| Welcome to Atkinson Elementary School |
|
|
Welcome Back!
The teachers and I can’t wait for the first day of school. It’s only a few weeks away on September 7 (on September 8 if you’re in kindergarten). We are getting ready in all kinds of ways. You should be hearing from your teacher, so please check your mailboxes at home over the next few weeks. We all are looking forward to your smiling face and your very best effort this year! I hope you all have been thinking about our RAISE values over the summer... See you all very soon! By the way, CLASS LISTS ARE POSTED! Stop by and see who you've got for a teacher and who's in class with you. I hope you're all pleased.
New School Hours
8:25am - 2:50pm
Teachers are on duty at 8:00am.
Students may enter the building at 8:15am
Please be on-time; the late-bell rings at 8:25am.
Be aware, children must be escorted & and signed-in by an adult if they arrive on or after 8:25am.
Our First Week
Tuesday, Sept. 7
First day of school for grades 1-5
Kindergarten & Preschool visits @ 9:30am
Wednesday, Sept. 8
First day of school for Kindergarten, “Clap In”
Thursday, Sept. 9
No School-Rosh Hashanah
Friday, Sept. 10
K-5 Returns to School
Supply List
In case you're wondering about classroom supplies, please see this link. Know that all items are optional and that we appreciate anything that you can contribute to your child's classroom. Thank you very much in advance!
|
|
|
|
New Family Orientation Night
Please come to the school on August 31 at 6:30pm for an introduction and a tour of the school. Mr. Landry and some staff will be there to guide you and to answer questions you may have about the school day. We look forward to meeting you!
K-5 Summer Reading List
Please check out the summer reading list for 2010. Lots of good literature that will surely interest your child. Please try to provide time for at least a half hour of reading per day over the summer vacation. Specific brochures for K-1, 2-3 and 4-5 will be sent home with report cards on June 22.
|
|
|
|
RAISE the Bar, RAISE a Star!
The staff and I are very proud of the work we've done with RAISE values over the last two years. You may know that the school district has adopted our program and now students in grades K-12 are taking part in activities that revolve around the key values that are helping to build a respectful community in North Andover. Recently, Channel 5 visited the Atkinson School to interview Dr. Hutchinson and two of our students about the importance of RAISE. On April 30th, Fox25 News made a "Zip Trip" to our wonderful town. Some early-bird students, parents and staff joined me on the town common for a presentation of our RAISE program and sculpture to the world outside North Andover. Nice to hear good news on TV every once in a while. :-) Please check out both stories and, as always, thank you for your support at home around RAISE! Channel 5 Story Fox 25 News Zip Trip (We follow a Merrimack College student.)
Upcoming Calendar of Events
Monday, June 21 5th Grade Awards Night
Tuesday, June 22 Last Day of School for Grades 1-5
"Clap-Out" for 5th Graders, 11:20am
Early Release @ 11:30am
Monday, August 16 New Class Lists will be posted at School
RAISE YOUR SMARTS
Please check out the new projects for RAISE YOUR SMARTS program. The projects are due on Thursday, May 13th. Our Grand Prize Drawing with Converse is scheduled for Friday, May 14th. Best of luck to your child! If you would like an overview of the program, please open the following link.
|
|
|
|
Check Out Our 5th Grade Blog!
The fifth grade team has a very active blog online for students and families. You are all welcome to visit. www.atk5thgrade.blogspot.com
CONVERSE Sponsors All-Stars!
The executives at CONVERSE Inc., makers of the original All-Stars, were so impressed when they learned about our RAISE initiative that they have agreed to sponsor our RAISE YOUR SMARTS project this year! CONVERSE will be supplying tangible incentives for our students, including all-star keychains, tee-shirts, and sweatshirts. Students who participate in our contests and fairs each month will be eligible to earn these items. The grand prize, for a dozen students who take part in all five RAISE YOUR SMARTS projects (Math Facts Bee, Olympic Geography, Poetry Challenge, Science Innovations and 5-2-1-0), will be a pair of CONVERSE sneakers that each will be able to design! Added to that will be a tour of the factory to watch their sneakers be constructed and a very generous gift card for converse.com. Very special thanks go out to Mr. Caterino for all the time and effort he put in to get this sponsorship established! I hope the children get a kick out of this All-Star partnership.
