Jaguar Tracks
November 8th
Dear JE families,
I continue to be amazed by our students! They are so diligent and passionate about their learning. Last Monday, we had our Central Office visit and it was so nice for our Superintendent Team to join us and see a glimpse into the excellence our students bring to school each and every day. A big takeaway from the visit was the strength of our academic discourse. Students are talking about math, debating and defending their approach in all grade levels.
We also had our Veteran's Day assembly for our fifth grade on Wednesday. I was so proud of our students who showed up and brought their whole selves to the performance. They sang songs as a group and individually, volunteered to get up and dance and participate in other unique ways. It was a beautiful tribute to Veteran's day and a day I will remember forever! This week, we will have a special veteran's day recognition in each of our classrooms on Wednesday. Students are invited to wear Red, White and Blue.
Upcoming:
Thursday: 11/11 No School
Friday:11/19 In Service Day for Conferences: No School for Students
In community,
Caitlin Shelburne
From Dr. Milaschewski
Dear Joshua Eaton Families and Caregivers,
We hope the school year is off to a great start! As you may know, we spent a full day at Joshua Eaton on Monday and we will be spending full days in each of our schools this fall. We strongly believe that if we want to effectively support all of the schools in our district, we need to deeply understand the culture, instructional practices, and operations of every building. On Monday, we were able to visit almost every classroom in the school, meet most of the students, and spend time with students and staff at lunch and recess. We were so encouraged by some of the great things happening across the school and left the day with a better understanding of the school community and some of the things that makes Joshua Eaton so unique.
As a follow up to this visit, we are hoping that you can take a few minutes to share out your thoughts and ideas about our district through this quick survey. We have asked these same questions to staff and families across our schools to help us as we begin to map out a plan for the future of the Reading Public Schools. We are planning on sharing district-wide trends from different stakeholder groups as the year moves forward.
Please feel free to reach out to any of us directly if you have questions. We look forward to seeing you around the Reading community!
Best regards,
Tom Milaschewski, Superintendent
Sarah Hardy, Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching
Jen Stys, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services
From the Health Office
It’s been a great start to the year! I want to thank you for everything that you are doing to keep our community safe. Although the situation has improved significantly, COVID continues to be a health concern and we must all remain vigilant about preventing transmission.
Just a reminder that if your child is sick – please keep them home. If they have any of the following symptoms, they will need to have a negative covid test or documentation from a physician/provider that offers an alternative diagnosis before returning to school……
- Fever greater than 100, chills or shaking chills
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- New loss of taste or smell
- Muscle aches or body aches
A COVID test is also required if your child develops a combination of two or more of the following symptoms:
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Nausea, Vomiting or Diarrhea
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Nasal Congestion or Runny Nose
If your child develops symptoms at school, and is consented for symptomatic testing, I can test them onsite. However, depending on their symptoms, you may be asked to follow up with a PCR test to confirm.
Please refer to PROCOTOL C from the DESE COVID testing flowchart.
https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/flowcharts.pdf
If you haven’t signed up for COVID testing at school, here is the link.
https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma
If your child is identified as a close contact to someone that has tested positive outside of school, please let me know as soon as possible. Students are still required to quarantine and should not be coming to school.
Information and guidance for persons in quarantine due to COVID-19
Travel Guidance
If your child/children travel out of the state, we are asking that you follow CDC recommended guidance on travel. Here is the link that outlines what to do for unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html
Vision and Hearing Screening for grades 1-3
I will be starting state mandated vision and hearing screenings for our first grade students the week of October 18th. If you do not want your child screened, please send me an email by 10/15, requesting to opt-out. elmy.trevejo@reading.k12.ma.us
It takes a village to keep our schools safe. Thanks for your support!
Best,
Elmy Trevejo, RN MPH (elmy.trevejo@reading.k12.ma.us) 781-942-9161 ext 15140
Interested in learning more about math instruction in Grades 3-5?
Interested in substituting at JE?
Are you looking for a way to support our school? We have a great opportunity. From time to time, teachers attend important trainings during the school day. Usually, we hire substitutes to cover classrooms, but given the current staffing shortage we are having difficulty finding qualified substitutes. We know most parents/guardians are not able to commit to substituting regularly, but we want to offer an option for those who might want to substitute occasionally. Below is some information:
- Pay rate has increased - the NEW rate will be increased to $105/day for certified teachers, and the uncertified daily substitute rate will be increased to $100/day!
- Substitutes need to have a CORI and fingerprinting check
- Teachers leave detailed plans for substitutes to follow
- Parents/guardians will not be allowed to substitute in their child's class
Please contact Kristyn Cohen and Michelle Roach and CC me: kristyn.cohen@reading.k12.ma.us/ Michelle.Roach@reading.k12.ma.us
Festival of Trees
From the Desk of the PTO
PTO News
PTO NEWS
Hello everyone! Moving on from Halloween to Thanksgiving! Please see the sign-up genius below to help out with our Holiday breads donation event. Each year, JE PTO and families provide holiday breads to all of the amazing teachers and staff at Joshua Eaton! For those unfamiliar with this event, we collect store-purchased breads (banana bread, pumpkin bread, etc.) and deliver them to the school for the staff at JE to bring home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Breads need to be delivered to designated addresses (106 Red Gate Lane or 43 Fairview Avenue) on Monday 11/22 or Tuesday 11/23.
Thanks very much for your help in showing the teachers and staff how thankful we are for all they do! If you have any questions, reach out to Anne Maganzini (abmaganzini@gmail.com) or Suzanne Newell (suzanne.polizzi@gmail.com)
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044baea828a7fb6-holiday
Another friendly reminder that we are still accepting direct donations! We keep our direct donations drive open all year long! Any amount helps, but this year we are requesting $75 per student to cover the costs of our amazing enrichment programs and any field trips. Please give whatever you can! We do not do other fundraisers such as bake sales or wrapping paper sales, so our direct donation drive is very important! Remember that if your company does matching donations, Joshua Eaton is an eligible 504c!! You can donate by check made out to Joshua Eaton PTO via your child’s homework folder or sent to JE at 365 Summer Ave. Please note “direct donation” and your child’s name on your check. You can also donate at our Paypal link: www.paypal.com/paypalme/jepto or you can Venmo donations to @JoshuaEaton-PTO. Please write “direct donation” and your child’s name in the comments field of Venmo or Paypal.
Our next PTO meeting is November 10th from 7-8 pm. This meeting will most likely be held virtually, so keep an eye out for a meeting link so you can join!
Natalie and Meredith, PTO Co-Presidents
Joshua Eaton Website
Have you visited our website? We encourage all of you to familiarize yourself with our Joshua Eaton website www.reading.k12.ma.us/joshuaeaton. Here you will find all pertinent school information including:
· School Calendar with important dates and events
· Jaguar Tracks Newsletters
· Staff list and contact information
· Forms (Including CORI, Dismissal, etc…)
· PTO information
· Health Office Information
· Curriculum Information
· School Handbook
…and more!
This is your “Go-To” place for all JE information!! Our website is updated regularly, so stop by and take a peek!!
American Indian Heritage month
If interested in exploring more, here is a resource with texts and activities to try with your children.
https://www.waterford.org/education/native-american-heritage-month-school-activities/