June always brings with it reflections on the past year and changes for the new school year. I am very pleased with how many successes we have had this year. Our students really shine in so many ways. They all have grown and made remarkable achievements over the school year. We have easily adjusted to our new addition and all of the technology that came with it. The students are certainly enjoying the new playgrounds!
I am most grateful for our parents, who are always supportive and volunteer to help whenever we need them. Most recently, we had many parents help with Career Day, volunteer for our field days and numerous field trips. We also know that a number of parents are helping teachers plan end of the year celebrations.
We have parents involved in a number of ways in our school; including those who are members of our PTA and serve on the School Improvement Team (SIT). All members of the SIT are selected to represent a grade-level or special population, such as ESOL or special education. Members make a commitment to attend quarterly meetings and give input on the school improvement process. The PTA is another avenue for parents to give input to the school and to hear about school processes and procedures. I appreciate the parents and staff who attended the last PTA meeting and gave thoughtful feedback. There was a valuable dialogue on MSA packets, the TQ Star system, and the SIT process. You can find out more information about our SIT process on our website. I encourage you to attend the PTA meetings where there are presentations on timely topics and there is always an opportunity to participate in discussions. I am always available to meet with parents to discuss any concerns that may arise.
I want to thank the PTA leaders for their commitment to our students and school. I look forward to working with Amy and the new Board next year. Thank you for all you do!
As the year comes to a close, we are busy planning for next year. I want to share with you some anticipated changes, but caution that due to Ashburton’s ever-changing enrollment and a very tight operating budget this year, these could be tentative. We anticipate having eight sections of PEP, four of Kindergarten, four of grade one, four of grade two, four of grade three, and three each of grades four and five.
This staffing will necessitate some staff changes. Ms. Stacy Bowker will teach PEP at a school closer to her home. We have hired Ms. Ilyssa Klein for the PEP Classic/Pilot class. Mrs. Lisa Diamond will move with her new husband to New York. Ms. Beth Vacante completed her degree and will teach the PEP Classic class. Congratulations to Ms. Vacante! Due to staffing allocation changes, Ms. Tulick will not teach PEP speech but we have hired Ms. Katherine Hanson to teach speech in PEP along with Ms. Lisa Seligson. Mrs. Kerry Madigan will take a leave of absence to be home with her new baby and toddler son. Ms. Ashley Campbell will teach first grade next year. Mrs. Kymberli Petronio has a taken a job closer to her home and with the additional challenge of being in an IB program. Ms. Julie Ashin, coming from Daly Elementary School, will teach second grade. Our part-time music teacher, Ms. Emily Hines, will have more hours at her home school. Mr. Joseph Smith will teach part-time music with Ms. Barr. We wish those who are leaving well and will miss them. We welcome the new staff to Ashburton.
As we are excited to introduce our new Ashburton staff, we also need to say goodbye to a caring staff member that has been with us for 30 years. Ms. Linda Major, special education resource teacher, retired from Montgomery County Public Schools this month. We would like to thank her for her commitment to Ashburton and wish her well as she begins this new chapter of her life.
In August we will mail you a packet with more information about staffing—please note that this summer we have two teachers getting married and some names will change. This packet will also contain a calendar, lunch information, and bus schedules. There will also be information about a kindergarten/new parent meeting one evening prior to the start of school and Open House will be scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, August 28th.
Please work with your child to do the summer math and reading packet that your child will bring home. Read with them, make frequent trips to the library for new books, and encourage them to keep their brains busy. Look for the mail I will send to students in July.
I hope to see you at the many end of the year events during the next few days, including the 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony, the end of year Awards Ceremony for grades 3-5, and many classroom end of year celebrations. Please note that the last day of school for K-5 students is June 16th and students will be dismissed at 12:35 p.m.
Ms. Cino and I wish you a most pleasant summer and look forward to seeing you next year. We will be here most of the summer, but please call ahead if you need to see someone in the office.
Sincerely,
Charlene Eroh
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