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Half Day Programs
Half Day Programs
We are excited to announce that this year we will be piloting some half day programs for 1st-5th graders. These programs will run from 11:30am-4:30pm on select half days throughout the school year, and will be limited to a capacity of 36-48 students, dependent on staffing. At this time, we have scheduled two programs on Wednesday, September 17th and Wednesday, October 15th. More info to come!
After School Mural Fun!
After School Mural Fun!
This spring, Ms. Macutkiewicz and a group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade art enthusiasts gave a makeover to the mural in our main lobby. Look at those cute flowers! and bees! and mushrooms! and fairy house! Thanks for sprucing up our school.
Pricing Updates
Pricing Updates
After maintaining the same tuition rate for many years, we have made the difficult decision to increase rates for the 2025-26 school year. We understand this may create challenges for some families and will continue to offer free and reduced rates, flexible scheduling options, and our new sibling discount to maintain accessibility. This increase helps offset pay raises for staff, including last year’s increase in the contracted hourly pay for Leeds teachers and paraeducators, and supports our ongoing commitment to quality programming. We remain dedicated to seeking grant funding for additional staffing, special programs, and supplies for the coming years. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions.
Happy Summer
Happy Summer
We have wrapped up another great year at Late Bird, and we look forward to seeing you again in the fall! Registration info will be sent out at the beginning of July, and will be due by July 31st. Mark your calendars!
That's a Wrap for Chorus!
That's a Wrap for Chorus!
Our 3rd-5th graders performed their 3rd Chorus concert of the year. Some of the 5th graders sang together, their last song of elementary school! We wish them all the best in middle school, and we look forward to a new batch of incoming 3rd grade singers. I bet our incoming 5th grade singers are looking forward to their chance and solos and small group songs this year! Thank goodness for Mr. B. What an amazing program!
Enrichment Clubs
Enrichment Clubs
Our fall enrichment clubs are wrapping up the last week before winter break. Our Leeds Chorus will get to perform in the school's winter concert, and the Leeds Leopard Newspaper will release its latest edition. Open enrollment for our next round of enrichment clubs starts now, with both of those clubs and many more continuing throughout the school year! Our next round of clubs starts January 2nd and runs through March 15th. See here for our loooooong list of clubs to get us through the loooooong winter.
Kindergarten Updates
Kindergarten Updates
We have some new staff members who have joined our Kindergarten team. Mr. Shawn, who is currently being licensed in early childhood education, leads our Kindergarten group Monday through Friday. August, Smith College student extraordinaire, will be helping out on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Alix, also a Smith College student, will be helping on Fridays. And Ms. Carol will be leading some stories, art projects, and puppetry at Kindergarten Late Bird on Mondays. While Kindergarten may have less options for our Enrichment program, we offer daily activities from Social Emotional Storytime to art projects, games, and more.
Fun at Late Bird
Fun at Late Bird
We've been snapping a few pics at Late Bird and want to show you all the fun we've been having. Here's a small selection. Keep your eyes out for more!
Caravan Puppets at Late Bird!
Caravan Puppets at Late Bird!
We had a blast having Caravan Puppets join Late Bird for a 5 week residency in Spring 2023! The residency was funded through the generous STARS grant program through the Mass Cultural Council. All Late Bird students were able to see a fun puppet show, and then go through the process of making their own puppets and creating and performing their own collaborative puppet skits. The students, staff, and puppeteers had so much fun. It was great to get to see new sides of the kids through the stories their puppets told. See more pictures of the residency here.
Kindergarten At Late Bird
Kindergarten At Late Bird
You may have noticed there are not as many LEAP options for Kindergarten these days. But not to worry, for any Kindergarteners that did not get into the "Making Our Marks" painting and drawing club for Kindergarteners, our fabulous Kindergarten Late Bird team (and a few big kid helpers) will be running more exciting projects for our "Kindergarten Club" at Late Bird, including daily games, art, and stories. Here's Ms. Ritu (the school's Psychology intern) leading our Social Emotional Storytime with a captivated audience.
Our last LEAP Session of the year is now up and running. We have some old favorites like Newspaper Club, Robotics, Fiber Arts, and Biking Club, and some new creations like Algorithmic Art, Fashion Accessories, and Creative Movement...in Nature. Stay tuned for some pictures! And in the meantime, take a peek of a few pics from LEAP Sessions 1 and 2 here.
