It's hard to believe that the summer is almost over! Our new teachers will be starting their first official day on Monday, August 27th. They will attend an orientation session that morning and have the afternoon to prepare for their new classrooms and work spaces.
The rest of the teachers, paraprofessionals, and food service workers will be back for their first official day on Tuesday, August 28th. We will have an opening day kick-off session for all employees where we will introduce new staff, recognize milestones of our veteran staff, and I will share some thoughts about our work for this year. The teachers will also participate in an overview session on the new Educator Evaluation System that we have adopted, aligned with the new state mandates for this system.
Then, the BIG DAY arrives - the return of our students on Wednesday, August 29th! It's always an exciting time as we see everyone back for the business of learning. The final touches on our school buildings, technology infrastructure, and all the other preparations for the day are in full swing. If you have not seen them yet, the bus routes were published in this week's Belchertown Sentinel.
The School Committee met this past week and approved a lot of policies and changes to our school and athletic handbooks to comply with those policies. New handbooks will be uploaded soon to the schools' web pages and we encourage you to take the time to read them and review them with your children.
One of the big changes for this year is our new Wellness Policy. This policy requires that we make some significant changes with regard to foods we serve in the cafeteria as well as what we make available to students 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after the school day. Please be sure to read your school's handbook, when it is published, for more information. These changes are the result of a new law and regulations for healthier options for students throughout the day.
Every family will receive a form with the current contact information that we have on file for you on the first day of school. Please read it over carefully and make any necessary changes to phone numbers, emails, etc. The more accurate our records are, the more likely we are able to communicate with everyone, particularly in the event of an emergency. Our Connect5 notification system is able to contact you by home phone, cell phone, text message, and email. The more information you can give us about how to reach you, the better. Thank you for your prompt attention to this form and its return to school.
Enjoy these last few days of summer! Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools
PS - If you have any questions regarding this update, please feel free to call my office at 323-0423.
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