8/24/2021 Braintree News
Braintree Elementary School
Open House Change of Date! New Date Wednesday, September 8
From the Principal's Office
Welcome Back Letter From the Principal
Dear Braintree Families,
Hello! I am Heather Lawler, the new Principal at Braintree Elementary School. I am looking forward to meeting all of you! This is my 5th year as a principal in Vermont. Before I was a principal, I was a teacher who specialized in reading and literacy. I grew up in Western Massachusetts. I went to college in New Hampshire and got my graduate degrees in New Jersey. I moved to Vermont in 2017 and I love it here. For fun I enjoy spending time with my family, hiking, paddling around on a stand-up paddle board, playing with my dogs, and in the winter I love to ski and snowshoe. I feel so fortunate to be here at Braintree and look forward to a fun year full of learning with all of you.
All of us at Braintree are eager to start the 2021 - 2022 school year! As you may have heard from Superintendent Layne Millington last week, OSSD schools will look more like normal this school year with some extra safety measures in place. We will expect universal masking by all individuals in our school buildings regardless of vaccination. We will have a strict illness policy and utilize our outside spaces on our school grounds as much as possible to give our students mask breaks throughout the day.
The first day of school is on Wednesday, September 1. The school day starts at 7:45 AM and ends at 2:05 PM. Our doors open for students to begin arriving at 7:20 AM. Face masks will be required for everyone this year.
We will be ready for the first day on 9/1 with students, and we will need a few more days to prepare for Open House. Our new Open House date will be Wednesday, September 8, 2021. We will hold a meeting for Kindergarten to grade 3 at 5:30 PM and a meeting for grades 4 to 6 at 6:00 PM. We are happy that students will get to be involved in creating a few things to enhance their families Open House experience. Our Preschool program will have a welcome event for students and families on Tuesday, August 31 at 4:00 PM.
Our COVID protocol is going to limit visitors in the building. Parents are asked to not enter the building in the AM drop-off and PM pick-up. If you need a meeting with a teacher, please arrange an appointment ahead of time. Volunteers in the building will be asked to show a vaccination certificate and wear a mask. We will be making an exception for PreK and Kindergarten families on the first day of school. On the first day of school, we will permit a parent to walk their PreK or Kindergarten students to the classroom.
We are looking forward to w wonderful year filled with engaging learning experiences. Remember to prepare for learning outside in all sorts of weather! Remember your rain boots and jackets on rainy days. We are so looking forward to seeing ,you and your children very soon and partnering with you throughout the year! If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year please feel free to reach out to us any time. Enjoy the last days of summer break!
Sincerely,
Heather Lawler
Food Service Program
Meal delivery and ordering will be a bit different this year. Monday - Friday teachers will ask students if they want a school breakfast and/or lunch each day they are present at school. Meals will be served in both the classrooms and the cafeteria this year. This is to reduce the number of children gathering in one place. When eating in the classroom meals will be delivered to the classroom and teachers will hand them to those students who ordered.
There will be no a la carte option this year. A juice or milk is provided with each school breakfast and/or lunch ordered.
Free and reduced priced meals for all students!
The breakfast and lunch program will begin the first day of school. All students are eligible for free breakfast and free lunch.
While breakfast and lunch will be free for all students, we need all families to complete and return the free and reduced meal forms as these forms are critical for our funding.
Menus will be sent home monthly, printed in the weekly Randolph Herald newspaper and available on the website at http://orangesouthwest.org/nutrition. Be sure to check into the nutrition website for updates and links for Friday Food Distribution Day.
We are going to ask again this year that no treats from home are sent into school to share. This will include no treats for birthday celebrations as well. Teachers will happily celebrate your children in other ways.
Health Office Updates
Please make sure your child is up-to-date with all recommended vaccines, including flu. All school-aged children should get an influenza vaccine every season, with rare exceptions. This is especially important this year. We will be offering the flu vaccine for students this fall at our school health clinic. More information will be sent home during the month of September.
School will look a little different this fall. Please talk to your children about changes to expect this school year.
Talk to your child about precautions to take at school. Children will be advised to:
Wash and sanitize their hands at scheduled times throughout the day.
Keep physical distance from other students (6 ft).
Wear a mask.
Avoid sharing objects with other students, including water bottles, devices, writing instruments, and books.
Masks:
It is a good idea to have multiple cloth masks, so you can wash them daily and have back-ups ready.
Choose masks that:
Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
Completely cover the nose and mouth
Are secured with ear loops
Include multiple layers of fabric
Allow for breathing without restriction
Can be washed and machine dried without damage or change to shape
Prepare:
- Please label your child’s masks clearly with a permanent marker.
- Practice with your child putting on and taking off cloth face coverings without touching the cloth.
- Explain the importance of wearing a mask and how it protects other people from getting sick.
Unfortunately the health office will be unable to loan out shoes and clothing this year. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. It is a good idea to pack an extra outfit, socks, PE shoes and all outerwear needed for expected weather. In the event that a student needs clothing they will need to call home.
Parents who need to drop off medication to the school health office please arrange a drop off time with the school nurse. Medications must be in original pharmacy containers (the pharmacy can give you another for school). The medication must be transported to and from school by an adult.
After School Program Enrollment
Our after school program is filling up fast. Please contact Sandy to enroll students or to ask any questions. Please email her at sryll@orangesouthwest.org