Best of Bennet
August 2021
From the Principal
Welcome to our 21-22 school year! We are so excited to get started and have all our students back in the building! Please know we will always put student health and safety at the forefront of all decisions, and will be following all guidance from the state.
We look forward to continuing our collaboration with our grade 6 students and families as well as building relationships with our incoming grade 5 students and families!
Thanks for your partnership as we navigate the beginning of what promises to be a great school year!
With appreciation!
Joe Chella, Principal
When's the first day of school? Who is my child's teacher? What does my child need to bring to school?
Parents will be emailed with their student's homeroom teacher assignment soon. Please be sure your email, phone number and address are all up to date or contact our registrar - Heidi Turner at b39hturn@mpspride.org. Bus assignments take a week or more to update, so if you have moved you must update your address with the required documents as soon as possible to be sure your child is assigned the proper bus.
Schedules will be given to children on the first day of school. Don't worry, we won't expect students to know where they are going or how to get there at first. This is a big campus and is overwhelming for our new students, but they will learn to navigate it quicker than you think.
Please be sure your child has a reusable water bottle, as we will continue to utilize filling stations instead of water fountains. A backpack, pens and pencils are about all they need as far as school supplies.
Where do I drop off or pick up my child?
Can my child go to school today?
Has your child or a family member been in close contact with a known positive Covid person?
Does your child or a family member have a persistent cough, or other respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath, lung congestion?
Has your child or a family member lost the ability to smell or taste?
Does your child or a family member have a fever over 100 F?
If you have answered YES to any of these questions for you or your child, your child should stay home and you should call the school absentee line.
If you answered YES to any of these questions for a member of your family, please contact the school nurse for advice prior to sending your child to school.
Things to note on the calendar:
Of special note - in October we start with early release Wednesdays and students will dismiss at 1:15 on Wedndesdays from October 6 through June 1.
Our first day off is October 11th!
Are you in need of before or after school care?
We are Nut-Free this year!
Remind your student please!
What's for lunch?
In case you missed it - Summer Reading Challenge!
SHOUT OUTS!
We are going to continue highlighting the positives this school year. Throughout the year please let us know who has made you smile, or been a wonderful role model for your child, went that extra mile, or was there when you needed a shoulder. This could be a student, a teacher, support staff, or even an administrator.
To get us started, I want to shout out to all the staff who worked this summer, either writing curriculum, working Curiosity Camp, STEAM Camp or ESY programs, and even those of us whose "regular" job includes working the summers. You, whether you know it or not, have impacted someone's life this summer. Thank you for sharing your smiles, your patience and your talents with our children.
To the many parents who had to call or stop by the school this summer. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we navigated a new program and worked through the hiccups that accompany that.
Your turn - I want to hear from parents and staff alike - email cberman@mpspride.org with your shout-out!!
The Bennet Bear Den
Nurse's Corner
Did your child have a physical over the summer? Please feel free to fax the paperwork to the nurses.
Do you have medications you need to drop off for your child to take during the school day? Please call ahead and schedule a time to drop these off prior to school starting. You also need to include the Authorization for Administration of Medicine by School Personnel form, signed by your doctor.
Bennet School Nurses
Penny & Elisha
860-647-3582 (p)
860-647-6348 (f)
Attendance Line
REMINDERS - Masks, Water Bottles, and Home Access Center!
*Please continue to send your student with a water bottle as all water fountains remain closed this year. We do have filling stations throughout the school to refill their bottles.
*Please be sure your student has a mask when they leave the house. It is also helpful if they carry an extra mask in their backpack just in case.
*Just a reminder that grades, progress notes and report cards are posted in the Home Access Center. Your login and password remain the same for HAC throughout your child's time in Manchester Public School through graduation. Please keep this information in a safe place as you can always log in to look at your child's grades, but it is also where Progress Notes and Report Cards are found. If you need help logging into the HAC please follow the link above and click on "forgot my user name or password". We no longer have access to your password at the school level.
We had fun at Curosity Camp this summer!
Take a look at our Virtual Backpack!
News from the Bennet Office:
Picking your student up early? Please call ahead and we will have your student ready. Let us know when you arrive and we will meet you at the door with your student to check your ID. Thanks for being patient with this early dismissal procedure as we limit visitors.
For all technology assistance (including Chromebooks, laptops and iPads), go to the IT Helpdesk or call / text 860-682-0607, Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
- Did you move? Please see the list of required documents. Contact Registrar Heidi Turner to update your information: b39hturn@mpspride.org or 860.647.8275. Remember we cannot change your child's bus information until you have provided your new proof of residency.
- New number? Please remember to update the registrar with any changes to your phone number or email so we can reach you! We send out newsletters and emails from the principal weekly and you do not want to miss anything!
- New email? If you are reading this on our app and not in your email it may mean we have old information. Please contact Ms. Turner with your new email address so you don't miss out!
A note from the security team.
Please be aware as you drive through our pick up/drop off area that students are everywhere!
Please be sure to discuss pick up and drop off plans with your student to eliminate any confusion and keep your plan consistent. Thank you.
BUS ROUTES
The first week or so of school buses are known to run late, especially at the end of the day, so please do not panick. We try to inform parents of any significant delays, but the first week or two of school, as we are helping students find their correct bus, please plan on everything running late. We appreciate your patience and just know that once the kids get the hang of boarding their buses in a timely manner buses will be able to leave on time.
Is there something you would like to see in this newsletter this year?
Bennet Academy
Email: jchella@mpspride.org
Website: https://www.mpspride.org/Domain/9
Location: 1151 Main Street, Manchester, CT, USA
Phone: 860-647-3571