Principal's Corner
September 2021
Welcome Back to School LAW Families!
We are looking forward to a fun and productive school year. We hope at some point we can begin to engage in the events we enjoyed pre-Covid. However in the meantime, we can be thankful that the schools are operating in-person and our students can once more enjoy the social aspects of school.
During our building tours the other day, some of you expressed concern about your child finding their classroom on the first day, especially the younger students. We always adopt an "all hands on deck" approach the first couple of days of school to help our students find their way. Please be reassured there will be plenty of staff present in the hallways to help any student who may need assist.
We all know it takes a strong bond between home and school to make your child's school experience successful. We hope you find the following list of criteria helpful in making your child's academic experience as meaningful as possible.
We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that s/he:
1. Attends school regularly except when they are not feeling well.
2. Completes and turns in all assignments on time.
3. Shares school experiences with you so you are aware of your child's progress.
4. Informs you if s/he needs additional support in any area or subject.
5. Knows that you expect him/her to succeed in school.
I am looking forward to my third year here as principal of the Lura A. White Elementary School and working with my wonderful staff, my assistant principal and of course our amazing LAW families.
Here's to a great year!
Beth Lewis, Principal
Courtney Noll, Assistant Principal
Superintendent Correspondence on Covid Protocols:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gj056MM0i17V6UxVnlzib10uxcptAcnt/view?usp=sharing
* FYI- Mrs. Noll will return to her Assistant Principal's role after Columbus/Indigenous People's Day. Please feel free to reach out to me (elewis@asrsd.org) or Dr. Jayne Garrett (jgarrett@asrsd.org) if you have any concerns.
Important Dates to Remember
Sept. 2nd- Kindergarten Orientation - see details below
Sept. 3rd and 6th - No School
Sept. 7th - First Day of Kindergarten
Sept. 7th - School Committee Meeting 6:30 @ HS
Sept. 10th - Preschool Orientation - Ayer Campus
Sept. 10th - Spirit Day Red/White/Blue - Remembrance Day "20 years" 9/11 Ceremony
Sept. 13th- Preschool First Day - Ayer Campus
Sept. 14th - First ASPTO Meeting @ 7:00 - meeting TBA -Zoom or In-person
Sept. 15th - School Comm. Meeting @ 6:30 p.m. MS
Sept. 22 - Early Release Day - Professional Development - dismiss at 1:45
Sept. 25th - Town of Shirley Public Safety Day 11:00-1:00 p.m. Keady Way
Sept. 26th - Holdenwood Run
Sept. 29th - Open House 6-8 p.m.
On the horizon:
Oct. 1st - School Picture Day - info to follow
Your Child's Lunch Pin Number was Sent out in an Email.
Getting ready......!!!!
Don't forget to pick up your BUS PASS through August 31st if your child is using bus transportation.
Parent Drop-Off and Pick-Up (for parents driving students to and from school)
Last year we had to change the way students were picked up in the afternoon by parents due to Covid-19. We will continue to use this format for school year 21-22.
Parent Drop-off Times 8:25 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Parent Pick-Up Times 3:15p.m. -3:25 p.m.
Parent Drop -off ( Morning) - 8:25 - 8:45 a.m.
Drop- off in the morning will remain much the same. Enter the back parking lot from Lancaster Rd., follow the arrows, look for school staff, stop let your child out and staff will direct them to the building door they need to enter. We ask that you turn right when exiting the parking lot to allow less disruption for those entering the parking lot. Students eating breakfast in K-5 will enter near the cafeteria and K students not eating breakfast will veer left and enter the 1936 brick building to begin their day.
Parent Pick-Up (after school)
Here's how it works:
Parent pick up will take place in the back parking lot where morning drop-off occurs.
You will enter from Lancaster Rd. in much the same way as parent drop-off in the morning.
You will follow the arrows painted on the surface of the parking lot to assure a safe pick up path.
Your rear view mirror ticket number (see below for rearview mirror ticket info.) will correspond with your child’s name on the dismissal clipboard monitored by a staff member. Your child will be waiting inside and be summons to come to the pick-up spot.
You will arrive at the pick-up spot where a staff member will be waiting with your child.
Your child will wait behind barriers until you pull up to the designated loading spot.Your child will load on the right side of the car.
We ask that your child if capable open the car door. If they need help we will assist.
You will not be able to get out of your car.
If your child cannot buckle we ask that you pull forward to the "buckle spot" to avoid tying up the car line.
When you exit the parking lot you will only be able to make a right turn.
No child will be allowed to enter a car without an identifiying number hanging from the rearview mirror issued by LAW.
Parents without a rearview mirror number or parents with a change of pick up plans for the day will need to park on School Street and approach the main office to sign their child out.
