Raymond C. LaPerche Elementary School

Arianna and Jaxon, you are right! That was Mrs. Ferreira, Owen’s mom and fabulous third grade teacher! Today, we have two masked educators for you. Try and guess their identity...who are they and what do they do at LaPerche?

Day three of “Who’s under that mask” was Ms. Deroche, one of our amazing paraprofessionals!! LaPerche students, you all guessed correctly! Who do you think is under this mask? And what is her role at LaPerche?

Second day of “Who’s under that mask” stumped everyone, staff and students alike! Why? Because it is Miss Day, our fabulous new second grade teacher, and most of you have not met her yet!! Take a look at her happy smile to see how excited she is to meet her second graders!! Day three is someone more familiar!! Who’s under the mask and what is her role at LaPerche??

Our first “Who’s under that mask” challenge was an easy one for LaPerche students to guess! You are right, it is Mrs. Dorsey, principal of LaPerche! Please show the kids Mrs. Dorsey’s smile and remind them that is what she will look like under her mask!! Our next challenge won’t be as easy. LaPerche families, please show your child the picture below and see if they can guess, Who’s under that mask?? And what is her role at LaPerche?

LaPerche Students-when we come back together for school we will all have masks on! Let’s see what our faculty and staff will look like with a mask!! Make a guess who this person is under her mask and sunglasses! Parents, ask your kids to guess who it is and what her job is at LaPerche. Share your answers below!

Dear Parents/Guardians, A link to the registration for a virtual option for the fall was sent to you along with a short description of the program - https://forms.gle/2dop9766LHKB6JQv8. Many good questions were asked by parents and answers to these questions will be included into a FAQ document, which we will post on our COVID page (red tab on the district website) some time today. In addition, a Parent Forum is scheduled for this Thursday, August 6th, at 7pm to discuss the virtual option and answer any questions you may have. The deadline for registering for the virtual option will be August 12th. Good plans cannot be accomplished last minute and we want the BEST for our students! Here's the link to the forum: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/673071381 You can also dial in using your phone. 1 866 899 4679 Access Code: 673-071-381 Thanks for your continued support and positive demeanor during this unprecedented time! Judy Paolucci, Superintendent

Are you interested in being a substitute teacher or substitute paraprofessional (teacher assistant) in Smithfield? Teacher substitutes please use this link to apply on SchoolSpring: https://www.schoolspring.com/job.cfm?jid=3313878 For teacher assistants, please use this link: https://www.schoolspring.com/job.cfm?jid=3313880 Please complete the application process on SchoolSpring and apply for a National BCI, (the form is included in a link in the posting). We will then notify you of receipt of the National BCI. At that time, the remainder of the forms can be dropped off or mailed to the Administration Office at 49 Farnum Pike, Smithfield, RI 02917. We look forward to you joining our team!

Our Return to School Plan Districts are not being given the choice of a return scenario. Instead, we were asked to create 3 plans for returning to school - full return to buildings, partial return, and limited return (distance learning) so that we will be ready for whatever the governor decides. Our plan is available on this link: https://bit.ly/394aWpD

Smithfield Families, You're invited to a Return to School Family Forum on Tuesday, July 14th at 7pm. The forum will focus on three challenges - transportation, physical distancing in classrooms, and access to distance learning when the expectation is for a physical return to school. Join us using this link: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/813375837. You can also dial in using your phone: 1 877 568 4106, Access Code: 813-375-837. To help us make this forum most beneficial, please ask questions, in advance, on this form: https://forms.gle/x14o2Sw94RTgQLNT8. We value your partnership and feedback as we endeavor to plan for a safe and successful return to school. Sincerely, Judy Paolucci, Superintendent And Members of the Return to School Committee #safeandsuccessful

Please Complete the Bus Survey by Tomorrow-July 14--Thank you! Plans for the safe reopening of school in September must comply with RIDOH directives, including social distancing on buses. The recommendation from the Governor's office and the District is that parents, if possible, make arrangements to either drive their students to school (potentially arranging carpools) or allow them to walk or bike to school. Per district policy, elementary children who live one walking mile or more from their home school are eligible for bus transportation. For secondary students, the eligibility zone is greater than two miles from the school. While buses may have picked up some students in the walk zone in the past, this will not be possible this year. Parents of eligible students, who know they NEED a school bus, must OPT-IN for transportation for the school year. If parents/guardians do not register for bus transportation, those students will be removed from bus rosters, allowing for more accurate planning. BY JULY 14, 2020, we are asking parents to submit this form FOR EACH of their children and indicate whether or not they need bus transportation. [Link: https://forms.gle/RB35tUAG8kYzSXYc7 ] Here are the current guidelines for bus transportation: 1. All students on buses are required to wear masks and must have been screened at home before getting on the bus each day. 3. Students will use hand sanitizer as they enter/exit the bus. 4. Students will be seated one child per seat unless they are with siblings. 5. Students will have assigned seats. Students need to ride the same bus to and from school. 6. Students must all sit facing forward. 7. Physical distancing at bus stops is recommended.

