The Buzz at Leeds
September 1, 2021
Message from Principal Wenz
Here we are at the beginning of the new school year. Students in grades 1 - 5 begin tomorrow, Thursday, September 2nd. Preschool and Kindergarten students will begin next Thursday, September 9th. Please read the entire Buzz as it includes many logistics. We have many protocols in place that are listed throughout the Buzz. Our staff members have been preparing the school for your return. There will be staff located in many locations to provide assistance for our students tomorrow. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact me. Just a reminder we do not school Monday, 9/6 or Tuesday, 9/7.
Stay safe and be well,
Chris Wenz, Principal
----------------------------------------
Arrival
Students may arrive at school no earlier than 7:45. School for students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 will begin at 8:00.
Kindergarten: Drop off is in the Kindergarten playground. Caregivers should park in the parking lot and walk students to the playground. During inclement weather students will still enter through the playground and go into their classrooms.
Grades 1 through 5: Students arriving by car, bicycle, or walking will be dropped off in the upper loop and walk around the back side of the school to the playground. During inclement weather, students will enter the school and go to their respective locations. Staff will be located throughout the building to direct students. Bus students will arrive in the bus loop near the main entrance and will walk around the kindergarten playground to the lower playground. During inclement weather, students will enter the main entrance and go to their respective locations. Staff will be located throughout the building to direct students.
Preschool: Students will be dropped off at the Preschool door located near the preschool/kindergarten playground.
Dismissal
Bus students: Buses will load at 2:10.
Late Bird: Students will gather in cafeteria at 2:10 and be checked in. Pick up will at the main entrance door. Caregivers will buzz. Staff will call for the student to be dismissed. Caregivers need to remain outside.
Lift Off Learning: The Lift Off Learning program for some of our grade 3 through 5 students begins on Tuesday, 9/14. There will be more information coming on this program soon. Pick up time is 3:30 and bus students will load at 3:30. More info to come.
Transportation
All students who are eligible for transportation MUST register. If you have not registered your children for the bus, they will not receive a bus pass. They will NOT be able to ride without the pass. At this time there is a $25 late fee. Follow this link to register your child for the bus as soon a possible.
Bus Routes are in the letters with the student's bus pass.
Our transportation supervisor is Tammy Lieber and her email is tlieber@northampton-k12.us
Early Bird / Late Bird
Families have signed up students for Late Bird. Thank you everyone for being patient with the new systems in place. When you arrive to pick up your child, come to the main entrance and buzz. Staff will contact call for your child to come down.
Online payment instructions: I know some of you had difficulty with our online payment system, so we have created a document with instructions. Here is the link.
BEHAVIOR POLICY: All staff and students will adhere to the Northampton Code of Conduct found at http://www.northamptonschools.org/project/code-of-conduct/
We are currently looking for a full-time Coordinator for our program.
Please contact Principal Wenz if you are interested.
COVID NEWS
Some School Health and Safety Protocols
Visitors/Volunteers
No visitors, with the exception of student teachers and practicum students unless their colleges are locked down.
No volunteers in the building.
Team Meetings- Zooms preferred, in person if needed
Classrooms
No rugs in the classrooms
Use water bottles
Maintain 3-feet of distance whenever possible
All adults and students MUST wear a mask inside the building unless there are documented medical/behavioral needs that prevent the student from wearing a mask
HEPA filters MUST be on at all times
Classroom / Grouping seating plan for contact tracing
Bathrooms
Due to building codes, our multiple student bathrooms are girls and boys. We are limiting those bathrooms to 2 students at a time.
Preschool, Kindergarten classrooms have bathrooms directly off of the classroom.
We have a single bathroom next to the cafeteria that is gender neutral.
Lunch / Recess
All students MUST have assigned seats in the cafeteria
We will have assigned tables by classroom / grade level for cleaning and contact tracing purposes.
Once seated in the cafeteria, students should remain in seats except when needing to use the restroom. Adults will pick-up trash at the tables.
We are fortunate to have 1 grade level at a time with ample spacing for students' safety.
No Gaga Pit
Students do not need to wear masks outside at this time, however, they should just keep them pulled down below their mouth so they do not lose them. Masks must be put on when students line up to come inside.
There is 5 minutes to transition from recess to cafeteria for custodians to clean.
Nurse Beth's Update
Hi Everyone and welcome back! I am so excited to partner with you to ensure a happy, healthy, and safe environment for your students to learn! Here are a few helpful actions you can take to help me facilitate this.
Medications: if your child needs a medication during the school day I am happy to help you with this. Please ensure I have your pediatrician's order, the medication in the original bottle, and the medication authorization form filled out. A parent or responsible adult will need to hand the medication to me directly for safe keeping.
Link to the form:
http://www.northamptonschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Medication-Authorization-Form.pdf
Health Information: Please get the Emergency Health form back to me as soon as possible so I can update information in my medical records. This is especially helpful if there were an emergency.
I would appreciate an up to date physical. If your child is not vaccinated, I will need a religious exemption form filled out, even if you had one done previously. This needs to be done yearly. If I do not get an exemption form or immunization records by the middle of October, your child will be excluded from school.
Thank you for your help! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
--
Beth Savidge MSN, RN
Leeds Elementary School Nurse(413) 587-1544 (phone)
(413) 587-1543 (fax)
District Nurse Newsletter
Thank you to all of the Garden Volunteers!
------------------------------------------------
Calendar of Events
------------------------------------------------
Contact us:
(sharondewitt@northampton-k12.us)
Laura Ziomek, Administrative Assistant
Chris Wenz, Principal
Email: sharondewitt@northampton-k12.us
Website: http://www.northamptonschools.org/project/leeds-elementary-school/
Location: 20 Florence Street, Leeds, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 587-1530