August 20, 2021

Dear Hollymead Families,

We loved getting to see so many of your families at our Open House on Thursday! It is going to be a great school year! You can also go to our Hollymead Flipgrid to watch introduction videos from our teachers. Simply go to the site, click to log in with a guest password and type Hollymead as your password.

Some hints for the first day of school:

• Bring a towel! We’ll eat lunch outside as the weather allows, so you might want something cozy to sit on!

• Bring a water bottle with your name on it! Water fountains can only be used to fill water bottles, not to drink from directly.

• Dismissal will begin earlier the first 3 days. If you are picking up by car, please be here by 2:10. if you are getting a walker, please be here by 2:25.

• Please bring a second or third mask as backup in your child's backpack.

Please contact me if for any questions or concerns. You can reach me by phone, 434 973-8301; by email at cdommer@k12albemarle.org; or in person at school.

Craig Dommer

Principal, Hollymead Elementary School

At open house, or after the first day of school you will receive an envelope of forms, including:

Dismissal Forms

Emergency Forms

Family Life Forms

Please make sure to return those to the school as soon as possible.

Thank you!

School arrival begins at 7:40 and ends at 7:55 when all students are expected to be in their classrooms.

We will use three entrances and exits this year.

• Walkers will enter and be dismissed from the door by the auditorium.
• Bus drop off will be in the bus loop.
• Car drop off will be along the front.

In order to promote distancing, please wait for a staff member to open your car door, but again, we will not be taking temperatures.

No parents will be allowed to accompany children to class this year.

At 7:40 we will begin opening car doors, opening the side door for walkers, and unloading the buses. If you arrive after 7:55 please walk your student to the front door and ring the bell.

In order to speed up drop off - please have your student ready with mask on, and unbuckled from their car seat, before a staff member comes to open your car door. That helps quite a bit.

Dismissal

Car pickup will begin at 2:25 (2:10 the first three days).

Walkers will be dismissed at 2:35 (2:25 the first three days)

ALL KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS MUST BE MET AT THE BUS STOP OR AT THE SIDE ENTRANCE IF THEY ARE WALKERS. Thank you for your support to make arrival and dismissal run smoothly.

A reminder that we will be allowing e-mails and phone calls to change dismissal plans. E-MAILS ARE BEST and you should send the e-mail to hesattendance@k12albemarle.org before 1pm. If you need to make a phone call- please call 973-8301.

All student breakfasts and lunches are free this year.

We will eat outside on all nice weather days.

When we are inside, each class will be assigned an area of the cafeteria. We will be using both the cafeteria and the auditorium. Lunches are arranged so there are never more than 100 kids in the lunchroom at once, which is about two-thirds of our old capacity, in double the space.

We will seat only 3 kids at a table, and they will be the three students that they are sitting with in class - just at increased distance.

We are also doubling the number of supervising adults to make sure we are able to enforce distance.

We will clean and sanitize tables in between groups.

Find them here!

We want to make parents aware of the main points of Albemarle County School Board Policy JGCD-E regarding student medication at school, which is included in the Parent-Student Handbook.

Here are the highlights:

· Whenever possible, medication should be scheduled outside of school hours.

· If prescription medicine must be dispensed during school hours, a medication form (see the Student-Parent Handbook) MUST be filled out and signed by a parent/guardian and the prescribing physician. Forms are available in the school office.

· Parents/Guardians may complete the medication form for school personnel to administer non-prescription medication during school hours if necessary.

· No more than one month’s supply of a prescribed medication shall be stored at school.

· Medications are housed in a locked cabinet in the clinic and administered by the nurse or a designated staff member.

· Medication cannot be dispensed to a child without the appropriate form.

If you have any questions, you may contact our nurse, Eileen Gomez at 973-8301 or egomez@k12albemarle.org.

We will be sending this newsletter out on Thursdays to correspond with Thursday folders about every 2-4 weeks. If you've signed up for the electronic notification system through Albemarle County, then you will receive it. If you haven't here is the link with more information!