R. H. Conwell Community News

Dear R.H. Conwell Families,

Welcome back to school! We have had an awesome start to the school year! There is so much excitement and energy in our building. Classroom teachers spent time listening to the students’ summer adventures and establishing routines and classroom expectations. Again, it’s so nice to have everyone back to school.

Yesterday, during parent-teacher intakes, I overheard a teacher talking about the importance of the parent-teacher partnership. The teacher shared~

I hold myself accountable.

I hold your kids accountable.

And, I hold you accountable.

That way we will have a successful year because of our collaborative partnership!

Morning Breakfast/Recess: All students are welcome to have breakfast in the morning after they get dropped off. Thanks to the FDA waiver, breakfast is free (except milk which is .50 cents) to all students. Breakfast will be served daily from 8:30 – 8:50 a.m. If students finish their breakfast before 8:50, they will be dismissed to join their classmates at morning recess.

Health Update: Any communications regarding absences for illness reasons, covid related, or any health related matters should be sent to spease@hr-k12.org. Please do not share medical information with classroom teachers, or other school staff. Your child(ren)’s personal medical information is confidential, and their absence will be shared appropriately with the parties involved. If you have a question about work that will be missed, you may contact the classroom teacher and mention that you have been in communication with the nurse regarding the absence. You still need to notify the office if your child will be absent from school.

Please see the attached document for our 2021-2022 Health and Safety Guidelines. This document will also be sent home in your child(ren)’s folders. Please fill out the final page, and return to the school by September 1, 2021. If you have any questions or concerns at all, or need guidance please do not hesitate to reach out to me!

Specialists Back-To-School Letter: Please follow the link for a welcome back to school letter from all our specialists! Specialists Parent Letter

Lunch: Until further notice students will eat snacks and lunch outside.

Friday lunch: Caregivers are welcome to join Friday lunch. We are limiting lunch to three caregivers per class. The K-2 lunch begins at 12:00 and the 3-6 lunch begins at 12:35. Please sign up to attend Friday lunch using the following link. The first family lunch will be Friday, September 3, 2021.

If you would like to purchase school lunch the cost is $4.00. While attending family lunch, we expect that caregivers will sign in at the front office, will wear a mask while they are inside, and find a spot outside with their child. At that time, we ask that families be mindful of social distancing since masks are not required while outside.

PTO: The PTO will hold their first in-person meeting on September 14 at 3:30. Meetings will also be available to participate via zoom. I will send a link for caregivers to attend the meetings. If caregivers are unable to attend meetings in person or virtually, and would like to submit a question to the PTO, all questions can be sent to Sam Briotta @ sbriotta@hr-k12.org by 2:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

Classroom Liaison: A room parent’s main task is to facilitate communication between other parents and the teacher, the school parent group, and occasionally school administration. This can vary widely from class to class and teacher to teacher. For the most part, as a room parent you’ll solicit donations (paper goods, snacks, decorations, etc.) from parents for classroom parties and events (usually based on a list from the teacher), collect money for teacher gifts during holidays and Teacher Appreciation Week in May, organize volunteers for the classroom for events or enrichment, and other tasks as decided by the teacher. As well, some room parents act as liaisons for their school’s PTO attending parent group meetings and, potentially, helping generate support or interest in parent group efforts. If you are interested in being the room parent, please contact me at gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org.

School Council:

We are looking for two parent representatives and a community representative to serve on the school council. Please email me by Friday, September 3, 2021 at gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org if you are interested.

Upcoming Events:

September 2, 2021: First Day of Preschool

September 6, 2021: No School

September 8, 2021: Equity Advisory Committee at 3:30

September 9, 2021: Trooper Carmichael Safety Presentation (TBD virtual or in person)

September 9, 2021: School Committee Meeting beginning at 6:30

September 22, 2021: Equity Advisory Committee at 3:30

September 27 2021: Noon Dismissal – Faculty PD

Have a wonderful weekend!

Warmly,

Gretchen Morse-Dobosz

Superintendent/Principal
Worthington School District
147 Huntington Road
Worthington, MA 01098
413-238-5856
gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org