Hello Foster Families

Dear Foster School Community,

We are starting to see an increase in COVID cases in the area. I know this is not anyone's favorite topic given the past few years, but COVID is still here, and we are under guidance as to how we are to operate when a member of the school community has COVID. I thought it would be a good time to put out the guidelines for how we manage when a student has COVID, so here is a link to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's guidance. I am also including it below for you to read.

We had a wonderful PTO meeting this morning! What a well attended meeting!!!! Thank you to everyone who has given their time to help make the PTO an organization to be very proud of. We have a large amount of information in this newsletter. Please take the time to review the upcoming events that our PTO is organizing over the next few months. We need your participation to help make sure the funding is there for all of the field trips and curriculum enrichment activities that our PTO sponsors. Your participation is very much appreciated.

Finally, thank you to everyone for addressing the dismissal concerns. I did have a wonderful conversation with a few parents and concerns about how busy the line is initially, and the pressure to get our youngest students into the car and buckled in effectively. If parents in K & 1 pick-up students (and their older siblings if any) five minutes into dismissal, the initial wave of pick-ups is complete and it feels more relaxed. This allows the initial rush to be completed and provides the time to help get our littlest students into their vehicles safely. I hope this helps, especially for families with young kids not yet in school.

Happy Friday! Rain Rain go away!

Mr. Scheufele

• Quarantine is no longer required nor recommended for children or staff in these settings, regardless of vaccination status or where the exposure occurred. All exposed individuals may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic. Those who can mask should do so until Day 10, and it is recommended that they test on Day 6 of exposure. If symptoms develop, follow the guidance for symptomatic individuals, below.

• Children and staff who test positive must isolate for at least 5 days. If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, they may return to programming after Day 5 and should wear a high-quality mask through Day 10:

• If the individual is able to mask, they must do so through Day 10.

• If the individual has a negative test on Day 5 or later, they do not need to mask.

• If the individual is unable to mask, they may return to programming with a negative test on Day 5 or later.

• Symptomatic individuals can remain in their school or program if they have mild symptoms, are tested immediately onsite, and that test is negative. Best practice would also include wearing a mask, if possible, until symptoms are fully resolved. For symptomatic individuals, DPH recommends a second test within 48 hours if the initial test is negative.

• If the symptomatic individual cannot be tested immediately, they should be sent home and allowed to return to their program or school if symptoms remain mild and they test negative, or they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their symptoms are resolving, or if a medical professional makes an alternative diagnosis. A negative test is strongly recommended for return.

September 27 - Curriculum Night

• Grade 5 5:30-6:30 PM
• Grade 3 6:00-7:00 PM
• Grade 2 6:30-7:30PM

Attached please find a link to the recording of the Into Reading community information session from Tuesday, September 12th. Into Reading is our new reading program that we are implementing this year.

Into Reading Parent / Community session

https://hmhco.box.com/s/4vg1jsvfu910j870xl1qpt5phplvnvwg

The new elementary school that will replace the current Foster School is set to open next fall. We are excited to see the building continue to take shape as construction is well underway. At this time, we are welcoming the community to share their suggestions for names of the new building.

We will complete two rounds of surveys. The first survey collects suggested names. The results will be shared with the School Committee later this fall. After narrowing down the names, we will provide the community with an additional opportunity to provide feedback on the names remaining.

Once a name has been identified, the School Committee submits a warrant article to the Select Board to be considered for a vote at the Spring Town Meeting. Town bylaw states that naming a municipal building requires approval at Town Meeting.
The survey will be open through the end of October. See link: hinghamschools.org/survey

Thank you for your participation in this exciting process!

The Hingham Education Foundation is excited to announce the return of their beloved annual Spelling Bee on Sunday, November 5th. This is a fun-filled, community event for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders that helps fund grants for the Hingham Public Schools.

Online registration will be open via the HEF website starting October 2nd and until each grade reaches capacity (30 teams max per grade). This event has become very popular so be sure and register as soon as possible!

Important Information:

• One parent captain will register the entire hive on the HEF website

• You must have a ‘hive’ name to register so give that a thought prior to registration!

• Each team or “hive” consists of three students who attend a Hingham public elementary school

• Each hive costs $90 to register ($30 per student). Credit Card only.

Mental health is a topic of utmost importance, and we believe that by working together, we can create a supportive environment where our children can thrive.

