Messages from G.R. Martin Elementary School

“We’ve Got Your Back(pack)” A Hurricane Relief Effort

Third grade students in Mrs. Hopkins’s class spearheaded a hurricane relief effort they called “We’ve Got Your Back(pack)” to aid low income students effected by hurricane Irma. With the help of the Martin School Student Council Members from all grades, fliers were distributed to all students inviting their families to purchase a backpack for $3.50 and fill it with school supplies, a personal paperback book to donate, and a letter of support to the student receiving the backpack. 220 backpacks were filled by students and their families and recently picked up for shipping. Martin School staff members aided in the cost of shipping, as well as the Feinstein Foundation, and Our Place Uniform Company.

There were, unfortunately, many that could have benefited from receiving the backpacks. It was decided to send them to the Gargiulo Education Center in Naples, FL. The Naples area was hit particularly hard by Hurricane Irma, although it was not in the original path. As well as being hit hard, the area also has a large, low income population that consists of many migrant workers and their families. Homes were severely damaged or destroyed for many of these families.

The Gargiulo Education Center is a center that develops educated and confidentstudents within the Naples migrant community by providing academic programming that complements the public school curriculum. You can learn more about this center and the work they do at http://gargiuloed.org/. The Director, Tom Brannick is ecstatic to bereceiving the backpacks for the population he works with. Being a regional center that works with many school districts, he will be able to distribute the backpacks to families he knows that are in need of school supplies due to their socio-economic standing, as well as because of the effects of Hurricane Irma.

Students of the Month
The following students were named Student of the Month for their respective classroom for the months of September and October. Students were chosenby their teachers based on academic effort and good citizenship displayedwithin the classroom.

Kindergarten: Lillian Booth, Elton Gifford, Joshua DesRochers, SophiaBrown, Ellie Fernandes, Braden Mederois

Grade 1: Griffin Provost, Mariyah daPonte, Wren Roberts, Victoria Kania,Julie Chauvin, Caleb DesRochers, Brielle Marshall, Jace Rego

Grade 2: Cooper Flynn, Gianna Chaves, Chase Gregory, Aryanna Braga,Mackenzie Dunner, Brianna Bedford

Grade 3: Amber Berry, Olivia Escaler, Kendalyne Lapointe, CameronHagan, Hunter George, Alexis Dunn

Grade 4: Drew Jutrus, Jillian Escobar, Gabriella Gago, Sarah Rickard, EllyChin, Abigail Hill

Grade 5: Riley Connel, Lucas Rosa, Sebastian Nault, Roarke Paine, JaceRieben, Mishal Qazi, Brett Mello, Elizabeth Burleson