Worthington School District
147 Huntington Road
Worthington, MA 01098
413-238-5856
gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org
Dear Community:
What a week! Despite the warm temperatures, students seemed to handle the afternoons and enjoyed some academic time in the woods to stay cool and some even put their feet in the stream!
Drop Off for Preschool: If you arrive for preschool drop off after 8:50, please go to the front door!
AM Drop Off/PM Pick Up: The procedures have been sent via email as well as sent home in the student folder. Please share these with friends and family that may pick up your child(ren).
Student Information Card: These forms were sent home today. Please review the information and make any necessary changes if any and sign and return on Monday.
Coffee with the Principal: Throughout the year I look forward to meeting the new members of our community and connecting with returning community members. They are scheduled during morning drop off beginning at 8:30 a.m. and evening times that will be virtual. I will share an agenda with parents and topics for us to discuss. These gatherings are a great opportunity to meet new people and see old friends. Our first Annual Coffee will be in person on September 20 at 8:30AM beginning in the library and then parents will visit classrooms beginning at 8:55 a.m. to observe classroom Morning Meetings.
Chocolate Bars: We still have many boxes of chocolate and we would love to get them sold. Please stop by the office or send in money with your child if interested in buying some.
Open House: Will be on October 19 with a PTO sponsored dinner event beginning at 5:00PM. More information will be forthcoming.
COA LUNCH: On Monday, September 11th, students in grades 3-6 will walk over to the Town Hall to say the Pledge of Allegiance for the COA luncheon.
Volunteers: We are looking for community members to substitute and/or volunteer at R.H. Conwell. And, currently we are looking for someone to consistently volunteer every FRIDAY FOR LUNCH DUTY. Please call Lisa at 413-238-5856.
Presentation on Friday, September 15 at 9:05: Artists from the Ohketeau Cultural Center in Ashfield will join us to share indigenous drumming, dancing and storytelling. There will also be an opportunity for students to take part in an interactive Nipmuc traditional game. The Nipmuc are among the indigenous people of Massachusetts. There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions.
PTO: Meetings will typically be on the third Thursday of each month with the next one scheduled on September 21 at 6:00PM. This will be a hybrid meeting.
Reminders from Nurse’s Office:
Apology from the Nurses:
An item on our Student Emergency Sheet read “broken home.” We intended “Broken bones.” We are sorry for any upset this may have caused.
Our Covid Policy remains the same as last year, except MASKS optional:
- If a faculty or student is not feeling well, they should stay home from school.
- Faculty and students that test positive for COVID-19 must stay out of school for five days after the onset of symptoms. All exposed individuals may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic.
- If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, they may return to programming on Day 6, and should wear a high quality mask through Day 10:
- If the child has a negative test on Day 5 or later, they do not need to mask.
- If the individual is unable to mask, they may return to programming with a negative test on Day 5 or later.
- Masks are optional for all faculty, visitors and students.
- We will not be doing contact tracing after students test positive.
- Students will not be required to stay out of school based solely on potential exposure, regardless of vaccination status.
- We are still able to test for Covid in the Nurse’s Office. We will contact parents for permission if we wish to test.
- As we enter cold season, please review infection-halting practices with your children: sneezing and coughing into elbows, and handwashing, after nose-blowing and toileting and especially before meals.
News from the Cafeteria:
Breakfast and Lunch:
Hi! Welcome back! It’s so great to see all the kids! A few new things this year I wanted to share with you!
- Each month we will be doing a harvest of the month. I will be taking the featured fruit or vegetable for that month and incorporating it into the menu. ALL students are welcome to try even if they bring a home lunch. Check out this newsletter about September’s HOTM: TOMATOES .
- The school breakfast and lunch program is free this school year! If you would like to purchase milk with your home lunch it will cost .50 cents. Parents may send cash or checks in an envelope. Checks are made out to The Town of Worthington. Some students have money on their accounts from previous years, if your child(rn) has money on their account we will be reimbursing that this year.
- We invite families to join us for breakfast and lunch each month. Please watch the community news and lunch menu for these days/times. Any questions or concerns please email me atompkins@hr-k12.org. Thanks! Ms. Ashley
The cafeteria now has a peanut free table at lunch time due to the presence of a student in the school with a severe peanut allergy.
After-School Program Updates!
The After-School Program starts on Monday, September 11th. Please return registration forms as soon as possible. They may be e-mailed to Shannon Madden or returned to your
student’s school day teacher. Shannon will send an e-mail to confirm that your student’s registration form was received and that they are enrolled in the program.
Just a reminder if you are registering for Girls On The Run you need to register on-line at girlsontherunwesternma.org. Use the “Conwell” discount code to have the after-school program pay your student’s fee. If you have any questions please contact Shannon Madden at smadden@hr-k12.org.
Upcoming Events:
September 13: Family Breakfast from 8:30 – 8:50 a.m.
September 14: School Committee begins at 6:30 p.m. in the school library
September 20: Parent Coffee: Come join me for coffee beginning at 8:30 a.m. and then we will visit classrooms at 8:50 until 9:25 for morning meeting
September 21: PTO Meeting at 6:00PM
September 22: Family Lunch beginning at 12:30 p.m.
September 27: Noon Dismissal for Professional Development
Have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
Gretchen Morse-Dobosz
Superintendent/Principal