WES News

WES News for 3/13/20 School & community info for WES families

March 13, 2020 by WES Newsletter Mailing List 2011/2012 Archive Feed

WES News for 3/13/20 School & community info for WES families

A Note from Nurse Carol,
Principal's Corner, community events and activities!

If you no longer wish to receive the WES newsletter, simply scroll to the very bottom and select Unsubscribe.

W E S N E W S

Friday, March 13, 2020

“Today you are you! That is truer
than true! There is no one alive
who is you-er than you!”
– Dr. Seuss

W H A T ' S N E W

a t W E S

______________________________

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

April 20-24 - NO SCHOOL, April Break

______________________________

School Committee Meeting Info
School Committee Meetings are held at 6pm at Mt Greylock Regional School in Room A109. All are welcome to attend. Meetings are also broadcast live on the District YouTube channel.

Welcome Spring!
Welcome back Williams College students from winter study and elementary students from February break! Having finished up a successful Adventures in Learning 2020 and having made it through the shortest days of winter, we are all excited that spring semester is here and all of the Williams College programs at the elementary school have resumed. Recess buddies, math buddies, reading buddies, classroom helpers, science fellows, and big sibs are all excited to be back in the school! We are looking forward to a great spring!

WES PTO Needs
Volunteers at All Levels
The PTO assists with numerous events and programs at our school, including Words are Wonderful, school photos, clothing sale, camp fair, staff appreciation week, Walk for WES, .... To ensure that these and other programs continue, we need volunteers for a variety of roles, from helping with one-time
events to coordinating activities. All help is welcome, appreciated, and needed. If interested or if you would like more information, email the secretary (info@wespto.info); note it is not necessary to come to the meetings to help.

Greetings from the Health Office - Winter Wellness!

There is a lot in the news about Corona virus, but the most important things to remember are the same common sense measures we take for any illness. Here at school, we continue to do handwashing, covering coughs, clean surfaces and avoid being in school when ill. Please remember it is MUCH MORE likely to get the regular flu than Novel Coronavirus.

For information on the current outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus, please clink the following link from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health: https://www.mass.gov/guides/information-on-the-outbreak-of-2019-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov.

As with seasonal flu, there are precautions we can all take to remain as healthy as possible.
• Practice good hand hygiene. Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Use Alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
• When coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. You can also cough or sneeze into your sleeve. Throw used tissues in the trash and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid sharing drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, dishes, towels or other items. Wash these items thoroughly with soap and water after use.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick whenever possible.

Be well!
Carol Stein-Payne, RN, NCSN

______________________________

H A V E N E W S T O S H A R E ?

E-mail submissions for our Mar 20, 2020
issue by Mar 17 to:
wesnews@williamstownelementary.org

Submit non-WES information at least 1 week
in advance to Principal Joelle Brookner at
jbrookner@williamstownelementary.org
or call: 458-5707

______________________________

P R I N C I P A L ' S
C O R N E R

School Closure

Dear Mount Greylock Regional School District Community,

Out of an abundance of caution for our students and faculty, and in tandem with Berkshire County Schools, the Mount Greylock Regional School District (MGRSD) will be closed for two weeks beginning Monday, March 16. At present, we plan to re-open on Monday, March 30.

It is important to note that the district currently has no students or staff with presumptive or confirmed cases of COVID-19. However, we recognize that neighboring communities do have cases. As a precautionary measure and to limit the potential of community spread, we have made the decision to close school.

Communication with our students, families, and community is of utmost importance to us and know that as plans are developed, schools will be in touch with you. The district has established a page of our communications regarding COVID-10 as well as links to some valuable resources.

Sincerely yours,

Kimberley Grady - Superintendent
Andrea Wadsworth - Asst. Superintendent
& District Business Manager
Joelle Brookner - Principal
Elea Kaatz - Asst. Principal
Carol Stein-Payne - School Nurse
Mary MacDonald -Principal
Jake Schutz - Asst. Principal
Nichole Russell - School Nurse
Nolan Pratt - Principal
Kathy Larson - School Nurse

Joelle Brookner, Principal
Elea Kaatz, Assistant Principal
Follow us on Twitter: @WES_Principal

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, TOO!
@williamstown_elementary

• C O M M U N I T Y
E V E N T S •

YOUTH CENTER NEWS
Spots are open for the ASP Winter/Spring Session
The second session of the After School Program has already begun, but spots are still open if you're looking for an active and engaging environment for your child after school. Register here .

