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Vol 3:2

Week of 09/7/2025

Dear Hemenway Families,

We had a wonderful week at Hemenway! Our students are continuing their 10-day focus on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies and have been working hard to establish routines for math tasks and literacy activities. We’ve also spent time reviewing our district’s school rules and expectations to set the stage for a successful year.

Important Upcoming Events:

📸 Picture Day – 9/17/25

🤝 First PTO Meeting – 9/17/25

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students start the year strong. We are excited for all the learning and growth ahead!

Warm regards,

Marguerite Simpson-Lackard

Principal, Hemenway Elementary School

Dr. Marguerite Lackard, Principal mlackard@framingham.k12.ma.us

Mr. Matthew Mc Dowell, Assistant Principal mmcdowell@framingham.k12.ma.us

Grade Level Teams

Kindergarten

01 Mrs. Kim Rosenberg

Mrs. Kristie Barry (KA)

02 Mrs. Michaela Strom

Ms. Zulmarie Rosado(KA)

20 Mrs. Heidi Solivan

Mrs. Anna Paula Soares(KA)

22 Ms. Sydney Nichols

Miss Shalet Akinyi (KA)

ASD

05 Mrs. Jackie Levine (K- ASD teacher) - A

05 Mrs. Jennifer Carson (KA)

05 Ms. Alzira Ventura (Spec Ed Aide)

05 Ms. Natalie Morgan (Sped Ed Aide)

07 Ms.Ashley Fox (K- ASD teacher) - B

07 Ms. Maria Fajardo (KA)

07 Mr. Guillermo Paz (Sped Ed Aide)

07/5 Ms. Elsie Agbey (Sped Ed Aide)

07 Mrs. Livia Cordova Espinosa (Sped Ed Aide)

ASD Supports

Kara Georgetti ASD SPED ED TECH .5

Meredith Olsen and James Canonico BCBA/ABA Specialist team

Grade 1

04 Ms. Debra Karten

06 Ms. Carolyn Eckel

08 Mrs. Olivia Jones

10 Ms Samantha Justice

Grade 2

11 Ms. Colleen Talbot

12 Ms. Erica Miller

13 Mr. Jared Franciose

14 Ms. Jen Sullivan

Grade 3

16 Mrs. Meaghan Stack

18 Ms. Olivia Grossman

M3 Ms. Danielle Aikens

M4 Ms. Brittany Nelson

Grade 4

24 Mrs. Erin Hammill

25 (Grade 4) Mrs. Danielle Chirichiello, LLD

Mrs. Kimberly Dustin (AT)

26 Ms. Danielle Barrus

28 Ms. Kayla Torchio

29 Mrs. Kathryn Doherty

25/27 Mrs. Brittany Eiler 

Grade 5

27 (Grade 4 & 5)Mrs. Joanne Simpson, LLD

Mrs. Heather Degnan (AT)

31 Mrs. Mandy Marrella

33 Mrs. Meredith Lesser-Gonzalez

M1 Ms. Sally Kaplan

M2 Mr. Michael D’Amico

Special Education

09 Mrs. Claire Wong (K,1)

09 Ms Danielle Dicorcia (2)

Sped 3/4 Ms. Ana Ortega Beltran (3)

Sped 3/ 4 Ms. Elise Connolly (4)

35 Ms. Julia Tunis (5)

ESL Teachers

48 Ms. Kayla Moreau/Marna Kennedy (ESL gr 2 and

upper grade newcomers and LLD gr 5)

48 Ms. Emily Corwin (ESL gr 4/5 and

K -rm 1 and 2 )

48 Ms. Nicole Thebado Cerna (K-20 & Gr 3, LLD)

48 Mrs. Heather Ortiz (K-22, K-ASD, Gr 1) 

Assistant Teacher

14 Ms. Audrey Benevento (1, 2, 3)

24, 29, 31 Mr. Ron Johnson (4, 5)

Instructional Specialists

48 Ms. Marjorie Brockman, Literacy

21 Mrs. Sara Hennessy, Math

47 Ms. Claire Lowe, Sage

Specialists

Ms. Karen Rothwell, Library Media

Mrs. Allison Saiff McGe , Music

Ms Danielle Jordan, Phys. Ed

Ms. Michelle Kinsella, Health (5)

