Dear Bates,
Field Day yesterday was a huge success! A huge thank you to Mx. Fyvie and the many volunteers who made this day so fun! We will celebrate our fifth graders tomorrow with a Fond Farewell ceremony, and the HunneBates School community will come together for our last Community Meeting of the year on Thursday.
With the final two days of school ahead, I wanted to provide some updates for next year.
Hunnewell Swing Space
Next year the Hunnewell swing space brings two new Hunnewell kindergarten classes to Bates. In addition, the current Hunnewell kindergarteners will stay at Bates for the first half of first grade. So next year we will again host four Hunnewell classrooms. The plan is on track for Hunnewell to transition to their new building after February break. We look forward to sharing our space again with Hunnewell classes next fall.
Bates Classrooms and Teacher Assignments
Due to a slight enrollment reduction, Bates will have 13 classroom sections next year, down from 14 sections this year. As a result, third grade teacher Kaitlyn Murray will move to teach second grade at Hunnewell next year. We will all miss Ms. Murray greatly, and we wish her all the very best.
The Bates teacher grade level assignments for SY 23-24 are as follows:
Kindergarten: Rita Cameron, Franny Jacobson
Grade 1: Jessica Mead, Laura Kelly
Grade 2: Katie Catalano, Nicole Melanson, Pam Rosenbloom
Grade 3: Katy Comstock, Erica Ilyin
Grade 4: Mara Hochberg, Ellen Theriault
Grade 5: Irene Gruenfeld, Molly Perkins
Classroom teacher assignments will be provided in August when the PowerSchool Parent Portal opens for families to make their annual updates. I will provide these dates for you later in the summer.
Summer Learning
Please be sure to visit the WPS Summer Learning website for summer reading, math, science and Spanish activities for your child.
As we wrap up the year, we have much to celebrate. In addition, we are busy reflecting and engaging in activities that support our continued growth. While the summer is a time to relax and recharge, we are already getting excited for next year.
For those families who are not returning to Bates, we wish you well and hope you stay in touch with all of us in the Bates community. I wish each and every family a wonderful summer.
Warmly,
Toni Jolley
Important Dates