Dear Cunniff Families,

I hope you have all had a wonderful week - it's been so fun to see so many of you at our Morning Meetings with Grownups, and we look forward to seeing more of you next week!

I'm sharing an additional newsletter this month because we have a few important things on the horizon that I want to highlight.

Please read on for more information.

Thank you, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Julia

We have a few more Morning Meetings with Grownups next week! We will meet in the lobby at 8:15a on the day designated for your child’s grade (see below), and then head up to classrooms.

After your Morning Meeting, please join us in the Learning Commons for treats from the PTO and an informal meet-and-greet with Principal MacEwan, Assistant Principal Carle, Family Engagement Facilitator, and PTO reps.

Grade 5: Wednesday, October 15th

Grade 2: Thursday, October 16

We will hold conferences on the following dates in October - please make sure that you have signed up for a conference with your child's classroom teacher (via ParentSquare). These are important opportunities to discuss your child's progress, and can be held virtually or in person (please indicate when you sign up if you will need a virtual meeting).

Wednesday, October 22: Evening Conferences (4 - 6pm)

Thursday, October 23: Early Release for students; Afternoon Conferences (1 - 2:30)

Thursday, October 30: Evening Conferences (5 - 7pm)

Friday, October 31: Early Release for students; Afternoon Conferences (1 - 2:30)

We’re off to a super start to the school year with students deeply engaged in learning, particularly around literacy. Early literacy universal screening is used to help schools identify students early who are at risk for future reading difficulties, including, but not limited to, the risk of dyslexia. One of the ways students in grades Kindergarten - Grade 5 are assessed in reading is a literacy screening assessment called DIBELS 8th Edition, DIBELS is administered three times this school year.  

At the fall teacher-caregiver conferences, you will have the opportunity to learn more about this assessment and your child’s performance. We look forward to partnering with you in your students’ literacy development. *If your child is just recently beginning to learn English they may be more likely to be identified for future reading difficulties. This will be taken into consideration at subsequent screenings and we will monitor your child's reading development alongside their English Language Development.

This year, the City of Watertown will no longer be using the Elementary or Middle Schools as polling locations for the upcoming local election on November 4, 2025. Your polling location is based on your voter registration address and may be affected by this change. Please visit our website at watertown-ma.gov/votinglocations to see the updated locations by district and precinct, and to look up your polling locations for this November! If you have any questions, reach out to the City Clerk’s Office at cityclerk@watertown-ma.gov or by calling 617-715-8686.

Precincts 11 and 12 have moved from the Cuniff Elementary School to the Munger Apartments at 100 Warren Street