Ms. Olivia Edgren-Fortin, Art

• Responsibility Chart
• But It’s Not My Fault Discussion/ Writing Prompt
• Responsibility Scenarios
• Why Should I Protect Nature? Art Project
• Positive Affirmations: BEE Responsible
• Responsibility Song
• Tabla de la responsabilidad
• Conversación: No es mi culpa / Temas para escribir
• Situaciones de responsabilidad
• ¿Por qué debo proteger la naturaleza?
• Afirmaciones positivas: Sé responsable
• Canción de la responsabilidad

August 2025

8/15/ - Placement information sent to families

8/21/ - Playground Meet-up

8/27 -8/29 - K Screening beginnings on 8/27 and continues until 8/29

8/27 - First Day of School (Grades 1 -5); No kindergarten

Sept 2025

9/1 - No School: Labor Day

9/2 - First Day for kindergarten

9/16 - No School: PD; Voting Day

9/17 - Picture Day

9/18 - K-2 Curriculum Night @ 6:00 - 7:30 p.m

9/23 -  No School: Rosh Hashanah

9/30 - Grades 3- 5 Curriculum Night @ 6:00 - 7:30 p.m ****

Families needing school bus transportation who have not already submitted a request should send their request to trans@framingham.k12.ma.us to be added to a waitlist. You should include the student's name and LASID.

Another options is to downloading the Transit App so you can see the available public transit options until a school bus transportation solution is in place. Once they download the app, you just enter their desired destination and the app will show transit options, including local bus options (MetroWest Regional Transit Authority - MWRTA), walking options - including wait times, walking distance and times, directions/maps, and more. It is also important to note that the MWRTA is free for all riders and students, age 12 and older, are able to ride without a caregiver.

PTO is hosting a “Boo-Hoo / Yahoo” Welcome Coffee for kindergarten parents and caregivers immediately following drop-off on Tuesday, in front of the school by the entrance. Park in the front parking lot and enjoy the moment

Please, do join our Hemenway PTO meet. You are welcome to be apart of this great Hemenway parent & caretaker community! The next meeting is September 17 @ 6:30 - 7:30 in the cafetorium.

All are welcome to attend!

PTO Co-Presidents

Sarah Pawluczonek

Zeina Kais

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are excited to announce that School Picture Day is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17th! This year, photos will be taken outdoors weather permitting. In case of rain, pictures will be taken indoors in the gymnasium.

To make the ordering process easy and convenient, we’ve partnered with Coffee Pond Photography to offer online ordering. Please follow the steps below:

How to Order Your Child’s Portraits Online:

• Visit www.coffeepond.com and click the red button that reads “Order School Portraits and shop our exclusive products.”
• From the drop-down menu, select our state and city, then choose Hemenway Elementary School.
• Enter your child’s full first name (as it appears in school records).
• Choose your portrait package(s) and add to cart. If you have multiple children attending Hemenway, click “Order for Another Child” and repeat the steps above.
• For sibling photos, enter “Siblings” as the first name and your last name.

Important: If you are ordering sibling photos, please notify each child’s teacher and provide the following: sibling names, grades, teachers’ names, and room numbers.

Once you’ve added all desired packages, proceed to checkout. Enter your contact and billing info, review your order, and click “Submit Order” to finalize.

Please note: Orders placed after Picture Day may incur an $8 handling fee, so we encourage you to order ahead of time.

Volunteers Needed!

We are looking for parent volunteers with an active CORI to help Picture Day run smoothly. If you're available and interested in helping, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B4FA5A62BA0FE3-58440485-hemenway

Thank you for your support! We look forward to a fun and memorable Picture Day on Wednesday, September 17th. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the school office.

Warm regards,

The Hemenway PTO

Please note the change in date for Grades 3- 5 Curriculum Night @ 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Date 9/30****

This change was made to accommodate parents who are attending the High School Curriculum Night.

Reminder - Children will independently go to their classroom. Teachers and staff will be stationed through-out the building to escort and assist the students to their classroom. Parents will have an opportunity to meet the teachers and see the classrooms on Curriculum Night

Pick up and Drop Off

If you will be dropping off or picking up your child, please follow the traffic pattern. (See below)

Behaviors

To assist parents and the school staff in maintaining good order and discipline for all

students, Framingham Schools has developed the Code of Student Conduct. Please review

Here is our FPS Elementary School Family and Student Handbook. Please, review the information enclosed.

