• Dear Cabot Families,

     

    It brings me great pleasure to write this letter as I am looking forward to another great year at Cabot School.  The cycle of having a school year followed by a summer break brings about wonderful opportunities.  First, is that we can learn from and improve upon the year prior.  Second, we have a chance to rest and rejuvenate ourselves over the summer months.  Lastly, we experience a brand new set of students that come to us for the first time or return to us having grown and energized themselves for the year ahead.  It’s my hope that you as parents have enjoyed your summer months with your children and are ready to have them return to their school routine where we eagerly await the opportunity to fill their minds with knowledge and bring them the enjoyment of the year ahead.

     

    Even though we are starting the school year with a level of uncertainty due to the conversations regarding teacher contracts, I assure you that our teachers are eager and passionate about meeting the needs of your children and sustaining partnerships with their families.

     

    This year we will focus school goals on our continued work around 3 goals:

    1. Academic Excellence

    2. Educational Equity

    3. Social Emotional Learning

     

    Cabot will continue to have a focus on academic excellence.  We have created school-wide structures that are focused on effective teaching for all students, data collection to check for understanding, and interventions and/or enrichment for students based on progress.  Teachers are afforded opportunities to meet together to align their practices based on student needs.

     

    The past 3 years we have centered our professional development in the area of race and identity along with culturally responsive instructional practices.  We will continue to work with staff on this, which will benefit all Cabot students as we develop routines and practices that value the learning of all.

     

    Social Emotional learning will be built into our school structure.  We all know that student learning is enhanced when children feel good about themselves and the environment where they learn.  As a team with NPS, we will provide appropriate support and collect data on how students feel, are connected to adults and peers, and identify strategic support at the school level and with individual students so that children can achieve at their best.

     

    Please take time to read the parent handbook which has important information about school routines and structures.  

     

    Arrival/Dismissal information is here.  Please arrive by 8:10 AM as students will be led inside by their teachers as close to that time as possible.  Grades K-2 will meet on the playground side of the school and grades 3-5 will be near the flagpole.  Please be aware that buses are sometimes late the first week picking up students in the morning and dropping off students in the afternoon.

     

    The arrival dismissal routine requires all parents who drive their children to drop them off in the blue zone.  PLEASE DO NOT DROP OFF OR PICK UP YOUR CHILD ON BRIDGES AVENUE OR IN THE BUS DROP OFF ZONE.  THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD AS WELL AS A LARGE AREA OF COMPLAINT FOR CABOT NEIGHBORS.

     

    We will host an open house on Thursday, August 31st from 2:00 - 2:30 pm for Cabot parents and students to come into Cabot School.  At that time you can visit your child’s classroom, meet the teacher, and have a brief visit with friends.  

     

    I have included a FAQ document here that has some additional information about Cabot.  Much of this information is not new for our returning families, but you may find it to be a helpful resource.  The document provides general information including phone numbers, notifying the office about absences and dismissal, building security, and more.

     

    Once you know your child’s teacher (8/25) please complete this form by Sunday, September 3rd so we know your child’s dismissal plan each day.  We create dismissal lists and bus lists for staff based on your responses.

     

    We welcome new staff and teachers this upcoming school year:

    Andrea Youngsman - .5 Assistant Principal/.5 Literacy Interventionist

    My name is Andrea Youngsman and I am very excited to join Cabot as the Assistant Principal and Literacy Interventionist! This will be my 26th year in Newton Public Schools. I started as a special education teacher at Countryside where I taught for fifteen years. I was also at Lincoln-Eliot my first year. Then I moved to Memorial-Spaulding when I became an Assistant Principal. Prior to coming to Newton, I worked in private schools for eight years.  

    I have lived in Framingham for the past 23 years. My husband and I recently celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with a two week vacation on Kauai. We have two daughters– Ally (23) and Amanda (20). They are both graduates of Newton South. Ally just moved to Brookline and will be attending Boston College for her Masters in Social work while working full time. Amanda will be a junior at the University of Vermont. She is majoring in environmental studies with a minor in business. I am also a dog lover– we have two black labs– Tika (7), and newly adopted Lilo (2.5). In my free time I enjoy skiing, cooking, reading and spending time with my family. I am the youngest of five siblings and we are scattered across the country so I have a lot of places to visit!  One of the greatest joys of my career is that I have been able to continue teaching the entire time! I am also looking forward to meeting and working with all of you, and learning the culture, routines, and traditions of Cabot. I have heard wonderful things about the school and community, and I am excited to visit your classrooms to get to know all of you and the students!