Note if your child's pick up plans have changed for the day it should be determined earlier in the school day with a note or phone call to the school administrative assistant.
How to Get a Parent Pick-up Ticket - 3:15-3:25 p.m.
You will need to obtain a rearview mirror ticket in order to pick your child up in the car pick up line after school. You can obtain these tickets from our administrative assistances. between Aug. 16th - Aug. 31st. If you are using multiple cars for parent pick-up, you can receive more than one ticket. Last year's mirror ticket will not be acceptable and you will need to obtain a new one.
Kindergarten Orientation - September 2nd
By now you have received the name of your child's teacher. The next step is to help acclimate you, the parent, to your child's first official school year. The purpose of holding an orientation is to familiarize you with procedures and protocols regarding Kindergarten so that you and your child will feel confident on the first day of school.
Orientation is two-fold. As parents you will have the opportunity to speak with your child's teacher, see their surroundings and learn about the routines and expectations set forth by the classroom teacher. In addition, your child gets to attend the orientation and see their classroom and meet our Kindergarten staff, meet other Kindergarten students and even have some time playing on the playground (weather permitting). Looking forward to seeing you on September 2nd.
Times for orientation: (use last initial)
A-L meet @ 9:15 - 10:00
M-Z meet @ 10:15 - 11:00
*Please enter the school at the main office when you arrive. You and your child will be escorted to the cafeteria for a brief introduction.
Agenda
Group A-L
9:15 - 9:25 Brief Introducation
9:30 - 10:00 Orientation in the classroom for parents
9:30- 10:00 Students enjoy the playground or inside activity
Group M-Z
10:15- 10:25 Brief Introduction
10:30- 11:00 Orientation in the classroom for parents
10:30- 11:00 Students enjoy the playground or inside activity
Holderness
Please consider joining us for the Annual Holdenwood Race and the ASEF. The proceeds directly support many programs in our schools which enhance your child's education. Please click on the link below for more info. and how you can register.
After a one year hiatus, the race is back!
Scenic, challenging, and satisfying the Holdenwood Trail Run has been delighting walkers, joggers and runners for over a decade. The course flows through mown grass fields, dirt trails, cool forests, cobblestone bridges and rural roads.
The Holden family and the Shirley community invite walkers and runners of all ages to join them on the trails for the 13th running of this early-fall charity run that benefits the Ayer-Shirley Education Foundation (ASEF).
Link:
Remembering and Honoring 9/11 Twenty Year Anniversary
Spirit Day - September 10th - RED, WHITE and BLUE Day honoring the 20th Anniversary of 9/11!
Technology Update - Mike Thibeault Director of Technology
As we prepare for the upcoming school year we felt it necessary to provide you with a technology update since we were so immersed in it last school year. This update applies only to students at LAW and Page Hilltop in grades 1-5.
Good news! ASRSD will continue to offer a chromebook to each student at no cost to you. There are repair costs charged to families for devices that appear to have been damaged due to neglect or abuse and families will be invoiced only for replacement parts, not labor costs. This is all outlined in the "District 1:1 Chromebook Guidelines and Agreement" which can be found in Page Hilltop's and Lura A. White's Student Handbooks. In a separate email you will receive instructions on electronically signing this agreement using our new ticket portal for chromebooks.
There is one significant upcoming change to our elementary chromebook program. Chromebooks will not be going home with students. They will remain in the classroom unless a class project or assignment requires home access.
Important items of note.
- To start the school year your child will be required to bring the device back and forth from home to school as instructed by their teacher.
- Sometime within the first month of school you will receive an email or notice asking you to send your child to school with their chromebook and charger so that we may install both in their classroom's chromebook cart.
- Your child will have a single chromebook assigned to them that will be permanently stored in the classroom cart. They will use only their assigned chromebook when class instruction requires it.
- Your child will not use a chromebook assigned to another student.
- Once stored in the cart chromebooks will only go home if a class assignment requires it.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have about this plan. As always we thank you for your continued patience and support with technology for the past 16 months.
United Way -Day of Caring Project at LAW
United Way Project
Our school store will be built by the United Way - Day of Caring Volunteers on September 17th. If you would like to volunteer to help build the school store you can sign up to volunteer through United Way. Please click on the link below for more information.
The project says 9:00a.m- 1:00 p.m. but I am hoping it will be more like 9-11a.m. It is a prefab shed that just needs to be assembled.
Link:
http://uwncm.galaxydigital.com/aem/general/event/?doc_id=6094 (Look for "Build a School Store" Lura A. White)
* Looking for one or two more volunteers to help out!
If you need school supplies....
Thanks to our local community members for their generosity!