All five RAISE components will be in action again this year. Landry Lessons and Learning Buddies will happen each month. Service projects will continue in each classroom or by grade level. We will have four All-Star Assemblies and four RAISE Family meetings during the course of the year. The assemblies will be celebrations of the student effort related to the RAISE YOUR SMARTS projects. RAISE Families will be opportunities to share and prepare for the contests and fairs while reviewing our five school values. We will be planning two academic challenges (Math Facts Bee and Poetry Challenge) and two academic fairs (Olympic Geography and Science Innovations). The challenges and the fairs will be all-inclusive and should fun and memorable activities for all the kids. More info to follow.
Lending Library is Open
Big thanks to all the volunteers for donating their time and energy in support of the Atkinson Lending Library. This will be the third year in a row that we’ve been able to circulate the collection. Miss Turner and Miss Symonds have been putting in a great deal of time shuffling around shelves along with the picture-books. They have also re-labeled the bookcases and hung some beautiful frames. The classes are very excited about their visits this year. We should be able to get in about 18 trips. My gratitude goes out to all who have come forward to share their time to make the lending happen. THANK YOU!!
The Elementary School Handbook
A copy of the Atkinson Elementary School Parent and Student Handbook has been posted below. The elementary handbook has a great deal of information that I hope you’ll find useful. In the handbook, you will find entries on attendance, birthdays, food safety, homework, health, PTO and our code of conduct that is directly linked to RAISE. Some handbook items apply only to adults while others should be read or shared with your child. I think it should take no more than 30-minutes to review the entire handbook.
As we work to make fewer copies and to promote the use of our school website, I encourage you to download the handbook from the link below, although hard-copies of the handbook will be available in the Atkinson office and/or can be sent home at your request. After reviewing the handbook with your child, I ask that you please sign the bottom portion of this form and return it to your child’s teacher. Our goal is to have all children and families aware of our school procedures and policies. Thank you all for your time and support!
|
|
|
|
THANK YOU, Families!
The teachers and I would like to thank everyone for their donations of classroom supplies! In making any supply list, we tried to limit the number of items requested; we understand that budgets are tight. Please know that the contributions you’ve made to your child’s classroom will go a long way in helping teachers set up the best learning environment and opportunities for your children.
For kindergarten parents, I apologize for the confusion about our supply lists. The school district is working to establish “green” practices in the new early childhood building. Custodial supplies and other aspects of the operation are now more environmentally friendly. While in time our kindergarten groups will take part in greener practices, we will surely take advantage of all of the materials and supplies that you were so kind to donate. Thank you all so much for your support!!!
K-5 Supply Lists
We finally have our grade level supply lists posted here. Thank you in advance for anything you can send in with your children. None of these items should be considered mandatory purchases.
|
|
|
|
Medical Records
Please make sure your child’s health records are up to date. The State mandates that health forms for any new student be completed prior to entry into the school. Please present your child’s health records to the secretary and nurse on September 8th, if not sooner. Thank you!
Lunch Program Info
School lunch costs $2.25 this school year. Milk only is $.60. Students are also eligible for free/reduced lunches based on family income. Please send in those forms ASAP. The School Lunch Program will again offer a “point of sale (POS)” debit system at the Atkinson School this year. This system eliminates the need to give your child school lunch money on a daily basis.
Our Playground
After lots of hard labor over the summer, the playground is just about completed. Big thanks go out to our PTO for the purchase of the new equipment. For many years, through our Mother-Son Jammin' Fun dance, money was raised and saved for the purpose of improving our school play area. We hope the children enjoy years of fun on the new equipment. We would also like to express our appreciation to the crew from Triumph who donated time and energy to the playground construction project.
|
|
|
