September 23, 2016
Hello Hanlon Families,
I am hoping to see many families at our PTO sponsored Family Fun Night on Tuesday, October 4. You are invited to gather on our playground from 4:30-6:00PM. Bring a blanket, chairs, and your picnic dinner, and mingle with other Hanlon families. We will have our traditional game of Tug-o-War and popsicles for all students. Save the date!
One of the many ways to be involved this year is to join our Site Council. The Hanlon School Site Council meets several times throughout the year as mandated by the Education Reform Act of 1993. Our Site Council is designed as an advisory group consisting of parents, school staff, and community members. The Site Council assists in developing goals for school improvement and other school initiatives. Hanlon’s Site Council will have our first meeting from 3:15-4:15PM on Thursday October 20th. We would like to encourage new and returning parents/guardians. If you are interested in serving on Hanlon’s Site Council, please email me at scronin@westwood.k12.ma.us.
Many Hanlon families are planning to attend Westwood Day festivities tomorrow, Saturday, September 24th. Many students in Ms. Goodwin’s art class submitted artwork honoring our public safety departments. The 1 Mile Fun Run at Westwood High’s Flahive Field promotes “School Spirit/Pride.” This inclusive event challenges each school to participate and show their spirit as a group. The elementary school with the highest percentage of students participating and school spirit will be awarded the perpetual trophy to proudly display at their school until Westwood Day 2017. The Sheehan School was awarded the 2015 Westwood Day Trophy. Perhaps Hanlon will be this year’s winner!
Starting the Year off with Technology
Technology integration is alive and well in the Westwood Public Schools. September necessitates a review of our district CLEAR policy for grades 3 -5 (see 3/11/16 blog posting). Meanwhile, students in K - 2 focus on learning a set of responsibilities and understanding that the acceptable use of technology is for learning and education. The CLEAR acronym will be introduced to second graders in a few months.
The start of the school year is also a time to ensure student accounts are active and accessible. Third graders sign into Google Classroom & Drive for the first time. Kindergarteners get rolling with Lexia Core 5 while first and second graders dive into reading with Raz Kids. All students have access to digital math content through IXL. One of the most important messages to students at this time is the protection and privacy of their usernames and passwords.
Blog of previous posts
A Message from Hanlon PTO:
Kidstuff Coupon Book
The PTO is selling valuable, family friendly Kidstuff Coupon Books filled with hundreds of coupons for all ages. Hanlon earns 50% of the profit for every book we sell! Use just a few coupons and save more than the $25 cost of the book.
If you would like to purchase a coupon book, please fill out the order form and include a check for $25 made out to Hanlon PTO. The deadline is this Monday, September 26. If you are not interested in purchasing a coupon book, please return the book to your child's classroom teacher.
Parking Raffle
Imagine not having to arrive at school 20 minutes early just to get a parking spot on those cold, rainy and snowy days! The winner of the Hanlon PTO Parking Raffle will receive a reserved first row parking spot on Gay St. between3:00-3:20pm! Purchase one ticket for $5 or get 3 tickets for $10. Look for ticket order forms coming home in your child's backpack or purchase tickets at the Hanlon Family Fun Night on Tuesday, October 4. The lucky winner will be announced at the end of Family Fun Night. We will also collect dues at Family Fun Night, so bring your checkbooks!
A Message from TMS PTO co-President and Hanlon Parent:
My name is Ariel Mullen and I am co-president of the Thurston Middle School PTO. The TMS Administration and PTO are presenting the movie Screenagers at the high school on Tuesday 10/4 with a Q&A session after. This important movie is about the challenges we face raising children in this time of social media and electronics. While our targeted audience is middle school parents; we all know that children are starting with cell phones, i pads etc even in elementary school, and I think many of your parents would benefit from this information as well. Please see the attached flyer. If you follow the link listed in the flyer you can see more about this movie.
Sept 9, 2016
Hello Hanlon Families,
On Tuesday, we gathered for our first monthly All School Meeting (ASM) in the Hanlon gymnasium. It was so special to see the entire student body and faculty gathered in one room! The vision for ASM is to bring our school together as a community, and to celebrate what is happening in and around classrooms. This year, we kicked off our ASM by sharing a story that came out of this summer’s Olympics: American runner Abbey D’Agostino, and New Zealander Nikki Hamblin, tripped and fell during one of their races. Instead of getting up and running, D’Agostino stopped to help Hamblin up. Neither runner won the race that day, but both gained a new friend. This story and short video clip was used to set our school-wide theme for September and October: Be Friendly. When students are seen going the extra mile to be friendly, they are recognized with a Medal of Friendship that is hung on our Olympic bulletin board in the lunchroom. Throughout the year, we will focus on five different character themes (one for each Olympic Ring).
