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District

Principal's Weekly Newsletter - October 19th

Posted Date: 10/19/25 (9:19 AM)

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R.K. Finn Ryan Road Elementary School

Principal's Weekly Update

October 19, 2025
RKFRR

This Week's Highlights

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Mrs. Brown's 3rd Grade had caregiver volunteers Mel Currie (ER Doctor) and Lindsey Currie (ER Nurse) come in and do a presentation on stopping bleeds
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5th graders engaged in a lesson with Mrs. Scheufler and Ms. Gardiner
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Last week caregiver volunteer Dave Gorin (Professor of Chemistry @ Smith College) came in to Mrs. L-R's 1st grade class and did an experiment with chemical reactions to make Elephant Toothpaste!
 

Update on Our 2024-2025 Caregiver Survey and A Look Ahead

Dear Ryan Road School Families,

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your feedback in our 2024-2025 Caregiver Survey. The responses provided clear, consistent, and invaluable insights into what we are doing well and where we have opportunities to grow. It is important to note that while we only received a handful of responses, the insights shared are clear and actionable. We are treating these results as initial observations that help point us in the right direction, and we will be looking for more ways to gather your input throughout the year. 

Celebrating Our Strengths
We were truly heartened by the positive feedback, which affirms that the Ryan Road community is strong and welcoming.
  • Strong Welcoming Environment: Nearly all respondents stated they felt welcomed and connected to the school community. This is a direct reflection of our amazing staff and teachers who are consistently praised for being warm, kind, and proactive in their positive connection with you and your children
  • High-Quality Caregiver-Teacher Conferences: Our conferences received overwhelmingly positive ratings. We are proud that you felt teachers were well-prepared and demonstrated an individualized knowledge of each student, ensuring you received "good information about our student's learning.
  • Effective Communication Tools: Our use of ParentSquare and weekly teacher newsletters is working well for most families.

Key Areas for Growth: Refining Communication
The primary focus of your feedback, and therefore our work moving forward, centers on refining the volume, consistency, and specificity of our school-to-home communication.
  • We heard clearly that during times like unscheduled closures, the sheer volume of communication can be overwhelming.
  • We heard a desire for more proactive communication about your child's individual social and emotional well-being.
  • While general updates are appreciated, some families requested more specific information about daily or weekly learning to better support their child at home.

Your partnership is essential to making Ryan Road a vibrant and supportive environment for every child and family. Our annual Caregiver survey will come mid-year and we look forward to hearing about your family's experience with our school.

Important Dates this Week

From Stress to Smartphones

From Stress to Smartphones, From Freak-outs to Friendships: What Parents Need to Know (And Do!) About Worry, Anxiety, and Depression presented by Lynn Lyons, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist for over 35 years.

Lynn spoke at Convocation this year and was well-received by the staff. Lynn was asked to offer her expertise to the NPS community.

Thursday, October 23, 2025
6:30 - 8:00 PM
NHS Auditorium
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Wed 10/22- ½ day - early dismissal- Caregiver Conferences
Wed 10/23 - Lynn Lyons Presentation for Caregivers @ NHS Auditorium

Upcoming Dates


OCTOBER
Wed 10/29- ½ day - early dismissal- Caregiver Conferences

NOVEMBER
Tue 11/4- NO SCHOOL - PD
Tue 11/11- NO SCHOOL - Veteran's Day
Wed 11/19- ½ day - early dismissal- Caregiver Conferences
Wed 11/26- ½ day - early dismissal- Caregiver Conferences
Thur 11/27 - NO SCHOOL - November break
Fri 11/28- NO SCHOOL - November break

DECEMBER
Wed 12/3- 1/2 Day- TWD
Wed 12/10- ½ day - early dismissal- Caregiver Conferences
Wed 12/17- ½ day - early dismissal- Caregiver Conferences
Wed 12/24 through Fri 01/02 - December Break

Just a Friendly Reminder

UPDATE FROM NURSE KAREN

From the Health Office:
  1. I am looking for donations of sweatpants and/or leggings--all sizes needed.
  2. Please send in the most recent physical for your child. Thank you to those caregivers that have already done so.  
Many thanks,
Karen
RKFRR School Nurse
 
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Inclement Weather


Steps the district takes for calling a snow day;
  1. Day before inclement weather -- DPW, Transportation Director and Superintendent put on their meteorologist hats and review weather reports to see if the decision can be made the day before. If no clear cut decision is made, go to step 2.
  2. Beginning at 4:00AM the day of inclement weather--DPW, Transportation Director and Superintendent have a conference call to discuss the current weather. At that time, a decision is made based upon safety, road conditions and timing of the poor weather conditions.
  3. Notifications of the decision is sent out to families via ParentSquare and posted on the weather channels 22 and 40 by 5:30AM. Notification will also be posted on the districts website (www.northaptonschools.org).

Important times to remember:
Delays are for two (2) hours, schools will begin at the following time:
  • Elementary at 10:00 AM

During delays, bus pick up will be two (2) hours after original time (i.e., bus picks up at 7:30 AM; for delay, bus will pick up at 9:30 AM).

Early Dismissal times:
Elementary Dismissal at 11:30 AM
 

Youth Enrichment Program

** We have NOT sent out any forms to sign up - we are still looking for a few more teachers for classes. We will update you ASAP- any questions please call Vanessa in the office. **

Please find the tentative dates for SY 25-26 YEP after school program.
We will have three sessions running 8 weeks long on Tuesday and Thursdays.

Session 1: Week of September 22nd through week of December 8th. (no classes in the month of November)

Session 2: Week of January 12th through week of March 8th

Session 3: Week of March 23rd through week of May 25th
 
2025 Welcome Back Letter
Carta de bienvenida de 2025
 

Logistics of RKFRR

Important Information

RKFRR FAMILY RESOURCE GUIDE
GUÍA DE RECURSOS FAMILIARES
Student Support Team (SST) FAQ
 
  • Our building is a scent free school - please make sure that anytime you're visiting that you refrain from wearing perfume/ cologne or strongly scented body products (for example, hair shampoo/conditioner, hair gel/spray, body wash, deodorant, and lotions).

  • Supervision will begin at 7:40 AM on the playground - please do not drop your child off prior to that time.

  • School Hours: 8 AM - 2:10 PM
scent free
 
no dogs

Dogs on Campus

Please refrain from bringing your dog on school grounds.
Thank you for your assistance in advance.
 
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Absence Communication

This year we will be using parent square to contact families if your child is absent and we haven't heard from you.

Messages will be going out around 10 every morning.

It is a new process for us, so we appreciate your patience in advance!
 

Main Office

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Administrative Assistant: Vanessa Keillor
vkeillor@northampton-k12.us
587-1560

 

PTO CORNER

Liam Hurley - Scott Lodzieski - Emily Beaudry - April Igneri

SIGN UP HERE - to volunteer
 
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Sign Up for PTO Newsletter
PTO Website
 

FSE & ELE

Family Student Engagement & English Learner Education

FSE & ELE Update
Actualización en español
 

District Information

Freshampton - School Lunch Menus
 
NPS Calendars
NPS calendar
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In Closing

As always, we hope that all families and caregivers feel welcomed, comfortable and valued at our school. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Rebecca LeBeau, Principal
RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School

Email: relebeau@northampton-k12.us
Location: 498 Ryan Road, Florence, MA 01062
Phone: 413-587-1550
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