General John Nixon School
http://www.sudbury.k12.ma.us/ 978-443-1080
Sudbury Public Schools- "Improving on Excellence."
August 2011
Dear Nixon Families,
I hope you are enjoying these last precious days of summer! At Nixon, our floors are shining, supplies are being delivered, and teachers have been in to prepare their classrooms. I have very much enjoyed beginning to work with Superintendent Dr. Anne Wilson and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Judy Malone Neville, who are leading us with a vision of providing the best possible education for each student.
We are refreshed and ready to begin a new year with your children! Here is some important information to help you begin the school year.
First Day Information
Class Placement and Teacher Assignment
All families should have received a placement letter with the names of classmates and a teacher. In addition, classroom teachers sent or emailed letters to students. If you are missing this information, please call Nixon's office immediately, so that we can assist you.
Schedule
The first day of school is Tuesday, September 6. It is FULL day for 1st through 5th grades. Kindergarten parents received a separate email regarding the special schedule for the first week of school.
School hours are 8:45-3:25. On early release days, students are dismissed at 12:40.
First day transition
Staff will be located at the doors, at the buses and around the building to assist children in finding their new classrooms. New students in all grades are assigned one or more classroom buddies to help them find their way around.
It is our experience that separation is most successful when it occurs at the bus stop, drop off corner or the Nixon's front doors. If you have any concerns that your child may find the separation challenging, please contact Mrs. Doster, our guidance counselor, before school begins.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack
Breakfast and lunch will be served beginning on September 6. Breakfast is served at 8:30.
Chartwells is now providing our food service, and we are excited about the new healthy choices offered.
Prices for meals remain the same. You may send cash, a check, or pay using the online using the same methods used in the past at NUTRIKIDS . Students will use the same passwords as before. New families will receive a letter with each child's password, and we will have a list of passwords at school as well.
Please remember to send a healthy snack and drink daily.
Supplies
Please send the school supplies requested by your child's teacher on the first day. Items such as Kleenex and hand sanitizer may be sent within the first week. If supplies present a financial hardship, please contact me. Supply lists are posted at SUPPLY LISTS .
First Day Packets
Please go to FIRST DAY PACKET to download the First Day Packet. Please return them with your child the first day (or at least within the first week of school). Because it is so important that these forms are returned quickly, we have found that an incentive works well. If 95% of the children have returned the completed forms by September 13, they will get an extra recess.
Transportation
Buses
Expect that bus arrival times may vary for the first couple of weeks. We recommend that you arrive at your bus stop early and be prepared for potential late arrival as families and drivers settle into the new routes. NEW: Bus stops are listed exclusively on the district website at BUS STOPS . Please remember an adult must meet the kindergarten students at the stop in order to be released (drivers may also require first graders to be met at the stop too).
Walkers
The crossing guard is at his post from 8:35-8:55 and 3:20-3:35 daily.
Morning Drop off
Parents may walk students to the front door beginning at 8:30, and students may will wait outside until the doors open at 8:45. A staff member supervises live drop off from 8:45-8:55, however, we urge you to drop off by 8:50, as school begins promptly at 8:55.
Please drop off ONLY on the sidewalk area near the adult on duty. Please do NOT drop off in the parking lot or have your children cross the lots or traffic or at any other location.
If you arrive early for drop off, please park in a designated parking spot and wait. Please do not drive to the stop sign and wait there, as this blocks traffic.
Pick Up/Dismissal
Please review with your child how she/he is to get home. Staff will assist children in getting where they need to be at the end of the day. Until you send in your regular dismissal form, please send in a note detailing the change. Dismissal note pads are sold for 2 for $5 in the office.
If you are picking up your child, please go to the cafeteriabehind the sign with your child's last name letter. For your child's safety, please wait to be checked in by the staff member before taking your child home. This will take longer on the first few days as staff may not know parents by sight.
If you are changing your child's dismissal, please send in achange of dismissal form or note. If it is an emergency change, call the office and speak to a live person. Please do not rely on email or phone messages. Play date arrangements should be made ahead of time and a note/dismissal form sent in.
NOTE: For student safety, we MUST receive changes in dismissal notes from each child's own parent or guardian. We cannot dismiss a child to another parent with only the receiving parent's consent.
