September 6. 2020

Happy Labor Day Quashnet School Community! 

I hope everyone is able to enjoy this beautiful weekend. Although this is usually thought of as the end of summer - not this year!  Everything is a little different.  

As you know, the MPS staff is back to school working hard to prepare for our wonderful students, but the first day for students is not until September 16 or September 17 depending on your assigned cohort or grade level. 

Homeroom placement and cohort assignments were mailed on Friday and coming to your mailbox soon! 

The letter also reflects your decision on the learning model (hybrid or remote, or in-person for Grade 3) and your intended transportation (bus, drive, or n/a).  

Please understand that due to the complexity in placement and with balancing classrooms based on cohorts, learning models, support services, we will not be making changes in homeroom placements. The good news is that the teaching staff at Quashnet School is OUTSTANDING, and I am confident that your child will have a great year of learning and growth with any and all of our teachers.  

 

The following topics are very important for this upcoming year: 

HEALTH NEEDS

Parents/guardians, please call or email Nurse Terri to set up a time to drop off any medication and completed medication forms.  She is making appointments to limit the number of families in the health office. Nurse Terri can be reached at (508) 539-1550 x 4155 or at trichards@mpspk12.org.

Grade 3 students are invited to participate in a school tour this coming week. Reservations are required. Each family will be limited to the Grade 3 student and parents/guardians. No siblings, please. Tours will be for 20 minutes each. It is highly recommended for both in-person and remote learners. This is an opportunity to see the school environment and see the classroom. In-person learners will be given a lanyard and a name tag that they need to wear for the first few weeks of school.  Our remote Grade 3 learners will be picking up school materials on the evening of their tour.  

Tours are scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, Wednesday, September 9, and Thursday, September 10 between 4:00 and 6:00 pm. https://tinyurl.com/QSTours

Each time slot is intended for two families. Please call the Quashnet School office if you have any questions or difficulty scheduling a tour (508) 539-1550. We are more than happy and willing to help! 

Parent/Guardian Drop-off 

With the limited number of students able to ride the bus this year, there will naturally be an increase in the number of parents driving to school. Please DO NOT PARK to drop off your child or get out of the car. There is a loop around the parking lot that will allow you to drop your child off right along the front walkway.  In order to allow the maximum number of cars along the sidewalk, PLEASE pull all the way up along the sidewalk, look for the sign. 

Students need to exit cars along the entire length of the walkway and need to be prepared to quickly exit the car and walk into school.  If everyone follows this process it will be the safest and fastest process. The road along the walkway is single lane traffic - please do not pass cars. Mashpee PD will be helping us with the process as we start the new year. I ask for your patience and focus on safety first. 

There are a couple of back to school items needed for students -  

1. Two clean masks per day  

2. A beach towel to sit on for outdoor learning 

3. Water bottle (students will be able to refill water bottles during the school day, but they will not have access to a drinking fountain) 

Student belongings should be labeled with his/her name and not shared with others. 

For your planning purposes, each student will be supplied with their own set of crayons or markers, pencils, scissors, glue stick, and scissors for example.  We have purchased large Ziploc bags that will be labeled with each student's name. These bags will stay in school during in-person weeks and go home with students on remote weeks. The materials should always be returned to the bag following use so students have them available for continued use throughout the year.  

END of DAY DISMISSAL

No more long lines to sign-out your child! Dismissal will be live - just pull up along the front walkway and we will have your child sent out of school to the car. You will be provided with a sign with your child(ren)'s name on it. It should be placed on your dashboard or hold it up so we can read it. Students will be socially distanced while waiting for the parent to pick up.  We will record the dismissal and you will no longer need to sign out your child. Just like at drop-off in the morning, there will be some growing pains with this, but please be patient and we will get very proficient at this process. Thank you for your understanding and support.   

ATTENDANCE / EARLY DISMISSAL / CHANGE IN DISMISSAL 

For years we have asked parents to send in notes if a child has been sick, or if there is a change in dismissal plans, etc.. Just like everything else this year, there is change.  Last year, we instituted email notification of absences, this year we are going to expand this.  Please send any notification of absences, early dismissals, or change in dismissal plans to qsattendance@mpspk12.org. This email will be monitored throughout the day. Any change notification should be sent prior to 2:00 PM.  

Absences may also be called into Nurse Terri at (508) 539-1550 x4155.

Please note:  Students will not be allowed to go home on a different bus with a friend - all seats are assigned and accounted for.  

LIBRARY BOOKS AND CHROMEBOOKS 

If you have any school library books at home, please return those on the first day of school.  

Explicit directions on Chromebooks will be shared soon. Not to worry, if you did or did not take a loaner Chromebook in the spring, we will have a device for your child(ren) for the school year.  

We are all SO PROUD of Grade 6 teacher, Mr. David Williams.  Not only is Mr. Williams a fabulous member of the Quashnet staff, but he is also in the Air Force and will be assigned to military duty through the spring of 2021.  

Although we will miss Mr. Williams in our classroom and halls, we are so grateful for his service.  

Mr. Williams will be keeping in touch even though he may be several time zones away. He will be checking in with his students, school, and community.  We wish him a safe return and will be ready to welcome him back asap!  

We are so pleased to welcome Ms. Sarah Alves to sixth-grade who has already begun planning with Mr. Williams for a great year ahead. Ms. Alves will be assigned to Grade 6 for the entire school year.   

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead. If you have any questions or concerns,  contact me directly and I am happy to help.  Please assume positive intent as we navigate these uncharted waters together.  

Be safe and stay well,  

Principal O'Brien 😊