ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Wednesday April 14th: PM Kindergarten in person
- Monday April 19th to Friday April 23rd: No School Spring Recess
- Wednesday April 28th: AM Kindergarten in person
- Thursday April 29th: PTO General Meeting, 7:30 PM
March Reading Challenge Wrap Up
Thank you to all of the students who participated in March Reading Bingo! It was great to see how many motivated and creative readers we have at Douglas School! Congratulations to the winners of our Silver Unicorn raffle: Faith Fitzgerald and Wesley Schwarz!
Save the Date for our next PTO general meeting!
The next PTO General Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 29th at 7:30 pm on Zoom. The PTO will be presenting the budget for the 2021-22 school year and discussing plans for spring activities and events. We hope to see many of our families in attendance!
MCAS Dates *Updated*
Dates for MCAS testing have been updated. These dates are for in-person students and are subject to change. The Remote Learning Program will determine the MCAS schedule for Remote students:
Tuesday, May 11 - ELA Grades 3 - 5
Makeups Thursday and Friday, May 13 & 14
Tuesday, May 18 - Math Grades 3 - 6
Makeups Thursday and Friday, May 20 & 21
Tuesday, May 25 -
Science Grade 5 and
ELA Grade 6
Makeups Thursday and Friday, May 27 & 28
Are you ready for an adventure? The Douglas Community is traveling (virtually) around the world this year as the Douglas Akiko Sensei Festival of Cultures goes virtual! Click here to check out the favorite places and heritage of some of our Douglas friends! Enjoy!
It's not too late to add your favorite place--there are many countries without pins, and others could use more pins! You can still submit more entries here until the end of April. If you have any questions, email us at [email protected]
Are you looking for summer camp opportunities? We want to help create more summer fun!
The Doli Atamian Campership program provides scholarships to summer camp programs for children in Acton and Boxborough based on family income. The application process is simple, and each child may receive up to $300 towards a summer camp program or classes of the family's choice.
REMINDERS
Don't forget to pack your child's water bottle!
Please be sure to send your child to school with a reusable water bottle each day.
I will send students in grades four through six who have chosen to participate in the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award program a voting link on Google Classroom during the week of April 12-16.
All students may check-out books at any time from the Douglas School library using the instructions provided here:
How to Access the Douglas School Library Destiny Catalog
and Place Holds (Reserves)
You can search the catalog from any computer or phone where you can access the internet.
To view your own library account:
In the top right corner select Log In: enter the user name and password that you use for your AB Schools account.
Enter your password
Select Submit
Enter a word or phrase in the Search bar and select the magnifying glass to search for books.
HOLDS/RESERVES:
To place a hold (reserve) on a book, search for a book and then select Hold
To delete a hold, select Unhold
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Select the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner and select Destiny Back Office
Select Home to see the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (MCBA) resources (grades 4-6), link to Books in a Series, access Encyclopedia Britannica online (user name: acton, password: research) and link to the Acton and Boxborough Public Libraries.
To return to Destiny Discover, select Catalog then select Destiny Discover
Please email Ms. Opel at [email protected] with any concerns or questions and if you need your child’s username and password to access the library catalog.
As a reminder, the Lost and Found is located outside the Douglas main doors (blue bin). It is outside every school day from 9am to 3pm. There are lots of winter items including hats, mittens, and boots all looking for their owners!
Looking for ways to support our teachers this year? You can still make a difference from a distance. We have put together an Amazon Wish List that includes various items our teachers have wished for. If you would like to help make some of the wishes come true and support our teachers and students, please pick an item or two from the list to donate. The items will be shipped directly to the coordinator, who will then organize, label, and deliver them safely to the school. The list will remain active throughout the school year and we will continue to add new items as more wishes come in. There are wishes small and large, and you can also purchase gift cards in any amount that will be put toward purchasing additional items. The link has been updated to reflect Amazon Smile. Check out our Wish Upon a Star wish list here. For questions, please contact Emmy Whitney at [email protected] or 617-633-1862. Thank you!
Tick Reminders
As temperatures warm and children spend more time outside both at home and at school, we’d like to remind families of steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of tick bites and the illnesses they can bring.
Please consider the following things you can do to help prevent tick-borne illness:
- The CDC recommends using an insect repellent containing 20% DEET. Follow directions, and apply repellent before your child comes to school. Insect repellent protects against both mosquitoes and ticks. Similar to sunblock, school staff cannot apply insect repellent to students.
- Remind your children to look for ticks on clothing before coming back into school, but please perform a full body tick check on your child at home after school/in the evening.
- Wearing a hat or bandana is an extra precaution you can take to protect the head and neck from ticks.
- Having your child wear light colored long pants tucked into light colored socks, closed-toe shoes, and a long sleeved shirt helps make ticks on clothing visible.
Being outdoors is healthful and has benefits for all of us. As educators, we believe in teaching children how to enjoy the outdoors safely and hope you’ll join us in supporting this goal.
