Metcalf School

Let's all enjoy Reading Week at Metcalf, 5/22-5/26!

Hi Metcalf Families, As we enter into this last week before February vacation I have a few important items to share. -We will be following the normal “Specials” schedule on Monday. There was some talk of switching the schedule but that is not the case so it’s a normal Monday. :) -Don’t forget that Tuesday is Valentine’s Day! If your child brings Valentines to school, please be sure he/she includes one for everyone in the class. Also, candy and food items cannot be sent into school. Thank you. -Friday is our Kids’ Heart Challenge! Our students will be jumping rope to raise funds for the American Heart Association. The children must wear sneakers and bring a water bottle to school on Friday. Thank you to Mrs. Unsworth and Mrs. Allen for organizing this fun and worthwhile event! -Next week, 2/20-2/24, is February school vacation! I hope you all enjoy the Super Bowl tonight...even though the Patriots aren't playing! Mrs. Ratigan :)

School is now cancelled for the day today due to icy roads, power outages, accidents and road closures. Stay safe & warm everyone!

There will be a one hour delay to the school day today due to icy roads. Please drive carefully.

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Hi Metcalf Families, This is your friendly reminder that tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 2nd is an Early Release Day for students. Dismissal will take place at 1:00 and teachers will be engaged in Professional Development for the remainder of the afternoon. Thank you so much, Mrs. Ratigan :)

Dear Metcalf Families, Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 17th, buses will arrive at bus stops for morning pick-up about 5 minutes earlier than previously scheduled. This adjustment is in response to some hiccups we’ve experienced as of late to ensure that all students arrive at Metcalf by 8:37 each morning. The afternoon drop-off time is not impacted. Thank you so much! Mrs. Ratigan :)

Happy New Year to all our Metcalf Families! I hope you all had a wonderful vacation and are settling back into your school routines. We all enjoyed the many holiday activities and learning that took place in December and now we’re setting the course for the months ahead. We have mid-year benchmarking assessments coming up soon on which we’ll set instructional goals for our students. I also have some other important information and events coming up that I’d like to share. Important Information: -Mary Richard has taken a position as Secretary for Special Services in our Administration office. We wish her well and will miss her! -Christina Rosato has moved into the Metcalf secretarial position that Mrs. Richard vacated and is already doing a fabulous job! -Please send all absentee and dismissal communications to: AnneMarie_Gizzarelli@ewg.k12.ri.us and Christina_Rosato@ewg.k12.ri.us going forward. I will share the name and contact information of our new building clerk as soon as all is finalized. Upcoming Events: Thursday, Jan. 12th - Grade 6 Band Concert @ 6:30 Monday, Jan. 16th - MLK Day, no school Wed. Feb. 1st - PTA mtg. @ Wawaloam Thursday, Feb. 2nd - Early Release Day @ 1:00 Sunday, Feb. 5th - PTA’s Kids Choice Bowling Feb. 20-Feb. 24th - Winter Vacation Mrs. Ratigan :)

It's STEAM Night this Thursday at Metcalf! Come join us for all the fun!

Hi Metcalf Families! Don’t forget it’s the Scholastic Book Fair at Metcalf this week! All classrooms are invited to attend on the following days with Book Fair FAMILY NIGHT taking place on Friday 10/28 from 5:30-8:30 PM!! Monday (10/24)- Ricci/Demulenaere, Goddard, Geyer, Millard, Murdock, McKeen, Levett, O'Neill Tuesday 10/25)- D'Amico, Murphy, Hanley, Colomb, Johnson, Paquet, Ewing Chow, DiPietro Wednesday (10/26)- Masden, Bucacci/Tsongalis, Lavoie, Leclerc, Ortiz, MacEachern, Blake, Dobias Friday 10/28)- Callahan, DiRocco, Goldman, Wilbur Also, just a reminder that this Thursday is an Early Release Day with students being dismissed at 1:00. Next Monday is Halloween and we’re planning some fun! Please see the notice with details. Mrs. Ratigan :)

Just in case you missed it… Please visit the following link for Metcalf’s Summer Learning opportunities: Summer Learning Would your child like to attend Tennis Camp in August? It runs from 8/1-8/5. If so, please call 556-9975 for more information. Grade level supply lists have been updated and are available on the school website. Happy Summer!

