KES News

December 21, 2021

Dear KES families,

I hope you are well. I have just a couple of reminders for you today.  I also wanted to let you know how well the children are doing at remaining focused on their work, in spite of how excited most of them are for the approaching holiday. I've visited many classrooms this week, and have enjoyed holiday read-alouds, beautiful art projects, and fun activities for literacy and math. The children have worked very hard this fall, and they are more than deserving of the upcoming break. I’m so proud of them, and I hope you are as well! 

Please be on the lookout tomorrow for information from Nurse Brown on managing COVID 19 situations over winter break. Our school nurses will not be working during the break, so families will need to reach out to Primary Care Providers if questions or situations arise, however parents should still email the school nurses and principals about any positive COVID cases or close contacts. The nurses will convene right before we return on January 3rd to discuss cases within our school populations, and having updated information in their inbox will go a long way towards informing that conversation.

Please don't forget, tomorrow, (Wednesday, December 22nd,) will be a “Comfy Clothes Day” here at KES. Any warm and comfortable clothing including PJ’s and slippers are encouraged. We want everyone to leave for vacation comfy and happy! Thank you for your help with this! 

And finally, whether you are celebrating big, or small, or not at all, I hope the coming days offer you time with family and friends, and a chance to relax a bit and enjoy all the good things the season has to offer. With warm regards…

Yours in Education,
Mr. Quinn

 

December 16, 2021

Dear KES Families,

I hope you are all well. I am sending my newsletter a day early this week to make sure you know that we are aware of the Tiktok challenge encouraging school violence tomorrow,  Friday, December 17th. It is during these times that I am so grateful that our community supports School Resource Officer positions at all of our schools so no children in any of our schools are without protection. Please rest assured that Officer Audra and all of our KES staff will be extra vigilant tomorrow throughout the day, and we ask everyone to err on the side of reporting any suspicious activity you may observe at or around any of our schools. Thank you for your help with this! 

Just a reminder that if your child received their Covid-19 vaccine at our KES vaccine clinic and you did not accompany your child to the 2nd clinic, your child's vaccination card is available at the front office for pick-up during school hours. 

For families that have pursued the Covid-19 vaccination outside of school, please remember to send Nurse Brown a copy of your child's vaccination card once they have received their second dose of the vaccine. This information is needed in the event that your child is exposed to someone with covid-19 at school or in the community. Please note that your child will be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the 2nd dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. If your child is identified as a close-contact to someone with Covid-19 prior to reaching the 14 day mark, they will be required to complete the full quarantine. 

And finally, as we approach the holiday season, please stay safe and healthy. Covid-19 cases are rising in Maine and we continue to see breakthrough cases in fully-vaccinated individuals. Remember to continue to take steps to protect yourself including keeping gatherings small, avoiding large crowds, social distancing, wearing masks, and practicing good hand hygiene. An additional step that can be taken if you are attending a gathering is to use a home antigen test to screen for a Covid-19 infection prior to attending and again 5-7 days after the gathering. While this approach will not eliminate risk, it can help to identify and reduce the spread of Covid-19 in our communities and help prevent Covid-19 from entering our schools when we return. 

Yours in Education and Safety,
Mr. Quinn

 

December 10, 2021

Dear KES Families,

I hope you are well. The recent snow has certainly created some excitement here at KES, and anticipation of the coming holiday. And in the spirit of the season, you still have time to make a difference for other KES and Kennebunk families! Please help us support local families who are experiencing food insecurity at this time in our community. KES is proudly serving as a drop-off location for the current local Food Drive, sponsored by Community Outreach Services, Habitat for Humanity, and the Heritage Housing Trust. Our collection box is in the KES Vestibule, so you won't even have to sign-in to donate. Donations will be accepted at this location any time between now through December 22nd,  the last day of school heading into Winter Break. Please see this link for information concerning high-need items as well as information on other drop off locations that will be available until December 31st. This is a wonderful time of year for most of us, so thank you for thinking of those who may be struggling this holiday season.

