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Dear MES Families,

What an exquisite summer! I hope you are not all exhausted from one outdoor activity after another. It’s hard to stay inside when the weather is so inviting. Before I leave for a week in the Adirondacks I want to fill you in on some of what you can look forward to when school starts.

As of today, Gail and I count 88 students for the coming year. This is the largest enrollment in many years. Needless to say the number of students doesn’t fall evenly across grade levels so, once again, we’re using creative staffing to meet students’ needs. Please join me in thanking the School Board, Gussie Bartlett, Jen Carr, and Lauren Poster, for their support. As a result we are welcoming Jen O’Donnell, who worked last year as an assistant in the 3rd-4th grade, to the position of co-teacher with Judy in the Primary. They will expand into the space next to the Primary room so that students can spread out and work in small groups. Pam Burke and Celena Lundsted are adding to their responsibilities as Pam teaches reading and math with Erica in 3rd/4th grade and Celena assists David in 5th/6th . We also welcome Erik Schickendanz as our special educator, filling in for Janie Bell while she takes a year’s leave of absence.

So, who are all those new students? In Kindergarten, Ellen looks forward to seeing Dylan, Deacon, Charles, Willow, Althea, Ritter, and Waylund. And in other classes we have one new student per class. Judy and Jen welcome Ava to Primary. Erica and Pam in 3rd/4th welcome back Linaea and David and Celena welcome Olivia to 5th/6th. And in Junior High Rachel and Tim will welcome back Yarrow.

The big building projects this summer are the installation of projectors, screens, and StarBoards (interactive white boards) in the library and many of the classrooms and a kitchen renovation. Teachers are excited about learning to use the new technology and even more excited to see how it supports your children’s learning. The kitchen renovation is nothing fancy but will bring us up to speed with state requirements and give Celena a nicer work space.

Our Parents and Friends organization (P&F) and I invite you to a New Year’s Eve potluck on Monday, August 30, 5:30-7:30. This is a great time to reconnect with classmates and meet new families. Please bring a yummy dish that will serve 10. If you can, bring your own dinnerware and cups. P&F and I will provide lemonade and water and extra dinnerware, cups, and napkins. We’ll hope for good weather, in which case, we’ll picnic on the soccer field. If it rains, we’ll move into the Outback.

Wednesday, September 1 is our first day of school, with Kindergarten starting the following Tuesday, September 7th. Each classroom will host a Parent Night sometime within the first few weeks of school and we’ll get those dates to you in our first Friday Notes on September 3rd. Teachers will expand on the information they’ve sent in the letters included in this packet and it will also be a time for you to share your hopes for your children in the coming school year.

We continue to work hard on School Social Climate. Strong communication between school and home is essential to maintaining a climate in which all children feel safe – a climate of kindness and respect. Please be in touch!

See you August 30 for the New Year’s Eve Potluck.

Looking forward,

Francie