Dear Ryerson Families,
Although February is a short month, there was a great deal planned and experienced within this month for our students. Currently, our main lobby is filled with hearts and post-it notes reflecting acts of kindness witnessed by our students and staff this month. We are also in the midst of participating in the "Jumping Jacks" Challenge from Unified Sports. KHR students and staff have reached at this time a total of 75,764! Let's keep jumping KHR! Let's win this next challenge for our school which ends next week! In addition, our school community has celebrated Black History Month by learning about an influential figure each day both in the classroom and during our morning announcements.
As Dr. Cooke shared in the last two weekly updates, Madison Public Schools will transition from a "Mask Required" to a "Mask Recommended" model effective Monday, February 28, 2022. This means that beginning Monday, February 28, 2022, staff and students will no longer be required to wear a mask in school. As we prepare for this significant move away from the statewide mask mandate, I would like to take the opportunity to share the following with all members of our school community. All school community members and their families are free to make their own individual decision whether or not to wear a mask in the school setting. I have been highly impressed with the efforts of our staff and students this year. These efforts have supported a safe school environment and have allowed all of us to experience a school year that has been very close to normal. I encourage families to discuss this topic over the weekend with your child regarding this school change and the decision your family has made regarding the wearing of masks.
In addition, desk shields have been removed from both the classroom desks and at tables in the multi-purpose room. However, shields are available for students to use upon request in the classroom and there is a table in the multi-purpose room with shields available to students to use should you choose to have your child select that option during lunchtime.
Students riding the bus to and from school will be required to wear a face mask. This is a federal law. Please be sure your child has a face mask upon entering the school bus. Students will be asked to wear their mask at dismissal prior to getting onto the school bus. Families are encouraged to have masks and spare masks packed in student backpacks. I thank you in advance for your attention to this request.
As we conclude the month of February, we look forward to next week's literacy fun for Connecticut Loves to Read Week! Next week, KHR will celebrate Connecticut Loves to Read with a good deal of literacy fun. As previously shared, the plans for the week will be:
- Monday, February 28th – "Crazy for Books". Show how CRAZY for books you are by wearing a crazy hat, styling your hair in a silly way or wearing crazy socks!
- Tuesday, March 1st – "Cozy up with a Good Book". There is nothing better than snuggling up with a good book! We will be having lots of time throughout today to snuggle up with a great read. So, why not dress for the day! It's PJ day today! Wear your favorite jammies.
- Wednesday, March 2nd – "Let's team up for Reading!" Wear your favorite sports shirt or jersey in the spirit of great stories.
- Thursday, March 3rd – "Reading Takes you to Great Places". Oh, the places you can go when you read a book. In the spirit of the magic of books, wear your favorite vacation t-shirt today.
- Friday, March 4th – "Guess Who?" Not only can a book take you to a magical and faraway place, good books introduce you to memorable and relatable characters. Who is your favorite book character? Show us by dressing as your favorite book character today.
As we embark upon the month of March, there are a few important items to keep in mind. Our next General PTO meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 14th at 7:00 pm. This meeting will be held at Ryerson Elementary School in our multi-purpose room. Dr. Craig Cooke will be the guest speaker at this meeting. Dr. Cooke will be sharing the 2022-2023 MPS Educational Budget.
The second trimester report cards will be accessible on Infinite Campus on Friday, March 25th. Please be sure that you have your access code available and ready to use in order to view the progress your child has made in trimester II.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend! If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions; please feel free to contact me at spoonerk@madison.k12.ct.us or at 203-245-6440.
Sincerely,
Kelly K. Spooner