The Bobcat Bulletin
A Newsletter from Founders Memorial School
Welcome to the 2019-2020 FMS School Year!
August 13, 2019
Wendy Cobb - Principal
802-857-6303
Dear Founders Families,
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 28th! As this beautiful summer is winding down, we want to welcome everyone back for the 2019-2020 school year! We would also like to welcome our new students and families to the Founders community. Please let us know how we can support you and your children in making a smooth transition. We are looking forward to the opportunities ahead. We encourage you to explore the EWSD (Essex Westford School District) website at www.ewsd.org and the Founders School website at www.ewsd.org/FMS. You will find lots of information that will be helpful before the first day of school (e.g. lunch menu, contact information, calendar, PTO information, volunteer information) as well as links to school and district social media.
Do you have the Essex Westford School District mobile app yet? The EWSD Mobile App is a great place to get school and district news and headlines, lunch menus, the academic calendar, and connect with school and district social media. You can follow individual schools or all of them. While the app provides an opportunity to enhance district community engagement, it is not a direct portal to the website. Teacher or department pages cannot be accessed using this tool. These can only be accessed by going directly to our website address listed above. You can download the Essex Westford School District app for free on the Apple App or Google Play Stores today! Search for Essex Westford School District. You can also follow the Founders Facebook and Twitter pages by going to the Founders website.
Everyone is very busy preparing classrooms, putting up new bulletin boards, meeting with team mates, and making plans for the first day of school and beyond. Staff members have been attending workshops and conferences, completing coursework, tutoring students, and working in summer programs. Founders was an active place again this summer. It was great to see so many students attending summer programming. Thank you to parents, for making the commitment to provide learning opportunities for your children during the summer months. Our custodians have been working tirelessly to keep the school environment clean and in working order during our summer programs, while at the same time completing many summer building projects. You will see that we have new bathrooms near the gym and a newly designed library. A huge thank you to everyone who kept things going all summer. The building is looking amazing.
Our librarian and reading interventionist, Mrs. Jablonski and Mrs. Cole, would like to remind you of our summer reading program, to help prevent that summer reading slide. We hope you have been reading lots of great books this summer! Don't forget to bring in your Summer Reading Bingo sheets when school begins. Please also remember to return any summer checkouts you borrowed from the EES or FMS libraries. We will be collecting books in the lobby the first week of school. After that time, books can be returned to the library.
Everything we do as a school community will always connect back to our EWSD vision, shown in the header of this message. I am looking forward to building on Responsive Classroom practices as a school and our work as a Professional Learning Community. Each of us are committed to providing optimal social emotional learning opportunities and excellent instructional experiences for all students in the most inclusive, safe, and joyful setting. We will have a continued focus on equity, diversity, and inclusionary practices. We will be diving into year two of the Bridges math program here at Founders and at Essex Elementary. For more information about the program, you can access the Bridges parent resource page anytime at www.mathlearningcenter.org/families.
Families play a critical role in the education of our learners. We look forward to building a strong partnership with each of you. We also look forward to building many positive connections with your children and with each of you, as we grow together as a community. You can rest assured that we will always keep the best interests of your children in mind.
We will have our annual, welcome back to school ice cream social on Friday, August 23, from 3:15 – 4:15 on the Founders playground. We ask that you please bring along non-perishable food items to donate to Aunt Dot’s Place, our local food shelf. We hope to see you all for a little ice cream! You’ll catch up with friends and neighbors and help us welcome in the new school year. You can also bring back the student bio forms and after school plans.
Enclosed you will find important, general information about our school for your review and easy access. The EWSD parent handbook is in the process of being updated and will soon be posted to the district home page. In the meantime, you can access the current version that is posted on the district's home page under For Families/Parent-Student Handbook or click on this link: EWSD Student-Parent Handbook . If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact the office. We are happy to help. It’s going to be a great year! We can’t wait to see you all.
Enjoy the remaining days of summer! See you soon!
Wendy
Important Beginning of the Year Things to Know about FMS...
Important Upcoming Dates to Remember:
Thursday and Friday, August 22-23: Teacher In-Service
Friday, August 23 -- Ice Cream Social -- On the Playground 3:15-4:15
Monday and Tuesday, August 26-27: Teacher In-Service
Wednesday, August 28, First student day!
Friday, September 13: Picture Day (Retake Picture Date - October 22)
Thursday, September 26, Open House 5:00 - 7:30 PM
Pasta Dinner 5:00-7:00
Grade 3 5:30-6:3
4-5 Multi-Age 6:15-7:15
Grade 4 6:00-7:00
Grade 5 6:30-7:30
More information to follow.