FREE SCREENING OF MISSING LINK

Join us for a free screening of Missing Link, Golden Globe Winner for Best Animated Feature Film, at Images Cinema on Saturday, March 14, 2:00 p.m. Sponsored by Donovan, O'Connor & Dodig.

FRESH AIR FUND
Make a difference, one child at a time: The Fresh Air Fund is looking for local families to host visiting children for one week this summer. Income-qualified children from New York City are provided a chance to visit beautiful, safe, and quiet areas such as the Berkshires for a break from the city. With your help a child can experience the freedom of playing outdoors, swimming in clean water, and breathing fresh air. For more information on becoming a Fresh Air Fund host family please visit https://freshair.org/ or contact Rachel, Rachel.Louis.241@gmail.com or 413-458-1678.

CAL RIPKEN PRE-SEASON CLINICS
Williamstown Cal Ripken baseball and softball has pre-season clinics for throwing on Thurs/Fri and full clinics Sundays at WES gym. Signup today at http://williamstowncalripken.com. Community-based, organized fun for all ages. Play ball!

WILLIAMS COLLEGE
SUMMER SCIENCE LAB
4th and 5th graders - Do you LOVE experimenting with science?
Williams College is offering an amazing science experience at the Williams College Summer Science Lab the weeks of July 6-10 and July 13-17, 2020. This week-long lab is run by two Chemistry Faculty at Williams College using the fully equipped Chemistry Labs at Williams with the help of Williams students and two local teachers.

The cost of the program is $225 for Early Bird registration through April 30th and $250 for registration on or after May 1st. Scholarships are available thanks to generous funding from Williams College. To request scholarship funding check the appropriate box on the online registration form and submit the form by May 1st. Please note that Summer Science Lab fills up quickly, so early registration is advised! Contact sslab@williams.edu with questions.

Copyright © 2020 Williamstown Elementary School, All rights reserved.

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WES News for 3/6/20 School & community info for WES families

March 6, 2020 by WES Newsletter Mailing List 2011/2012 Archive Feed

WES News for 3/6/20 School & community info for WES families

A Note from Nurse Carol,
Principal's Corner, community events and activities!

If you no longer wish to receive the WES newsletter, simply scroll to the very bottom and select Unsubscribe.

W E S N E W S

Friday, March 6, 2020

“Today you are you! That is truer
than true! There is no one alive
who is you-er than you!”
– Dr. Seuss

W H A T ' S N E W

a t W E S

______________________________

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

April 4 - Camp Fair & 3rd Grade Pancake Breakfast, 9am-12pm
April 20-24 - NO SCHOOL, April Break

______________________________

Greetings from the Health Office - Winter Wellness!
* Communication is key! Please call or email me if your child is ill with strep, flu or any illness that is being treated with antibiotics. We are trying to track illness as it moves through our school community to prevent its spread during cold and flu season. My number is 458-5707, ext 107 and my email is cstein-payne@williamstownelementary.org If you email your child's teacher or Mr. Phillips in the front office about a health issue, please cc me as well.

* If you give your child a dose of medication (like Tylenol or Ibuprofen) in the morning before school, please contact me so that your child does not accidentally receive a second dose too soon. Children do not always remember what kind or when they got medicine and may come to the health office requesting more.

* Annual check ups are recommended for students, but are required for kindergarten, third and sixth grade. We need to know if a student has a health concern that could affect them at school.

There is a lot in the news about Corona virus, but the most important things to remember are the same common sense measures we take for any illness. Here at school, we continue to do handwashing, covering coughs, clean surfaces and avoid being in school when ill. Please remember it is MUCH MORE likely to get the regular flu than Novel Coronavirus.

For information on the current outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus, please clink the following link from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health: https://www.mass.gov/guides/information-on-the-outbreak-of-2019-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov.

As with seasonal flu, there are precautions we can all take to remain as healthy as possible.
• Practice good hand hygiene. Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Use Alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
• When coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. You can also cough or sneeze into your sleeve. Throw used tissues in the trash and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid sharing drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, dishes, towels or other items. Wash these items thoroughly with soap and water after use.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick whenever possible.

Be well!
Carol Stein-Payne, RN, NCSN

______________________________

H A V E N E W S T O S H A R E ?

