4th and 5th Grade 9/11 Commoration Information

Dear Families of Fourth and Fifth Graders,

KRES/NL and Sutton Central Fourth and Fifth Graders will be joining together to help our community observe Patriot Day.  Since 2002, our community has celebrated Patriot Day, the official name given to September 11 th , after the terrorist attacks in 2001 and honor the people in the community who stand ready to help in an emergency. You are welcome to attend this event on Thursday, September 11, at 11:00 am, at the New London Fire Station (rain or shine).

All fifth graders will be singing during the ceremony. In addition, some students will read reports written by their class, help with the flag ceremony, or ring the bell. For our reports this year, the students will meet and interview members of our community to learn more about being a first responder. The fifth grade adds a great deal to the ceremony and we are proud to have them present at this community event.  If possible, please have the students wear black/dark bottoms, white tops for the ceremony. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact one of us.

Fourth-grade students are invited to attend, in an effort to prepare them for their participation in this solemn remembrance once they become fifth graders.  As members of the audience, the fourth graders will observe this student-led community-wide ceremony as the fifth graders sing in the chorus, read reports led by their classroom teachers, and ring the bell. The students add a great deal to the ceremony and we are proud to have them present at this community event honoring our first responders.

If possible, please have the students wear black/dark bottoms, white tops for the ceremony. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact one of us.

Sincerely,

Nicole Densmore, Music Teacher

Abby Cross Magistro, Sutton 4/5 Grade Teacher

April Lakevicius, Sutton 4/5 Grade Teacher

Meghan Wyman, KRES/NL 5th Grade Teacher

Bonnie Gill, KRES/NL 5th Grade Teacher

Thom Smith, KRES/NL 5th Grade Teacher

Staff Professional Development

Before school began for students, our staff engaged in a lot of learning!  Below is an overview of OGAP, written by Curriculum Director Andrea Castaldo:  "OGAP (Ongoing Assessment Project) is a research-based formative assessment framework designed to help teachers make informed instructional decisions based on students’ mathematical thinking. It provides educators with professional development and tools to analyze student responses to targeted tasks, helping identify common misconceptions and developmental learning progressions. Research shows that schools implementing OGAP experience notable gains in student achievement and increased teacher insight into how students learn foundational math concepts.

This summer, KRSD partnered with the New Hampshire Learning Initiative (NHLI) to offer three OGAP professional development sessions, each focused on a key area of math instruction: Additive Reasoning, Fractions, and Proportionality. Thirty-two KRSD educators participated in the training, deepening their understanding of learning progressions and formative assessment practices to strengthen math instruction across the district. Thank you to all of the KRSD educators who participated and to Michael Bessette for putting the series together!"

Additionally, staff engaged in KRSD educator-led professional learning that included learning about ViewSonic Viewboards, new tools and strategies to engage students in the classroom, MTSS (multi-tiered system of support) for students, and "Capturing Kids Hearts", a program that has been shown to make a difference in behavior, engagement, and learning in the classroom.  Staff also completed a refresher training on the ALICE safety protocols and prepared for assessing students using the newly formatted report card.  

School-Wide Drills

We will likely have our first fire drill this week.  With the exception of new students, our students are very familiar with the procedures for this type of drill. Later this fall, we will make plans to have counselors and/or administrators talk to students in classrooms to discuss our procedures in the event of an active shooter or unsafe person in or around the building. While this is scary to discuss, it is of the utmost importance that all students and staff are aware of how to react in an unsafe situation. As mentioned above, the Kearsarge School District is trained in the ALICE approach. If you are looking for more information, click here. 

Food Reminder

A friendly reminder that some classrooms have allergy restrictions during snack time, and snacks must be allergy-friendly.  Please reach out to your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions about what to send in.  School lunch options information is contained in the bullets below.  

• Breakfast $2.25/Lunch $3.50/Milk $.65

• There are Free and Reduced rates for those who qualify. Please reach out if you need assistance with this process. The Free and Reduced lunch application can be accessed at the following link: Free & Reduced Lunch. 

• Link to Fresh Picks Cafe Services information: https://www.kearsarge.org/district/fresh-picks-lunch-program/links/fresh-picks-lunch-menu

• You can also contact Melina Cochran at fsd@kearsarge.org.

Cougar Cubby Food Pantry

Please consider making a donation to our Cougar Cubby.  Preferred items include ready-made or easily prepared foods such as:

• Macaroni and cheese or ramen noodles

• Individually packed snack items such as granola bars

• Hannaford gift cards

KRES -NL Student & Family Handbook

The student and family handbook for 2025-2026 can be found by clicking this link.  Please be sure to review this!

Bus Routes

The bus routes are always available on the district webpage, and can be found here at this link.  Please reach out directly to the bus company (603-938-6464 or ellegendre@ridesta.com)  if you have questions about stops or times.