Return to School Committee Report #1-June 21, 2020 Please visit the link below to view the first Return to School Committee report. Reports will be coming weekly to keep parents and staff informed of planning. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XgQDmOvoN4DrksMBqJhRLDkCETY6mHp2Mg0K_xf2AZI/edit

As many of you know, Ms. Barbara Furtado is retiring after 25 years of teaching students to read at LaPerche! She has been an amazing inspiration to so many students over the years and countless have learned how to uncover the secrets of the English language under her direction. Ms. Furtado brought positive energy and a love of kids to her job EVERY SINGLE DAY. We can’t thank you enough for your dedication to the students at LaPerche, Ms. Furtado. You will be missed greatly! Please check our this beautiful tribute to Ms. Furtado! https://youtu.be/mSIAOAaV66g Thank you, Kerri McMahon, for creating the video and to all who contributed.

Check out the Virtual Photo Project created by LaPerche Students. LaPerche art teacher, Miss Miller, challenged the students to create a photo project using the items that were most important to them during virtual learning. The project was based on the work by artist Gregg Segal. Miss Miller certainly kept the students engaged during virtual learning! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jaQyV-RmyE2itYpWLccv7yJom-SHmYAP/view LaPerche Virtual Photos--Check out the finished projects! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hlKiJbmowFomYjkzVNhAOBWqLwP06mRd/view

If you ask LaPerche kids to list their favorite days of school, Field Day would be close to the top for most. This year we had to host field day virtually. Each LaPerche faculty member partnered up and created an online station. The kids traveled as a class to each station and from the looks of the pictures, had a blast! Thank you to all the staff for bringing the energy and to the families for jumping into field day with the students! Virtual Field Day was a smashing success! To see all the field day photos, please check out this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xm1HME8AvMhFGUjF8 If you have more field day photos to share, send them to Mrs. Dorsey at jdorsey@smithfield-ps.org

Yesterday, LaPerche families picked up summer packages and dropped off Chromebooks and other materials. It was great to see so many families and students who we have missed desperately!! The pick up line was a great place to celebrate some of our students with perfect attendance and to reconnect with so many families!! We miss you and can’t wait to see you in the fall! Congratulations to all of our students who achieved perfect attendance. It is an outstanding accomplishment!!

Smithfield's Return to School committee began its work to plan for schooling for the 2020-2021 school year. An important part of that work is to reach out to parents and staff to better understand your concerns and expectations for the fall. Please watch for an invitation to join a focus group and for surveys that will be sent over the next week or so. Today, at 1pm, the governor and commissioner outlined their expectations for the fall . A statewide school calendar for 2020-2021 has also been posted https://bit.ly/3hgh3L6 . Guidelines for reopening will not be out until June 19th and districts will have until July 17th to submit a plan for 3 different scenarios. Our goal is to develop a plan that best meets the needs of our families and staff here in Smithfield. We will be communicating with you often this summer as our plans are developed. Judy Paolucci, Superintendent

Can you dance? Sing? Tell a joke? Juggle? Play an instrument? Have another amazing talent? It's almost time for the LaPerche Virtual Talent Show! Gather your family and put together an act. All videos need to be submitted by Friday, May 22 and will be combined into one amazing show! Don't miss out! Check out this document for all the details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XK70BzjpkFnISkXnXFCBSujvcIbChGO5JWFBBj_hi-g/edit

LaPerche Families celebrated the faculty in so many different ways during Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. Check out these amazing videos created by all of YOU! Thank you! https://docs.google.com/document/d/12ayIxMKJGgazqMsTr8KKGatNlD81-SANRzLqevmeZ1I/edit

LaPerche students worked with their families to clean up the earth on Earth Day 2020! Thank you to all for teaching your children about the importance of taking care of our environment. For more Earth Day clean up photos, check out this album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/N7SvmAPTMKY5aCUs8

LaPerche celebrated Reading Week April 27-May 1. We had an awesome week which included Mad Hatter Monday, Tropical Tuesday, Wild Wednesday, Thankful Thursday and Funny Friday! Mrs. Clapprood, our amazing librarian, led a daily read around and craft time and we ended the week with a performance by Keith Munslow. LaPerche kids love Reading Week and the faculty do too! Check out the rest of the photos from Reading Week! https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q72L2JsFVFqj7Jqf8