April 2022

 A Note from the Principal...

It is finally looking like spring is around the corner!  Meachem is excited to finish the last 10 weeks of the school year strong.  Each and every day students and staff are focused on creating a school culture that is peaceful, productive, healthy, and happy.

Please expect to see more COVID test kits sent home with your child (they will all have one sent home on 4/8/22 and 4/18/22).  The test kits were provided by New York State.  If your child does test positive please notify our school nurse, Christine Gabriel.  She can be reached at 315-435-4612. 

Please stay connected with us at Meachem.  We have a Meachem Facebook page and a SCSD Meachem page.  Also, we send home information through School Messenger (emails, texts, and robo calls) and Talking Points.  Please contact the school if you have not been receiving messages, 315-435-4610.

Meet the New Vice Principal, Kevin Murphy!

I am excited to be the newest member of the Meachem team!  I am a life-long resident of Syracuse.  My wife and I are both graduates of Fowler High School.  We have three sons, one a graduate of Corcoran, one a senior at Corcoran, and the youngest, a junior at ITC.  I have been in the Syracuse City School District for 26 years, starting as a TA at Webster, then teaching special education at Blodgett, Fowler, and Corcoran before becoming an administrator at Shea, Corcoran, Roberts, and now Meachem!  We are a huge sports family.  My sons play football and baseball for their respective school/district teams.  We spend a lot of time during the summer traveling to baseball tournaments.  In the last couple of years, we have been to New Jersey, Florida, and Alabama among others!  Having graduated from UB (undergrad), LeMoyne (Masters), and SU (CAS) there are tons of teams to follow and root for!  I look forward to meeting all of you and getting to know you better!  And I look forward to learning more about all the wonderful scholars here at Meachem! -Kevin Murphy

April's Life Skill: Perseverance 

Each month Meachem has a different life skill to support character education.  Each Monday, the students watch a video on the life skill and have discussions around it at Morning Meeting each day.  

This month's life skill is 'PERSERVERANCE.'  Perseverance isn't something you'll find in most curriculum guides, but its importance in succeeding in life is undoubted. Perseverance is the ability to get through difficult tasks. When things don't go as planned, how do we get back up and go at it again? Perseverance needs to be cultivated and nurtured.

The ability to push through difficult circumstances is used in several ways in a child's life.

• Academics: A student's self-perception in school is called academic mindset. This includes how they view themselves as learners in relation to their school setting and includes beliefs about abilities, value of education and disposition towards completing work. A student's academic mindset plays a powerful role in performance.
• Control: School can be difficult in many ways; they are asked to sit in desks for long periods of time, complete assignments that seem tedious and have little time to play. Successfully maneuvering these tasks is important for reaching long term goals even if the short term seems too difficult. Children who are able to build self-control are happier and less stressed.
• Strategy: Kids need to know how to deal with situations, and often these skills are not innate. Actionable steps to take when stressed, overwhelmed or feeling out of control sometimes need to be taught. Even basic skills we think children know, like planning, self-monitoring or deciding a course of action are not always known.

PAX Leaders of the Week

Each week classroom teachers choose one student per grade level that exhibit PAX characteristics of being 'Peaceful, Productive, Healthy and Happy' while they are here at Meachem.  This award is given to students that consistently follow the Meachem expectations and to students that have significant improvements in following expectations.  The PAX leader is recognized each Monday on the virtual morning announcements and is celebrated throughout the week.  

Congratulations to our March PAX Leaders:

Week of March 14th	Week of March 21st	Week of March 28th
K- Amollia M.  1st- Marcello L. 2nd -Spirit S. 3rd - Prince Y. 4th - Neveah M. 5th - Antoine Y. Specials- Mary- Elizabeth M.	K- Brandon H. 1st- Emily J. 2nd -Amorah P. 3rd - Narae G. 4th- Quinmel G. 5th- Lanaya W. Specials- James D.	K- Jahmir E.  1st- Giovani S. 2nd -Na'Myia W. 3rd - Desiriah Y. 4th- Trinity F. 5th- Violette A. Specials- Mya B.

Attendance Reminder

In order for your child to get everything they need at school they need to be here everyday, all day (unless they are sick).  Our school day is from 9:05- 2:55, our doors open at 8:50.  Please make sure you are doing your best to get your child her everyday.  

                       Every student, every day, never late it's the Meachem way!

NYS Assessments

This school year our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will be taking the NYS Assessments on the computer.  There are two sessions for each subject area; each session taking approximately 60 minutes.  

Meachem has been working hard to ensure that our students have the skills and confidence to perform to the best of their ability on the assessments.  We ask for your support, on testing days, please ensure your child:

• gets a good night's sleep
• eats a nutritious breakfast at home or school
• attends school on time
• keeps the same daily routines at home
• is encouraged to do their personal best  

	3rd Grade	4th Grade	5th Grade
Math	Tue. April 26th Wed. April 27th	Thurs. April 28th Fri. April 29th	Mon. May 2nd Tues. May 3rd

PTO

Mark your calendars for the May PTO meeting; it will be held on Tuesday, May 10th at 6:30.  PTO meets via Zoom each month- you can sign on by clicking the link that is sent out through Talking Points or go to bit.ly/MeachemPTOMay . The PTO is always looking for new members to join and help plan school events.  

This school year Meachem's PTO, in collaboration with ELMS's Family Crew, will be hosting our very first 'Mega Basket Raffle Event' on Friday, May 20th.  This is an event where tickets will be purchased in advance and on the day of, to bid on a basket of your liking.  For example, the more you like the basket the more tickets you would put in, in hopes that your ticket will be pulled so you can win the basket.  If you are interested in purchasing tickets, please email elms.meachem@gmail.com or call us at the main office, 315-435-4610.  

From the Main Office

Please call the main office when your contact information changes so we can update it on School Tool, 315-435-4610.

Important Dates:

Tuesday, April 5th: PTO via Zoom at 6:30 pm

Tuesday, April 26th- Tuesday, May 3rd: NYS MATH Assessments

Tuesday, May 10th: PTO via Zoom at 6:30 pm