Parking and Traffic
Please park only in designated parking slots, and not in circle or along edges of driveway. Cars should enter and exit using the Concord Road exit only.
Communication
PLEASE ensure that you have signed up both for Constant Contact school email at CONSTANT CONTACT LINK AND the PTO email at PTO EMAIL & DIRECTORY . If your email or other information has changed, you will need to change it, as this does not occur automatically. Most school communication is online. If you require paper communication, please contact me immediately via note or phone call.
Please visit NIXON INFO to find key information about Nixon , including nutrikids prepayment, lunch menus, bus routes, district and Nixon handbooks, and our Student Aggression and Consequences rubric. The district handbook, including discipline policy, is located at SPS HANDBOOK .
All staff members can be reached via email and will respond within 2 school days. Email follows this format: firstname_lastname@sudbury.
While classrooms have telephones, teachers are expected to focus on students during the workday and do not answer the phone for outside calls. Please be aware that the phones have no visual alert when phone messages are left. If you wish to talk to a teacher by phone, we recommend leaving an email message to that effect when possible. For time sensitive communications, leave a message with a live person in the office.
Back to School Night is September 22. At this time, you will meet your child's teachers and learn about your child's classroom experience as well as hear from me about the state of the school. (This is an adult event; please book your babysitters early!)
I hold an Open Hour every Wednesday from 9-10 a.m. You are welcome to stop by my office for a quick question or chat, if you don't have the need for an appointment.
Parent Involvement and Volunteering
We are in need of parents to help supervise lunch and recess immediately! Sign up for times to help out, either on a one-time or regular basis at LUNCH RECESS HELPERS . Until the website is updated, if you can help with lunch/recess supervision, we would love to have you call or email and let us know (or just show up). Training for parent lunch/recess volunteers will be held on Tuesday, September 13 from 9-10 and Wednesday, September 14 from 2:15-3:15. It is critical that all parents who plan to volunteer for lunch and recess attend a training session.
If you are a new family and would like to be assigned a current Nixon family to call about your questions, please contact PTO co-chair Maria Behrakis, at 978-579-8916.
New Staff
Members of the Nixon staff and I have worked hard this summer to find excellent teachers to join the Nixon community. This summer we said goodbye to Mr. Greene and Mrs. Greene, who moved to Maine with their son. Our own Ms. Anne O'Keefe, who previously taught third grade at Nixon, will be moving back into third grade from her current special education assignment. Mrs. Debra Donston-Miller will also be joining our third grade team. She previously taught fifth grade and Title 1 Reading in Marlboro and Lancaster, and served as an editor to high technology publications prior to moving into teaching. Ms. Gia Raia will be joining the first grade. Ms. Raia previously taught first grade in Arlington and Melrose.
We are also welcoming two new members to our special education team. Ms. Sara Wittenberg will be the teacher of the primary ACCESS program. She recently moved from New York, where she taught in a similar program in New York City. Ms. Elizabeth Piersons will join us as a Learning Center teacher. She previously served as a special educator and second grade teacher in New Jersey and San Diego.
These are exceptional teachers, chosen from a strong candidate pool, and each of them brings unique strengths to our school. I know you will join us in welcoming them to Nixon.
Upcoming Events
September 6-9 Kindergarten Assessments/Orientation Schedule (see separate email)
September 6 First Day of School FULL Day
September 8 Picture Day
September 13 9 a.m. & September 14 2:15 p.m. Parent Lunch/Recess Volunteer Training
September 15 Principal Coffee with NEW parents 8:30 a.m.
Sept. 21 Early Release ILAP
September 22 Back to School Night
September 27 5:30-8:30 Nixon Family Picnic
September 29 NO School Rosh Hashanah
October 5 Early Release ILAP District
October 10 NO SCHOOL Columbus Day
October 19 Early Release ILAP
Please see our school and district websites for current calendar listings.
The Nixon Staff is eagerly looking forward to greeting your children on the first day of school and to seeing you on Back to School Night! We also hope that many of you will be able to come to our casual community-building event, the Family Picnic, September 27. I would like to extend a special welcome to our new families. We are looking forward to getting to know your family. and welcoming you to the Nixon community.
As always, please email or call me with any questions or concerns. Enjoy the last weekend of summer!
Sincerely,
Joni Jay