Dear Hill-Roberts Families,
What an exciting week! Between the Book Fair, our Picture Day, and learning geometry orally, kinesthetically (a.k.a., through movement), and visually (see picture of Ms. McCabe’s 4th grade classroom above), our students, collectively, had an enlivening week!
First off, this week we had a record breaking Book Fair! Thank you to our new and returning family volunteers! We loved chatting with students who were beaming with excitement to read OUTSIDE of school! Truly, you all created a supportive, efficient, and encouraging environment for our readers to select texts they will treasure! Also, a special thank you to Dr. Beth Dimond for her thought partnership, flexibility, and leadership. We are so grateful and lucky to have such depth of leadership on our PTO!
For this weekend, it may be fun to ask your learners how many languages they can now say “good morning” in. We have been practicing Spanish, Portuguese, and French during morning announcements over the past three weeks and many of our Huskies can now say Good Morning in 2-3 additional languages - très bon! We will continue with the “Languages of Hill Roberts” over the next few weeks, but what has been most exciting is students sharing their home languages from Hindi to Italian to Russian with us and their classmates! Some are even going home and teaching their parents how to count to three in Russian! How neat it is to learn from and with our students!
For now, you will see some exciting updates to our important dates (Race for Education), updates about the status of our drop-off concerns, and updates about dates/times and prizes for our biggest fundraiser - Race for Education! As always, thank you for all that you do in support of your students' learning, our teachers' efforts, and our school community’s strength.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Madden, Principal
Ms. Nora Hassan, Assistant Principal
Table of Contents
Updated: Upcoming Important Information & Dates
School Hours
Update - Reading Passports!
Reminder - Spirit Day on 10/31/2023
Update and Reminders- Walkers/Car Drop-Off
Reminder: Holiday Gift Help for Families - Informational Only
Reminder: A Kids Brain Tumor Cure - Team Wesley Event - 7th Annual Sundaes with Santa - Informational Only
Reminder: Technology Support - Rooms Help for Families
Reminder: Message from School Nurse
APS Community Fliers
PTO Announcements
Reminders from Issues 1-8
APS Student Handbook Workflow
Title 1 Programming
Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack
Bus - Ridership Updates and Bus Registration for “Fee for Service” Students
Free and Reduced Price Lunch Applications Critical for Funding for School Supports
Upcoming Important Information & Dates
10/10/2023 - PTO Meeting, 6:30pm in HRES Library
10/13 – Bingo for Books
10/13-10/20/2023 - Book Fair
10/19/2023 - Picture Day
11/2 – Race for Education
11/3 – Race for Ed Rain Date
11/8 and 11/9 Parent-Teacher Conferences
11/10 - Veterans Day (No School)
11/16 - Fall Family Literacy Night, 6-8pm
11/17 - 4th Grade Chorus Performs at Providence Bruins Game
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:Reading Passports!
Families!
Be on the lookout for the Attleboro Public Library Reading passports coming home in your child’s backpack. Students can use these passports to collect stamps at the various community reading events held throughout the school year. Once the passports are filled, they can bring them to school or to the public library to receive special recognition at the summer reading kick-off in June. Attleboro Firefighters Read is the first event at the public library on Monday, Oct 23rd. All events will be listed on the calendar at attleborolibrary.org.
Reminder: Spirit Day on 10/31/2023
For our Spirit Day on 10/31/2023 your students are invited to celebrate by wearing any of the following:
Husky Gear
Fall-themed colors
Dress up as their favorite book
Wear a costume, but your student:
must put it on at home, not at school
must be able to walk in it
must be able to go to the bathroom in it
must wear a costume with no gore, no weapons, no masks, and no make-up.
Update & Reminders: Walkers/Car Drop-Off
Update - Thank you! We have seen a huge improvement in the following areas, families have stopped:
Complete - Going around other cars in our drop off area (students are often getting out)
Complete - Pulling out without looking (students and families are walking to our side entrance)
In progress - pulling out when other cars are actively trying to get into the parking lot from Roy Ave, so that our buses may pass (our buses need to arrive and leave in a timely manner so we can start on time)
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: Holiday Gift Help for Families - Informational Only
While our school does a Giving Tree before the Winter Holiday break, the Attleboro Area Council for Children’s “Christmas is for Kids” program is accepting applications (due 11/4 for returning families and 11/25 for new families) and story sheets for families who may benefit from assistance in providing gifts for their children this Holiday season. This program is external to APS and has its own participation requirements.
Reminder: A Kids Brain Tumor Cure - Team Wesley Event - 7th Annual Sundaes with Santa - Informational Only
7th Annual Sundaes with Santa Event. “The raffle items are coming in!! Be sure to save the date for this year's Sundaes With Santa. November 12, 2023. Come any time from 11am-2pm. Professional photographer, rights to all digital images, make your own sundae from Bliss Dairy, raffles, silent auction and all going to help find a cure.”
Reminder: 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.
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 - 2023-2024 Dismissal Plans Update - Dismissal Plans Update 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
Book Fair - Huge success! Thank you to all the families who volunteered to make this an engaging, efficient, and enlivening experience for our Huskies!
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! Click here for more info on time, what to wear, and what to expect. We're looking forward to a great event! There are some amazing prizes up for grabs this year, you can check them out below!
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
11/2 – Race for Education
11/3 – Race for Ed Rain Date
11/14 - PTO Meeting, 6:30-7:30pm
CONTACT US
www.facebook.com/groups/hillrobertspto OR hillrobertspto@gmail.com
Reminders from Issues 1 - 7
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
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.
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