Abbot Update
September 25, 2020
Happy Fall!
Dear Abbot Families,
We had another wonderful "first" week back! We were thrilled to welcome our Pod B students to in-person learning this week! I hope it is starting to get a little easier at home. Teachers are working diligently to create user friendly schedules and to communicate expectations directly to the students. It seems that having the full five days to acclimate to the new procedures and routines really helped.
Next week, Pod A will be coming into the building or working live with their RLA teacher from 8:25-11:40 AM. Pod A will be expected to work asychronously from 1:10-2:30 PM every day except Wednesday, which is a half day for all students. Please review your child's schedule carefully because there could be times when they need to meet in the afternoon for live instruction.
Pod B will be working asynchronously remotely from 8:25-11:40 AM. Pod B will be expected to log in for live instruction from 1:10-2:30 PM every day except Wednesday. Wednesday is a half day for students so their school day ends at 11:40 AM. Please review your child's schedule carefully because there could be times when they need to meet in the morning for live instruction.
This WILL get easier! Remember, teachers will post schedules Sunday night by 5:00 PM.
Please see important information and reminders below.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Lori McDermott
Abbot School Principal
Arrival/Dismissal
NOTE: At arrival, we will be inviting cars to pull around to the front of the school after all the buses have unloaded and left the school. This allows us to let more students out of the cars at once and puts students closer to the grade level entrance doors. Please remember that if you end up behind a van that has it's lights on, you may not drive around it. You must wait behind the van until it's lights are off and it's ready to pull away.
Thank you for your continued support with our arrival and dismissal procedures!
Literacy Update From Mrs. Dobski
Dear Parents,
Three times a year the reading interventionists and I conduct check-ins with students to monitor progress. These check-ins will occur from September 28th through October 16th. Your child may receive an invitation to a Reading Intervention Classroom in his/her email. This will allow our reading team to schedule a time during the student's remote week for the Google Meet link and check-in. We do this check with all third graders, students who are new to Abbot, students who have received intervention services in the past, or students who may have been recommended by the classroom teacher. The reading team is looking forward to conducting these meetings with these students!
Please have students check their Gmail accounts for a possible Google Classroom Invite form one of the Reading Teachers to allow us to do remote assessment sessions. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Amy Dobski
Abbot Literacy Specialist
Morning Announcements
You can find the morning announcements on our website posted daily by 9:00 AM under the NEWS tab.
Snack/Mask Breaks
Important Covid-19 Parent information
School Lunch/Breakfast
*Remote Learning Academy lunch pick-up will be on Mondays beginning at 12:15 PM.*
HOW TO ORDER LUNCH:
Please refer to the Westford Public Schools website HERE, to access school lunch ordering instructions for both Remote Learners or In-Person Learners. Select the plan that applies to your children for the week or days indicated on the form. All student meals are free but extra choices have been included at a cost should you want additional items for your child. Your child's lunch account will be charged for the extra items.
BREAKFAST
All students are eligible for free breakfast as well.
* For Remote Learners, a week’s supply of breakfast items – grain (cereal), fruit and milk, will be included with the remote meal kits that are available for pick up on Monday only.
* For In-School Learners – indicate on the order form if you would like breakfast for your child. Breakfast for the next morning will be sent home in your child’s grab and go lunch bag.
WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT EVERY IN-SCHOOL LEARNER RECEIVES THE MEAL THAT HE OR SHE ORDERED.
WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT ALL REMOTE MEAL KITS ARE WAITING FOR YOU AT THE SCHOOL YOU DESIGNATED AS YOUR PICK UP SITE.
PLEASE COMPLETE THE CORRECT FORM FOR EACH WEEK. PLEASE DO NOT DUPLICATE ORDERS.
PLEASE FILL IN ALL REQUESTED INFORMATION. WE MUST SORT STUDENT LUNCHES BY TEACHER’S NAME, GRADE LEVEL, AND DISMISSAL POINT (WHERE APPLICABLE).
Please reach out with any questions you might have. Your children are the reason we do our jobs and we are here to make sure that they are fueled with good food.
Best Regards,
Colleen Wallace, Food Service Director
*Remote Learning Academy lunch pick-up will be on Mondays beginning at 12:15 PM.*
important information/reminders
please response by September 30th
Digital Citizenship & Confidentiality
SEL Survey
Welcome to the school year 2020-2021! The pandemic has impacted so many of us in so many ways, and we need your help to make your child's transition back to school as smooth as possible. Please complete this Welcome Form to help our teachers understand how best to connect with and support your child. If you have multiple children within the school, please fill a form out for each student. Thank you for partnering with us as we work together to take care of our students!
PTO
A Message From Our PTO:
Thank you to everyone who has completed the PTO Google form, which includes permission to include your contact information in the Abbot Directory and permission to include your child’s photo and name in the Abbot Yearbook.
https://forms.gle/4xrNKGAuLoXRJ97L7
Third grade parents: The Abbot PTO is happy to be able to provide an Abbot t-shirt complimentary to welcome all incoming third grade students. These shirts will be distributed shortly after school begins. If you have opted for remote learning, stay tuned for more information about delivery of your student's shirt! When filling out the Google Form linked above, please be sure to provide your child’s T-shirt size. Please complete this form at your earliest convenience that we can have the shirts shortly after the students return to school.
Many PTO operations will be on hold this fall, but we are planning to hold a meeting on September 29 at 4:00 PM (remotely, via Zoom) to discuss the coming school year. All are welcome! We are still seeking a Secretary for this coming school year. If you are interested, or if you have any questions, please let us know at abbotschoolpto@gmail.com.
Like and Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date with everything the PTO is up to: https://www.facebook.com/abbotschoolpto In addition, the Abbot PTO sends out a monthly newsletter as well as occasional updates and calls for volunteers. Please subscribe to our electronic newsletter using this link: https://tinyurl.com/AbbotNewsletter
Revised Calendar Updated w/Pods
Dates to Remember
Abbot School
Email: lmcdermott@westfordk12.us
Website: https://www.westfordk12.us/as
Location: 25 Depot Street, Westford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-692-5580