April 3, 2021 Newsletter

April 3, 2021 Newsletter

Dates to Remember:

• Monday, April 5- Students Return- 5 Days!
• Tuesday, April 6- School Committee 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 7- Early Release- Teacher PD day- Noon Release
• Wednesday, April 7- School Council 6:15
• Sunday, April 19- Spruce up Gill School Day-9:00-12:00- MORE TO COME
• Monday, April 19-Friday, April 23- Spring Break- NO SCHOOL

Dear Families and Caregivers,

I’ve received some inquiries in the past few days in regards to the Superintendent’s message sharing that there were several positive Covid-19 cases identified within the school community. I’d like to reassure all of you that we are following all the necessary protocols, and anyone who needs to be informed about details will be informed, should there be a need. We have been pool testing in all grades weekly, and results have been consistently negative. If you have specific medical questions, please check in with our school nurse and/or your primary care provider. Please be aware that we are prohibited by law to share any confidential information, so thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

Be on the lookout! Report cards were mailed out yesterday afternoon. This report card provides an updated measure of student progress, and in reviewing them, I was pleased to note student growth and progress across all grades. We are continuing to gather data to measure gaps and areas of difficulty after this disrupted year of learning, so that we can plan and remediate.

We are eagerly anticipating the return of our students on Monday! For the first time in over a year, the majority of students will be back in person for five days a week. Wednesdays will resume being a full day, unless it is a scheduled professional development day. Please note this Wednesday is an early release day.

I would like to share with you some additional information you may find helpful.

• Classroom spaces to have students distanced at three feet.
• Students should arrive at school wearing a mask and will be expected to wear their masks for the whole school day except for mask breaks and lunch time.
• There will be one lunch/recess hour from 11:30-12:00 for grades K-3, and another lunch/recess hour from 12:15-12:45 for grades 4-6.
• Chromebooks will remain in school.
• Please return any completed school forms to the school office.
• Students will be required to wear masks outside at recess. Families are responsible for ensuring students come to school with clean masks.
• Protocols have been established for the school bathrooms and school passageways so that students/staff are remaining distanced from each other.
• Breakfast and lunch will be provided to each student free of charge.
• There will be no community snacks for special celebrations, i.e., birthday cupcakes, etc. at this time.

• Drop off in the morning will begin at 8:30 a.m., and there will be adults outside at those times to help escort children in the building. Children should remain in vehicles until a staff member signals for them to come out. Students will not be allowed to exit the vehicle without a mask. We thank you in advance for your patience and flexibility as we get our new systems in place!
• Students in grades K-2, and 4 & 5 are to enter through the exterior doors of their classrooms. Grades 3 & 6 will enter through the front door.

• Classrooms will have windows cracked daily at least ¼-½ inch. Students will need to dress for warmth with layers.
• Specials will begin live, in-person instruction this week!

We are needing more donations of bottled water. We strongly encourage families to send their students in with a water bottle, as there is a hands-free water dispenser by the office. Drinking fountains will be closed, so we want to have some extra bottled water on hand to provide students.

My apologies for such a long message, but this is all especially important

Sincerely,

Lisa Desjarlais,Principal

March 9, 2021

Dear Families,

As many of you may know, Mrs. Hutchison retired last month, and I know all of you will miss her dearly. With that being said, I wanted to send home a letter introducing myself as I have stepped into her position.

My name is Miss. Chris (I have included some pictures). I live in Erving, MA. With my husband Chip, my two boys (Hunter-9 & Tucker-2). We also have a 1yr old yellow lab, Lexi!!

I am so excited for my new adventure and cannot wait to get to know all of you! I hope you will be understanding and patient with me during this transition. I would like to help us all out by implementing a few checkpoints, as our students’ safety is most important to me!

Here are a few things that will help with that:

1. Any adult dropping off/picking up, will need to sign their student out. (There will be a paper at the entry way for you to do so.)
2. Until I am more familiar with families and who everyone is, please have an ID ready as I will be checking those to confirm the correct contact(s) are engaging with your student.
3. If you should have a change in your students’ transportation or time of pick up, please contact the school either by email, phone, or written note. This will ensure no confusion.

If you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts, please feel free to email or call me directly. I am looking forward to a new beginning and a great ending to the 2021 school year!

Sincerely, Miss. Chris