Panda Press
August 2023
Dear Thacher Families:
We are excited for the start of a new school year and hope that everyone had the chance to relax and enjoy the summer with family and friends. The gum has been scraped off the bottom of the desks, floors have been waxed and windows are cleaned. Our custodial and maintenance staff worked hard all summer and did a phenomenal job getting the building ready to welcome grades 1- 4 back on the 29th and kindergarteners on September 6th.
There is a lot of important information below and I ask that you take the time to read the entire newsletter to make sure you have all of the information necessary to get the year started on the right foot.
Sincerely,
Frank W. Rich
Principal
School Hours
Early release dismissal time will be 12:25 PM (no lunches are served on early release days).
Information Packets
You may notice a small change to the student information form, specifically the "Do Not Publish" option. Please make sure you read the explanation underneath which clarifies that by checking the Do Not Publish box, you are identifying that you do not wish to have your child's image, name, work, etc. published anywhere, which includes our yearbook.
Walkers/Car Drop-Off
Families can either choose to go through the active drop-off loop or park in the main lot and walk their children to the door. We strongly encourage families who live close by to walk to school and families who transport their children to utilize the active drop-off loop.
- We understand it can feel like an eternity waiting in the active drop-off line, especially if you have to get to work or some other appointment, but we have timed it and on an average day, it only takes 5-10 minutes from entering the line to pulling away from the school.
Active drop-off loop: (see image below)
- The first car in line should always be at the “drop-off” sign.
- All of the other cars should be lined up along the curb by the sidewalk in front of the school.
- Make sure you DO NOT block the crosswalks.
- Make sure your child has all of their belongings and is ready to exit the car when you reach the sidewalk.
- Students MUST exit the car on the right-hand side.
- Parents MUST stay in their car.
- Please do not pass cars in line in front of you. Wait for them to complete their drop-off and pull away when they do.
- Once it is safe to do so, pull forward and exit the parking lot.
- There will be no parents/visitors entering the building at Car Line Drop-Off.
Dismissing Your Student
Afternoon Pickup Procedures
Our goal is to ensure a safe, orderly, and efficient car rider pickup process. Following the procedures at all times will help us achieve our goal. We appreciate your patience and cooperation.
CAR PICKUP:
Cars should remain in a single file line while waiting in the pick-up line.
- Dismissal begins at 3:25. The first car in line should be at the “drop off” sign.
- Guardians MUST STAY IN THEIR CAR
- Display your family car sign clearly on your dashboard or passenger side window so staff can read your child’s name.
If you are carpooling, please display BOTH students’ names on the car sign. You may add the additional child’s/children’s name(s) on a separate piece of paper, but please write large enough for the staff members to see it.
- Stop your car at the curb behind the car in front of you.
- Students will be called out to the cars as they pull up to the front of the line.
Children MUST be loaded on the right side of the car.
- A staff member will assist your child into the car if needed.
Children will be responsible for buckling themselves in.
- Please safely exit the line when the child(ren) is buckled in. Wait for the car in front of you to go.
WALKERS:
Walker dismissal will start at 3:20, and end at approximately 3:30 pm
Staff will be at the door, checking/asking parents for students’ names; students will be called out of line and sent out the door with their parent(s)/guardian. Students will not be released to others without permission.
Parents/Guardians will be lined up under the overhang and looping around toward ELC. Once you have collected your student(s), please exit to the right and walk along the raised flag pole platform (the platform will be on the left-hand side)
Bus stops/times will be posted on the district website next week. Most answers to questions about transportation including bus stops, the fee for service program, or routes can be found on the APS Transportation Home Page. Should you have a specific question that you cannot find the answer to, please contact the transportation office at 508-222-0012. A reminder that for the first 2 weeks of school, times may be off by 5-15 minutes as everyone adjusts to more traffic on the roads when school begins as well as those families who take that extra minute to give a goodbye hug or words of encouragement. Please be at your stop at least 10 minutes before the estimated time of pick up/drop off. Once two full weeks have gone by, you will have a more realistic, regular time that the bus or van arrives/drops off at the designated bus stop. Thank you for your patience at the beginning of the year.
Communication
This digital newsletter, The Panda Press, is our primary method of communication for schoolwide information. It will be posted in our Attleboro Public Schools app at the end of each week. We strongly encourage everyone to download the Attleboro Public Schools app. This mobile app is the go-to place for district and school events, alerts, documents, and staff directories. Through this app, families can also access Rooms to communicate with your child's teacher. please visit the Rooms Support page for more detailed information and a link to download the app on both Android and Apple devices.
We also frequently post to our school website & Facebook page as well, so make sure to visit it and click “Follow.”
If your child(ren) will need medication in school next year, please see your doctor for medication orders. These need to be renewed at the beginning of each school year.
Nurse Kilfoyle will be in the office on Monday, August 21st, for medication drop-offs/meetings. Please contact Nurse Kilfoyle first before coming to the school.
Please make sure we have the most up-to-date vaccination records for your child. If your child has any allergies (e.g., food, bees, etc.), please reach out to me to make sure we have that in our records to help us keep your child safe.
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!
Lisa Kilfoyle
lkilfoyle@attleboroschools.com
Sarah Peterson
speterson@attleboroschools.com
School Nurses
Thacher Elementary School
School Devices
Make sure to follow their page on Facebook!
Upcoming Important Information & Dates
August 29: First Day of School for Gr. 1-4
September 1: No School
September 4: No School (Labor Day)
September 5: Kindergarten Orientation
September 6: First Day of School for Kindergarten
September 28: Welcome Back Night
October 3: Picture Day
October 6: Early Release Day
Thacher Elementary School
Email: frich@attleboroschools.com
Website: http://tes.attleboroschools.com/
Location: 160 James Street, Attleboro, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 226-4162
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thacherelementary