We look forward to seeing Hanlon parents and guardians at Curriculum Night this Thursday, September 15th. Classroom presentations for students in Grades 3-5 will take place from 6:00-6:45. All parents are invited to gather in the gymnasium at 6:45 for a General Meeting, including my Principal’s Welcome as well as presentations from PTO. Classroom presentations for students in Grades K-2 will follow immediately after our General Meeting. Please remember that this is an adults-only evening. If childcare is preventing you from attending, please contact me for assistance at scronin@westwood.k12.ma.us.
Please remember to update your emergency contact information in the district’s Aspen database. Aspen is available on the District Website under Quick Links. At this point about half of Hanlon families have updated, and we need 100% to ensure that our PTO Directory is correct, and that our main office has the most current emergency information. The deadline to update is September 9th (today). Parents of new students and kindergarten families should pay special attention to the Media Permissions question. In order for students to have their photos in classrooms, on slideshows, in the yearbook and on the website, etc., we need the Media Permissions to say YES. If you have trouble finding the Media Permissions, please email me at scronin@westwood.k12.ma.us and I can do it for you.
School Picture Day is scheduled for Monday, September 19th. We are hoping for beautiful weather and for several volunteers from 8:45AM- 12:30PM to help keep the lines moving, entertain the children, and make sure each student is looking his or her best. If you are able to volunteer some or all of the time, please email Ms. Goldstein at agoldstein@westwood.k12.ma.us, or call 781-326-7500 x8424.
Please send in a note or email your child’s teacher and the Main Office any time your child’s dismissal plans change We prepare a daily bus list for our driver, and it is essential to ensure that we account for all students., and that we know how they get home each day. Please do not bring a neighbor’s child home without first obtaining permission from the parent and alerting the Main Office before leaving school grounds. While well-intended, this practice causes confusion for staff as we do our very best to track each and every child. Safety is our number one priority.
The staff parking lot was resurfaced over the summer, and we lost several parking spaces. As a result, additional staff have had to park along Gay St. We understand that this impacts arrival and dismissal times for families, and we thank you for understanding. Please do not park in the staff parking lot behind the school. Also, when entering the front circle, please adhere to the signs. The circle uses one-way traffic with the entry point by Laura Lane. Some cars have been entering close to main entrance, which causes a safety concern.
Have a wonderful weekend, and keep reading for some important information from our Library and our PTO!
Warmly,
Sarah
A Note from the Hanlon Library:
Calling all potential LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS! Your help is needed with book check-out with the following library classes. You do not need to have a student in the class to help. Training will be provided.
Mrs. Patterson- Mondays-12:45-1:30
Mrs. Kelly- Fridays- 12:45-1:30
Mrs. Sharpe- Tuesdays- 2:25-3:10
Ms. Cavanagh- Mondays- 10:40-11:25
Mrs. Clifford- Tuesdays- 8:55-9:40
Mrs. Stygles- Mondays- 9:45-10:30
Ms. O’Neil- Mondays- 2:25-3:10
Mr. Wolfe- Wednesdays 9:45-10:30 (long Wed.) 9:40 -10:20(short Wed.)
Mrs. Rizzi- Fridays- 11:50-12:35
I will also need some ‘special projects volunteers’ to help with processing books, shelving materials, and other tasks. Training will be provided.
You can send me an e-mail: bsilverstein@westwood.k12.ma.us or complete the Volunteer Form which is available on the Hanlon website.
Thanks so much!
Ms. Silverstein
Notes from our PTO:
The PTO will be collecting Annual Dues at Curriculum night. Dues are $50 per family. Please speak with Mrs. Cronin if financial assistance is needed. Checks should be made out to Hanlon School, PTO. Your dues help to fund classroom supplies for each student, field trip transportation, Teacher Appreciation Week, and enrichment programs including educational, musical and artistic presentations. As a thank you for paying your dues in a timely fashion, the PTO will send a Hanlon School Directory home in your child's backpack later this month, or you can pick it up in person at our Fall Picnic on October 4th.
The Hanlon PTO is sponsoring a fundraiser at Bamboo on Curriculum Night from 5-9PM. 20% of the proceeds will go to our PTO. Just mention Hanlon when ordering. Click here to see the flyer.
The PTO is also running a KidStuff Coupon Book fundraiser. It’s a great way to support Hanlon, and to get discounts at many stores, restaurants, and entertainment spots. Please send in payment, or return your unused book to school by September 29th. We will need Room Parents to help sort and track payments and returned books, so let your child’s teacher know at Curriculum if you would like to be a Room Parent.
