On Thursday, June 15, the Celebration of Student Learning and Graduation Challenge will demonstrate the level of teaching and learning that has taken place this school year.  It is hard to believe the year is coming to a close.  We are sending 57 Sixth Graders on to Otter Valley and will be welcoming 60 new Kindergarteners in August.  Summer is a time for additional learning opportunities and adventures here at school with the S.O.A.R. Program.

Neshobe’s Summer S.O.A.R. Program is very excited to be collaborating this summer with the Leicester Summer Alive Program and the Brandon and Pittsford Recreation Departments to offer full-day options for our families.  This has been a long-term goal which was brought to fruition through the guidance and support of RNESU business manager, Brenda Fleming.

We have received numerous phone calls since the article appeared in last week’s paper.  We hope the following information will clarify the options available this summer.

In addition to the S.O.A.R summer morning programs, there will now be the following opportunities starting July 10

Partnership with Brandon Recreation Dept. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, offering afternoon activities until 4:30 p.m.

On Thursdays, all day S.O.A.R. field trips returning to schools at 3:30 p.m. (Extended care is available until 5:00 p.m. at Neshobe).

•  On Fridays, partnership with Pittsford Recreation Dept., with S.O.A.R. staff on site and returning to school at 3:30 p.m. (Extended care is available until 5:00 p.m. at Neshobe).

S.O.A.R. summer program starts on Wednesday, July 5, and will run a full- day schedule at Neshobe July 5 and 6.  On Friday, July 7, participants will go to the Pittsford Rec in the afternoon.

It is not too late to enroll; contact Nancy Bird at 247-3721, Ext. 2011, or access the brochure on the Neshobe website at neshobe.rnesu.org.

Changes in the 2017-2018 School Year:

• Harriet Wyman is retiring after 37 years of teaching!  She will leave of legacy of dedication to providing whatever a child needs to be successful in his/her learning.
• Alicia Quenneville and Allison Dwinell will be joining Michele LaFlam on the second grade team. Alicia is moving from Lothrop and is a former Neshobe student.  Allison is moving from third grade.
• Katie Kloss, who student taught with Mrs. Charbonneau and Mrs. Emilo, will be joining us as a Literacy Interventionist.
• Shelby LaBarge and Chelsea Burke have accepted teaching positions outside of RNESU.
• Lisa Whitman has accepted an art teaching position in another school.
• Marie Eugair-Newell and Anita Hughes are moving to Otter Valley.
• Amy Smith, IT, is moving to Otter Valley

We wish all those who are leaving the best in their new journeys. 

Your child’s class placement for 2017-2018 will come home on Tuesday, June 20.  All students will participate in “Step Up” to meet their new teacher and to see who else will be in their classroom on Wednesday, June 21.  A great deal of time and thought has gone into class placements to ensure a good placement for all children.  Talk to your child about next year and reassure them that all children have a mixed feeling of excitement and anxiety about moving from this year’s class and starting something new. Remember, the last day is a half day with dismissal at 12:00 p.m.!

In October, we received a $5,000 grant from The Redducs Foundation.  The one condition of the award was to pay it forward with random acts of kindness completed by our students.  We connected this project with our work on developing empathy.  This was the beginning of our Kindness Project, which we titled Kindness Matters at Neshobe!

NESHOBE SCHOOL KINDNESS PROJECT

Someone once said, “Kindness is like snow –

it beautifies everything it covers.” 

At Neshobe School, students and staff

are involved in a kindness project. 

It is an ongoing project that is

changing our school climate

 one act of kindness at a time. 

An “Acts of Kindness” daily calendar

suggests an act of kindness

that can be carried out by students and staff alike. 

One small act of kindness towards another

can change someone’s day. 

It makes the doer and the recipient

feel good and creates a sense

of being valued and belonging. 

Better yet, being kind costs nothing

and takes very little effort

as it makes our school a happier place to be.

Our hope is that as we pay these acts of kindness forward,

kindness will spread throughout our school

and out into our homes and community. 

We all have the opportunity to do something great

by just being a little kinder.

• Act of Kindness Monthly Calendars were created and are read daily by a sixth grade student during morning announcements and then discussed in classrooms.
• Random acts of kindness are performed by students throughout all of the grade levels.
• Kindness posters have been made and displayed around the school.
• We are purchasing a chicken coop and chickens to expand our garden and composting learning opportunities.
• Students collect the compost from snacks.
•  Mrs. LaFlam’s and Miss Leary’s classes are creating a butterfly garden.
• Anne Young and the Harvest Program created our kindness flowers to be displayed around the school.
• A quarter mile track is part of our plan which we have not been able to complete at this time.

This will be used by our PE program, before school and recess times as well as after school, on weekends, and throughout the summer by our community.

• Expansion of our school vegetable gardens is also on our planning list.

We have used the grant money for the printing of the Kindness Matters at Neshobe bumper stickers and towards the purchase two glass backboards for our gym.

On a daily basis I am reminded that our community exemplifies the words “It Takes a Village”.

I want to thank all of the parents, grandparents, PTO members, Four Winds volunteers, Everybody Wins coordinator and mentors, our business community, and community members who provided support for our students and school programs in so many ways such as volunteering, collaboration, donations, and financial support of our school budget.

My final thank you is to the Neshobe faculty and staff for their commitment, dedication, and willingness to make a difference for our students and school community on a daily basis.

I wish you all a safe and wonderful summer break - Judi