Dear Bates,
Happy last Friday of summer. It’s turning out to be quite a dark and stormy one! All of us at Bates are excited to welcome our Bates and Hunnewell students to school next week. Below is some information I ask you to read to help ensure success on our first days of school.
Action Needed: PickUp Patrol
It is really important that we have updated and accurate information regarding all students’ daily dismissal plans. In order to know your child’s dismissal plan, we use an app called PickUp Patrol. If you are new to PickUp Patrol, directions to login and download the app were sent to your email today from pickuppatrol.net. Parents and guardians can download the app on a mobile device or access it on a computer. All parents are asked to:
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Set your child’s default or regular dismissal plan.
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Let us know about any changes to your child’s dismissal plan by using the app. You can make changes days in advance and up until an hour before dismissal.
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Notify the office for any same day changes made after 2:00 pm or 11:00 on Wednesdays. Please do not email dismissal plans to the teacher, as teachers have limited access to email during the school day.
Dismissal Procedure
Students may be dismissed to go home by bus, car line or as walkers. Students in grades K-3 must be picked up by an adult. Children in grades 4-5 may walk home on their own or with a sibling who is in grades 4-5 with parent permission. By April of the third grade year, third graders may begin walking home without an adult. Please note this is a change of practice for grade 3 that we’ve made to ensure the safety of students after school. Please see the attached maps for dismissal and arrival locations.
Absences and Early Dismissals
Absences and Early Dismissals are also reported using the PickUp Patrol app. We ask that you do so by 8:00 am if possible. If your child is not feeling well, please include any symptoms for our school nurse to track illness. We are no longer using the Google Absence form.
Arrival
Students may begin to arrive at school as early as 8:15 am. Between 8:15 and 8:28, students in kindergarten and grade 1 will gather on the front playground and students in grades 2-5 will gather on the back playground. Students who arrive after 8:28 should enter through the front door. During inclement weather students will proceed directly inside to the gym or cafeteria. An indoor arrival is signaled by orange flags on the front and back of the building.
New Family Meet & Greet & Classroom Visits: August 30
We hope to ease the transition back to school by inviting new and returning students and families to visit school on Tuesday, August 30. The schedule includes:
1:30 – 1:45 pm Bus Orientation for Kindergarten students taking the bus
1:45 – 2:15 pm New Family Meet & Greet & tour of the building, library courtyard
2:15 – 3:00 pm Classroom visits K-5
2:45 – 3:00 pm Kindergarten Popsicle Party on the Playground
Finally, please note the school and holiday schedule for the upcoming weeks. I hope you have a great weekend. See you next week!
Warmly,
Toni Jolley
Upcoming Dates: