Dear Families,
We completed our first FULL week of school on Friday, and it was a busy one! Students and staff continue to work hard to practice routines and structures that lead the way to optimal learning and overall successful outcomes. Our kindergarten students are definitely getting used to being in the building, and our whole school community is thriving through their development of social and academic skills. September is a critical time for establishing expectations in school, and we thank all of our families for supporting this important transition time by helping your children to be prepared for the school day and engaging in conversations with them about what it means to be a responsible student and a caring friend. We could not do it without you!
We are very happy to share that Dr. Madden will be returning to Hill-Roberts this week, following his recent paternity leave. We are very excited to welcome him back!
In this week’s issue of the Husky Howler you will find many important updates and helpful resources, such as online support tools for using our Rooms communication app, and the link to review and electronically affirm that you have read and understand the APS Student Handbook. Please take a moment this week to review the contents of the handbook and submit your digital confirmation, as we must have this on file from each family. You will also find additional details about our upcoming Welcome Back Night at HRES on September 28th, as well as reminders from our PTO.
Please see below for a quick table of contents for these, along with many other items, within our fourth issue of the year.
Sincerely,
Ms. Nora Hassan, Assistant Principal
Dr. Paul Madden, Principal
Table of Contents
Repeat - Upcoming Important Information & Dates
Repeat - School Hours
Update - Welcome Back Night
Update - APS Student Handbook Workflow
Update - Rooms Help for Families
Update - Title 1 Programming
Update - Walkers/Car Drop-Off Info and update (please do not park on Roy Ave)
Update - 2023-2024 Dismissal Plans Update
Repeat - APS Community Fliers
Repeat - PTO Announcements
Repeat - Information Packets and ASPEN
Repeat - Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack
Repeat - Message from School Nurse
Upcoming Important Information & Dates
Thursday, September 28: Welcome Back Night
Friday, October 6: Early Release Day
Monday, October 9: No School (Columbus Day & Indigenous People’s Day)
Tuesday, October 19: School Picture Day
School Hours
Arrival begins at: 8:30 AM
School Day: 8:45 AM – 3:25 PM
Dismissal is at 3:25 PM
Early Release Dismissal: 12:25 PM
Update: Welcome Back Night
Hill-Roberts Elementary will host its annual Welcome Back Night on Thursday, September 28th, from 6pm to 8pm. Students will have the opportunity to show families their classroom spaces and share information about what they have been learning in school, so far. More specific information will be shared by classroom teachers prior to the event. In the meantime, please mark your calendars! We look forward to seeing you there!
Update: APS Student Handbook Workflow
Please click on the Attleboro Public Schools Handbook Workflow link for directions on how to access, review, and confirm understanding of the contents of the APS Student Handbook. We must have a record from all families that the handbook has been received. Please contact us with any questions you may have.
Update: Technology Support
Rooms Help for Families
The district is steadily making progress with helping families access Rooms. In addition to contacting our K-12 Education Technology Coordinator, Kimberly Janssen, (kjanssen@attleboroschools.com), there are two websites that can provide information and help with Rooms:
Update: Title 1 Programming
Please see these important newsletters for information about our Title I programming:
Title I Family Engagement Plan
Update & Reminder: Walkers/Car Drop-Off
Update: We have had moderate success with families helping to keep Roy Ave as accessible as possible for our buses during drop-off and pick-up times. We could still use some help with making sure that NO vehicles park on the “inbound” side of Roy Ave in between or past the posted signs. Cars along that side of Roy Ave block our buses from getting down the road safely, creating dangerous conditions for walker students as well as our students on buses. Please refer to the HRES Pick-up & Drop off Procedures for more details and review the “active drop-off” route in the picture below. If you have any questions about this, or would like further clarification, please let us know!
Reminder: Please follow the process shown in the photos below for dropping your child in the morning and picking them up after school. For safety reasons, cars are not permitted in the circular driveway (i.e.. the main parking lot) in front of the school during arrival and dismissal times. This area is reserved for buses and transportation vans to load and unload students. It is illegal to pass a bus/daycare van with its lights activated. Walkers or students being dropped off at arrival will enter through the side doors closest to the gymnasium.
