Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. I would also like to take this moment to
thank our own Mr. Phil Doucette (Sargent, US Marine Corps and custodian), Mr. Larry Farelli (Corporal, US Marine Corps and 8th grade math teacher), and Mr. John Gill
(Captain, US Army and 7th grade math teacher) for for their
services to our country.
Last night on Saturday Night Live, Mr. Dan Crenshaw, Congressman-elect from
Texas and former Navy SEAL who wears an eye patch due to an injury he sustained
during one the tours he served in Afghanistan, came on the show to be part of - in
my opinion - a very funny skit about a controversy one of the cast member
created during his performance on last week’s show. Mr. Crenshaw also took on a more serious tone
during this week’s show and said the following:
This is Veterans Day weekend. Which means it’s a good time for every American to connect with a veteran. Maybe say, “Thanks for your service.” But I would actually encourage you to say something else. Tell a veteran, “Never forget.” When you say, “never forget” to a veteran, you are implying that, as an American, you are in it with them – not separated by some imaginary barrier between civilians and veterans, but connected together as grateful fellow Americans who will never forget the sacrifices made by veterans past and present. And never forget those we lost on 9/11, heroes like Pete’s [a SNL cast member] father. So I’ll just say, Pete, never forget.
I will join Mr. Crenshaw and say to Mr. Doucette, Mr. Farelli, and Mr. Gill, as well as all the veterans out there, “never forget.”
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone about some safety practices regarding the arrival and dismissal processes. As someone who enjoys biking, I am glad to see there are still quite a lot of students who continue to ride their bicycles to school despite the colder weather. Although most of the students I see are in the habit of wearing bike helmets, I still notice too many students who do not do so on a consistent basis. Therefore, I urge all parents and guardians to remind their students that they must wear helmets when they are biking. It is the law!
As all of you know very well that picking up and dropping off students
are not easy tasks due to the many traffic challenges that are present in front of
McCall and Lincoln. As we wait for the
results of the Traffic Study conducted by the Office of the Town Engineers to
come back, I ask everyone to please be courteous to each other while you are
dropping off or picking up students.
Please obey all traffic signs and refrain from parking in handicap
spaces, spaces reserved for McCall and Lincoln staff, as well as all areas that
are designated as no parking zones.
I would like to commend all the crossing guards we have working in the Lincoln and McCall areas for being the dedicated
professionals that they are and doing wonderful work for our students and community
members each and every day. I ask everyone to please
cooperate with them so they can ensure everyone arrive at and leave the school safely. When crossing the
streets, I urge everyone to cross at the areas that are staffed by crossing guards.
Thank you and enjoy the upcoming week.
James Lin
Principal
McCall Middle School
