Student placement and the Back to School Packet both became available for parents in the Aspen Family Portal on August 16. Please click on the Follett Aspen button on our main website or go directly to our Aspen welcome page to get started.

Families should complete the Back to School Packet before the start of the new school year. Newly enrolled families have already submitted the same information as part of the registration process and will receive mailings with placement information and Aspen login information. Please contact your school's front office if you encounter any issues.

We also ask that families complete the COVID Readiness Form before school starts. In order to participate in regular COVID testing, families need to grant permission for the new school year. In addition to testing and masking, the district is also following student vaccination rates for students enrolled at Curtis.

Thank you for continuing to support the district's health and safety initiatives!

A wonderful first day of school for our children in Grades 1 - 5. Children joined into our school day with smiles and joy!

A few reminders:

• Kindergarten begins on Wednesday, September 8, 2021
• Kindergarten Welcome Days are, September 1, 2, and 3 by appointment

• Masks worn indoors
• Mask breaks provided during the school day
• Classroom seating is at 3' equal distance
• Lunch and snack will be in the cafeteria at 6' equal distance with masks off
• Recess will take place outside, weather permitting, with masks off by family choice
• Grade level classes are able to play together when at recess

• All Sudbury classrooms and cafeterias are peanut and tree-nut free; universal signs are posted

In observance of Rosh Hashanna and Labor Day, there will be no school on:

• Monday, September 6
• Tuesday, September 7

Enjoy the evening and see you tomorrow!

Sincerely,

Susan

Students and staff will:

• wear masks at all times, except during designated mask breaks.

• maintain a minimum six-foot physical distance at lunch and snack.

• maintain a minimum of three-foot physical distance at all possible times.

Helpful to staff and student:

• An owl visual has been placed on the sidewalks leading into our school to provide a 6’ distance visual for children and families.

• Posters providing guidance on hand-washing, mask wearing, and best ways to follow our 3W’s are placed throughout the school house.

The schoolhouse is cleaned throughout the course of the school day by our custodians. Classroom desks are sanitized as well as high-touch areas throughout the school day to support and assure disinfecting measures.

Cleaning of the schoolhouse also takes place in the evenings. This includes, but is not limited to, cleaning all floors and cleaning/sanitizing all restrooms and high-contact surfaces (walls/floors/ceilings, desks, tables, chairs, sinks, doors/handles, plexiglas dividers). A large component of the work of the custodians will be doing nightly is wiping down surfaces AND using an electrostatic sprayer on all surfaces.

The disinfectant GE Fight Bac is used as both a surface spray/wipe cleaner as well as the solution in the electrostatic disinfectant sprayers used throughout the building.

Car Arrival

• No one should exit a car without staff direction, nor prior to 7:45 a.m.

• Cars will stage at the stop sign at the front of the drop off circle

• Staff will be present to help as needed

• One staff will be present at the stop sign arrival sidewalk

• Parents should remain in their car for drop off

Late Arrival

• We will adhere to the Three W’s begins as soon as anyone joins the Nixon School campus

• Children will come to the front vestibule to buzz in

• Families can walk their child to the front doors and enter the schoolhouse when dropping off their child(ren). *Mask Must Be Worn.

• Socially distant owls are placed along the sidewalks for visibility when moving toward our front door entrance.

Early Dismissal

• Any change in dismissal, please use nixon_office@sudbury.k12.ma.us

• Child will be called from the classroom when the parent present for pick up

• Parent will remain in the vestibule to receive their child

SED

• An SED staff member will accompany children to and from their classrooms during arrival and dismissal
• SED will be stationed in the cafeteria this school year and will use other spaces in the schoolhouse for their time together
• Dismissal from SED will take place at the cafeteria double doors and staffed by an SED staff member.

Buses

• A designated staff member will meet each bus upon arrival each school day as well as when departing for the afternoon. Busses will be unloaded one at a time under the awning at the rotunda doors. Students will remain on the bus until allowed to disembark. Priority will be given to the Boston bus due their length of commute.

• There will be two staff members, one located inside the double doors of the rotunda and one staff in front of the library to support children through their entrance into the schoolhouse and directly into their classrooms.

• “Right is polite” will be the way we assist children in remembering how to pass in the hallway.

• Children will wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon entering the classrooms

• Children will use hand sanitizer when boarding or disembarking from the bus

Walkers/Bikers

• Enter through the front door.

• Should not arrive on site until 7:45 a.m.

Walker/Biker Dismissal

• Walkers/Bike Riders will come directly to the cafeteria to meet a staff member to prepare for an assembled dismissal

• Walkers/Bike Riders dismissed through cafeteria door

• Walkers should aim for minimum six-foot physical distance wherever possible

• Officer “Rocky” will meet children at the crosswalk area to cross the children safely across Concord Road

Car Dismissal

• We will continue to use our “live dismissal procedures”: Link found here.

• Children will prepare for dismissal within the schoolhouse.

• Children will exit the schoolhouse from the front double doors

• Owl stencils are visible on the sidewalk for spacing when departing from the schoolhouse

• We will depart vehicles by groups of ten

All changes in dismissal must be communicated ahead of time. Parents may either call the main office or email nixon_office@sudbury.k12.ma.us by 1 p.m. Changes in dismissal cannot be guaranteed if received after 1 p.m.

• Students will eat in the cafeteria at their assigned desk.

• Lunch is scheduled for 25.

• Classroom teachers will input student lunch options each morning with attendance.

• Cafeteria staff will keep a list of which students ordered which option; there is no capacity to switch once an option is selected.

• Students bringing lunch from home need to be able to open all containers themselves, and have all items needed (e.g. spoons, etc.)

• Families are encouraged to practice a lunchbox lunch at home, especially with incoming kindergarteners.

• All Sudbury classrooms and cafeterias are peanut and tree-nut free; universal signs are posted.

• Given that student masks are off, remaining in each student’s assigned seat is imperative.

• At the conclusion of the lunch block, staff will use disinfectant to clean desks.

• All students will have a 25-minute recess each day.

• Recess is scheduled by grade level.

• Recess is supervised by Lunch/Recess Supervisors.

• Masks can be taken off at recess.

• Prior to the first recess and routinely thereafter, classroom teachers will preview and review recess guidelines and solve recess conflicts with students. This will include lineup procedures and expectations.

• Inclement Weather Plan:

• Classroom teachers will prepare students to engage in activities appropriate during indoor recess, including movement breaks, pre-approved computer activities, or making use of a game/toy.

Use of outdoor space as both a teaching space and break opportunity is encouraged and expected.

Outdoor Learning & Working

• Nixon benefits from a great deal of outdoor space. Classes are encouraged to make use of it whenever possible. Independent reading or work can be done outside in many instances.

• Specific areas are set aside for each class to use at if they so wish throughout each school day.

• When outdoors, seated/stationary and working at a distance, students may have mask breaks.

• School Meeting Schedule (planning to come)

• Class sharing with rest of school

• Recognizing birthdays

• Nixon Spirit Days

• Safety Patrol/Mentoring Program

• Cross Grade Level Peer Buddies

• Student Advisory Council

• School Parent Council