Mr. Ward’s Message:
HUGE, HUGE THANK YOU to Mr. Ventura for creating the outdoor free library for the Freetown Elementary School Community. See the photos below…
Where did the Free Outdoor Library idea come from? The idea was generated from our Grade 3 Student Council Members with Mrs. Duffy the facilitator of the Grade 3 Student Council. The Council members come together to make a difference. They sure did with the help of Mr. Ventura and the very supportive FES PTO.
What is a Free Outdoor Library? A free outdoor library is a book-sharing box where anyone can take or leave a book.
Where is the FES Free Library located? On the brick wall outside the main office on Bullock Road.
Here are some things to know about the FES Free Outdoor Library?
Outdoor free libraries work on an honor system, so you do not need to return a book you take, but you can bring a book to share if you want.
All of us together will act as a library caretaker as we should work together to promote the library, keep it clean, and make sure all books are age-appropriate for our students.
Benefits of a Free Outdoor Library help children develop a love of reading and increase the number of books they have access to. Outdoor Free Libraries also help strengthen community ties and teach children about reusing and recycling items.
Attendance Matters…
Attendance Matters Weekly Update:
Goal: 94% of the FES student population will attend school daily.
September weekly attendance data indicates...
September 9-13: 98%...Met Goal!
Upcoming events:
September 26: Preschool Open House from 5:30 - 6:30 PM
September 27: Fall Individual Picture Day - Lifetouch is the provider
PTO Corner:
Also, this past Monday, September 9th, FES held their September PTO Meeting. At the meeting we had 23 parents/guardians in the audience. Please note PTO meetings will be held in person and virtually. Mr. Ward will share the meeting invite link the week before the meeting. We encourage more parents/guardians to attend our next meeting, October 21st beginning at 5:30 PM. Please note the time change at the start of the meeting. Why, you might be wondering? There is a special town meeting beginning at 7:00 PM on October 21st.
Important topics to cover from the PTO…
CORI Check and Fingerprinting…No matter if you are volunteering for the PTO or just in your child’s classroom there are two required forms that need to be done before you can volunteer.
A CORI check is free and is required regardless of what type of volunteering you would like to do at the school. A CORI is good for three years and requires renewal after three years. FES can provide a CORI form and the school will submit it to the local CORI board for processing. A copy of a valid license or state issued ID is required.
The fingerprinting process needs to be done if you would like to volunteer for events such as field trips and the Fox Festival (any event where an individual is with children unsupervised by a faculty member). There is a fee for fingerprinting. The fee is a one time fee and does not expire. You can find locations to set up an appointment for fingerprinting on-lne at www.identogo.com Please follow the directions below…
Select Massachusetts in the drop down menu to find the nearest fingerprinting center
Under Enrollment Services select “Digital Fingerprinting”
Select “Schedule a New Appointment”
From the Agency/Sector dropdown menu, select “Pre-K-12th Grade Education (ESE)”
Under Applicant Type Select “All Other School Personnel”
Select “yes” to confirm agency
Enter our Provider ID: 06650000
Confirm that the provider is Freetown-Lakeville
Enter your zip code or select a region to find a list of the closet centers
Enter all of the required information and provide the payment to finalize your appointment.
FES PTO website is...https://freetownelementarypto.weebly.com/
FLRSD SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council)...
With a new year upon us within the FLRSD the Special Education Parent Advisory Council would like to introduce themselves. Below you will find a note about the FLRSD SEPAC:
With the school year starting, the FreeLake SEPAC wanted to introduce ourselves and provide some info on upcoming meetings/events.
While SEPACs were created to represent families of children with disabilities, we are striving to create an inclusive, supporting and welcoming community for all students. Please consider joining us at our first meeting to be a part of the change you would like to see.
Our first meeting is on September 17 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm in the Apponequet Regional High School Library. Superintendent Strauss, Kelly Steele (Director of Student Services), Danielle Johansen (SPED admin for Grades 6-PG), Donna Hillary (SPED admin for Gr K-5), and Meredith Foye (SPED admin for Gr Prek-3) will be in attendance.
News and Happenings from around the classrooms - Week of September 9-13:
Pre-School: This week in preschool we began our “All About Me” theme. We discussed our similarities and differences, including our likes and dislikes. Projects included measuring our height, measuring our shoes, graphing our eye color, and drawing self portraits. We also learned classroom routines and expectations, and discussed how rules keep us safe.
Kindergarten: We are settling into our kindergarten classrooms! We’ve been learning so much about our classroom and whole school routines. We’ve been busy making friends and sharing our “All About Me Bags.”
Grade 1: This week in first grade we started reviewing letter sounds and formations. We also have been sharing our All About Me bags and getting to know each other. In math we began learning about math talk and the steps to solving problems. In writing the students are learning the routines and expectations.
Grade 2: This week in second grade we continued to get to know our classmates and practiced school routines and procedures. In reading, we read words and sentences with closed syllables and also learned about character traits. In math we began to learn about place value. Additionally, we worked on developing ideas for writing and learned map skills.
Grade 3: Third grade is off to a great start this year! In reading, we started a read-aloud book called, Judy Moody. This has been a very engaging and funny story to kick off the year! In both reading and math, students took the I-Ready diagnostic so the teachers can determine all students’ reading and math abilities. This information will help teachers place students in small groups that best meet the needs of each individual. In writing, students started to write a bio poem, which is a poem about themself. They will continue working on this poem next week before presenting it to their classmates. In social studies, students started to explore the question, “what is history?”
Art: It is so great to be back making art with students! Kindergarteners listened to the story I’m Not Just a Scribble and then we made our own adorable scribble monsters. Grade 1 reviewed directions of lines (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal) and drew various lines in all of these directions. Grade 2 started a World Collage project to kick off an exciting year of learning about art around the world. Grade 3 learned how to use a ruler to draw straight lines, then started creating mini line designs. The Virtual Art Room is always available to families at home for additional resources that align with the art curriculum. This can also be found under departments in the FES Website.
Physical Education: Welcome back! We are off and running (literally) in the gym. Last week and this Monday, students reviewed the rules and expectations of the class and the safety rules of the playground. This week most 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders are practicing their kicking skills by using a soccer ball to dribble, shoot, pass and practice ball handling skills which will continue into next week. Kindergarten students are practicing spatial awareness while walking, jogging, jumping, galloping and skipping. They also are moving in different pathways: straight, curved, and zig-zag.
Music: Welcome back to school everyone! This week, students K-3 have started their unit on being expressive in music. We will learn new songs, games, and movements to be performed with appropriate musicality.
Library: Welcome back to school! We are off to a great start in the library! Students have been learning about the expectations, getting Google Classrooms set up and learning how to locate books in the library. Library books may be returned each time your child has library class as their special. If your child has not finished reading their books, they can also choose to renew them.