Hello Hardy

Hello Hardy Families It was great to welcome students to Hardy this past week! With each PTO newsletter, I will include a Principal letter that will include highlights from the previous week, information about upcoming events, and other miscellaneous information. Here are a few updates for this week:

Highlights from the Past Week We welcomed 311 students and 91 teachers and staff members into our school! Commissioner Martinez visits Hardy! On Wednesday, we were honored to have the Massachusetts Commissioner for Elementary and Secondary Education Pedro Martinez visit Hardy. Mr. Martinez was given a tour of our beautiful building and then greeted students and families during arrival.

School Council Parent Representatives We have parent representative vacancies on the School Council. The School Council meets on the first Thursday of the month (with meetings held in October, November, January, March and May) from 7:45-8:30 AM over Zoom. The Council is composed of the principal, a community representative, and an equal distribution of teachers and parents. Councils are tasked with assisting the principal by reviewing the school building budget and the school improvement plan. The Council also helps to support overall school improvement initiatives. If you have an interest in serving on the School Council or if you have any questions about this opportunity, please email me directly at smithg@wellesleyps.org by this Friday, September 5th. There will be an election to determine these representatives. Stay tuned for more information on this election in the coming weeks.

Dogs on School Property As a reminder, dogs are to be kept at the edge of the property during arrival/dismissal times. Thank you for your cooperation.

Car Drop Off Reminder When doing morning drop off, parents/caregivers doing drop off are asked to follow the car line in a single file and drop students off directly to the curb. Parents/caregivers should also remain in their cars allowing staff to assist students with getting out of cars as needed. If your child requires extra time getting out of a car, please pull to the front of the car line before having your child get out of the car. Thank you for your cooperation.

Procedures When Your Child is Tardy If a family arrives at school after 8:30 AM, the parent/caregiver is asked to park along the front loop and walk their child into the building. Mrs. Rixon will complete a tardy slip and hand it to the child in the vestibule entrance before the child goes on to their classroom.

Car Pick Up Name Signs New students to Hardy were sent home with a 8 ½ x 11 card with their last name printed on the card at the end of last week. This is to be used for car pick up at dismissal. For returning students, you are asked to reuse your card from last year or make a new card by hand as needed that has the last name of the student. Families are asked to post this in a vehicle’s passenger window during afternoon pick up, which will assist staff in matching students to cars.

Free School Breakfast & Lunch As a reminder, to ensure children have continued access to nutritious meals, the State of Massachusetts has voted to continue to offer free meals on a permanent basis. All students, regardless of a family’s financial means, will be offered No Cost meals.

Special Thanks Thanks to the PTO for providing staff with tasty snacks in the teachers’ room.Thanks to the PTO for providing staff with a delicious lunch on the first day of school.Thank you to all parents/guardians for supporting Hardy as we begin the 2025-2026 school year!

Have a great week! Respectfully yours, Grant Smith Principal