September Update

Dear Hood School Families,

It’s hard to believe we are kicking off our third week of school. We are pleased to see that the children have made a smooth transition into the school year. Our teachers have established their classroom routines and the school is abuzz with great energy and laughter. 

We have successfully navigated many of our opening protocols (fire drill, bus evacuation drill) and events. We were excited to see so many parents on back-to-school night and we enjoyed welcoming our kindergarten families with our traditional “Sip Sip Hooray” event. 

Main Office Update: As many of our Hood School Families are aware, Mrs. String retired at the close of the 2020-2021 school year. I am excited to announce to families that Mrs. Mastascusa will be the face of the main office. Many of you know Mrs. Mastascusa as she is a veteran in the Hood School community who has served in numerous roles. We are excited to have someone with such a level of expertise in this position. Mrs. Mastascusa can be reached by calling the main office or by email at: mmastascusa@nrpsk12.org

Parent Association: We love our partnership with our parent's association (PA). This year, our wonderful PA continued the tradition of providing the professional staff of the school with some special treats! It was greatly appreciated.  Mrs. Liekweg will take on the internal role of Teacher Liaison to our Parents Association. A special thank you to Ms. Slaven for serving in this capacity for the past seven years. This dedicated group met on Wednesday evening and the energy in the room was significant and their dedication to our students was on display. 

Reminder from the Hood Parent Association: Please complete the form below to be included in the family directory and email communication from the PA - both are very useful communication tools!  Our directory is printed and used to help connect our parents and students, and our emails will keep you informed on our activities and events.  If you already completed this form as a part of the packet sent out at the beginning of the school year, you do not have to do it again.

Form:

Family Directory Link

School Council: I am pleased to share that our School Council team is almost complete! Membership includes Mrs. Gorman (Grade 4 Teacher), Mrs. Heffernan (Grade 5 Teacher), Mrs. Taylor (Parent), and Mrs. Alimonti (Parent). We are in search of a community representative as a means to round out the group. This community representative (as related to the regulations governing school councils)  defines the "other person" as someone who is "not a parent or teacher of students at the school." It further describes the "other persons" on the council as "drawn from such groups or entities as municipal government, business or labor organizations, institutions of higher education, or other interested parties." This position has been vacant and we would love to have this position solidified this year. 

Social Emotional Learning: We are excited to announce that we have Ms. Aleksa here in a larger capacity this year. Ms. Aleksa is in her second year as our school adjustment counselor. Ms. Aleksa will be visiting each classroom weekly and focusing lessons on topics related to SEL. This month this professional is focusing on: Getting to know you, expected vs. unexpected behavior, whole body listening, ignoring distractions to stay focused, and the skills embedded within the  Zones of Regulation. 

Calendar Updates: 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.

SEEM Collaborative-  For the past fourteen years, the Hood School has hosted and included students from SEEM Collaborative in our school community. At this time, SEEM has transitioned the program to a neighboring district. As spacing concerns have impacted the district in various ways, we were presented with the opportunity to bring one additional district-wide program back home to our school community where it originated. We are very excited to have many staff and students who began their educational careers at the Hood return. 

Procedure Reminders/ Updates:

Switching Buses: We have had a few requests for “bus switching.” This is simply a request we cannot honor. Please make alternate arrangements such as live line or Aspen Road Pickup.

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 a bus schedule issue by welcoming all bus students 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.

Aspen Road Pick Up: Aspen Road Walkers are dismissed via Door 9 (near grade 2). The staff members responsible for that dismissal area have respectfully requested that parents utilizing this dismissal please make their way to the door and not on the path to the door. It is very important that we dismiss this group of students directly to their caregivers. 

Live Line Drop Off and Pick Up: We are doing an excellent job with both the morning and after-school arrival and pick-up procedures. Some minor items in order to prompt efficiency and safety.

Please continue to pull up as far as possible within our space.

Please do not open or close the driver's side doors. Everyone should remain in the car.

All students need to enter and exit via the passenger side.

Please be reminded we have alternative places for drop off and pick up if need be. Please let us know how we can help.