Elementary school principals look to the school year ahead

With school starting on Wednesday, Sept. 2, Dartmouth’s elementary schools are preparing to welcome new and returning students to their classrooms.

Whether students are attending DeMello, Potter or Quinn Elementary, families can expect to see some new and continuing programs, as well as a mission to ensure kids receive a quality education, community engagement and strengthen relationships.

DeMello School

For DeMello School Principal Elizabeth Correira, the theme of the upcoming school year is to bring families to DeMello and involve them in “as many possible ways as we can.”

“We know that’s what’s going to strengthen our school,” Correira said. 

This school year, there are three main things Correira is looking forward to, which include a scratch cooking program, composting and a new PTO board.

DeMello School was chosen last year to pilot scratch cooking in the cafeteria, sourcing food from local farms and serving home cooked meals for lunch. Throughout the school year there will also be farm-to-table dinners for families to get a sample of what their kids are eating.

“We’re really looking forward to educating the parents about what their kids are going to be eating, letting them know where it comes from,” Correira said.

Correira also plans to start a composting program this fall to teach students how to sort their trash and educate the kids about composting.

The school is also introducing a new PTO board that administrators will work closely with to bring more cultural programs into DeMello.

“We’re really looking forward to doing some work to get parents in early and get them involved in the different committees, the subcommittees that the PTO has to offer,” Correira said.

Correira said one goal is to make sure DeMello’s teaching and learning is of the “highest quality” and noted that a focus this year will be on “continuing our commitment to providing our students with a very well-rounded education.”

“We want to teach them how to be great community members, good friends, responsible little humans,” she said.

She added, “I feel like we’re really looking forward to a year of a lot of growth academically, socially, emotionally, across grade levels and classrooms.”

Potter School

When students and staff members enter the Potter School every day, the first thing they will see is a bulletin board celebrating their achievements and daily work.

This board will be a part of Principal Melissa McHenry’s new theme for the upcoming school year: “One Potter, one team, powered by Potter pride.”

“We’re going to focus on our greatest strengths in the building, which is how we support each other, how we help each other during challenges and how we celebrate and lift each other up when we’ve accomplished something,” McHenry said.

The school’s playground was updated over the summer to include a new outdoor learning space where teachers can take their students outside for outdoor learning and fresh air.

McHenry noted that there are some students who already do a lot of outdoor learning, with this becoming a new space designed for the purpose of outdoor learning.

With about a week left before school starts, McHenry encouraged kids to enjoy the rest of the summer and first-time Potter families to reach out if they feel like the transition into kindergarten and a new building will be difficult.

“There’s a lot of adults in the building ready to help you have the great year that you’re going to have,” McHenry said.

McHenry noted that she wants students and staff to “feel a sense of accomplishment, they feel supported and they feel welcomed in our environment.”

She also took note of the theme of going from good to great and that students find the perseverance and support they need to “make greater gains, to do tough things and feel that sense of accomplishment when they do it.”

Ultimately, McHenry is looking to carry on Potter traditions, the legacy of the previous administration and the things that are special to Potter.

“We do a lot of great work here at Potter, and it’s important to celebrate that,” she said.

Quinn School

With 660 students enrolled this year, the Quinn School is Dartmouth’s largest elementary school, but Principal Audra Thomas is prepared to ensure administrators do a “really great job of building community and making it seem like a smaller, more tight-knit community.”

Thomas’ theme for the upcoming school year centers around the phrase “you belong,” which she said applies to both students and staff.

“When they walk through the doors here at Quinn, it’s a place they want to be,” she said. “It’s a place that they love, where they feel comfortable and safe.”

Thomas is also looking to start the school year in a positive way and assuring kids that they will make new friends and build new relationships with their teachers and classmates.

“I think that we do a really good job of welcoming new students and new families into our Quinn family, because that’s really what we are — a Quinn family,” she said.

This school year, Quinn will be continuing building its fifth grade peer leader program, which they expanded on last year.

“It was really something that built connections with students and the younger grades,” Thomas said.

Last year, the fifth graders went into physical education classrooms to interact with kids in the younger grades and also went out into the community for fundraisers.

“They do a lot of amazing things for the community, but also within these four walls, making sure that we’re also building the community here at Quinn,” Thomas said.

In the first weeks of school, educators will focus on building relationships and routines to ensure students not only know where things are but also feel safe and comfortable.

“It’s just starting off on a positive, fresh note … and wanting to come to school because it’s a place that you feel safe and wanting to be here because this is your home away from home,” Thomas said.