Sept 3, 2016
Hello Hanlon Families,
Although it was short, we had a great first week of school!
On Wednesday, we practiced our first fire drill for students in grades 1-5. Students were well prepared by their teachers, and the entire building was safely evacuated in under four minutes. We will practice fire drills and lockdown drills for all K-5 students several times this year.
Thank you to the parents who were able to attend the Welcome Principal’s Coffee on Thursday morning. We introduced our new PTO Co-Presidents, Mary Kate Ferreira and Lynne Weston. Along with Mary Kate and Lynne, the PTO Board includes Amanda Drainville, Susan Garratt, Katie Roche, and Allison Gustie. They are working very hard to publish a PTO Directory of all Hanlon families. In order to make this possible, please go into the district’s Aspen database and update your emergency contact information and permissions right away. PTO Dues are $50 per family (payable by cash or check at Curriculum Night), and are the primary funding source for PTO sponsored Enrichment events, buses for field trips, school supplies, and monthly PTO events. The PTO Directory will be given as a "thank you gift" for families who pay their PTO dues early this fall. The Directory is a great resource for setting up playdates and getting contact information for parties.
Hanlon’s BOKS program will start up in late January. If you are interested in becoming a trainer, there is are several free training sessions already posted to the BOKS website, including Sept. 6,7, Oct. 26, 27, Nov. 16, 17, and Dec. 13.
I have a staffing update to share with families of students who work with Marie Mullen in our Learning Center/Resource Room. Ms. Mullen resigned due to a change in her husband’s job, and has decided to stay home with her daughters. We were all very sad to say goodbye to Ms. Mullen, as she has been a wonderful source of support to Hanlon’s students. I am pleased to announce, however, that Jennifer Maxwell has been hired to fill the Resource Room role. Ms. Maxwell holds her Massachusetts Certification in Special Education, as well as a B.A. in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Lesley University. She has worked at Westwood’s Integrated Preschool, as well as the Igo Elementary School in Foxboro. Ms. Maxwell started on Thursday, and is excited to join the Hanlon community!
We will welcome students back after the long holiday weekend with our first All School Meeting. The ASM planning team is looking forward to setting a new theme for the ‘16-17 school year! Have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
Sarah
August 16, 2016
On behalf of the Hanlon School community, I would like to welcome you and your family to another great year at Hanlon School! As summer comes to a close, I hope you are able to enjoy the last weeks of summertime fun. In addition to completing small projects here at school, I also spent time with family and friends. We traveled to RI, NH, and the Cape. My kids went away to sleep away camp for the first time, and they loved it! We also got our first puppy- a Boston Terrier named Rocco. He is so much fun! I hope that each of you were also able to spend some time relaxing with loved ones and enjoying our beautiful New England weather. This letter will provide you with the September calendar and important information regarding the start of school. The faculty and I are ready for a productive, fun, and safe new school year!
August 31- School begins for students in grades 1-5, Open House for Kindergartners 9-11AM. Extended Day Open House 10AM-12PM
September 1-Welcome Coffee for all Hanlon parents. Come join us in the cafeteria for an informal parent coffee at 8:50 after you drop your child(ren) off!
September 2 and 5- No School- Labor Day weekend
September 14- Early Release, dismissal at 11:50 (no lunch served)
September 15- Hanlon School Curriculum Night: This is always an exciting night for parents, as teachers will provide an overview of the curriculum, routines, expectations, and learning experiences your children will have this year. Classroom presentations for parents of students in grades 3-5 will be 6:00-6:45; the Principal Welcome and PTO meeting for all parents will begin at 6:45, immediately followed by classroom presentations for parents of students in grades K-2.
September 19- Picture Day- Information on school pictures will be sent home in backpacks.
September 28-Early Release, dismissal at 11:50 (no lunch served)
Staff Updates
Ms. Jessica Smith, Learning Center Teacher, will not return to Hanlon. She accepted a position at a middle school in Norwood. We wish her the very best in her new role! Ms. Emily Kessel has been hired to replace Ms. Smith. Ms. Kessel earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Stonehill College and her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Lesley University. Ms. Kessel interned for the ‘15-16 school year at Hanlon and is well respected by staff and students alike.
Please join me in welcoming additional new staff to the Hanlon School:
Ms. Ashley Kelly- Instructional Assistant in 4th grade
Ms. Kyle Jermyn- Instructional Assistant in Learning Center
Ms. Sarah Caparotta- Lesley Intern
Mr. Dick Adams- Evening Custodian
*We are fortunate to have the following staff members returning in different roles:
Ms. Maryann Lavoie- Instructional Assistant in Learning Center
Ms. Maureen Reynolds- Kindergarten Assistant
Arrival and Departure
Children may arrive on school grounds at 8:30 AM when playground supervision begins. Parents are asked to stay outside of the playground fence. On rainy mornings, K-2 students gather in the lobby and students in grades 3-5 gather in the cafeteria.
