Dear Upham Community,
Welcome to the 2019-20 School Year! I trust that you have had a wonderful summer break with your children. I have no doubt that many of you are more excited than your children with the prospect of beginning the new school year.
Personally, I am very excited to get back to the routine of the school day and more importantly, I missed my Upham friends and cannot wait to see everyone on Wednesday, August 28.
The custodians have diligently worked over the summer break to clean and prepare the building for the upcoming school year. Everything looks bright, shiny and ready to go. When you see Mr. Jim or Mr. Wes could you please thank them for their service. They have really performed a masterful service this summer.
I wanted to share with you some important information for the start-up of the new school year. On Monday, August 26th the Upham faculty will return. On Tuesday, August 27th our kindergartner families will meet and greet their respective teachers from 11:00-11:30 a.m. We will have our New Family Orientation from 11:30-12:00 a.m. in the gymnasium. This is for families that are brand new to Upham. This is an informational meeting designed to give new families a full description of Upham. Please join us.
The First day of school is Wednesday, August 28. Please be reminded it is a regular Wednesday and everyone will dismiss at 12:00 p.m.
On Wednesday, August 28 (First Day of School, Yahoo!) please use the center blacktop area, Wynnewood and Lowell roads for parking. We will have our live drop off as well. You can begin dropping off your children at 8:15 a.m. Each classroom teacher/s will have a sign indicating where to line up. The line-up and roll call will be on the playground near the Green Monster. The bell will ring at 8:30 a.m. and at that point, the teachers will take the children into their respective classrooms. Parents are not allowed to accompany their child to the classroom. If your child is experiencing separation anxiety, please seek our Mr. Dees or Dr. Hoitash (our outstanding psychologist). We will be available to help with any situation.
I want to remind kindergarten parents that the first 7 days of school (Aug. 28- Sept. 6) are ½ days for students. We use the second half of the days to assess reading and math skills. The assessments allow the teachers to properly place each child in the correct reading group and design the instruction to meet the needs of each child. You will receive your child’s schedule for assessment time. WCCC (Wellesley Community Children’s Center) will be providing after school programs for the 7 half days. If you are interested, please contact Shawn Thompson (director, 781-235-7667) at shawn@wccc.wellesley.edu.
Important Dates
Monday, August 26- First Day for Teachers
Tuesday, August 27-Kindergarten Meet/Greet 11:00-11:30
New Families Orientation 11:30-12:00
Wednesday, August 28- FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL- YAHOO!!! Well, at least for the principal!
Monday, September 2- NO SCHOOL
Monday, September 9- Full Day K
Friday, September 13- Picture Day
Wednesday, September 18- Back-To-School Night
6:00-6:30- Grades 3-4-5
6:30-6:45- Principal’s Message (Gym)
6:45-7:15- Grades K-1-2
We are so excited about the hope and promise of a new school year. It is an honor and a privilege to serve you and your children. Enjoy the remaining days of your summer vacation…see you Wednesday, August 28!
Dare to Dream,
Mr. Dees