Friendship Family Newsletter
Principal Andrea Simmons & Asst. Principal Luz Rivera
September 5, 2018
Welcome to another school year! We have been so excited to see so many smiling faces each morning, both at buses and throughout drop-off time. Your partnership and communication about your child's needs help us to ensure the best school environment for all of our students and families.
I am very excited to share that Mrs. Luz Rivera has officially started as Assistant Principal! Introductory letters have gone home and we will arrange "meet and greet" sessions for Mrs. Rivera in the coming weeks, with the first being Friday morning at 9:00. We look forward to welcoming her into The Friendship School community! Mr. C will continue to support as Mrs. Rivera transitions into her new role. Feel free to reach any of us via email, phone, or by stopping by the main office.
We have a few pieces of information below. Please be in touch if you have any wonders or concerns. Thank you, families, for your collaboration, and for sharing your precious children with us each day!
Warmly,
Andrea Simmons, Paul Carolan, & Luz Rivera
Important Information:
- We are aware that parking is a challenge at drop-off and pick-up. Please help us to be respectful of our neighbors at the Waterford Community Center & Senior Services. Our parking is only in the last traffic loop of the entrance by the Community Center. Outside of the loop, spots are reserved for senior citizens and program participants at the community center. Our parking lots are at the Waterford High School entrance, at the digital sign. The upper lot (straight ahead) and the lower lot (behind the brick building) are both fully available for TFS use. Waterford Police will be assisting us to ensure that fire lanes and handicapped parking are all available during both drop-off and pick-up times.
- Please remember that bus pickup and drop-off times vary by 10-15 minutes until the routes are fully established. This is why the bus companies ask families to be out at the bus stop 10-15 minutes early. If buses are later than normal, we will do our best to inform you via a School Messenger call. For New London families, an app is available called "Safe Stop" (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play). There are currently some challenges with updates, but the unique link to connect to NLPS buses is: info.safestopapp.com/NewLondonCT. The bus company information is on both Waterford and NL websites and we encourage you to call them with particular questions about routes, stops, and timing. The Friendship School and LEARN do not assign bus routes, but all requests and changes must be initiated at The Friendship School.
- Please review our Student & Family Handbook online at www.thefriendshipschool.org under "Resources." Important information about our food policy and attendance, including information about on-time arrival and alternate dismissal for appointments, is included in this handbook.
- The Friendship Family Organization (FFO) is our parent-teacher organization and will meet for the first time this year on Thursday, September 13. Dinner is at 5:00 and the meeting is at 5:30. Childcare is free and the dinner is as well! The FFO partners with the school and community to raise money for the school, provide important services for our students, and plan fun events! Please contact Dennis Disch, FFO President, or any board member via email: ffo@thefriendshipschool.org. Any family members are welcome!
- The Friendship School is looking for volunteers to help inventory the library's books (a total count, so we can ensure we have enough books for circulation). Any volunteers would also be helpful in helping us organize books if volunteers have this availability. Please email Mrs. Rivera at lrivera@thefriendshipschool.org if you are available for a few hours at a time. Thank you for considering this!
- On November 17, we are very excited to host our 2nd Annual Artisan & Crafter Market! All money from space rentals funds The Friendship School's inquiry-based learning curriculum. The event is free for guests and is a wonderful time for holiday shopping! We also have children's activities and food trucks! We hope you are able to join us. If you are an artisan or crafter, please fill out the form available on our website. If you have a food truck, please email asimmons@thefriendshipschool.org
- Below, please see a couple of photo highlights from the first week of school.
The Friendship School
Email: asimmons@thefriendshipschool.org
Website: www.thefriendshipschool.org
Location: 24 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford, CT, United States
Phone: 860-447-4049
Facebook: facebook.com/thefriendshipschoolct