Hi Metcalf Families, This is just a quick reminder that there is no school for students today, Monday, 3/14. This is a scheduled Professional Development day for all faculty members. Teachers will be engaged in the Science of Reading training for the full day so we'll see the kiddos on Tuesday to begin an exciting 4 day week of teaching and learning! Don't forget the PTA is also sponsoring an in-school Book Fair for students Tuesday through Friday this week. We can't wait to support our PTA and encourage literary enjoyment and appreciation with our students. The classroom schedule for the Book Fair is attached. Lastly, please be sure to participate in SurveyWorks again this year before 3/31. We are hoping for 100% participation from our families! The Metcalf SurveyWorks Family link is: http://bit.ly/ridefamily Students in grades 3-6 will also be taking SurveyWorks which is an annual survey to gather very important data for our school district, and RIDE, from students, parents, and educators. If you do not want your child to participate in the survey, please let your child’s teacher know asap. Thank you so much for partnering with us to support all EWG students. Kind regards, Mrs. Ratigan :)

Hi Metcalf Families, Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is “Sports Day and SuperBOWL Friday” at Metcalf! Let’s encourage our kiddos to dress in their favorite sports gear and then we’ll surprise everyone with a SuperBOWL of ice cream and all the fixings. I’ll also have popsicles available for anyone with allergies or dietary concerns. I’d like to give a huge SHOUT-OUT to Christina Jacques for donating the whipped cream and sprinkles for our fun tomorrow! Thank you also for Mr. Feinstein’s help and to Ashley Ewing-Chow’s family for securing the SuperBOWLS of ice cream and even delivering them to Metcalf today! Happy Friday to All! I just love the amazing TEAM EFFORT between home and school to keep our children happy and excited to come to school and engage in learning even when we're struggling with COVID restrictions! Thank you so much for all you do! Mrs. Ratigan :)

Dear Metcalf Families, I hope you all managed to stay warm this weekend and are plowed out after the big storm. It certainly looks beautiful outside and it’s so much fun for the kids! That being said, please be sure your child comes to school with everything needed to play in the snow, (hats, mittens, boots, snow pants, etc.) so they’re ready for recess! As you’re preparing backpacks for tomorrow, please be sure to find the white envelope containing state assessment results that were sent home with students in grades 4-6 on Friday. Teachers and administrators are available by email should you have any questions. Please note the upcoming events: Thursday, Feb. 3rd - Early Release Day, dismissal at 1:00 followed by asynchronous learning Tuesday, Feb. 15th & Thur. Feb. 17th - NAEP testing for some Grd. 4 students Feb. 21-Feb. 25th - Winter Vacation, no school Thursday, March 3rd - Picture Day Tuesday, March 8th - Dental Screening Monday, March 14th - PD day, no school, asynchronous learning for students March 15th-18th - Scholastic Book Fair Thank you for being such awesome partners! Mrs. Ratigan :)

Good Morning, As you may have heard, the vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 will be offered soon. Please look for detailed information on vaccination clinics that will be made available in our district this month for children in this age bracket. These clinics will be held after school hours, will be offered (not mandated) to interested families, and will require an adult (parent/guardian) to be present for the actual vaccine administration. During the week of November 15th, the district will be implementing on-site surveillance testing for asymptomatic individuals during periods of substantial or high community transmission. The test is not invasive, and will be administered by our school nursing staff. We encourage all families to consent to asymptomatic testing (for any child, whether vaccinated or not) so that we can monitor case positivity, isolate positive individuals, minimize exposure and keep our kids in school. Your child will not be included in our surveillance testing protocols if consent is not provided. If you have not done so already, please respond to the following very brief survey asking for consent to participate. We will also include staff in our surveillance testing protocols. The asymptomatic testing protocol for EWG will be the "pooled PCR" option. Basically, the nurse (or, as appropriate, the child him/herself) would take two non-invasive nasal swabs. One swab is pooled with the swabs of 5 other individuals and one swab is maintained separately. Samples will be delivered, by courier, to the state lab. The department of health will first test the pooled sample. If the pooled sample is negative, no one in the group is positive. If the pooled sample is positive, RIDOH will then test the individual samples to determine which individual(s) in the group are positive. Positive cases will isolate at home, following CDC guidance. This strategy is both efficient and cost-effective. Happy November! James Erinakes Superintendent

