August 27, 2020
Dear HES Parents/ Guardians,
I am so pleased we are ready to start our 2020-2021 school year. Will it be different? Yes, but the enthusiasm from the Harrington Elementary staff remains the same. We are anxious to see our students and begin a new year.
The MSAD #37 School Board met last night, August 26th, and decided to move our start-up date to September 8th. This is the Tuesday after Labor Day, which is when we normally start our school year. This will be an in-person school day and the first remote learning day.
Friday, September 4th, will be our remote pick-up day. Parents will need to come to the school lobby to pick-up their child(ren)’s materials on that day. Remote learners, grades 3-6, will be allowed to have their Chromebooks at home for school contact and online lessons. If your student is in Pre-K -2 and needs a way to communicate and do online lessons we have iPads that may be signed out. In both cases, parents are responsible for the Chromebooks and iPads being returned undamaged. Remote learners will need to complete packets weekly and return completed work weekly. The pick-up and return day will be Mondays. There will be return and pick-up totes outside the building for easier access. Within each packet will be an attendance sheet parents must sign to verify that their child completed and “attended” to remote learning each day. This must be included in the returned packet each week so we can count your child(ren) as present. Returned material will be graded and students will be accountable for attendance and lessons. If work has not been done satisfactorily, it may be sent home for a redo. If you have questions on a lesson, or a grade, please contact the teacher via email or feel free to call me. On Wednesdays teachers will be in contact with their remote learners. If during the week, students are having trouble with a lesson please contact the school and we will have someone to aid your learner with his/her problem.
For in-person learners, we will have school on Tuesday, the 8th, and then Thursday and Friday, the 10th and 11th. Students doing in-person learning will have four in-class days and on Wednesdays there will be work to do at home, which is due back on Thursday. Completion of Wednesday assignments will be our way to acknowledge your child’s attendance in learning.
Students, that are doing in-person learning, should not be dropped off before 7:30. (If at all possible, we are encouraging parents to transport their child(ren).) There will be two identified drop-off/pick-up areas. One is to the right side of the parking lot, before the yellow painted bus area, and the other will be the dirt parking area, the first left as you drive in. There will be signs marking both areas. If you use the dirt parking area there will be an opening at the end of the area to drive through, so NO backing out is necessary. There will be a teacher, Ed. Tech, and/or myself at the front door to meet the students, as NO parents or visitors are allowed in the building or on the playground. For Pre-K parents, either Miss Brenda or Miss Courtney will be out front to take your child to the Pre-K room.
I will begin dismissal at 2:30, with buses being dismissed first. I will then dismiss by grades, with Mrs. Hinkle and/or me bringing students out to parents. Please realize it will take a few days for us to get this procedure to run smoothly. My hope is after a few days parents will have a better idea of when their child(ren) are coming out and will arrive accordingly.
If during the day you need to pick your child up, you will need to call into the office and let us know you are outside and we will bring your child outside.
We have taken a lot of precautions to keep both students and staff safe. The district has purchased “foggers” for each building that will be used during cleaning. There will be disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, and masks in each room. Our janitors have (and will continue) to clean the building thoroughly, with Wednesdays being deep cleaning days. Throughout the day doorknobs, desks, surfaces, bathrooms, and railings will be wiped and disinfected. We have established areas to isolate anyone not feeling well and request parents come to pick up their sick child in a timely manner. We have touchless thermometer in the school, if needed. Desks are 3 feet apart and students will stay within their classroom for all itinerants. We have purchased 3 large canopies to allow teachers to take their classroom outside. Students will eat lunch distanced 6 feet apart and have recess one class at a time on the playgrounds.
I am excited to see our HES students and welcome a new school year. It will be different, but our goal is the same …to provide a wonderful learning experience for our students.
Please feel free to reach out to me, smeserve@msad37.org or 483-6681, with any questions and/or concerns you might have.
Sincerely,
Susan V. Meserve,
Principal Harrington Elementary