Kittredge Elementary School

Winter Vacation is Monday, December 26th to Monday, January 2nd. School reopens on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Dear Kittredge families,

I am frequently asked by parents and staff alike why we are no longer allowed to celebrate the holidays in public school. There are guidelines, of course, established by the Department of Education, and even an eight-page brochure of the guidelines published by the Anti-Defamation League. But, perhaps this reflection will help you all understand a little better.

As a very little girl, I remember riding through the Merrimack Valley with my family at least once a season to see the Christmas lights. I have one memory of being very little, not yet old enough to read. While driving into Methuen Square, I would read aloud to my family the Seasons Greetings sign that hung across the road in the middle of the square. It seems that even 50 years ago we were using inclusive language.

In 4th grade, I was chosen to hold the "Seven Swans Are Swimming" ornament during our school pageant. I don't remember learning about other December holidays. I was unaware that other holidays were being celebrated. In high school, because we were seated alphabetically, one of my Jewish friends always sat in front of me. Each year about this time of year, she would tell me about Hanukkah. She told me how she asked her parents why they didn't have a Christmas tree, and thought they could call it a Hanukkah bush. Even though I was old enough to understand our differences, I really could not wrap my brain around the idea of not having a Christmas tree. We did not learn about diversity in school back then. I wonder today how she must have felt as a glee club member, singing only Christmas songs.

As a young teacher, I remember the Christmas plays we produced each year in December. One year one of my little Jewish second graders was Santa Claus! As the years went by, we began to teach about Hanukkah, and then Kwanzaa. But the emphasis was always on Christmas, and although we tried to be inclusive, it seems that the menorahs and dreidels we hung on our bulletin boards were only tokens of our attempt to be inclusive. I wonder how the non-Christian children felt when we placed presents wrapped in Christmas paper under a classroom Christmas tree, to be exchanged on the last day before the holiday break.

Today it is very different. We are faced with difficult questions about how to appropriately acknowledge the December holidays, while complying with legal standards and respecting different points of view. And of course, we want to share the spirit of the season with our students simply because it is as the song says, "the most wonderful time of the year."

The Kittredge School will have a holiday program at our December Community meeting. We will acknowledge all of the December holidays. The emphasis of the program, however, will be celebrating community, just as we do at each of our community meetings. Hopefully our students will not only learn a bit about the December holidays, but also about the importance of respecting and celebrating both our diversity and our commonalities.

In the spirit of the season, I'd like to wish those of you who celebrate Christmas, a Merry Christmas, those who celebrate Hanukkah a Happy Hanukkah, and those who celebrate Kwanzaa, a Happy Kwanzaa. Finally, I wish you all a new year filled with health, happiness and peace.

Sincerely,
Nancy Jukins

If you are using a classroom or other room in the building for club meetings (Daisies, Cub Scouts, DI etc.), please be sure to tidy up after yourselves. If you move furniture, move it back; if you have snacks or do an art project, please clean the area you used and toss your trash. Thank you for being respectful of the space you use.

Dr. Harutunian, our superintendent of schools, is looking for 5 to 8 parents from each school to be Budget Parents. The primary responsibility of these parents will be to keep the rest of the school parents informed about the budget process as we move forward with the budget. Please call the school office if you are interested in being a Budget Parent, or call Christine Karelas for more information (+1 978 794 2191). The topic will be discussed at the PTO meeting on Thursday morning.

Thank you to all the Kittredge families and faculty who donated to the Youth Center's gift drive. Thanks to us, over 16 boxes were filled with gifts for 22 North Andover children (7 families). The Youth Center greatly appreciates the efforts of Kittredge School. I would like to thank all the moms who help me with the program. This is a huge undertaking and without your help, it would never be the success that it is. Thank you.

"Anaphylaxis: Understanding, Preventing, and Treating Severe Allergic Reactions to Foods, Medicines, Insects, and Latex" with speaker Dr. John Saryan, MD Chairman of the Department of Allergy and Immunology, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA from 7:00- 8:30 PM at the North Andover Atkinson Elementary School cafeteria.

If you didn't make the in-person registration in November, registrations will still be accepted via mail. Please fill out the registration form (downloadable from www.nalax.net), enclose a check or money order made out to NALAX, and mail it to the address on the top of the form. Registrations must be postmarked no later than January 1st, 2006.

All levels - league ages 5 to 16 (birth dates between 5/1/1989 and 4/30/2001) Please bring an original birth certificate, a copy of the birth certificate for the league to keep on file, and a proof of residency (tax bill or utility bill). Registration is also available on-line (for returning players only) at www.eteamz.active.com/NorthAndover.

The Kittredge PTO would like to say thank you to Beth Carlson for her tireless efforts in Community Programs. The Kittredge School is able to help so many children and families in need thanks to her involvement.

We're excited to announce the KidsArt Fundraiser event coming up in 2006. In January/February during Art Class, Karen Kris will be working with the kids to create their own original artwork designs to be professionally printed on high quality note cards. Look for additional information in the coming weeks about the KidsArt Fundraiser. The note cards will be ready in time for Mother's Day. Any questions, please call Ginay Pinzer at +1 978 685 3062 or send email to gpinzer@comcast.net. A portion of the profit from each sale will benefit Kittredge.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of those who contributed to our fall solicitation. To those who have not yet responded, we request that you consider making a fully tax-deductible donation before the year-end.

NASEC hosts outstanding performers and educators to enhance our children's education. NASEC meets with teachers and administrators to determine the best programs to support the curriculum. NASEC does not receive any funding from the Town of North Andover or the School Committee. Funding is obtained entirely from your direct donations and contributions from your school PTO or PTAC. Your contribution goes directly toward programs for students. Please consider a tax-deductible gift this year of $20, $50, $100 or even more. We believe in the Arts and Sciences and the benefits they bring to North Andover children; we hope that you do too!

Visit our website at www.northandover.k12.ma.us/nasec or contact our fundraising representative, Kristen Hollenbeck, for additional information, at +1 978 886 4342. Contributions, made payable to The North Andover Schools Enrichment Council (NASEC) may be sent to: P.O. Box 91, North Andover, MA 01845.

Visit our Kittredge website at http://www.northandover.k12.ma.us/Kittredge/.

Please send via email to kathy.eastwood@comcast.net (please put Newslink in the subject line) or call Kathy Eastwood at +1 978 794 3025 by Friday at noon.

An electronic device found in the front of the school this week. Identify the device and it will be returned. Call +1 978 681 1894.

You may register for the Volleyball Program and/or the April Vacation Camp on: Tuesday, December 13th, Atkinson School, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm or Tuesday, January 31st, Atkinson School, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

You may also register for the Spring Camp through Community Programs' Spring Sessions' Excel Programs. Registration for the Spring Camp is limited to the first 30 players to sign up. The registration fee for the NABC program is $60 per player and for the Spring Camp $110 per player. All registration fees must be paid at the time of registration. Please download the registration form from the Handout link and bring to registration.

$Id: newslink-2005-12-19.html,v 1.1 2005/12/20 14:20:44 carlsonj Exp $