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UPDATE: VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE TUESDAY 8/25/2020
This information has also been sent through email. Please make sure we have an updated email address for you on file.
8/22/20
Dear Families and Students of Holbrook,
As we begin our journey through the 2020-2021 school year together, I would like to thank you for all the flexibility and support that the community has shown during our planning stages. Throughout the summer dedicated staff members have been reading, planning, and thinking about the safest and most effective ways to have our students in our classrooms. While we cannot plan for everything, we will continue to work together using the lens of safety, academics, and social-emotional needs for all. Below I have listed many important things to remember as we come together in learning at Holbrook School.
New Staff Members and Staff Changes:
We are excited to welcome Marleina Ford to Holbrook School as our new Music and Gifted and Talented Teacher! We are equally as excited to welcome Sharon Haskell as our new 5th Grade teacher and Zackery Pratt as an Ed Tech III. We would also like to congratulate Michele Archambault on her move to 8th Grade ELA as well as Peter Walsh on his move to 8th Grade Math! We wish them all a wonderful start in their new positions.
Procedural:
A Pod Will attend school on Mondays & Wednesday First day 8/26/2020
Will have remote learning on Tuesday & Thursday
B Pod Will attend school on Tuesday & Thursday
Will have remote learning on Monday & Wednesday First day 8/27/2020
A/B Will attend school Monday through Thursday First day 8/26/2020
All Remote Option Students: Pod A students who chose the All Remote Option can pick up their computers/tablets from their school on Wednesday, August 26th from 10:00am until 4:00pm.
Pod B students who chose the All Remote Option can pick up their computers/tablets from their school on Thursday, August 26th from 10:00am until 4:00pm.
(Note: All Remote Option students will not be counted as absent on Wednesday or Thursday.)
All Remote Option Students need to participate in Friday’s Morning Meeting and complete the Friday assignments. Because the first week is shorter than most weeks, links to assignments for Friday, August 28th and Friday’s Morning Meetings will be sent through each school’s newsletter/School Messenger emails. In the future, those and other assignments, meeting links, etc. will start arriving through individual emails from Homeroom Teachers every Sunday evening at 5:00pm.
Everyone will have remote learning on Friday.
For the safety of our students, RSU #63 has a detailed, “medication dispensing” policy that must be followed by our staff. I have enclosed a copy of the form that explains the policy. The form must be completed and on file before we can dispense any medication (prescription and/or over the counter) to your child at school.
Pick Up and Drop Off:
I would like to highlight our new pick up and drop off routines. Parent drop off times have changed and are now: 8:10-8:40. Please be aware that prior to 8:10 there will be no coverage and students must stay in cars until 8:10. Parent Pick up times for Holbrook are 3:00-3:30.
· 5th-7th Grade will be dropped off by the hill going up toward the back fields and CHEFS.
· 8th Grade parent drop off will be by the back steps (near the Central Office entrance door).
· Bus drop offs will continue to be in the loop in the front of the building.
There will be staff members positioned to help students learn to navigate these new routines safely in the morning and afternoon.
As stated above the regular school day hours are from 8:40 to 3:00. Students must report to homerooms through their designated door, by 8:40 to avoid be marked as tardy. Any students arriving after 8:40 will enter through the Central Office door adjacent to the parking lot. Students are asked to attend morning meetings with their homeroom every day. If this cannot occur for any reason please call the office and let us know.
We would like to limit the number of last minute after school plan changes to emergency situations only. We understand that things come up and sometimes plan changes are necessary. Try to have your arrangements made ahead of time and when changes come up let us know as soon as possible. Please, make every effort to finalize after school plans no later than 2:20. Thank you for your support as we keep student safety a top priority.
Parents picking students up at the end of the day are asked to fill all available spaces prior to stopping in the traffic circle. Again, safety is our top priority and the increased number of students being picked up at the end of the day causes a challenging traffic situation. If you are in the traffic circle please pull all the way around to the exiting side of the loop before stopping. We will have staff on duty to assist students as they travel safely to vehicles. Thank you for your cooperation.
Bus Schedules
Bus schedules for the year have been sent out by Superintendent Smith. They will also be on the school website. Students will be required to wear a mask on the bus at all times. The phone number for our bus garage is 561-9238. (If no one answers, it is probably because they are all out driving. Please call Holbrook School 843-7769 or the RSU 63 Central Office at 843-7851.)
Technology:
A virtual open house schedule for the evening of Tuesday, August 25th. The links to each google meet are provided below. Please have students log in to meet their teachers and “see” their classrooms. Copy and paste the link into your web browser's address bar.
August 25th HOLBROOK VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Classroom Virtual Open House Links and Times:
Copy and paste the link into your web browser address bar:
This year all Holbrook students will transition to Google Calendar. We expect all students to use their calendar daily, we will provide support as they learn to use this new platform. Parental support for student use of the calendar is critical in making this an effective tool. We strongly encourage families to sit down with their student (s) and talk about the benefits of staying organized.
We hope that our website continues to be an easy and effective way to access information such as curriculum, upcoming events, daily announcements, bus routes and so on. The website will continue to host links such as; reporting of bullying or harassment, NutraKids/MySchoolBucks (nutrition services), calendar and the RSU 63 Facebook page.
Mr. Cummings has been working hard to prepare the MLTI laptops (11” MacBook Air) for the Holbrook 7th and 8th grade students. Our 5th and 6th grade students will be issued a Google Chromebook. Both are effective tools for students to access a large host of Google tools (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Classroom, Google Calendar and so-on) that will be used regularly at school. It is expected that students return with their computer fully charged each day.
Supplies:
We will provide student supplies for what is needed at school. We are asking that you provide a water bottle and mask. Please contact the office if you need support with this request 843-7769. Backpacks are allowed and will be stored safely while students are at school. Any supplies you might want to purchase can stay at home and become remote learning tools for at home use.
Food Services/NutriKids:
Students may purchase breakfast; a breakfast cart will come around for students who choose to take it. Breakfast will be served in classrooms from approximately 8:15-9:00.
We will continue to use the NutraKids and MySchoolBucks program to manage credits and debits to students’ nutrition services accounts. Each child will have their own account and parents are encouraged to deposit funds electrically into the account to minimize monetary transfers at school. We suggest depositing at least $50.00 at one time to minimize transaction fees (this is out of our control). With each $50.00 deposit to an account a free meal is provided to offset the assessed transaction fee. The program will confidentially manage students that qualify for free and reduced lunch as well. We encourage you to visit the NutriKids website at: www.nutrikids.com. The link can be found on the Holbrook School Website.
Students that are eligible for free and/or reduced lunch are also eligible for free and/or reduced breakfast. Please contact our nutrition services staff if you are interested in having your student bring home lunches during their remote days, they can be reached at 843-7769 (164).
In closing, I hope you enjoy this beautiful weather and have a fabulous weekend! I look forward to our continued work together and I cannot wait to see kids within these halls again! If you have any questions, please call the office at 843-7769.
Sincerely,
Ashley Allen
Holbrook Principal
