Friday Update

Hello Foster's Finest,

We have some special students this week representing Foster's Finest: Foster's Finest, 9/23/22:

As we wind down our second full week of school, I want to thank our students and staff for two outstanding Curriculum Nights. It is wonderful to have a start to the year that feels normal compared to the last three years. In addition to this event, we had our first PTO meeting this past Monday and our first School Council meeting on Tuesday. More information about the PTO upcoming events will be below. The Foster School Council began aligning our school objectives to the strategic objectives of the District.

Our first half day of the school year is on October 5. Please make sure you have this on your calendar. There is a PTO sponsored event for half-days that is listed below if you are interested. There are many events in the coming weeks that will need your support, so please read carefully below.

Thank you always for your support!

Mr. Scheufele

Foster Building Update

There appears to be some confusion in the community: the new Foster School is not approved yet. On November 1st, there is a Town Meeting, which will require a 2/3rds vote to put the project on the ballot on Election Day November 8th. Both of these dates are very important, so please mark your calendars! Many people have the impression that this project has been approved. It has not been approved. If you are interested in working with members of the community to help get the word out, please send me an email and I will get you in touch with them.

This link (Building Project Information) will bring you to the information sheets, the dates of the upcoming Open House sessions, and the Foster Tours. Please share this information with family and friends who reside in Hingham. This is a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the project and provide them with the information needed to make informed decisions.

PTO Information

A reminder to buy your tickets for the Foster School Parent Social - September 30th: 7-10pm @ The Paragon Beer Garden in Hull. Tickets are $50/each. Venmo @Foster-PTO and please put “Parent Social” in comments.

Room Parents Needed for Grades 1-5 - Please email Anna Mancuso if you are interested: almancuso16@gmail.com

Social Media Update:

Follow the PTO on Instagram: @Foster_PTO_02043, Facebook: @Foster PTO

Be sure to join our Facebook Group too: Foster PTO News

Bike to School

October is the International Walk (or Bike or Roll) to School Month! That’s why our PTO is coordinating a Walk or Bike or Roll to School Day on Thursday, October 6th. Please consider walking, biking, or rolling to school with your child. It’s fun, it’s healthy and it’s good for the environment!

On Thursday, October 6th, we will need a minimum of 18 volunteers to make this event happen. You will be cheering, guiding, and helping to park/retrieve bikes & scooters on a day that promises to be a lot of fun. Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c45aba62dabf85-walk

Please click here for more information

GREEN TEAM

The Early Release Green Team classes are back! Register & volunteer for the Winter session now!

2022/23 Winter session dates: October 5, November 2, December 7, January 4

• Who can register? Any student from K-5

• How many students can join the session? There is a maximum of 36 participants

• How much does the session cost? There is a cost of $25 per student for the whole session

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Registration & Volunteer link:

https://forms.gle/dazmqMu7sZxxQRMh6

Registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Each session will need a min. of 2 parent volunteers. For more information, please click here.

SEPAC MEETING

Save The Date: SEPAC Kick-Off Meeting

Thursday, October 6th at 7:00 p.m.

Hingham Middle School Auditorium

Join the SEPAC community for our first meeting of the school year. This is an opportunity to meet with other parents in the special education community and share questions, concerns or issues. The SEPAC Board will talk through a few preliminary initiatives for the year and solicit input from parents. Dr. Suzanne Vinnes, Executive Director of Student Services, will provide an overview of key special education programming at the elementary, middle and high school levels. We hope to see you there! Any questions please reach out to your Foster School SEPAC liaison Melissa McNamara: melissa.mcnamara9@gmail.com

RECESS PLANNING

If the building project moves forward part of Phase I is to build a temporary playground for use while construction is happening. While this playground is being constructed, we will not be able to have outdoor recess for about six weeks. The good news is that many pieces of the current playground will be able to be moved and used by our students. In preparation for the time when we are not going to be outside, we will be implementing some special opportunities for students. I have some ideas generated, but I am planning on holding a meeting with parents to see if we can get more ideas brainstormed, and volunteers to implement them, so that we can have something special for the students during this time. More information about the meeting will be coming soon, so please have your ideas ready!

COVID-19 Guidance for K-12

We have had some requests for information about our COVID protocols for this school year. These may be updated and changed as the school year progresses. These are from the Hingham Public Schools website.

Isolation and Exposure Guidance and Protocols

On August 15th, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Department of Public Health released their COVID-19 guidance for the opening of schools. In addition to following this guidance, the district will actively monitor local and state COVID-19 numbers and respond appropriately to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

Please see below a summary of the important guidance.

Isolation and Exposure Precautions - All students and staff should follow the updated isolation and exposure guidance issued by DPH, in alignment with recently issued guidance from CDC.

Contact tracing is no longer recommended statewide in K-12 schools.

Masking - There is no statewide requirement or recommendation for universal masking in schools, apart from in school health offices. As always, any individual who wishes to continue to mask, including those who face a higher risk from COVID-19, will be supported in that choice.

COVID-19 Testing - In line with recent CDC guidance, pool (screening) testing and test to stay will not be implemented.

Vaccinations - All individuals are encouraged to stay up-to-date with vaccination as vaccines remain the best way to help protect yourself and others.

COVID-19 Symptoms

Parents and caregivers are asked to remain vigilant for the following COVID-19 symptoms. Caregivers are asked to report any positive cases of their children to their school nurse immediately. The information shared with nurses will remain confidential. The reporting will allow the schools to monitor any outbreaks and respond appropriately.

• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• New loss of taste or smell

• Muscle aches or body aches

• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as a chronic cough)

• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms

• Nausea, vomiting, when in combination with other symptoms

• Headache, when in combination with other symptoms

• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms

• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies), when in combination with other symptoms

Preschool Screenings

Under federal and state special education regulations, Hingham Public Schools (HPS) has a responsibility to locate, identify, refer, evaluate, and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate, public education to students with disabilities who reside in the town of Hingham. For this purpose, we offer screenings twice per year, in November and February. Our first screening of the 2022-2023 school year will take place on Thursday, November 3rd at East Elementary School. If you would like your child screened, please call Darcy Greene, Administrative Assistant at 781-741-1570, x4967 or email dgreene@hinghamschools.org. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Early Childhood Coordinator Elizabeth Costanza, at ecostanza@hinghamschools.org.