2023-2024 Dismissal Plans Update
Update: So far we have had only had 27 responses to our Dismissal Plans Update form that was linked in last week’s Howler. When the link was first shared two weeks ago, it was inaccessible to families, and we apologize for the mix-up. The link has been fixed, however, and we ask that you please try again. This form will help us to keep up to date records of students' dismissal plans. We ask that you fill out this form as accurately as possible, and please fill out ONE FORM FOR EACH CHILD. Although it may seem redundant, doing so allows us to sort and find students easily and allows us to provide individual teachers with accurate information. Thank you! We know it is one more thing, but your child’s safety is yours and our number one priority.
APS Community Fliers
Visit the APS Community Fliers page to view the most recent events, opportunities, and resources happening within the Attleboro Community.
PTO Announcements
Our first PTO meeting was held last week, and we had a great launch to our plans for the next few months!
Please join us for the 2nd PTO meeting of the school year on Tuesday, October 10th.
All are welcome!
(more details below!)
And if you don’t already follow the PTO on Facebook, please join our group page at www.facebook.com/groups/hillrobertspto.
Please find more detailed information about our PTO and the many benefits associated with being part of this dynamic family group below!
PTO MEETINGS
Monthly PTO Meetings are generally held on the second Tuesday of each month, unless otherwise stated.
Our next PTO meeting will be October 10th at 6:30pm, held in the school library, but also available via Zoom and we invite all to attend!
For those who can’t attend in person, please join the Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87883686781?pwd=TlN2Rnk0QnY0OWd4blhsZkxEaFAwdz09
Meeting ID: 878 8368 6781
Passcode: HUSKY
10/10: PTO Meeting 6:30pm
10/13-10/20: Fall Book Fair
11/2: Race for Education
PTO - CONTACT US
www.facebook.com/groups/hillrobertspto OR hillrobertspto@gmail.com
PTO - September Shop and Give Back!
For the month of September, the Hill-Roberts PTO will receive $1 for every $3 “Give back where it counts” bag purchased at the North Attleboro Shaws!
Be sure to stock up on those bags and share with your friends and family!
PTO - Upcoming October Book Fair
Reminders from Issues 1 - 3
Information Packets and ASPEN
Information packets were sent home on the first day of school in students’ backpacks. If you have not done so already, please complete the forms and return them to school with your child as quickly as possible. As we try to move as much as possible to a digital format, this includes the use of Aspen as a way for families to review their child’s demographic and emergency contact information, as well as view report cards. The Parent ASPEN Brochure, will help families who are new to Attleboro as well as families who could use a refresher.
You may notice a small change to the student information form, specifically the "Do Not Publish" option. Please make sure you read the explanation underneath which clarifies that by checking the Do Not Publish box, you are identifying that you do not wish to have your child's image, name, work, etc. published anywhere, which includes our yearbook
Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack
Massachusetts has extended free school meals for another year. This means that breakfast and lunch will continue to be served at no cost to all students. Please note that even though meals will be free for all, it remains essential for families to complete the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2023-2024 school year. We strongly encourage ALL families to submit this form as it allows us to determine eligibility for P-EBT benefits and waive or reduce transportation, athletics, and other fees. Documenting qualifying families also significantly impacts state funding for our district, so completing the form is a direct way to support our schools.
The breakfast and lunch menu will be on the district’s website
We ask that lunches from home are nut free when possible.
Snacks - While sending your child to school with a snack please keep in mind our classrooms are nut safe and no student will be allowed to eat a snack if it is not nut free.
Message from School Nurse
If your child(ren) will need medication in school this year, please see your doctor for medication orders. These need to be renewed at the beginning of each school year.
Please make sure we have the most up-to-date vaccination records for your child. If your child has any allergies (e.g., food, bees, etc.), please reach out to me to make sure we have that in our records to help us keep your child safe.
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!
Sherri Knight-Cloud, BSN, RN, NCSN
sknightcloud@attleboroschools.com or (508) 399-7560