Panda Press
August 26, 2022
Welcome Back!
Dear Thacher Families:
The floors are waxed, rugs shampooed, chairs and desks are scrubbed and classrooms are set up and ready for Monday morning. We owe a huge debt of gratitude for our hardworking custodial staff who put their efforts into high gear over the last two weeks to get the school ready. Because we house summer programming, our custodians are in the unenviable position of having to prepare roughly a quarter of the building in the few short weeks between the programs ending and next school year beginning.
Our staff spent today in professional development sessions to help strengthen their craft and most have spent multiple days of their final weeks of summer to make sure their classrooms are set up and ready to welcome your children. We're blessed to have such a hardworking staff who care so much about providing the best possible experiences for their students.
Below is a couple of new pieces of information regarding student handbooks and further down is mostly a repeat of last week's Panda Press.
Lastly, I'd like to thank Dana Walker and the rest of the PTO who generously provided lunch for our staff on Thursday. It was very much appreciated and helped us make it through a long day of meetings.
Looking forward to seeing all of our Gr. 1-4 students Monday morning!
Sincerely,
Frank W. Rich
Principal
Returning students should wear/bring in their IDs on Monday morning (if they can find it!)
School Hours
Early release dismissal time will be 12:25 PM (no lunches are served on early release days).
Information Packets
Bus stops/times are posted to the district website. Questions about bus stops, the fee for service program, or routes should be directed to 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.
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 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 safety 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 Child
Afternoon Pickup Procedures
Active Car Pickup
PARENTS 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.
- These will be distributed during the first week of school. You will need to write your child’s name & their teacher on the sign.
Students will be called out to the cars as they pull up to the front of the line.
A staff member will assist your child getting into the car, if needed.
Please safely exit the line when your child 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). Students will not be released to others without permission.
Parents will be lined up under the overhang and looping around toward ELC. Once you have collected your child, please exit to the right and walk along the raised flag pole platform (the platform will be on the left-hand side)
Children MUST be loaded on the right side of the car.
Parents MUST stay in their car. Teachers will help load your child.
Cars should remain in a single file line while waiting in the pick-up line.
Children will be responsible for buckling themselves in.
Parents MUST have the designated family car sign visible at ALL TIMES during pickup. Please have signs ready and visible to help speed up the pickup process.
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.
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.
Communication
The Attleboro Public Schools has shifted to a new website provider which contains tools that we will use to communicate with families. Returning families will remember that we often used Remind for important announcements and communication between the school and home. We are no longer using Remind. The new web platform has their own version, called Rooms. More information will come about using that tool. In the meantime, we recommend that you download our new app (Android or iPhone) to stay connected.
Our primary method of communication for schoolwide information is through our weekly, digital newsletter called the Panda Press. It will be emailed to families at the end of each week. 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.
Please contact Nurse Kilfoyle before coming to the school so she knows to expect you.
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
Please note that even though meals will be free for all, it remains essential for families to complete the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2022-2023 school year. We strongly encourage ALL families to submit this form as it allows us to determine eligibility for P-EBT benefits and waive or reduce transportation, athletics, and other fees. Documenting qualifying families also significantly impacts state funding for our district, so completing the form is a direct way to support our schools.
School Devices
APS District Information
Make sure to follow their page on Facebook!
Upcoming Important Information & Dates
August 29: First Day of School for Gr. 1-4.
September 2: No School
September 5: No School (Labor Day)
September 6: Kindergarten Orientation
September 7: First Day of School for Kindergarten
September 29: Welcome Back Night
October 7: Early Release Day
October 25: Picture 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