Friday, September 27 - PTO Fun Run - More information to follow
Welcome to New Staff This Year
Jamie McCarthy - 5th grade teacher
Colleen Legris - 4th grade teacher
Sierra Smith - Social Emotional Learning Coach
Duane LaRose - Night Custodian
Kristen Burns - 3rd Grade Instructional Assistant
Sophie Larson - 3rd Grade Instructional Assistant
Nancy Kahn - 3rd Grade Instructional Assistant
Extended Day Programs:
The YMCA program is available for after school care. Call the Y program at 862-9622 for more information.
After school opportunities are plentiful at Founders. Look for information to begin coming home at the start of the school year.
Responsive Classroom: We continue our work using a school-wide program called Responsive Classroom, which guides us in developing a sense of community and caring within each classroom and throughout the school. You will see morning message boards in each classroom. You will hear about interesting greetings and activities that your child is doing to build community in their classroom, team, and school. You will hear about hopes and dreams children and staff have for themselves and for our school this year. If you have any questions about what this overall school approach means, please contact your child’s teacher. There is an emphasis on Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-Control (CARES). You can visit the Responsive Classroom website for more information. https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/
Communication: We will send out newsletters on a regular basis, highlighting important news and events in the school. Teachers will send home letters discussing the specifics of their class and team. In addition, they post information about their class on their class/team websites. We encourage ongoing, two-way communication. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. The easiest way to do this is through email. You can reach a staff member through email by using their first initial, followed by their last name, @ewsd.org. We are always posting a variety of news, events, and learning on the school’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Communication of Concerns: If you have a concern, you are encouraged to first address it directly with your child’s teacher, unless it relates to bullying, sexual harassment, or abuse. In these cases you would go directly to the Principal or Joe Arigo, our student management specialist. If the concern relates specifically to special education, the parent should address both the student’s teacher and the case manager/special educator. If you feel the issue has not been adequately resolved, please bring it to the attention of the principal. All teachers and administrative staff have email addresses and voice mail, so communication is easily accessible. Teachers are more than happy to return communications in a timely manner. Unless it is an emergency or a safety situation, we respectfully ask that you allow teachers 24 hours to respond.
Parking and Responsible Pickup and Drop Off: Parents who are visiting the school or dropping off and picking up children should drop off or park in designated areas and drive safely and slowly at all times near EWSD schools. Please use the parking lot on the east side of FMS for parking. For safety reasons, parents cannot park, even for a moment, in the fire lanes in front of the school at any time. This includes after school for pickups from the YMCA or enrichment and morning drop-off. Parking along the fence line in the East parking lot, near the cafeteria door, or in any non-designated parking spot are also not allowed. Please park in the main parking lot located between the two schools if there are no spots in the East lot. In addition, please never park in the special needs/handicapped parking spots, unless you have the appropriate permit to do so. I cannot emphasize enough the need for everyone to please drive slowly when driving anywhere on school grounds. Remember to use the crosswalks when picking your children up at the end of the day. Do not cross between buses or pass buses. The safety of our students, families, and staff is of utmost importance. Thank you for helping us to keep everyone safe and helping to maintain accessibility for all.
End of Day Pick Up: Students will be escorted by their teachers to the gym at the end of the day, and then into the cafeteria if they are being picked up, walking, or attending the after school program. If you need to pick up your child at the end of the day, please go to the cafeteria (side door - there will be signs), sign your child out, and wait for the teacher to deliver them to you in the cafeteria. Please do not congregate in the lobby, in the hallways, outside classrooms or in alcoves, in the hopes of picking up your child as he/she comes through. This creates a significant bottle-neck and a safety hazard for the entire school. Parents are not allowed to pick up students from the bus line without first signing them out in the cafeteria with the school registrar. We must always be diligent and know where students are at all times. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and understanding with this, as we safely and efficiently dismiss 400 students.
Leaving and entering the building: With the exception of evacuation drills and end of the day pick-ups, all parents/visitors must enter and leave the building through the front door, so our office staff are able to see you. You must also check in with the front desk per our school safety protocols. This ensures that all exterior doors are secured and locked at all times and also allows us to know who is in the building at all times. Should there be an emergency, this is critical information for school and emergency personnel.
In-School Visitation: We welcome and value all of our volunteers here at Founders! Please be sure to pick up a Visitor’s Badge at the front desk and you must sign in before you enter the rest of the school. This ensures that we know who is in the school in case of fire or other emergencies. It also helps us keep our students safe, by knowing who is approved to be in the school. This is VERY important, and is non-negotiable. You should make prior arrangements with a teacher if you wish to visit the classroom. The teacher will let the front office know that he/she is expecting you. You must sign out when you leave the building. To find out more about volunteering at Founders, please go to https://www.ewsd.org/domain/175 or call our front office.