Hi Metcalf Families, I have a few announcements and reminders to share on this beautiful Thursday afternoon. -Don’t forget to visit the Virtual Book Fair at the following link: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/metcalfschool -Friday, Oct. 15th is Socktoberfest - wear crazy socks and bring some to donate! -Thursday, October 21st is an Early Release Day - Metcalf dismissal will take place at 1:00. -Thursday, Oct. 28th is Halloween at Metcalf! Please see the notice that was emailed. -Parent teacher virtual conferences are currently being scheduled so please reach out to your child’s teacher if you haven’t scheduled yours yet! -Clarification on Student Absences - If your child is absent for routine illness teachers will catch them up when they return and/or may provide work upon request if the absence stretches beyond a day or two. Virtual Learning opportunities are available to students that are absent due quarantines related to COVID-19 protocols. Please allow teachers 24 hours to set up a learning plan in this instance. Thank you. -Lastly, don't forget to root for the RED SOX and wear your RED SOX gear on Mon. Oct, 18th!! As always, please reach out if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. Mrs. Ratigan :)

Soktoberfest @ Metcalf this Friday!

Dear Metcalf Families, Please see the important information and reminders below. Virtual Open House Nights are scheduled as follows: Grade 2 & 3 - Thursday Sept. 9th, 6:00-7:00 Grades 4, 5, and 6 - Wednesday, Sept. 15th, 6:00-7:00 Classroom teachers will be sharing the Google Meeting link soon. Information will be presented to families at 6:00 and repeated at 6:30 for those families that need to visit more than one grade level during the open house. Quarantine and Learning Plan Information: From Superintendent Erinakes: The Exeter West Greenwich Teachers Association and the EWGRSD agree that teachers are responsible for instruction of students who will face long term excused absences (including COVID 19 or otherwise). This instruction will not be the same as last year when teachers hosted “live” meets daily. The rationale for the elimination of this requirement is that in-class instruction will begin to return to more normalized activities, which may include group work, activities, and other educational experiences not conducive to “live” meets. At the teachers’ discretion, and based on what is appropriate for the lesson or planned activity of the day, teachers shall provide access to learning via a number of possible options which may include: “live” meets (Zoom or Google meet), Google classroom assignments, email communication, individual support (via live meets, chats, etc.) during the school day or by appointment, packet pickups, other simulated instructional ideas that the teacher develops, or a combination of the above strategies. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Kind regards, Mrs. Ratigan :)

Hi Metcalf Families! What a fantastic first day of school today! The children were excited, parents were happy for school to begin, and teachers were thrilled to have their students back together again at Metcalf! I just love our Metcalf community! We’re looking forward to day 2 tomorrow to continue the celebration of friendships, teaching, and learning going forward. We’re also hoping you can help us out with one glitch we ran into at dismissal time that inadvertently caused delays with our buses. Many students came to school with uncertain dismissal plans. This required phone calls home to confirm if the students should ride the bus or were parent pick-ups. To avoid these delays, please be sure to send your child with a note indicating any change in normal dismissal routines for each day. It is also helpful if “future change of plans” are not discussed until the “day of” so students don’t question the plan for the day. Thank you for your help with this and your support as we embark on a new school year together! Kind regards, Mrs. Ratigan :)

Don't miss Metcalf School's first Virtual 5K! Check out the link below! https://runsignup.com/Race/RI/Exeter/Metcalf5K