The bell rings at 8:45 AM to signal the start of the school day, and students are marked tardy if they arrive in classrooms after 8:50 AM.
We allow cars to use the circular driveway to drop off their children for morning arrival only. Please pull your vehicle all the way up to the vestibule, so that two cars can unload at the same time. Children should be ready to exit the vehicle on the side of the car facing school, so they have safe access to the sidewalk. Please arrange car seats for younger siblings to ensure that school-aged children can exit the car safely without crawling over a sibling. If this is not possible, or you need to exit the vehicle to assist with doors, bags, etc., you are encouraged to use the playground parking lot on Gay St. Morning traffic in the circular driveway must be kept moving.
No private vehicles will be allowed in the circular driveway in the afternoon (for parking or idling). The driveway is used for the bus and vans at that time. Families who pick their children up can park along Gay Street and Crofts Regis. Please do not park behind vehicles that are parked in the Gay Street lot, nor in the fire lane. This procedure is not meant to be an inconvenience, rather a means to keep everyone safe. Please share this with other adults who may pick up your child(ren). The parking lot behind the school is for faculty and staff.
Attendance is taken in classrooms. If your child will not be in school, please be sure to call the school office at 781-326-7500 x8424 before 8:30 AM. This helps us to ensure the safety of all of our students. If we do not receive a call, Ms. Anny Goldstein, the school administrative assistant, will call home to inquire about your child’s absence.
Dismissal begins at 3:10 PM on full days, and at 11:50 on early release Wednesdays. Bus and Extended Day students are dismissed first, immediately followed by carpool and walkers, exiting out the Kindergarten hallway door.
Aspen Database
In the next couple of weeks you will be receiving a letter from Superintendent John Antonucci about how to access the Aspen Student Database where you will complete the Parent Emergency Contact information as well as other forms. In his letter you will be given an ID and password for the Aspen database. Please save this ID and password, as you will need it throughout your child’s school years. One important question that you will answer in Aspen has to do with Media/Internet Permissions. If you would like your child included in classroom pictures, the yearbook, in photos from special events, on school and classroom websites and bulletin boards, etc., the Media/Internet permission option must be changed to “Yes” in Aspen. Please know that when Hanlon students’ photographs are used in newspapers, on websites, etc., I request that students’ last names not be used. If you have any questions regarding permissions, please contact me directly.
Elementary Handbook
The Elementary Handbook, which provides additional information about our school, is available on the school webpage, under Forms and Documents. Please review it carefully. You will note that the Handbook is generic, as the information applies to all five elementary schools. Information specific to Hanlon will appear in the Principal Post, which will be published bi-monthly on the school website, with a link emailed to families. If you would prefer a paper copy of the Handbook, please call the school office at x8424. Handbook signatures and emergency contact information is collected electronically through Aspen. Information on the process will be sent from the Superintendent’s Office in the near future.
Headphones- All classrooms are equipped with Chromebooks, MacBooks, or iPads for student use. Families are asked to send in an inexpensive pair of headphones or earbuds for their child to use throughout the school year. Please send the headphones in a large ziplock bag, labeled with your child’s name. Keeping headphones in a bag maintains cleanliness and prevents cords from being tangled. Please contact Principal Cronin if you are in need of confidential financial assistance for headphones or any other school related costs.
PTO
As Hanlon families, you are automatically members of the Parent Teacher Organization. We have a wonderful Hanlon PTO that coordinates many parent volunteer opportunities in the school, organizes and hosts fun family and student events, and does a terrific job of fundraising to ensure that our students have access to amazing enrichment activities and other great events. Please consider becoming involved in the PTO, whether you have just a little or a lot of time to volunteer.
Please join me in thanking our custodians, Mr. Patjane and Mr. Adams; after weeks of cleaning, repairs, and polishing, our building looks beautiful! Ms. Goldstein, our Administrative Assistant, has been invaluable in getting mailings out, welcoming new families, and having supplies and materials inventoried and ordered. The teachers have been preparing their classrooms, taking courses, reviewing curricula, and getting ready for their new students. We look forward to a productive year ahead. I welcome your input, suggestions, feedback and ideas. Your partnership is critical to our success. Enjoy the final weeks of summertime fun, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. The Hanlon staff looks forward to greeting your child(ren), and to working with you to ensure a successful learning experience!
Warmly,
Sarah
