Dear Hill-Roberts Families,
Thank you for making our Welcome Back Night a huge success! Our staff sincerely loved your energy, excitement, and enthusiasm for visiting your students’ learning environments. From families’ cars parked up and down Roy Ave to lines of students collecting stamps (and prizes!) to smiling teachers in packed classrooms - the energy was palpable! We had a blast meeting with you all and we are excited to see you all again at Parent Teacher Conferences on 11/8 and/or 11/9 (if not sooner)!
Also, welcome to October! August and September are always critical months and our staff invested heavily in building community, establishing productive routines, setting high learning expectations, and, generally, launching a set of student supports that will allow us to continue to pursue high expectations for all of our learners. This year, as a school, while we continue to pursue academic excellence generally (e.g., math, science, social studies, specials), our teachers are excited to engage in deeper learning together about how to best support all of our learners to become more engaged readers, more poignant writers, and deeper critical thinkers. More on this later.
For now, thank you for your continued support and for a great Welcome Back Night! For updates and reminders, please see our sixth issue's table of contents.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Madden, Principal
Ms. Nora Hassan, Assistant Principal
Table of Contents
- Updated: Upcoming Important Information & Dates
- School Hours
- Update: PTO facilitates furniture donation to update Hill-Roberts common places
- Update: Technology Support - Rooms Help for Families
- Update: Message from School Nurse
- Reminder- Bus - Ridership Updates and Bus Registration for “Fee for Service” Students
- Reminders - Walkers/Car Drop-Off
- Reminder- Free and Reduced Price Lunch Applications Critical for Funding for School Supports
- APS Community Fliers
- PTO Announcements
- Reminders from Issues 1-5
- APS Student Handbook Workflow
- Title 1 Programming
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack
Upcoming Important Information & Dates
- Monday, 10/2/23 - Celebrate Custodians Day!
- Friday, 10/6/2023 - Early student release at 12:25pm (Teacher professional development) check
- 10/9/2023 - No School - Columbus Day/ Indigenous People’s Day
- 10/10/2023 - PTO Meeting, 6:30pm
- 10/19/2023 - Picture Day
- 10/13-10/20/2023 - Book Fair
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: Thank you PTO! PTO facilitates furniture donation to update Hill-Roberts common places
(Special Education Teacher David Pregana enjoying conference room updates)
When I met with PTO President Jen DiPietro this summer to discuss how the PTO could support Hill-Roberts, I was already well aware of this PTO’s incredible track record and outstanding capacity for getting things done in support of our school! However, when I engaged her in a conversation about improving the common places of our school to both: a) make our front office more welcoming to families and b) increase the professionalism of our common staff spaces, I figured this would be a multi-year plan. However, next time you come by Hill-Roberts please notice our new couch in the front office and the new conference chairs/table in our conference room. Jen and the PTO have more planned, so stay tuned! For now, staff and families who have seen the most recent updates agree - what a PTO!!! Thank you!
Update: Technology Support - Rooms Help for Families
The District will be holding three help sessions during the month of October. Please register so we can plan appropriately for the events.
Update: Message from School Nurse
Hi Families,
Two quick updates:
Vision and Hearing Screening (and Volunteers) - I am hoping to begin our state mandated Vision and Hearing screens in mid October. All grades, K-4, are screened for Vision, grades K-3 are also screened for Hearing, and Height & Weight on grades 1 & 4 only. These are required by state law, but you may opt your child out by sending in a letter requesting that your child not participate in the state Vision and Hearing screens. I am also looking for volunteers that would like to be trained in doing the screenings to assist me here in school. If you are interested, please email or give me a call and I can give you more details, you can also stop by the Health Office during our upcoming Back to School Night.
Covid, Flu, and COVID Attendance Guidance - Cold, Flu and Covid season are upon us, to help keep all of our Huskies Healthy Learners, please keep your student home if they are not feeling well, fever of 100 or more, vomiting, diarrhea, or frequent cough. If your child does have a fever, vomiting or diarrhea, they must stay home at least 24 hrs after the last vomiting or diarrhea and be fever free 24 hrs with no Tylenol or Advil. We have long tiring days and sometimes an extra day is needed to recover fully, so they can be ready and able to learn after an illness. If your student tests positive for Covid, they need to remain out of school for a minimum of 5 days and should mask for a full 10 days upon their return to school. Masks are readily available all over the school. Please call the nurse with any questions or clarification.