     

    Anna Coly - SEL Coach

    My name is Anna Coly and I am really excited to be joining the Cabot team this year! I am from North Carolina, but have been a Bostonian for the past 7 years serving as a special education teacher on the Elementary Stabilization and Support Program team for 6 years and as a Social-Emotional Learning coach last year.  Outside of teaching, I am a mom of an almost 2 year old, Dottie, and love spending time outdoors any chance I get with my daughter, husband, Rob, and our dog Doug.  I cannot wait to meet everyone and begin an awesome school year! 

     

    Abby Pratt - Grade 4 Teacher

    Hi, my name is Abby Pratt and I am originally from Washington State and currently live in Boston (Fenway) with my husband. I received my teaching degree from Washington State University and then completed my master’s degree at Merrimack College!  For the past two years, I taught first grade in Saugus, MA. My spouse and I love to travel and explore the East Coast as well as meet our families in new places abroad and in the United States. We appreciate all of the opportunities and new experiences that living in the Boston area has brought us since we moved here. I am looking forward to forming new relationships within the flourishing Cabot community in my role as a fourth grade teacher!

     

    Emily Marin - STRIDE Teacher

    Hi! My name is Emily Marin. I am originally from Branchburg, New Jersey, but I currently live in Boston. I have my master’s degree in special education, and I am a board-certified behavioral therapist (BCBA). I have worked as a special education teacher for six years and have taught at a residential program in Southborough and abroad in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I love paddle boarding, traveling, and spending time with family and friends! I look forward to starting the school year and getting to meet all my new students and their families!

     

    Sam Shea - STRIDE Teacher

    Hi! My name is Samantha (Shea) Proulx. I am originally from Franklin, Massachusetts but I currently live in Wrentham with my husband and our dog Billie. I've spent the last two years working as a Behavior Therapist in the Stride Program at Cabot School. Prior to that I served as a Behavior Therapist in Medfield Public Schools for 7 years. This past summer I was the teacher for the Stride Extended School Year Program. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with friends and family as well as going for walks. I am excited about my new position as Special Education Teacher for the Stride Program and to continue to build strong relationships within the Cabot Community! 

     

    Shae Janiga - ELL teacher

    Hi! My name is Shae Janiga. I am from Rhode Island and currently live in Natick, MA. I attended Boston University and studied International Relations. For the past three years, I was working in Carlisle as a paraprofessional, and this past year I also taught ESL. This summer I enjoyed spending time with family, traveling, reading and spending time by the water. I am thrilled to be starting as an ELL Teacher at Cabot this fall. I am looking forward to getting to know my students and their families and celebrating all their successes! 

     

    Please be aware of important dates for the start of this upcoming school year:

    Friday, August 25th Classroom teacher assignments available to families on ASPEN - 

    Email notification will be sent*

    Monday, August 28th  Meeting/School Tour for new 1st - 5th grade parents in the 

    cafeteria (An email invitation will be sent to families as a reminder)

    Thursday, August 31st Open House - Cabot parents and students may visit 

    school/classrooms 2:00 - 2:30 PM

    Tuesday, September 5th First Day for Students

    Thursday, September 14th PTO Supper 5 PM - 7 PM

    Monday, September 18th PTO Supper rain date

    Monday, September 25th No School - Yom Kippur Holiday

    Wednesday, September 27th Back To School Night - Parent only event (flier will be coming 

    soon)

    Thursday, September 28th Early Release Day for students - 12:10 PM dismissal

    Friday, September 29th CASP - Movie Night for all families

    Wednesday, October 5th No School - Yom Kippur holiday

    Monday, October 9th No School - Indigenous People’s Day

    Friday, October 13th First PTO mMeeting/Principal’s coffee - 8:30 AM

     

    *Note about Teacher Assignments

    Classroom teacher assignments will be published in Aspen on Friday, August 25th.  As you know, the placement process is complex and involves a variety of staff members as we consider a wide number of factors and needs.  If you provided feedback about your child’s placement, please be assured that your comments and concerns were reviewed and considered by the teams and myself as we engaged in our process.   It is important to note that no changes will be made to teacher assignments.  While requests for changes have not been common here, it feels important to acknowledge that sometimes children (or parents) may be disappointed, for example, when they are assigned to a classroom separate from a good friend or do not receive the teacher they had hoped for. In such circumstances, we recommend that you acknowledge the disappointment, yet convey your confidence in your child’s ability to have a great year just the same. Your positive attitude and enthusiasm for the year ahead sends important cues to your child and we appreciate your assistance in helping every one of our students to have the best start to the year!

    As you may recall from last year, we are not able to provide class list information until all parents/guardians have the opportunity to annually review their privacy settings in Aspen to indicate whether or not we have permission to publish their child’s name on class lists.  For more information about Aspen, you can visit this link.

     

    Looking forward to seeing you soon.

    Warm regards,

     

    Eric Sprung

    Cabot Principal