Message from the Principal’s Office
March 30, 2020
Happy Monday Martha Jones Families,
I hope you had a healthy and fun weekend. We are heading into week 2 of the Continuation of Learning plan, website here - WPS Continuation of Learning Website. I know many of the students are enjoying their virtual connections with teachers, individually or through morning meetings, Google Classrooms, and Seesaw accounts. As Superintendent Park's indicated in her recent email, we are working on plans to move from review and enrichment to some new learning opportunities starting the week of April 6th. We are still working on exactly what this will look like at the elementary level and will have more information out to you as the week progresses. In them meantime, thank you for your patience and kindness during this time.
Today we have Jen Child, our literacy specialist/coach leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Birthday wishes. We have three birthdays today - Jacob Cicerchia, grade 5; Serena Kapur, Grade 4, and Ms. Warnick, our beloved lunch provider.
Arisa Ng, grade 2 in Mrs. Fader's class, and her family have been working to make masks for the Million Mask Challenge and posted this on a Seesaw account. I thought it was worth sharing in case you are looking for a project to do. There is a group in Norwood that is coordinating all of the logistics. She helped me put together the following information.
https://sites.google.com/westwood.k12.ma.us/mrspasquansartroom/diy-mask-challenge
Have a good week and let me know if you need anything,
March 27, 2020
Dear Martha Jones Families,
We've made it through week one of Learning from home. We hope that you've enjoyed the activities and teacher and classroom videos that have been posted and that you and /or your child has had a chance to check in with your child's teacher. It has been a steep learning curve for all of us. Thank you for your patience and support. I know that this is a change for all of us and we all have competing demands at home. Many of you, like us, are trying to work at home, while tending to our children. Not always an easy task. Please know that everyone here at the Westwood Public Schools has been working diligently to make sure that activities are accessible to students and that all students stay engaged in the our learning community. Check out the WPS Continuation of Learning Website on Monday for week two activities. I want to thank the staff, I've seen some amazingly creative things that they are doing and I'm so proud of them for stepping up so quickly to help this week go as smoothly as possible.
To try to stay connected as a staff, teachers are also trying to have some fun. Kris McDonough, I think with a little help from the McDonough girls, put together this fun video, I hope you enjoy it.
Also, today we have a special guest, Kara Schantz in KM, leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Check it out! Great job Kara.
If you would like to have your child lead us in the pledge, please send a video (if you are using a cell phone to record, please hold the phone horizontally, it makes it much easier for me to merge the videos (I'm acquiring new skills as well, and will some day be able to do it more seamlessly, regardless of how you hold the phone, but for now, please be kind and record horizontally, thank you!).
Have a great weekend everyone!
Donna
March 27 - KS Pledge.mov
MJ Staff Ball Toss (1).mp4
WEEKEND MJS BOREDOM BUSTER CONTEST
Friday, March 27 @ 3:10pm - Sunday, March 29 @ 10pm
As parents and students navigate remote learning and search for creative ways to stay engaged, we want to know: What is your family doing to keep busy on the weekend?
Submit a photo of your weekend activity for a chance to win a $50 Westwood Gear gift card!
To enter, share the photo on the Martha Jones PTO Facebook page, mention @MarthaJonesPTO on Insta or #MJSBoredomBusters. Not on social media? No worries, email the photo to Jamy Sesselman at jamypombo@yahoo.com
All photos must be submitted between Friday, March 27 at 3:10 p.m. and Sunday, March 29 at 10 p.m. The winner will be drawn live on the MJ PTO Facebook Page on Monday night!
Please be sure you are practicing social distancing and adhering to the state’s stay-at-home advisory.
MARTHA JONES FIELD DAY T-SHIRTS
Deadline extended - Wednesday, April 1 - 6pm
This year, the PTO is purchasing T-shirts (instead of the water bottles) for students to wear for Field Day, field trips and to show all around Martha Jones Spirit. Each parent can select the size for his/her child(ren); colors are set by grade and were chosen by the Student Council. You can select your preferred sizes via this Google Form: https://forms.gle/g7sHV97TGA6VXL7L8
Responses must be received by 6pm on April 1. If you do not respond, a T-shirt will be ordered for your child in the average size chosen for his/her grade.
VIRTUAL BIRTHDAY SHOUTOUTS
Martha Jones PTO Facebook Page
Did you know MJ announces kids’ birthdays on the loudspeaker in school every day? If your child has a birthday during this school closure, we want to make sure they are recognized. If you’d like a birthday shoutout on the Martha Jones PTO Facebook page, email your child’s name, birthday and grade along with a photo of the birthday boy/girl to jamypombo@yahoo.com. Please make requests at least 2 days in advance.
CARDS FOR SENIORS
The PTO has partnered with the Westwood Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program to deliver letters or cards from the students of Martha Jones to seniors in our community.
If your child wants to participate, you can scan drawings or email letters and send to Rachel Lipton at rachelalyson@gmail.com. In order to maintain social distancing, you may also drop off finished letters or cards in the baskets at:
Rachel Lipton’s house: 5 Short Street or
Amy Amatangelo’s house: 111 Sycamore Drive
ONLINE SEPAC MEETING
Tuesday, March 31 @ 7:30-8:30
Please join us for the first in a series of virtual parent meetings using Zoom Video Conferencing. Our plan is to meet every other week on Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30 during the period of school closure.
The purpose of the group is to connect with other Westwood parents around topics related to raising a child with a disability, supporting each other during this difficult time and comparing notes on how remote learning is going for your family.
All Westwood parents are welcome and you can join as many sessions as you’d like. We ask that whatever parents share during a meeting is confidential, not to be discussed outside of the group
RSVP: westwoodsepac@gmail.com or on the Facebook Event
Instructions for joining the meeting will be emailed to you
SHOP AmazonSmile
Support Martha Jones with every purchase
Support the Martha Jones PTO while you do your Amazon shopping by using AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a simple, automatic way for you to support the Martha Jones PTO every time you shop, at no cost to you.
You will find the exact same prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the Martha Jones PTO. Just log onto smile.amazon.com, choose Martha Jones PTO as your charity of choice and shop away!
Amazon shopping with an iPhone?
You can use AmazonSmile just like an App by following a few simple steps. Open smile.amazon.com in your browser, tap the “share/forward link” button then tap the “Add to Home Screen” icon (you may need to swipe left to see this). You will now have an AmazonSmile icon which can be used in exactly the same way as the Amazon App but now all of your purchases support the Martha Jones PTO.
BOX TOPS - COLLECTION ONGOING
Download the App and scan receipts within 14 days of purchase
Each Box Top is worth 10¢ for Martha Jones. This money will be used to help pay for school supplies, fund field trip expenses and other fun events! In addition to the Fall and Spring classroom competitions, we collect Box Tops year-round, so please feel free to send them in whenever you have them.
We recently sent home information about important changes to the Box Top program, please take note of these changes