Morning Car Drop-Off

To ensure a smooth and safe morning drop-off experience for all, we kindly ask that you promptly drop off your child and avoid lingering in the car drop-off lane. This consideration helps prevent traffic congestion on the main road and ensures a timely arrival for everyone. Do note, students can not be dropped-off earlier than 8:50 a.m. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Student Drop-Off

Student can not be dropped-off earlier than 8:50 a.m. Staff are usually not in the building before 8:50, so it's unsafe to leave your child unsupervised in-front of the school in the mornings 

School ID

Attach your child/children's school ID to their bag pack. It helps with safety and several school procedures

Breakfast begins at 9:00 am in the school cafeteria for anyone who is interested. Breakfast and lunch are offered FREE of charge

Safety Reminders - It is important to us that we maintain a safe and secure building. We would like to remind everyone that the building remains locked at all times. Visitors are anyone who is not a student or staff. Any visitors to the building are required to ring the bell, announce themselves, and their intended business at the school. If you are coming to pick up your child, enter when buzzed in, and sit by the table in-front of the office. Please, sign the log on the table as you wait for us to get your child. If you are visiting for a scheduled meeting, a staff member will meet you at the entrance to let you in. It is very important that anyone who is exiting the building ensure the doors close behind you. Please do not walk into the building as someone is exiting or let someone in. While we recognize this may seem impolite, it is our policy to ensure our building remains secure. We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience as we know there are times where you may be asked to wait.

****Items Not Allowed During School

The following items are not allowed during school hours at school without permission:

Electronic games or devices, laser pens or pointers

Squirt guns, water guns, etc.

Skateboards/sneakers with built-in wheels.

Lighters, matches or lighting devices, alcohol, 

Dismissing a Student Early

A written request from a parent is necessary for ANY dismissal changes. Requests should be emailed to the classroom teacher and or brought into the school office before the start of the school day. No requests will be taken after 2:30 p.m. unless it is an emergency. Usually no student will be dismissed based on a telephone request.

Communications Process

• Reporting absences - Call office staff 508-626-9149. Call between 4:00 pm and 8:30am if your child is to be absent OR tardy.
• Picking-up your child early from school - note sent to the classroom teacher & call Office Staff. If your child goes to the afterschool program, notify the director of the Hemenway program also
• Immunizations - School Nurse 508-782-6302 or mhenri77@framingham.k12.ma.us
• Transportation - Sign-up for a bus. Visit the transportation website to access information regarding transportation.
• Special Education information - Jeff Holzer, jholzer@framingham.k12.ma.us
• Issues occurring in the classroom - should be shared with the classroom teacher
• After school programing /Explorers - Contact Noah Dawson or Eric Jensen (508-686-0104 or 774-405-8790)
• Social Emotional Issues needing to be addressed - our social worker or guidance counselor -cashe@framingham.k12.ma.us or kriley@framingham.k12.ma.us
• Basic Needs (Coats or shoes) - shared with our social worker, psychologist or guidance counselor - cashe@framingham.k12.ma.us or kriley@framingham.k12.ma.us
• Family Concerns that may impacting the student in school - contact our Guidance Counselor
• Food Services Update -kwilcox@framingham.k12.ma.us
• Academic concerns - the classroom teacher

Backpack

Water Bottle that can be refilled

Easily Opened Peanut Free Snack

*Breakfast and Lunch are Free to all students

Absence line: 508-626-9149 

Call between 4:00 P. M. and 8:30 A.M. if your child is to be absent OR tardy. 

Late students must report directly to the office upon arrival.

Dismissing a Student Early 

A written request from a parent is necessary for ANY dismissal changes. Requests should be emailed to the classroom teacher and Mrs. Nicola Quaranto at nquaranto@framingham.k12.ma.us or brought into the school office before the start of the school day. No requests will be taken after 2:30 pm unless it is an emergency. No student will be dismissed based on a telephone request.

Doors Open: 9:00am

Breakfast: 9:00am - 9:15am

School Begins: 9:15am

School Dismissal: 3:30pm

Office: 508-626-9149

Fax: 508-788-9276

August 2025

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Helping Kids Make Decisions

Supporting vs. Enabling

Talking to Kids About Back-to-School Worries

September 2025

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