School Safety: In September, we will convene the FMS safety committee and conduct an updated in-house safety audit and review our safety protocols. We have monthly drills with students throughout the year related to the different drill topics (e.g. fire, evacuation, lock down, clear the halls). In order for us to handle a crisis should one arise, our goal is to be as prepared as possible while at the same time not raising unnecessary alarm for students or staff.
Student Behavior: Our school uses the principles of Responsive Classroom as the guiding philosophy around student management. Essentially, we ask that students show RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT, AND SAFETY in their interactions with each other and all adults here at school.
School-Wide Expectations
Take care of yourself.
Take care of others.
Take care of our school.
Take care of our world.
Teams will work with students at the start of the year to determine what these expectations look like and sound like. They will set classroom and team expectations that directly connect to the above-mentioned school-wide expectations. Adults will model, practice with students, and review these expectations at the start of the year and in an ongoing manner throughout the school year.
Discipline: As part of Responsive Classroom, all classes will be using the same series of consequences for students. If a classroom expectation is not met by a student, the teacher will give the student a friendly reminder of the expected behavior. If the behavior continues, then the student will be directed to move into a “take a break” area of the room. If the behavior continues, the student will have a timeout in another, pre-designated classroom, typically a teaching partner. The next step would be administrative intervention. Some behaviors (e.g. physical aggression, harassment, bullying) will be “fast-tracked” to administration and may be subject to in-school or out-of-school suspensions or loss of privileges. Your classroom teacher will be communicating with you if behavior is an ongoing concern, and we will be working together to develop a plan to help the student be more successful.
Physical Aggression and Unsafe Behavior on the School Bus: The number one priority for all students is always safety. Kindness and respect towards others is the expectation at FMS. Like any other area of the school, all students have the right to feel safe on the school bus. Aggressive behavior and bullying on the bus is taken very seriously, just as it would be at school. When aggressive, threatening, or unsafe behaviors are reported, the principal and the student management specialist will review video footage of the day and time in question. Bus suspensions may be implemented if the video reveals students are being physically aggressive, threatening to others, or unsafe. Depending on the severity or number of infractions, transportation privileges may be suspended for a short period of time or for the remainder of the year. Parents are responsible for arranging alternate transportation for their child if this occurs. All buses are equipped with video cameras to ensure that drivers and administration have access to objective and real-time evidence related to student behavior. Parents will not be allowed to view video recordings based on federal student privacy laws. Only the administration and designated school personnel are allowed to view the video footage, for confidentiality reasons. Please talk with your children about expected bus behavior. It’s important for students to know the school and their family are on the same page regarding expected behaviors at school and on the bus.
Hazing, Harassment, & Bullying: The EWSD School District is committed to providing all of its students with a safe and supportive school environment in which all members of the school community are treated with respect. We take all reported incidents of bullying, hazing, and harassment seriously. Each school campus has at least two designated employees that are charged with receiving and investigating reports of hazing, harassment and bullying. Any person who believes they have been the victim of hazing, harassment and/or bullying or the victim of retaliation by making a complaint of such behavior, or any person with knowledge or evidence of conduct which may constitute hazing, harassment, or bullying shall report the alleged acts immediately to Wendy Cobb (principal) or Joe Arigo (student management specialist). For a more detailed outline of HHB policies and procedures, see the parent handbook or the district website.
Founders T-Shirts: We will be taking orders for Founders T-shirts until Friday, September 19. Order forms will be sent home on the first day of school. You may leave your order at the front office or with your child’s teacher. There are scholarships for any child that needs it. Let your child’s teacher or our school counselors Katie Mayer and David Hoppe know if there is a need. Confidentiality is assured. We want to make sure every student who wants one gets a school t-shirt.
Electronic devices and Appropriate Use of Technology: Phones should be left at home or in backpacks turned off. All students are instructed early on in the year, and throughout the year, on the acceptable use of technology and they are subject to a loss of technology privileges if they violate expectations. See the parent handbook for a detailed outline of the acceptable use policy.
Walking and Biking to School: Bus transportation is provided to students at Founders. Bus route information will be posted to the EWSD website soon. If your children bike to school, we strongly encourage them to wear helmets. In addition, please take time with your children to carefully review safety protocols for crossing streets. We suggest walking or biking with your child, in advance of the first day of school, to review these important safety rules.
Ice Cream Social!
Ice Cream Social on the Founders Playground!
Please bring a non-perishable food item for Aunt Dot’s Place!
Thank you!