Dear Matthew Paterson Families,
Welcome to October! I hope everyone is safe after the buckets of rain on Friday. It is so wonderful to see the sun shining today. This past week, our students engaged in conversations with their classmates and teachers about bus expectations. I greatly appreciate all the families and guardians that sent back the bus contract. Please continue to have conversations with your child about bus behavior so we all feel safe and welcome on our school buses.
I would love your feedback. Here is a form for you to share what you would like to know more about Matthew Paterson Elementary School. It is important that we are partners in your child’s learning experience. Studies show that a strong connection between home and school benefits children tremendously. Parents who stay actively involved in their education do better in school and tend to have higher attendance rate, better social skills and increased graduation rates. One way is through parent newsletters.
I wanted to share the purpose of the weekly newsletter. I want to tell a story about your children and what they experience in their learning environment. I also want you to know what they are learning in their core subjects. I include a weekly update on events the PTO sponsored, upcoming school-wide events, and how to support your child at home. Please share what additional information would be helpful for you and your child.
Upcoming Events:
Monday, October 2-6: Panda Power Kick Off Week
Thursday, October 5-Flu Clinic (9:00-12:00) & *Early Dismissal Drill* (All students will be released 15 minutes earlier.)
Friday, October 6: K-6 Students Only No School
Monday, October 9: No School
Tuesday, October 10-Thursday, October 12: MPES PTO Fall Book Fair (Your child’s classroom teacher will update you regarding the schedule.)
This week teachers will continue to use formal and informal data to form small groups for the W.I.N. block. (What I Need) This is an instructional time of the day students will meet with classroom teachers to get what they need academically and/or socially/emotionally. During this time, there is no new instruction. Some students may need support by the teacher reteaching a concept or skill, some students may need intervention, and some students need enrichment. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.
Monday is Day 1 in our specials cycle! I look forward to seeing your children’s faces Monday.
Fondly,
Jennifer Darling
Five-year-old Nathalie had never been on a school bus before and she couldn’t wait for the ride to begin. In a pink jacket and matching sneakers, she danced her way through the Matthew Paterson Elementary School gym, hugging friends she hadn’t seen since preschool, making crafts at tables set up by MPES PTO volunteers and meeting the school’s new principal, Jennifer Darling.
If you need an expert on ponds, look no further than the kindergarten classes at Matthew Paterson Elementary.
An end-of-the-year, in-class Pond Ecology presentation from the PNW BOCES Center for Environmental Education (CEE) brought a lesson on local pond organisms, ecosystems and the food chain directly to the students.
Read the full story and see photos from the ecology presentation!
Kindergarten students were bubbling with excitement and ready to be blown away by all that was in store for them at a special Kindergarten Bubble Day at Matthew Paterson Elementary.
Read more and see photos of the unbelie-BUBBLE fun at Bubble Day!
Matthew Paterson Elementary fourth-grade students took to the stage one final time as pandas to showcase their musical talents to parents, families and friends in attendance at the Fourth Grade Music Celebration.
Outdoor games + Sunshine + Water = Field Day fun for Matthew Paterson Elementary School students!
The sun was shining and the music was pumping with a day of fun, games and friendly competition at a variety of activity stations across the school fields. It was the perfect way to kick off the new month with students enjoying the many activities that included water relay races, frisbee tosses, bucket-stacking, and a fan-favorite relay race around an inflatable water sprinkler.
See photos from the Matthew Paterson Elementary Field Day events!
Matthew Paterson Elementary School students and families are proud heart-healthy members of our community, thanks to the school’s annual participation in the Kids Heart Challenge with the American Heart Association (AHA).
For nearly 20 years, the school has participated in the challenge, learning about hands-only CPR, how to be a leader, what it means to be kind, and creating heart-healthy habits, all while raising funds for the association.
Read the full story to learn about the students' fundraising efforts this year!
Earth Day and advocating for the environment were front-page news in a recent project for third-grade reading students at Matthew Paterson Elementary.
Under the direction of Reading Teacher Janine Avitabile and Instructional Technology Coach Michele Love, the students combined their writing and digital graphic design skills to create one-of-a-kind magazine covers featuring themselves as environmental advocates.
Read the full story and see the student-designed magazine covers!
All schools will be dismissed 15 minutes earlier than the regular dismissal time in order to test the early dismissal response of the Emergency Management Plan.
Schools & Administrative Offices Closed.
