Just a reminder that the MA Department of Public Health requires all Massachusetts students to receive a flu shot before December 31^st. If your child has not yet received one, or if you have not provided the paperwork showing the vaccine has been received, please do as soon as possible as our return after the break will be a post-requirement calendar day.

I am as impressed as ever with our community’s commitment to adhering to our re-entry plan strategies. Some of the students' masks are getting a little tattered and worn, resulting in sagging below the nose. Please be sure this is not the case. As a reminder, masks with vents and gators are not allowed. A mask should always cover the nose and mouth, without moving off those areas.

As required, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible any travel plans you may have over the holidays.  Please include the area and dates of travel.  It is recommended by the state of MA that people do not travel and limit exposure to only those in your immediate family.  Click Here for the link to the travel order. Although socialization to immediate family only is not being enforced by our Governor, please remain mindful of why these are the recommendations. I have poured over data analysis that shows that transmission within schools is negligibly low and that the increased transmission of Covid-19 in our community is directly related to gatherings with people we don’t live with, where masks are not being worn.

Our goal is to stay in school. Everyone respecting how this virus is being spread and adhering to recommendations will help us continue to achieve this.

In the event that you find out you are Covid positive or learn you are a close contact, please let Nurse Carolynn know. Additionally here is a helpful link that I encourage you to reference or pass along to anyone else that tests positive or is a close contact. You will see the "Table of Contents" has instructions for each scenario with details to help guide you or someone you know.

Due to the current COVID-19 health climate in Massachusetts, and after continued discussion with health care professionals, Before and After School Care will not be available after the holiday break. We realize these are essential offerings that our families depend on and do not make this decision lightly. Given these uncertain times, our primary focus is our community's health and well-being, and we feel that this is the safest option for all.

Extended care pre-payments will be credited directly through your SmartTuition accounts next week.

Please be sure that your child has logged into their Google Classrooms (classroom.google.com). Lead guides and enrichment instructors are posting stories and Zoom & Google Meet sessions on the platform with more frequency.

Feel free to reach out to our enrichment instructors with any questions about their online classrooms.

Tom Giatrakos ([email protected])

Renay Bane ([email protected])

Serena Smith ([email protected])

Victor McSurely ([email protected])

We will be emailing details about the LE Family Projects to Lower Elementary parents next week.

When you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Thacher Montessori School Inc. Bookmark the link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/04-2499107 and support us every time you shop.

As Dr. King so eloquently reminds us, communication is at the heart of both disagreements and solidarity. Effective communication skills allow us to access the diversity of relationships, people, and perspectives around us.

We all want to communicate well with others, but sometimes it’s so hard! Listening and understanding the voices of others is work. Listening asks us to pause a personal agenda or perspective, and be vulnerable and open to what others are saying.

Here are some powerful tips from Teaching Tolerance about how to engage in difficult conversations.

Reiterate - Restate what you heard. This step enables students to reflect on what they have heard as opposed to what they think they may have heard. Repeating what they have heard limits miscommunication and misinformation.

Contemplate - Count to 10 before responding. Students can think about their responses and use the time to compose what they want to say. Taking time to think about their responses helps move students away from immediate emotional responses that can potentially derail the conversation.

Respire - Take a breath to check in with yourself. Suggesting students take a few breaths before responding may help them settle their thoughts and emotions during difficult conversations.

Communicate - Speak with compassion and thoughtfulness. Students should do their best to speak as they want to be spoken to, assuming good intentions and seeking understanding. Explain that when they disagree with something someone has said, they should focus on challenging the statement rather than the person who said it.

As we approach the busy holiday season, we invite you to take these communication tools and use them in your relationships with others.

In lieu of printing cards this year, we will be creating a virtual card and we need student art or words of thanks.