Meanwhile, as a follow up to our Newsletter last week, the Adopt-A-Tree event held by Lucky Pup Rescue raised, with the help of our second graders, approximately $11,000.00 to continue their great work of fostering and finding forever homes for many more dogs in our community.  Thank you to all of the families who donated supplies, to the families who went and purchased raffle tickets, and especially to the second graders for their hard work and creativity! 

Our School Counselors, Ms.Wright and Mr. Muir, would like to share their November Counselor’s Newsletter. Here is the link that includes great resources, as well as a review of skills and lessons that have been part of the school counseling program at KES in recent weeks.  

I am also sharing a link to a newsletter from our Allied Arts teachers letting you know what is happening in Art, Music, STEM, Spanish, Physical Education and Library here at KES. In this strange time when we cannot have parents in the building, these newsletters, as well as the weekly communication from the classroom teachers, provide a window into your child's daily school experience here at KES.

And finally we want you to know that we believe you are the most important thing in your child’s life, and we want to ensure that you have the opportunity to shape their school experience. 

We’re asking that you participate in our 5-minute survey that will help our school improve our communication, academic programming, and overall experience for you and your child. 

Click here or scan the QR Code below to complete the survey by December 17th.  

The family survey is designed to help us understand your experiences with our school and gain insight on how we can engage with you more effectively. We promise that responses will be anonymous and only used to inform future family engagement strategies.  Families should only complete one survey per student.  If you have children at more than one school, please complete the survey for each school at which you have a child.  If you have multiple children at one school, answer the questions with your eldest child in mind. 

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact me at rquinn@rsu21.net or (207) 985-4402. Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your feedback. We value your input and look forward to working with you to ensure a great learning experience for your child. Thank you for your ongoing support, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Yours in Education,
Mr. Quinn

December 3, 2021

Dear KES Families, 

I hope you are well and that you had a great Thanksgiving. I have just a few things to share.

First of all, our 2nd Dose Covid 19 Vaccine Clinic will occur this coming Friday, December 10th, here at KES. This clinic is only for students who received their first dose of the vaccine at our previous KES clinic. Follow this link for more information and make sure to complete the KES COVID 19 vaccine clinic form. We are asking everyone to fill out the form by the end of the day Monday, December 6th. Your help with this is greatly appreciated!  

For many years now our wonderful second grade team has participated in creating a tree for Lucky Pup Rescue's annual Adopt-A-Tree fundraiser. Once again this year, just before Thanksgiving, all second graders participated in this fun service learning event. Thanks to the generous donations from our second grade families, we are able to work together to create a dog themed tree and talk about philanthropic efforts.  

Each class made unique ornaments for the tree: 

• Mrs. Washburn's class made ornaments from tennis balls.
• Mrs. Michaud's class made a garland using paper and felt to make dog faces.
• Mrs. MacLeod's class made ornaments from Milkbones.
• Ms. Pinkelman's class painted ornaments with a dog theme.
• Mrs. Roubo's and Mrs. Lincoln's classes made homemade dog treats with the help of our amazing cafeteria staff.  

This week the second grade team of teachers went and set it all up. Here is a sneak peak!

There are many amazing donated trees that are decorated and up for raffle.  Admission is free and purchase of raffle tickets is optional.  For anyone who would like to go, it will be held Saturday and Sunday (December 4 and 5) at Vinegar Hill in Arundel - 10-6 on Saturday and 10-2 on Sunday - Raffle drawings at 2.     Here is additional information about the event - including a virtual option - that can be found here: Lucky Pup Facebook Event Information

Just one final reminder if your child is going to be absent from school. We have an Absence Reporting Form that we are asking everyone to use. It simplifies and streamlines the process for everyone involved. We would appreciate you using it whenever your child will be out of school for any reason.
KES Absence Reporting Form

Have a great weekend! 

Yours in Education,

Mr. Quinn