September
2, 2015
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 9, 2015. The first day of
school for Kindergarten students is Friday, September 11, 2015.
New Staff: We are excited to
welcome three new staff members to our school community. Please welcome Ms.
Heather Blackmun, Special Education Teacher, Ms. Janna Comeau, Music Teacher,
and Mrs. Kelly Daigle, Para-Professional, to our team! 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
Popsicle Social:
Our annual Kindergarten Popsicle Social will be on Thursday, September 3rd.
from 2:30-3:30 pm. All incoming Kindergarten students are invited to attend.
Please join us if you can. We are sure it will be an hour of fun.
School Website &
Email:
In North Reading, each school’s and the
district’s website will be upgraded to make it more informative, engaging,
user-friendly, and a better resource to showcase student work and photos of the
good things happening in each of our schools and across the district. Secondly,
the email domain for the faculty and staff of the North Reading Public Schools
has recently undergone a transition to a new domain, @nrpsk12.org. This domain
is active presently and families are urged to now begin updating their contacts
and communicating with district faculty and staff using the @nrpsk12.org
domain. It should be noted that emails sent using the old domain will still be
received during a brief period of transition
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 8:20. Children should not be brought to school
before 8:20 AM as there is no adult supervision. School staff will greet you and your children
at the drop-off loop at 8:25 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 8:20, 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.
Drop
Off Procedures:
Drop
off children at the side rotary.
Pull
all the way up to the end of the sidewalk before letting your child out.
Let
your child out opposite the driver’s side, only.
Do
not get out of the car yourself.
There
is NO PARKING within the rotary.
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:
If
you must come into the building, please park within the parking lot.
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. Please feel free to drop any of
the items listed on our school website in our food pantry drop box located in
our lobby.
Looking
forward to seeing you soon,
Mr. Glen S. McKay,
Principal