helpful in our required yearly review process. So that we will have time to collect and present your responses with all others we solicit, we are asking that you please complete this survey no later than Monday, May 18th.
Thank you, in advance, for your care and responses.
Lisa Christie
Kelley Hersey
Jonathan Hunt
Rick Johnson
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X73GTLC
Dear Families,
Stella and I are still offering our weekly social lunches, and they are linked below as well as on many of the workboards and google classrooms. I’m also happy to set a time to meet or talk to you or your child individually; you can sign up here.
Last weekend I was able to listen to this great podcast series with Lynn Lyons, LICSW, who is a child anxiety expert and was a guest speaker for our district last year. There are six episodes exploring many issues such as: parent and child anxiety, the idea of “stuck at home” parenting, flattening the emotional curve, and regressive behavior in children during the pandemic. It’s easy listening and quite informative.
Lunch Group Schedule:
Kindergarten Mondays 11:30-12:00 3rd Grade Thursdays 1:00-1:30
1st Grade Mondays 12:00-12:30 4th Grade Thursdays 12:00-12:30
2nd Grade Tuesdays 12:00-12:30 5th Grade Mondays 12:30-1:00
Be well,
Katie Cormier
MCS School Counselor
Spring is here! The Vegetable and Flower gardens need volunteers!
ISO Individuals and family volunteers to water, plan and weeding on weekly shifts.
Parent leadership is wanted to take on flower/ perennial garden organizing/ work.
Please sign up via this google doc or contact traceyhayeswarren@gmail.com.
Lindsay Putnam and Molly Riodan will provide support for the Vegetable garden.
MaryAnn Hollbrook (from the Norwich Women's Club, Triangle Garden) will provide support in flower identification and care.
Enjoy the reawakening of Spring!!!!
MCS Little Lending Library
Located on the ramp on the Church Street entrance. Please remember to social distance.
Want to know about An Act of Kindness? A huge thank you to the MCS PTO for their kindness and effort to bring a book to all of our students.
MCS 3rd graders thank MR. Wilson with a parade
Subscribe to get the info right into your inbox!
Violet, from Mrs. Moore's first grade, made a doll using materials around her house. She was inspired by learning about toys made in various African countrie
6th Grade Families:
Practice Schoology and Powerschool in Prep for RMS
Richmond Middle School set up "Remote Learning" tutorials on the home page under "Learning" . These will introduce and guide students and families new to Powerschool and Schoology. Also, Marty Warren, Tech. coordinator's contact information is there as well. https://www.frms.org/learning/remote-learning
6th Grade Yearbook
We are keeping traditions alive and creating a 6th grade yearbook--remotely. All 6th grade parents should have received an email with details about submitting yearbook sections. If you did not receive an email, please contact Jessica Eakin at jceakin12@gmail.com as soon as possible. Thank you!
Please go to this link to see resources about exploring the natural world. Here there are videos, photos and resources to inspire your children’s curiosity and backyard adventures. Items will be added as we go through the season. Latest updates are about wildflowers. ‘Tis the season for the beautiful but only briefly blooming ephemeral woodland flowers.
Hanover High School Football Team Story Time 2! Check out these stories read by our home team!
Trout Release!
On a day last week that was almost warm, the young trout fry were released into their natural home. These fish had been hatched from eggs and then carefully tended by fifth graders in Mr. Buck’s classroom until we had to switch to remote learning. They were so beautiful in the Charles Brown Brook! We will be creating a video and images of data collected which we will share with students very soon. Even though we are sad that students could not participate, if fish could be happy, they are. It was a good day for them to swim off into their new home. Huge thanks to the local chapter of Trout Unlimited and Rob Cramer for donating the eggs and the equipment, and helping us with the challenges of raising baby trout!
This week we've connectected several students with a tutor, and/or mentor.
If you'd like some help from a tutor, please complete this Consent Form and return it to me at emmacottage@sau70.com letting me know what subject/s you're interested in. If you would like to sign up to be a tutor, please let me know.
I have tutors waiting to help you, so please get in touch.
Have a great weekend!
Emma Cottage
Volunteer Coordinator
SAU 70
Summer Camps - Most of Norwich Recreation Summer Camps are open again*, but the available spots are greatly reduced (10 campers per session) in order to follow COVID-19 protocols. You can sign up via norwichrecreation.org. All registrants are placed on a waitlist, or can check out with printed invoice to be paid later. Once we are certain that camps are able to run, you will be able to pay your fees and secure your child's space at camp. We are asking that you consider the needs of our essential and healthcare workers, and only put your child on the list if you need a spot in order to complete your work. Please don't hesitate to call or email me if you need assistance signing up. (*you can find Sports, Good Life and Trails camp online. I will update that list as the staff commits to the season)
The RMS 2020 Spring Talent Show is ready to go.
Friday May 8th at 7:00pm for Part One
Saturday May 9th 7:00pm for Part Two
We will be raising money for the Upper Valley Haven throughout the show. Please enter “RMS Talent Show” in the notes section of the donation.
Don’t miss this special event. If you do….a recording will be available through the RMS Website.
(Principal) Tim (Boyle)
Important Links
BoardDocs: Remember to select "Norwich School Board" in upper right hand corner after you click "Public Access"
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