E-mail submissions for our Mar 13, 2020
issue by Mar 10 to:
wesnews@williamstownelementary.org

Submit non-WES information at least 1 week
in advance to Principal Joelle Brookner at
jbrookner@williamstownelementary.org
or call: 458-5707

______________________________

P R I N C I P A L ' S
C O R N E R

Read Across America

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Read Across America fun this week. Above is a photo from Ms. Benn's class where they integrated literature and the Read Across America theme with their geography studies in social studies. Aren't elementary school teachers the best!??? We think so!

Joelle Brookner, Principal
Elea Kaatz, Assistant Principal
Follow us on Twitter: @WES_Principal

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, TOO!
@williamstown_elementary

• C O M M U N I T Y
E V E N T S •

Copyright © 2020 Williamstown Elementary School, All rights reserved.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

WES News for 3/6/20 School & community info for WES families

March 6, 2020 by WES Newsletter Mailing List 2011/2012 Archive Feed

WES News for 3/6/20 School & community info for WES families

A Note from Nurse Carol,
Principal's Corner, community events and activities!

If you no longer wish to receive the WES newsletter, simply scroll to the very bottom and select Unsubscribe.

W E S N E W S

Friday, March 6, 2020

“Today you are you! That is truer
than true! There is no one alive
who is you-er than you!”
– Dr. Seuss

W H A T ' S N E W

a t W E S

______________________________

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

April 4 - Camp Fair & 3rd Grade Pancake Breakfast, 9am-12pm
April 20-24 - NO SCHOOL, April Break

______________________________

______________________________

H A V E N E W S T O S H A R E ?

P R I N C I P A L ' S
C O R N E R

Read Across America

Joelle Brookner, Principal
Elea Kaatz, Assistant Principal
Follow us on Twitter: @WES_Principal

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, TOO!
@williamstown_elementary

• C O M M U N I T Y
E V E N T S •

Copyright © 2020 Williamstown Elementary School, All rights reserved.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

WES News for 2/28/20 School & community info for WES families

February 28, 2020 by WES Newsletter Mailing List 2011/2012 Archive Feed

WES News for 2/28/20 School & community info for WES families

Read Across America Week, Anything Goes!, A Note from Nurse Carol,
Principal's Corner, community events and activities!

If you no longer wish to receive the WES newsletter, simply scroll to the very bottom and select Unsubscribe.

W E S N E W S

Friday, February 28, 2020

“The level of our success is limited by our imaginationand no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.”

– Aesop

W H A T ' S N E W

a t W E S

______________________________

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

April 4 - Camp Fair & 3rd Grade Pancake Breakfast, 9am-12pm
April 20-24 - NO SCHOOL, April Break

______________________________

Read Across America Week at WES

"Anything Goes!"
Mount Greylock Regional School is currently preparing to present its annual musical theater production. Students in grades 7-12 will perform the musical comedy "Anything Goes" on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, February 27, 28, and 29, 2020 at 7pm in the school's auditorium at 1781 Cold Spring Rd in Williamstown. Tickets are available at the door. $8 students/seniors, $10 Adults.

School Committee Meeting Info
School Committee Meetings are held at 6pm at Mt Greylock Regional School in Room A109. All are welcome to attend. Meetings are also broadcast live on the District YouTube channel.

Welcome Spring!
Welcome back Williams College students from winter study and elementary students from February break! Having finished up a successful Adventures in Learning 2020 and having made it through the shortest days of winter, we are all excited that spring semester is here and all of the Williams College programs at the elementary school have resumed. Recess buddies, math buddies, reading buddies, classroom helpers, science fellows, and big sibs are all excited to be back in the school! We are looking forward to a great spring!

WES PTO Needs
Volunteers at All Levels
The PTO assists with numerous events and programs at our school, including Words are Wonderful, school photos, clothing sale, camp fair, staff appreciation week, Walk for WES, .... To ensure that these and other programs continue, we need volunteers for a variety of roles, from helping with one-time
events to coordinating activities. All help is welcome, appreciated, and needed. If interested or if you would like more information, email the secretary (info@wespto.info); note it is not necessary to come to the meetings to help.

______________________________

H A V E N E W S T O S H A R E ?

