Dear Sheffield Elementary School Community,
It is a pleasure to introduce myself as the new principal of Sheffield Elementary School and
welcome you to the 2022-2023 school year! I am honored to have the opportunity to lead a
school with high performing students, extremely dedicated staff and a supportive parent and
school community. We have been working hard this summer and are excitedly awaiting your
return to school on Thursday, September 1, 2022. Our school day begins at 8:30 am and ends
at 3:15 pm. Attendance is a critical factor in any child's school success. Children should attend
school every day, except in cases of illness or emergency. Please contact the main office at
863-9326, if you have any questions or concerns.
As you know, we love our families and want to share opportunities for parent involvement at
Sheffield Elementary School. Please consider joining Friends of Sheffield (FOS) and/or our
School Council. FOS is a parent-teacher organization that meets monthly to plan events and
fundraisers to enhance your student's learning experience. The School Council group consists of
administration, staff, and parents who look at important school-wide issues, initiative,
challenges, and possibilities. Please call or email me if you are interested in more information
regarding either involvement opportunity.
At Sheffield Elementary School, our 2022-23 theme is: We are All on the Same TEAM!
Throughout the year, we will be focused on being a TEAM because “Together Everyone
Achieves More”. Our first day of school will be our first school-spirit day (see attached flier) in
which we will wear our “Team Apparel”. (A reminder that we are a fragrance-free learning
environment, so please do not use body paint or hair dye.)
We are thrilled to introduce our new food service director, Molly Brooks. Excitingly, Governor
Baker signed into law a one-year extension of School Meals for All for the 2022-2023 school
year. In Massachusetts, every student who wants or needs a school breakfast or lunch will
receive meals at no cost to their family. Additional information will be coming soon. If you have
questions, please contact Molly at molly.brooks@gmrsd.org.
At Sheffield Elementary School we are excited to welcome our new TEAMmates!
Dean of Students - Ron Wood
Grade 2 Teacher - Mary Ducharme
Grade 3 Teacher - Britney Skiff
Paraprofessional - Dominique Bievenue
Paraprofessional - Michael Fleck
We are currently hiring additional paraprofessionals to support our students and I will introduce
them as they join the Sheffield team.
Included in this mailing is a welcome letter from your child’s classroom teacher. General
supplies have been ordered and will be provided by the school district for your child. Please
make sure that your child is prepared daily for school with a backpack, personal water bottle (for
our water bottle filling stations), and sneakers (for recess and PE class).
We cannot wait to have our classrooms and hallways filled with the energy and enthusiasm for
learning. It is our goal to make every child feel welcome and connected to our Sheffield School
community. Our teachers use research-based best practices and analyze data to drive their
instructional decisions and set growth goals for each individual student. We continue to use
rigorous curriculums: Wit and Wisdom for English Language Arts (https://greatminds.org) and
Bridges for Math (https://www.mathlearningcenter.org). You will be hearing more about both as
the year progresses and how you can support your child’s learning at home. At Sheffield, we
know a strong connection between home and school benefits learning, connection, and social
skills tremendously.
We hope that you will find our website helpful and informative. We will communicate regularly
through our website, Facebook, newsletters, and our all-call system by phone and email. Please
make sure that we have your correct email and phone number. I look forward to meeting all of
you and am so excited to embark on our first school year together!
With Sheffield Pride,
Kerry Heathwaite, Principal
kerry.heathwaite@gmrsd.org
413-863-7420
