Dear Estabrook Families,

What a great opening week we had at Estabrook School! In and around our building, teachers eagerly greeted students new and old. Classmates reconnected, shared stories of their summers, and began learning about their new classrooms. Teachers modeled expected behaviors for students, and shared previews of the exciting topics each class would be exploring in the weeks and months ahead. While our kindergarteners learned about following the line and how to find the bathroom, our fifth grade students discussed the responsibility of being a role model for younger students.

Estabrook continues to grow! In addition to our returning students, Estabrook welcomed more than 120 NEW students to our school, either starting school for the first time or coming to us from schools across Greater Boston or around the world. We welcomed 510 students on our opening day last year. Last week we welcomed nearly 540 students!

Read on for a complete list of upcoming events, and be sure to visit our website for more information. If you're on Twitter, I encourage you to follow the many faculty and staff that are sharing news about the day using the hashtag #estabrookschool. You can find me @MrLaBroad. As always, be in touch with any questions or concerns.

All the best,

Mr. LaBroad

Principal

We are still missing a handful of dismissal plans. If you haven't already, please complete the DISMISSAL PLAN & PARENT PERMISSION FORM here. NOTE, do NOT update or change your plan by resubmitting a form online. Instead, contact our office via email, phone call or note to indicate the change requested.

At any point in the school year you can update your EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION on the Parent Portal here. This information is the school's record of how to reach you or other emergency contacts if needed, and is the way we communicate school happenings and distribute information (including Estabrook BUZZ) to you.

THANK YOU to everyone for your help in making our arrival and dismissals this week safe and smooth for our students. In addition to our bus riders and walkers, about a third of our students come and go from school via car or carpool. Your attention to our live drop-off/pick-up system allowed for an easy start and end to the day for our students. By day two, our entire live pick-up line was complete in under 12 minutes! Your participation and cooperation is so greatly appreciated!

Click here to read the Estabrook School Arrival and Dismissal Procedures.

Please remember, students should not arrive on the property before 8:15 a.m., and are expected to be in classrooms no later than 8:45 a.m. Our parking lot is restricted to staff, those with handicapped plates and those with scheduled appointments in the school between 8:15-8:45 a.m. and 3:00-3:30 p.m. (12:00-12:30 p.m. Thursdays).

This year Estabrook School is piloting an alternative homework plan. As specified in our 2016-2017 School Improvement Plan, students will not be assigned regular written homework. Instead, students are encouraged to utilize that time to read for pleasure. You can read about our Homework Plan here. Your child's teacher will share more with you about this at Back to School Night on Thursday, September 22.

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT on Thursday, September 22 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. You'll have the chance to meet your child's teacher and see his/her classroom, meet our specialists and learn more about the work of our student services staff. This is a PARENT-ONLY event, and students should not be in attendance.

Here is the evening's schedule:

5:50-6:00 Doors Open

6:00-6:45 Grades 3, 4 and 5 present in classrooms

6:30-7:15 Specialists present in the cafeteria

7:00-7:45 Grades K, 1 and 2 present in classrooms

Please note, parking will be EXTREMELY LIMITED. Please plan to arrive early or to park off-site. Plan to give yourself plenty of time so that you can arrive in time for the start of your teacher's presentation.

Regular and punctual school attendance is essential for success in school. In Lexington, elementary students are expected to be in their classrooms by 8:45 a.m. Absences are excused only in the cases of illness, bereavement or religious observation. Travel is not an excused absence, and should not be planned for when school is in session. Click here to read more about our attendance policies and procedures, including what to do if your child will be absent.

The Middlesex District Attorney, Lexington School Superintendent and I have cosigned a letter about the importance of school attendance. Click here to read it. The DA's Office has also provided information in absenteeism, available HERE.

One of the many ways Estabrook teachers work to support students is by sharing common expectations for all students in all settings. This year, Estabrook specialists (Art, Library, Music and Physical Education) met together with each grade level and their classroom teachers to share and discuss the common expectations of students, regardless of which class they are in. Below, Ms. Durrell, Ms. Matthews, Ms. Hassan and Ms. Kuhn review voice volume language and expectations with students.

In an effort to reduce wait time in our cafeteria lines, Estabrook is launching an updated lunch schedule this year. Beginning this fall, we are expanding from three lunch periods to four, allowing for more breathing room in our cafeteria. In addition, we are staggering lunch start times by 15 minutes to allow one grade to get through the lunch line before another enters. We have also increased lunch and recess supervision staff. Students know an SSP (School Support Personnel) staff member is always close by to help.

Items lost and looking to be found are located in the brown cabinets in our front entryway (just pull hard on the doors--they're not locked). Lost & Found is emptied and items not claimed are donated or disposed on the 15th of each month.

The Lexington Public Schools pride ourselves on our commitment to the professional development of our faculty and staff. But what does that actually look like? Well, this summer alone, Estabrook staff members completed a combined total of 91 courses, workshops and trainings. The dedication of our staff to professional growth is noteworthy, and further evidences how strong a team they are!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS.

Click here for the complete Estabrook School Calendar

Click here for the complete 2016-2017 Academic Calendar

PRINCIPAL COFFEE | Wednesday, September 14, 8:45-9:30 a.m.

Join the Estabrook PTO, the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) and me for a morning coffee on Wednesday, September 14 at 8:45 a.m. in the Estabrook Cafeteria. Learn all about the various support services, specialized teachers and the work our special educators do. Jenn Beaulac, our Evaluation Team Supervisor and members of our special education and student services staff will be on hand to share information and answer your questions.

PTO PIZZA NIGHT | Friday, September 16, 6:15-7:30 p.m.

Join Estabrook families Join Estabrook families for a night of reconnecting on the Estabrook School grounds. Pizza is available for advance purchase from the PTO. More information is forthcoming from the PTO shortly.

SCHOOL COUNCIL | Monday, September 19, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT | Thursday, September 22, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Join our faculty and staff to learn more about your child's year ahead, meet our specialists and learn more about what it's like to be a student at Estabrook School. This event is open to parents only; children should not attend.

PICTURE DAY | Friday, September 30

Details are coming home shortly. Each class will take a group photograph, and students will be photographed individually, with an option for parents to buy photo packages if interested.