E-mail submissions for our Mar 6, 2020
issue by Mar 3 to:
wesnews@williamstownelementary.org

Submit non-WES information at least 1 week
in advance to Principal Joelle Brookner at
jbrookner@williamstownelementary.org
or call: 458-5707

______________________________

P R I N C I P A L ' S
C O R N E R

It's Kindergarten Registration Time!

Joelle Brookner, Principal
Elea Kaatz, Assistant Principal
Follow us on Twitter: @WES_Principal

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, TOO!
@williamstown_elementary

• C O M M U N I T Y
E V E N T S •

WILLIAMS COLLEGE
SUMMER SCIENCE LAB
4th and 5th graders - Do you LOVE experimenting with science?
Williams College is offering an amazing science experience at the Williams College Summer Science Lab the weeks of July 6-10 and July 13-17, 2020. This week-long lab is run by two Chemistry Faculty at Williams College using the fully equipped Chemistry Labs at Williams with the help of Williams students and two local teachers.

The cost of the program is $225 for Early Bird registration through April 30th and $250 for registration on or after May 1st. Scholarships are available thanks to generous funding from Williams College. To request scholarship funding check the appropriate box on the online registration form and submit the form by May 1st. Please note that Summer Science Lab fills up quickly, so early registration is advised! Contact sslab@williams.edu with questions.

WES News for 2/14/20 School & community info for WES families

February 14, 2020 by WES Newsletter Mailing List 2011/2012 Archive Feed

WES News for 2/14/20 School & community info for WES families

Preschool Screening Info, A Note from Nurse Carol, Principal's Corner,
community events and activities!

If you no longer wish to receive the WES newsletter, simply scroll to the very bottom and select Unsubscribe.

W E S N E W S

Friday, February 14, 2020

“Smiles are the same,
and hearts are just the same –
wherever they are, wherever you are,
wherever we are, all over the world.”

– from Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

W H A T ' S N E W

a t W E S

______________________________

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

Feb 17–21 - NO SCHOOL, February Break
______________________________

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy February vacation!

Screening for Preschoolers

School Committee Meeting Info
School Committee Meetings are held at 6pm at Mt Greylock Regional School in Room A109. The next upcoming meeting is scheduled for: February 13, 2020. All are welcome to attend. Meetings are also broadcast live on the District YouTube channel.

WES PTO Needs
Volunteers at All Levels
The PTO assists with numerous events and programs at our school, including Words are Wonderful, school photos, clothing sale, camp fair, staff appreciation week, Walk for WES, .... To ensure that these and other programs continue, we need volunteers for a variety of roles, from helping with one-time
events to coordinating activities. All help is welcome, appreciated, and needed. If interested or if you would like more information, email the secretary (info@wespto.info); note it is not necessary to come to the meetings to help.

100th Day Fun in K

Kindergarten Registration is Coming Soon!

Greetings from the Health Office - Winter Wellness!
* Communication is key! Please call or email me if your child is ill with strep, flu or any illness that is being treated with antibiotics. We are trying to track illness as it moves through our school community to prevent its spread during cold and flu season. My number is 458-5707, ext 107 and my email is
cstein-payne@williamstownelementary.org
If you email your child's teacher or Mr. Phillips in the front office about a health issue, please cc me as well.

* If you give your child a dose of medication (like Tylenol or Ibuprofen) in the morning before school, please contact me so that your child does not accidentally receive a second dose too soon. Children do not always remember what kind or when they got medicine and may come to the health office requesting more.

* Annual check ups are recommended for students, but are required for kindergarten, third and sixth grade. We need to know if a student has a health concern that could affect them at school.

There is a lot in the news about Corona virus, but the most important things to remember are the same common sense measures we take for any illness. Here at school, we continue to do handwashing, cover coughs, clean surfaces and avoid being in school when ill. Please remember that there has been no case of Corona that did not involve either travel to Wuhan, China or contact with some who had been in Wuhan in the last few weeks.

For information on the current outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus, please click the following link from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health: https://www.mass.gov/guides/information-on-the-outbreak-of-2019-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov.

As with seasonal flu, there are precautions we can all take to remain as healthy as possible.
• Practice good hand hygiene. Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Use Alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
• When coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. You can also cough or sneeze into your sleeve. Throw used tissues in the trash and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid sharing drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, dishes, towels or other items. Wash these items thoroughly with soap and water after use.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick whenever possible.

