October 1, 2019

Letter from the Principal – October 2019

Though the weather can’t seem to decide if it is summer or fall, the leaves have started to change color.  I’ve been hearing stories of pumpkins and apple picking from so many students. It’s definitely starting to look like fall in New England!

STEAM Lab Field Trips: Several of our classes have been able to experience the brand new STEAM Lab at the Ripley Building.  Feedback from students and teachers alike has been overwhelmingly positive. By the end of the year, each class will have had two opportunities to visit and engage in some hands-on, exploratory STEAM learning.

Fall Fest: Fall Fest is right around the corner!  This is an Alcott community event complete with a DJ, raffle baskets, games, Dunk-A-Dad, crafts, and a face painter.  This year’s Fall Fest will take place on Saturday, October 19th. More details to come from the PTG. I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Turkey Trot: The Turkey Trot is an annual whole school tradition where students run laps at Emerson Field to raise money for local community organizations.  Each year, students are encouraged to collect pledges for the number of laps they run. This year’s event will take place on October 29th (with a rain date of November 5th).   Money raised will be donated to both the Open Table Food Pantry and the Concord Recreation Scholarship Fund. Any checks written for the event should be made out to the Alcott PTG with “Turkey Trot” in the memo line.  We are always in need of volunteers to help out on the day of the event so please reach out to Physical Education Teacher Tim Gaudreau if you are interested.

Coffee with the Principal:  Thank you to everyone who was able to attend my first Coffee with the Principal in September.  It was great to be able to engage in conversation with all of you. In an effort to make these events accessible to as many families as possible, I am varying the times of my next two coffees.  I’ll be hosting “Decaf with the Principal” right before October’s evening PTG meeting on October 7th. I will also be hosting an early morning coffee on November 21st for anyone who might be able to stop by before school.

New Staff: I want to extend a warm welcome to Gabby Ledue and Stephanie Boggs.  Ms. Ledue is joining us as a tutor and Ms. Boggs is joining us as a playground supervisor!

Arrival and Dismissal Reminder: Just a quick reminder about two items related to arrival and dismissal.  Please walk your bikes on school grounds during arrival and dismissal; it is too crowded for bikes to safely navigate through all of the foot traffic at these busy times of day.  Please also refrain from bringing animals onto school grounds during arrival and dismissal. As with bikes, it is just too crowded to safely navigate arrival and dismissal with the addition of animals.  Thank you!

Note from Nurse Amante for Parents of Fourth Grade Students:  If you have already submitted a copy of your child’s current physical examination to the health office, thank you very much.  According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, all fourth grade students are required to have a copy of a recent physical and their immunization record on file in the school health office.  This exam must be completed within the last 13 months from the start of fourth grade (on or after July 28, 2018). If you have not done so already, please submit a copy of your child’s physical examination.  Do not hesitate to contact me at pamante@concordps.org if you have questions.  Thank you for your support.

Upcoming Events