Sincerely,
Sherri Knight-Cloud, BSN, RN, NCSN
sknightcloud@attleboroschools.com or (508) 399-7560
Reminder - Bus Privileges Update and Bus Registration for “Fee for Service” Students
If your student’s transportation type/bus eligibility status is Fee for Service, registration is required. Go here to register; please do not wait to find out they can no longer ride the bus. To verify a student’s bus eligibility status and determine if Fee for Service registration is necessary for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, you can find your address on the School Street Listing or log into your Aspen parent portal. A video tutorial and instructions can be found here.
Update & Reminders: Walkers/Car Drop-Off
Reminder - How to Support Bus Arrival when Parking in Active Drop Off Area - If you arrive before 8:30am, please do not back out of your parking spaces to leave unless Roy Ave is clear. This may result in a 10 minute delay for your departure time. We apologize for any delay, but for student safety and the timely arrival of buses, which impacts ALL student’s breakfast and homeroom start times, we need your cooperation. Thank you for taking directions from our staff as we work through early morning traffic bottlenecks!
Reminder: 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.
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.
Reminder - 2023-2024 Dismissal Plans Update - So far we have had only 54 responses to our Dismissal Plans Update form that was linked in last week’s Howler. When the link was first shared three 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.
Reminder: Free and Reduced Price Lunch Applications Critical for Funding for School Supports
Please note that even though meals will be free for all students this school year, it remains essential for families who believe they qualify to complete the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2023-2024 school year. Accurate registration impacts state funding for our district, in particular, Title 1 Reading supports for all students. In addition, for families who qualify, it allows us to waive or reduce transportation, athletics, and other fees. Visit our Food Services page to learn more and Apply Online: https://www.attleboroschools.com/o/aps/page/food-services2
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
Book Fair - Paws for Books: Our Fall book fair starts October 13th! Look for Scholastic flyers to come home with your student next week.
Profits from book fairs help the PTO pay for:
Scholastic News and Let’s Find Out subscriptions;
books for school and classroom libraries;
prizes for summer reading and Bingo;
holiday and appreciation gifts for teachers and staff;
items including a rug, folding tables, and a rolling cart; …and so much more!
Supporting the book fair supports our whole school! Create an eWallet for a cash-free, worry-free shopping experience for your student: www.scholastic.com/bf/Hill-Roberts Volunteer to make the book fair Paw-some: http://tiny.cc/HRESF23
For more information, check out our Paws for Books flier
Bingo for Books - Bingo for Books is BACK! We have two sessions to choose from – 6:15 and 7:15pm Friday, October 13 in the HRES Cafeteria. Register using this link Hill-Roberts Elementary School PTO - Cheddar Up or the QR Code below! Please be sure to let us know how many people are in your party. Registration is FREE and the Book Fair will be open for all to enjoy from 6-8pm.
Race for Education - Husky families! By now your student should have brought home a packet with the materials for our biggest fundraiser, the Race for Education, taking place Thursday, November 2nd! We're looking forward to a great event! There are some amazing prizes up for grabs this year, you can check them out on the flyer! The EASIEST way to meet your goal is by creating your online donation page! Follow the link below and select create a page to get started. And don't forget to join your classrooms team! https://grouprev.com/hillroberts2324
10/5 – Papa Gino’s Restaurant Night
10/10 - Next General PTO Meeting
10/13-10/20 – Paws for Books Book Fair
10/13 – Bingo for Books
11/2 – Race for Education
11/3 – Race for Ed Rain Date
CONTACT US
www.facebook.com/groups/hillrobertspto OR hillrobertspto@gmail.com
Reminders from Issues 1 - 5
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.
Title 1 Programming
Please see these important newsletters for information about our Title I programming:
Title I Family Engagement Plan
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.
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