Playworks at Late Bird
Playworks at Late Bird
We are happy to announce that, through an ASOST grant, we will be partnering with Playworks to train our staff on new games and strategies to make play time a more fun, inclusive time for everyone. Playworks is the leading national nonprofit using play to transform schools. The Playworks mission includes creating a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. Stay tuned for more info about Volunteer opportunities and the launch of our Junior Coach program!
The Leeds Leopard!
The Leeds Leopard!
Three cheers for Mr. Fitzmeyer and the Newspaper Club! Looks like the Leeds Leopard is going strong. Click here to read the latest edition, and the full archive. Psst... can you guess what Mr. Holt's job was when he was in college?
Late Bird Wish List!
Late Bird Wish List!
Some caregivers have offered to volunteer with our Late Bird and LEAP programs, so we have compiled a wish list, which includes some volunteer options and a materials wish list for donations. Please take a look at our Leeds Late Bird Wish List here, and contact ghollender@northampton-k12.us if you would like to donate or volunteer!
Our first session of LEAP Clubs was a success! Some of our clubs included Robotics and Lego Robotics, Basketball, Writing Club, Fiber Arts, Biking Club, and some continued favorites like Art and Mindfulness and Fashion and Sewing Club. The Chess Club students are so glued to their chess boards, they often continue playing after LEAP is over! Click here for a few pics!
Late Bird Fall 2022
Late Bird Fall 2022
We have had a great first couple months of Late Bird so far! We've been enjoying getting to know our new students and Kindergarteners. We are looking forward to offering more activity choices this year, like Ms. Monet's daily craft station, and other games and activities.
LEAP End of Year SHOWCASE
LEAP End of Year SHOWCASE
Some of our LEAP Clubs celebrated with an End of Year LEAP Showcase. On Thursday, June 9th, the dance club performed their 100% student choreographed dance! And the next day, Social Justice Club gave a presentation on what they've been working on, Fashion and Sewing Club wowed us with their fashion show of bags, jewelry, and stuffies, and Mega Mini Land Construction Crew unveiled their petite-monstrous city, taco town and all.
Leeds LEOPARD!
Leeds LEOPARD!
Extra extra read all about it! Students in Newspaper Club have been working hard for the past couple months researching, interviewing, and writing writing writing. Hot off the press, get your copy of the Leeds Leopard newspaper here!
Robotics
Robotics
Mr. P has started introducing the 4th and 5th graders to our brand new Dash Robots. And, get this, our 6 robots are named after Leeds teachers - Mr. GB, Mr. Foster, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Wenz.... could one of them be named after YOU?
Social Justice Club
Social Justice Club
Leeds caregivers and Equity Committee members Kara McLaughlin and Kristen Elde will be co-facilitating this next round of Social Justice Club. We can't wait to see the new projects this student-driven club cooks up next!
LEAP SPRING Showcase!
LEAP SPRING Showcase!
We enjoyed a fun and festive LEAP showcase on Friday, April 8th. Students in our LEAP Session 1 clubs had the chance to share what they worked on throughout the clubs. We saw a storytelling game by the Theater Club, a puppet show about exploding volcanos, unicorns, and dentistry, and the great Colossus was unveiled! We look forward to another LEAP event in June!
Robotics
Robotics
4th and 5th graders in our Robotics LEAP club have been hard at work building robotic puppies and cranes with our new Robotics instructor, Hia Ghosh. Hia says she misses the students already and is hoping to return to our LEAP programs in the fall!
Social Justice
Social Justice
4th and 5th graders in our Social Justice LEAP club have been participating in weekly restorative justice circles, investigating ideas of social justice, equity, and inclusion, and making plans for fundraisers, mural projects, and more to support the Leeds community!
Restorative Practices
Restorative Practices
Our Late Bird staff have all been participating in Restorative Practices trainings with Northampton Prevention Coalition Coordinator and Late Bird caregiver, Kara McLaughlin, and Restorative Justice professional, Leigh Ellen Figueroa. We look forward to expanding this work throughout the rest of this school year and beyond!
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