Hawk Talk

We are so excited to start the 2021-2022 school year, and thank you for the opportunity to work with your amazing children! The first week of school was busy, productive and fun! Our kindergartners came in for their screenings, older students met and worked with their new teachers, and our staff ended the week looking forward to everything this year has to bring.

In the classroom, our teachers have been working with students on classroom routines and following our Positive Behavioral and Intervention System. Students are learning about how to follow our school-wide rules: Be safe, be kind and caring, be responsible, and be respectful. Ask your child what these rules look like in the classroom--we know they have been working hard to learn the school rules!

Just like my staff, I look forward to what this year brings!

Melissa Davis

Principal

We encourage parents to pack extra masks and an extra set of clean clothes in their child's backpacks daily. We've found it helpful to pack an extra mask in a ziploc bag labeled "clean mask" and an extra bag labeled "dirty mask". This method helps our students stay organized and independent.

Water bottles are also super helpful for students to bring daily. We have water bottle fill stations in the school where students can get refills when necessary.

Just a friendly reminder about drop-offs. Our biggest priority is ensuring that all students are safe during drop-off, and that we are efficient. Addressing the following would be very helpful for us:

Bus Loop: Please do not park in the bus loop at any time. This ensure student safety and the ability for buses to enter and exit safely and efficiently.

Canopy: We understand that many parents want to drop their children off directly in front of the canopy, but this is not possible. By doing this, we are backing up traffic (sometimes out of the school and onto the road). There are staff available to ensure your child's safety along the sidewalk up to the canopy. We ask that you drop your child(ren) along the walk way and not wait for canopy access.

Parking: If your child need assistance exiting your vehicle, please park in the parking lot and walk them across. This ensures safety and efficiency for all drop-off parents.

We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we refine the dismissal process this year. We have approximately 480 students exiting classrooms and heading to their after school destinations. It can be a very intense and busy time! Our top priority is ensuring that students arrive safely at the correct destination.

The following information pertains to the different transportation locations:

Buses: The buses are called by grade level. Teachers will walk their class to the bus area and place their students on the appropriate bus.

Rec. Care: Students going to the Hermon Recreation Department’s After School Care are called between 3:06-3:08 as two groups to go to the Cafeteria.

Lobby Dismissal: Parents providing private transportation on a daily basis may fill out a form for Daily Lobby Dismissal. By signing this form, parents take responsibility for meeting their child in the Lobby area on-time every day. These students are called as one group at 3:10 to the lobby. We encourage PreK and Kindergarten parents to be near the front of the pick-up line--this makes it easier for our littlest learners to see their parents. Parents should make eye contact or wave to the dismissing teacher before taking their child.

Pick-Up: Parents picking up a child on an occasional basis must send in a note for the teacher and the office. The child will receive a pick up pass to show the lobby duty staff.

Emergency Pick-Up: In the event you are picking up but your child does not have daily lobby or a note, you need to sign your child out at the office and they will be called down to the office individually.

If you enjoy working with children, we need you! We are looking for caring adults to join our substitute list. If you are interested, please contact Jodi White at the Hermon School Department's Superintendent’s Office for information on how to become a substitute teacher at the Patricia A. Duran School.

As part of state assessment law, we are required to administer universal screeners to all of our students to assess each child's individual needs and strengths. In addition the state requires that we report the scores of 3rd and 4th grade students to them after testing. Our universal screener (of state assessment) is the Northwest Educational Assessment (NWEA). We test students in reading, math and language (3rd and 4th grade only). The test gives us valuable data that we use to make decisions about instruction.

The best way to help your child prepare for testing is to ensure they get enough sleep prior to the day of testing, and that they eat a good breakfast. If you are curious about the NWEA assessment, or the district's policies related to assessment, please visit the district's assessment page here.

The administration of the NWEA assessment is electronic and will take place on the following dates. All testing will happen during first hour of school.

READING:

October 4: Grade 4

October 5: Grade 3

October 6: Grade 2

October 7: Grade 1 and Kindergarten

October 8: In-Service Day--No School

MATHEMATICS:

October 11: No School--Holiday

October 12: Grade 3 & 4

October 13: Grade 2

October 14: Grade 1

October 15: Kindergarten

LANGUAGE USAGE:

October 18: 4th Grade

October 19: 3rd Grade

September 28: Picture Day (Grades PreK-1)

September 29: Picture Day (Grades 2-4)

October 6: 3rd Grade Open House 5:30-6:30

October 12: 4th Grade Open House 6:00-7:00

October 13: PreK Open House Morning Session 5:30-6:00

October 13: PreK Open House Afternoon Session: 6:00-6:30

October 14: 2nd Grade Open House 5:30-6:30

October 14: 1st Grade Open House 6:30-7:30

October 21: Kindergarten Open House 5:30-6:30

Email: melissa.davis@schoools.hermon.net
Website: https://www.hhs.hermon.net/o/pa-duran-school
Location: 235 Billings Road, Hermon, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 848-4000