Be well!
Carol Stein-Payne, RN, NCSN

______________________________

H A V E N E W S T O S H A R E ?

E-mail submissions for our Feb 28, 2020
issue by Feb 25 to:
wesnews@williamstownelementary.org

Submit non-WES information at least 1 week
in advance to Principal Joelle Brookner at
jbrookner@williamstownelementary.org
or call: 458-5707

______________________________

P R I N C I P A L ' S
C O R N E R

WES in the News!

We are excited that WES has been featured as a school cultivating a culture of kindness by the Choose to Be Nice organization. You can read all about it here!

Joelle Brookner, Principal
Elea Kaatz, Assistant Principal
Follow us on Twitter: @WES_Principal

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, TOO!
@williamstown_elementary

• C O M M U N I T Y
E V E N T S •

YOUTH CENTER NEWS
February Vacation Camp
Register now for the WYC's February Vacation Camp. Camp runs Tuesday, February 18-Friday, February 21, with 4 days of on-site activities, indoor and outdoor play, art activities, with a pizza day on Friday. $50 per child per day or $180 for the week. Register here .

Spots are open for the ASP Winter/Spring Session
The second session of the After School Program has already begun, but spots are still open if you're looking for an active and engaging environment for your child after school. Register here .

SPECIAL EFFECTS MAGIC WORKSHOP WITH WILLINET
Feb.18–20, 9:30am– 12pm
WilliNet Studio, Spring Street.
For 4th - 7th graders. Bring a snack.
Film in crazy fun locations thanks to green screen magic. You'll learn all kinds of production tricks during this 3-morning workshop. Bring your imagination, acting chops, and technical curiosity! Registration is required! Come to the Milne Public Library to register or call 458-5369.

WINTER GROOVE:
DANCE & ART CAMP

More Information:
* FREE to any child receiving DCF services
* For kids in 1st-5th grade
* Drop-off program so no guardian needs to be present besides drop-off/pick-up
* Transportation reimbursement in the form of gas cards or taxi fares available to all foster parents or guardians for pick up on the first day of camp (no busing to the camp is available)
* Lunch and snacks provided
* To sign up: register with Emily Ross at eross@massmoca.org or 413-664-4481 x8150

DO YOU ENJOY SINGING?
The Bennington Children’s Chorus Spring Session begins February 10.

WRLF FEBRUARY VACATION PROGRAM
Feb 18-21, 1-4pm, for kids grades K-4
Vacation Exploration will once again be offered by the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation at its Sheep Hill location. The program will run during school vacation Tuesday, February 18th – Friday, February 21st from 1 – 4 and is open to children in grades K – 4. Outdoor activities will be nature oriented and include hikes, crafts, cooking/baking and more!
Cost: WRLF members $120 / Non-members $145
Registration form and details at WRLF.org. Space is limited, please register by February 11th.
Email ruraland@wrlf.org or call 413-458-2494 for more information

LEARN TO SOLVE A RUBIK'S CUBE!
Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Milne Public Library
The Rubik's cube is one of the most popular and frustrating toys ever sold. From Wikipedia: the standard cube has about 43 quintillion ways we can mix it. No matter how it's mixed, it can be solved in at most 20 moves.

Williams math professor Steven Miller can teach you how (without peeling the stickers off....).

In the interest of time we will discuss how to solve the simpler 2x2x2 cube. There are only about 3.6 million configurations, and just 14 moves are needed! We'll show how to solve the 2x2x2, and if time permits talk about the extra steps needed for the 3x3x3. Cubes provided for the lesson, but feel free to bring your own or other interesting ones.

WILLIAMS COLLEGE
SUMMER SCIENCE LAB
4th and 5th graders - Do you LOVE experimenting with science?
Williams College is offering an amazing science experience at the Williams College Summer Science Lab the weeks of July 6-10 and July 13-17, 2020. This week-long lab is run by two Chemistry Faculty at Williams College using the fully equipped Chemistry Labs at Williams with the help of Williams students and two local teachers.

The cost of the program is $225 for Early Bird registration through April 30th and $250 for registration on or after May 1st. Scholarships are available thanks to generous funding from Williams College. To request scholarship funding check the appropriate box on the online registration form and submit the form by May 1st. Please note that Summer Science Lab fills up quickly, so early registration is advised! Contact sslab@williams.edu with questions.

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