July 29, 2024
Dear Students, Staff, and Families:
Summer vacation is in full swing. I hope everyone is enjoying some fun in the sun.
There has been a buzz of activity throughout the district getting prepared to welcome students back on September 3rd.
Backpack Event
We are excited to announce that Back to School Rhode Island has scheduled its annual Backpack Event for Saturday, August 24th from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at B.F.Norton School on Broad Street. Back to School of Rhode Island (BTSRI) is a 501 C3 non-profit organization created to involve parents in the education of their children, thereby helping to create an atmosphere of trust and open communication between schools, students, and families. In 1999, BTSRI organized its first event in one single location and distributed 600 backpacks full of school supplies to school children in the Providence area. All are welcome.
https://btsri.org/
Back to School 2024 English
Back to School 2024 Spanish
2024-2025 School Start & End Times
The 2024-2025 Start and End Times have been approved by RIDE and the Cumberland School Committee as of July 11th. We appreciate your patience as there have been many moving parts to get this worked out.
We will return to Early Release Wednesdays to give our teachers the time for collaboration and planning. Early Release Wednesdays will start on September 11th. Wednesday, September 4th will be a full day of school.
I wanted to share again the 2024-2025 School Calendar which includes “Up to 3 Inclement Weather Days will be waived in the instructional calendar if necessary”. The Rhode Island Department of Education has approved our waiver of three instructional days based on our total number of instructional hours. This means that the first three unforeseen school closure days do not have to be made up. Let’s all hope for another mild winter. Any days beyond the three waived will be added to the calendar in the spring and the last day of school will be updated accordingly.
Tax Credit Awareness and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
The Back-to-School outreach campaign is back this year! The IRS is hosting the 2024-2025 Back-to-School Initiative webcast. Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communications (SPEC) will provide information to help parents of young children and college students understand the tax credits (Child Tax Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, etc.) and benefits they may be eligible to claim when they file a tax return. We will also raise awareness of free tax preparation available at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites. Please Click Here for more information.
Back To School Events
Building Administrators across the district have been busy planning Back to School Activities. The best source of information for activities at your child’s school is the building themselves, but we have compiled a tentative list. Please be sure to watch your email for more details from Building Administrators.
Back to School 2024 Events
Sincerely,
Philip D. Thornton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
June 7, 2024
Dear Students, Staff, and Families:
It has been a while since my last communication. I am sure you are being updated regularly through building administrators regarding all the great end-of-the-year activities that are happening throughout the district. It is certainly an exciting time. I have had the pleasure of participating in Reading Week and attending various award ceremonies and Honors nights. Celebrating our students is a gift.
2024 District Teacher of the Year
The Cumberland School Department is pleased to announce Cumberland’s District Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025, Gina Palazzo Campopiano. Gina is a Kindergarten Teacher at Garvin Memorial Elementary School. She works tirelessly to ensure that her students have the foundational skills to become lifelong learners. Her rigorous academic expectations and her nurturing approach to learning set her students up for success. To read more about Mrs. C. check out the announcement for the 2024 DTOY.
Updated 2024-2025 School Calendar
Our 2024-2025 School Calendar has been updated to include “Up to 3 Inclement Weather Days will be waived in the instructional calendar if necessary”. The Rhode Island Department of Education has approved our waiver of three instructional days based on our total number of instructional hours. This means that the first three unforeseen school closure days do not have to be made up. Let’s all hope for another mild winter. Any days beyond the three waived will be added to the calendar in the spring and the last day of school will be updated accordingly. The Start and End Times for the 2024-2025 school year are also being worked on. Once approved they will be added to the Cumberland School District’s website. We will return to Early Release Wednesdays to give our teachers the time for collaboration and planning. More details to follow.
Almost Summer Vacation
I would like to share a couple of things in preparation for Summer Vacation.
The RI Summer Meals program has been announced. Please follow the instructions on the flyer to participate or call 211 for pick-up locations. A hard copy of the flyer is being sent home with students.
Many people spend time at the coast over the summer vacation, and Rip Tides are an ongoing concern. This RIP TIDE SAFETY FLYER has been shared with us to distribute to our families. Knowledge is Power, please talk to your children about water safety.
School Construction Update
Although it is not technically a School Construction project, we are excited to announce the completion of the footbridge over Mendon Rd. The bridge has a nice new coat of blue paint, new fencing, and a concrete seal. We thank the RIDOT for getting this project completed on time with little interruption to the school day. Our Graduates are going to look sharp walking over the bridge to Tucker Field on June 20th.
Ashton and Community schools will be starting to pack for the summer moves to their new locations. Ashton is back to the bigger and better permanent location on Scott Rd. and Community to its temporary location at the Transitional Building. Over the past few years, the administrative offices have enjoyed hosting the Elementary schools, and though it comes with its challenges it has turned out to be a positive and rewarding experience.
Sincerely,
Philip D. Thornton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
