Welcome Back | North Reading Public School District

August 21, 2018

Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of the J. Turner Hood School,

I hope this note finds you well rested and excited about the upcoming school year. We have been very busy over the past few months in preparation for the opening of school grades 1-5 on Wednesday, September 5, 2018. The first day of school for Kindergarten students is Friday, September 7, 2018.

New Staff: We are excited to welcome new staff members to our school community. Please welcome the following: Ms. Kathleen DeCarlo as our new BCBA, Ms. Shannon Shoemaker as a Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Kelley Costa as a grade 3 classroom teacher and both Mr. Hogan and Ms. Moore as members of our RISE program. I know that you and your children will make these individuals feel welcome to North Reading and the Hood School. I appreciate your continued support of the entire Hood School staff.

Kindergarten Welcome Social: Our annual Kindergarten Social will be on August 29, 2018 from 2:30-3:30pm. All incoming Kindergarten students are invited to attend. Please join us if you can.

The Faculty/Staff of the Month Program: is designed to recognize outstanding teachers, specialists and paraprofessionals for their contribution to the J. Turner Hood Elementary School. Each month, the school recognizes one Faculty/Staff through a schoolwide announcement and by providing that individual with a highly coveted parking spot at the school. Nominations may be submitted by the school faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members though the link provided below. Staff of the month: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/hoodstaff

Twitter: Social media and Twitter in particular, is fast becoming an important tool in the world of education. Teachers are using it to connect with other professionals around the world to enhance their learning and break down the walls of their classrooms. Administrators are using it to enhance their leadership skills and connect with parents and other members of the school community. Stay up-to-date on the latest happenings at the Hood School! Follow the Hood School on Twitter @jthoodelemen.

Arrival/Morning Drop-Off: School begins at 8:30, and staff will be available to welcome students beginning at 8:15. Children should not be brought to school before 8:15 AM as there is no adult supervision. School staff will greet you and your children at the drop-off loop at 8:15 to let you know that students may now enter the building. We do have a morning program that is tuition-based. If your child arrives in the building earlier than 8:15, he/she will be sent to the morning care program and a note will be sent home with a friendly reminder to you to pay the fee.

Morning Drop Off Procedures:

1. Drop off children at the side rotary.

2. Pull all the way up to the end of the sidewalk before letting your child out.

3. Let your child out opposite the driver’s side, only.

4. Do not get out of the car yourself.

5. There is NO PARKING within the rotary.

6. Please remain in your car and move forward once your child exits the car, in order to keep the line moving. For safety reasons, it is important that you follow this procedure.

Parking:

1. If you must come into the building, please park within the side parking lot in a designated parking space. Non-staff vehicles are not permitted in the front rotary during morning drop off or dismissal. This is for buses as well as specialized transportation vehicles only.

Live Line-Dismissal/Pick-Up

All children should have a set clear dismissal procedure on file. You will receive the paperwork to complete on the first day of school. Any deviation from this system needs to be communicated to the main office prior to noontime on the set day. Only emergency changes will be honored after that time.

The dismissal time from J. Turner Hood Elementary School is a very busy time of day. Busses are arriving to bring children home or bringing them to after school child care programs. Parents or child care providers are driving up to the neighborhoods near the school or walking up to pick up their children and older children are walking home alone. If you participate in the Placard Pick-up System to pick up your children in front of J. Turner Hood by car please be reminded that you are required to “queue up” in a single line down the driveway, through our parking lot and up to the Handicapped parking spot at the end of our “loop.” At all times, there must be space for two-way traffic on Haverhill Street and in the school driveway to allow for vehicles leaving and to provide emergency vehicle access. You (the parent/guardian) or someone you give permission to pick up your child must have the placard with the student’s last name in view on the right-hand side of the windshield as you pull up. A suggested practice is to have the placard affixed to your passenger side visor and flip it down while you “que up.” Children who are being picked up via the placard pick-up system will remain in the Cafeteria while family names are called. As you pull up with the placard in view, your child(ren) will be called out using a walkie talkie system from staff out on the sidewalk to staff in the cafeteria, and placed in your vehicle

Please know that you need to pull as far forward as possible.

The school staff will only let your child in the door opposite the driver’s side. If this is not possible, I would suggest parking your vehicle in the designated parking area and walking up to a staff member and requesting a dismissal. Aspen Road is also an option.

Please do not get out of the car yourself and be reminded that there is no parking within the rotary.

I need all individuals in receipt of this notice to communicate this information to any person that will be utilizing these procedures with your child(ren).

Going Green: We have an obligation to conserve our natural resources. Schools should set a good example by demonstrating to others the methods and benefits of energy conservation. Going Green is the smart choice for our environment, but it also may prove to be savings for our school’s budget during these times. It will be our goal to utilize email as a primary source of communication for school notices and newsletters. That being said, we want to be sure that all parents and families receive information to remain involved and informed. If email communication isn’t available for your household hard copy notices will continue to be provided.

Student Absences: The office appreciates phone calls regarding absence or tardiness prior to school starting. This decreases the number of phone calls the office staff must make searching for students who are unaccounted for.

Food Pantry: For those new to our school community, September is the month the Hood School adopts the North Reading Food Pantry by sponsoring a food drive. More details to follow.

I am so excited to welcome you and your children back to school for another amazing year of learning!

Mr. Glen S. McKay, Principal