September 17 School News
Dear Members of the J. Turner Hood School Community:
I am happy to report that we have had a very successful reopening. Thank you to all of the members of our school community for their efforts. As of today, everyone seems to have settled into a nice routine. We still have some minor items to work on but as one can imagine, It is not an easy task navigating 400 individuals in and out of school.
Positive feedback- I was excited that our friends from the North Reading Fire Department friends praised our arrival and drop-off procedures during a recent visit. Please remember that we all share a mutual responsibility at drop-off and pick-up. I will send out a reminder in a few days relative to the procedures. For now, it is important for all to pull as far forward as possible during both procedures.
On a leadership note, I have been able to walk the building every day and observe our students and staff in action. Based on my observations, everyone has been working hard to meet our schoolwide expectations for behavior, character and performance. Routines and rituals (which promote student engagement) are on display everywhere and that makes me happy.
School start time/ Morning Arrival- This year, our school hours at the J. Turner Hood School are from 8:00 – 2:15. It is very important to note that students may not be dropped off before 7:50 AM, as there is no morning supervision. We have adjusted to kindergarten entrance procedures and starting Tuesday all bus students will be admitted into the lobby of the school at 7:45 so the buses can begin the middle and high school routes. With that being noted school staff members beyond those responsible for bus arrival will not be on duty until 7:50 AM.
I am excited to report the successful completion of the following events:
Back to School Night
Our first in-person Parents Association Meeting
The Kindergarten Welcome- Sip Sip Horary
Our first fire drill
Next on the agenda is our school-wide meeting focusing on the topic of safety. Dr. Mansfield and I will present along with our amazing School Resource Officer Detective Lucci.
On September 11th we conducted a moment of silence at 8:46 AM out of respect for the individuals impacted by the events in our country 20 years ago. This was completed in conjunction with Project 351. We also shared some age-appropriate information on the topic which led into a schoolwide read-aloud of the book Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman. This book emphasizes the heroism of those who helped out after the disaster.
On the staffing front. I am excited to welcome Julia Pintzopoulos back to the Hood School as our art teacher. Julia has spent the past ten years as an art teacher in another district.
Our Student Teachers are as follows:
Ms. Durkin- Speech & Language-UNH
Ms. Kennedy- Grade 1-Northeastern
Ms. Pitzi-Grade 5-Merrimack
Ms. Kaddaras-Special Education-Merrimack
Ms. Selvaraj-Grade 5-Merrimack
Ms. Redmond-Grade 3-Mrs. Marcus
Ms. Hatfield-Grade 3-Endicott
I have previously shared a link to the district calendar. At this time, I would like to remind everyone that the school-based calendar is on a google link that you can access via the school website. As the year moves forward all of the school events are posted here. The link is located on the Hood School Home page. Please know that you are also able to subscribe to the link and integrate it into your family calendar.
A special thank you to the Hood School Parent Association for welcoming everyone back with some special treats! It was greatly appreciated. There are some pictures of very thankful staff on various school-based twitter accounts.
Our outdoor reading area in honor of Mrs. Hegarty is now complete. Please feel free to grab a book from our lending library and read said book on one of our new tree stump style seats donated by Bob Moses of Arbor Tree in Wakefield.
Food Pantry-The Hood School sponsors the North Reading Food Pantry every September. All donations are able to be accepted on Mondays and Fridays from 11-1 at the Food Pantry.
Here is a list of needed items:
Instant Oatmeal
Frosting
Kids school snacks
Pudding
Side dishes (like Lipton's sides - rice/pasta)
Laundry soap
Juice boxes for kids
Shampoo & Conditioner
Refried beans
Twitter: Please remember that the Hood School Twitter account is a wonderful resource to see what is happening at the school. @jthoodelemen