Hello Foster Families

Dear Foster's Finest,

Today is the day you have all been waiting for. You will be receiving an email with a letter from your child's teacher welcoming you to the new school year. This is a reminder that we do not publish a whole class list for privacy reasons. Please remember that the staff has put many hours into the creation of the lists, they know your child in the learning environment, and have put great consideration into your requests in the spring. We cannot accept requests to make changes to these lists moving forward.

If you have driven by the front of the school, the work has started to prepare the new pick-up and drop off system at the front of the school. I will be sending out a message to you next week separate from the weekly newsletter. We are going to need your full cooperation to make this work effectively and safely for our students.

I have enclosed a picture of the project taken this morning, and you can clearly see the outline of the new building as the prep work continues. There is a blue object with a white top that is just a bit right and north of center where the entrance of the new school will be. In our meeting this week we learned that the steel for the frame will be arriving this week. After speaking with the project manager yesterday, we are on target for the September 2024 opening.

We are a few short weeks away from having students and staff learning together and I cannot wait!

Mr. Scheufele

Please join me in welcoming our new Grade 3 Teacher, Erin Flynn. Ms. Flynn is coming to us from St. Anselm College. In addition to completing the student teaching to receive her certification, Ms. Flynn chose to take on an additional internship her senior year to further develop her teaching skills. She is excited to be working in our school and has a passion for the profession, which shines through. We are excited to welcome her to be a member of Foster's Finest for the 2023-2024 school year.

We have had a few phone calls about supply lists. The supply lists are found on the District/School Webpage. Please click here to access the page.

This year, due to State Government Assistance, lunch and breakfast will be served free of charge. The monthly menu will be found on the HPS Website, and students who would like a school lunch will simply order it when they get to school. It should be noted that all school provided lunches are peanut/tree nut free. This year, there will also be a continuing breakfast program (also peanut/tree nut free) for students who wish to partake in that. There will be one “grab and go breakfast” offering daily (please see monthly menu).

Please be aware that there will be charges for second helpings and other things like milk when purchased without a lunch. It is recommended (but not required) that families set up an account with SchoolCafe to pay for any of the extra choices. If you choose not to use this to pay for any extras, families will need to send in a check to the cafeteria. The checks should be made payable to HPS Food Services with your child's full name on the subject line.

Please also know that if any of our families need financial assistance at any time or for any reason during the year, they should contact the school Adjustment Counselor, Jaclyn Duggan, or our Guidance Counselor, Danielle Campbell, who will keep all such requests confidential.

Our school day begins at 8:20, and teachers are officially on duty at 8:10 (before that time, they may be in meetings, conferences, or preparing for the day), so it is very important that children do not arrive until 8:10 as there is no adult supervision available. This is the same start time that we had last year. Dismissal will be at 2:30 P.M.

On your child's first day of school your child will come home with several forms that need to be filled out (emergency contact information, etc.). A swift turn-around of these forms will be greatly appreciated as they are very important for the administration of the school. We really appreciate the time that families put into making sure all of the forms are returned, as we understand how busy the first few days of school can be.

A full listing of our fantastic staff will be on our website in September.

Town Ban on Sale/Distribution of Plastic Water Bottles

At the spring 2023 Town Meeting, the Town of Hingham approved a ban on selling and distributing non-flavored, non-carbonated water in plastic single-use bottles. Beginning for the 2023-2024 school year, the school’s Food Services will no longer sell single-use plastic water bottles. As we start the school year, students are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles to school that can be filled out at a water bubbler or a water-filling station.

The PTO is also selling Yeti Water Bottles. We have hydration stations in the school that cool and filter water. Place your order today while supplies last!

Hingham Public Schools has expanded the use of our Aspen Family Portal for the upcoming school year! Your Family Portal provides you access to your student's report card, parent contacts, attendance records, and more. We will be releasing classroom placement via the Aspen Family Portal mid-August, be sure to register soon (directions linked below)!

There will be a coming email on or around August 30th with login information for those who have not yet completed the process.

https://hinghamschools.org/students-and-families/aspen-parent-portal/

The Kids in Action After School Strings program will be offered to 3rd & 4th graders a each elementary schools, beginning in the Fall of 2023. Currently we do not have enough participation to run the program at Foster. If you have any interest please sign-up as soon as possible.

Sessions will run for 15 weeks in the Fall and in the Spring. The Fall session will run September through January and the Spring Session will be February through June. The last class for each session will serve as a performance to show parents the children’s progress. Tuition is $325.00 per child and does not include instrument rental fees. No prior experience with strings is expected for participation. All students will meet for introductory, beginner lessons. Families are responsible for arranging their own rental or purchase of instruments.

To register, click on the desired session time below.

Foster School:

• Tuesday 2:30-3:15, Beginners
• Tuesday 3:45-4:30, Beginners

• Electronic Devices: Please be aware that many experts recommend that children not be on Social Media until at least thirteen years of age. That being said, we understand that personal preference prevails in a given family. We just want to make you aware of the fact that we do not allow students to have their own personal devices (like phones and watches as they are impossible for staff to monitor, and interrupt instruction) that can access the internet in the classrooms. If they do bring them to school (at their own risk) they can be off and in their backpacks. We give them lots of digital experiences by integrating learning with school owned IPADS, Chromebooks, and laptops while taking age/grade level into account. The Foster Handbook has further information on this topic.

• Bikes and Scooters: Students should stop riding when they turn onto the sidewalk leading up to the school. We have so many students and parents and traffic in this area during drop off and dismissal that we ask that students do not ride them until they are on the main sidewalks. This has been very helpful at preventing accidents.

• Don't forget to go to the cafeteria on August 31 after visiting your child's classroom to pick up your Free Foster T-Shirt:

  Kindergarten = Red First Grade = Green

  Second Grade = Yellow

  Third Grade = Orange

  Fourth Grade = Purple

  Fifth Grade = Blue

As you know we will have the building open at 1:45 - 2:30 for parents and student to visit the classroom. The visit to the classroom concludes at 2:30 but our PTO will be in the cafeteria from 1:45-2:45 for families to pick up their Foster T-Shirt for the new school year. Please plan accordingly.

August 18: Class assignments and teacher letters will be emailed to families.

August 28: Popsicles with the principal for incoming kindergarteners.

August 31: Walk-About to the Classroom for ALL Families from 1:45-2:30

September 5: First Day of School for grades 1-5. No School for Kindergarten.

September 6: Kindergarten Meet and Greet and Group Conferences/ Bus

September 7: First Day of School for Kindergarten.