As we start the new school year, we want to remind you of the invaluable resources available to our community.

• Aspire Health Alliance To Make an appointment 617.847.1914 In a Crisis 800.528.4890

• Quincy Family Resource Center 617.481.7227

• Plymouth Family Resource Center 774.283.6531 aarcuri@baystatecs.org

• South Shore Coalition of Independent Therapists Find a licensed mental health provider near you

• The Baker Center for Children and Families 617.232.8390

• Boston Child Study Center 617.800.9610

In addition, Care Solace offers mental health care coordination services and can help connect you and your child with appropriate community-based providers. Whether it's counseling, therapy, or other mental health services, Care Solace can assist you in finding the support your family may need.

To access Care Solace's coordination services, simply reach out using the following options:

Call 888-515-0595: Their multilingual helpline is staffed 24/7/365.

Visit www.caresolace.com/hinghamschools: On their website, you can explore mental health providers independently or click "Book Appointment" for personalized assistance through video chat, email, or phone.

By joining hands and working together as a community, we can provide a nurturing and inclusive environment that supports the mental health and well-being of our youth. Let's continue to prioritize their emotional growth, and together, we can create a brighter future for our children.

Thank you for being caring and involved parents and guardians in the Hingham Public Schools. Your dedication to supporting our youth is truly commendable.

The PTO Has so much to share this week please make sure you read everything!

• 11/16 - 7 pm PTO MTG – Foster Library

• 1/9 - 8:30 am PTO MTG – Foster Presentation Room

• 3/13 - 7 pm PTO MTG – Foster Library

• 5/10 - 9 am PTO MTG – Foster Presentation Room

• 6/6 - PTO END OF YEAR THANK YOU 7pm Location TBD

With over 200,000 lego pieces to play with the kids had a blast building lego cars for their zip line as well as making their own creations together! Thank you Macy Gelfand and all of our Lego Volunteers for making this happen! A special shout out to Christine Longden who drove all over Hingham picking up Lego donations!

The Robotics Club had our first session. We were introduced to the challenge for the year. Students began assembling the challenge materials as we began our journey together!

Grade 4 students across Foster, East, PRS & South Schools are leading the charge to raise money in order to send school supplies to students affected by the wildfires in Hawaii. Between lemonade stands across Crow Point and curriculum night our Foster’s Finest students raised over $1,200 so far! We will have another table set up next Wed at the final curriculum night. Be sure to stop by! A big thank you to Caitlin Riley and Eileen Farrel for helping spearhead our efforts at Foster!

Please note we are using a new photographer this year, Coffee Pond Pictures. Coffee Pond is known for their beautiful outdoor photography as well as their affordable prices. With that said all of their pictures are taken outside using natural foliage. Below is a flyer outlining ordering information but the bottom line is all you have to do is go to http://www.coffeepond.com/ and order directly from there. No school code needed, just use the drop-down list to select your town and school. If the weather or construction prevents us from taking pictures outside all students will still have the natural foliage background.

Do you love to be around books?

Sign up to volunteer at the Foster library. Mrs. Quinlivan is in need of helpers to come in throughout the year to help kids find books, organize books, return them to the shelves, and catalog new books. No prior experience is required but you will need to have a CORI on file. This is a great low commitment way to volunteer! You may come in as little or as much as you’d like and even arrange to be there when your child’s class has library day!

If you are interested, email: maryelizabethwing@gmail.com

Please note we are using a new photographer this year, Coffee Pond Pictures. Coffee Pond is known for their beautiful outdoor photography as well as their affordable prices. With that said all of their pictures are taken outside using natural foliage. Below is a flyer outlining ordering information but the bottom line is all you have to do is go to http://www.coffeepond.com/ and order directly from there. No school code needed, just use the drop-down list to select your town and school. If the weather or construction prevents us from taking pictures outside all students will still have the natural foliage background.

Our FOSTER FUN REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN - 09/22/2023

Register on MYBOOSTER.COM

The Foster's Fun Run is a 13-day program kicking off fundraising on 10/6 and culminating with the fun run on 10/18. During the week leading up to the run students will focus on a different theme each day at school learning how to become a World Changer (Find a Need, Write a Plan, Rally a Team, Launch it now & Grit it out). Students who wish to participate can work to get pledges for how many minutes they can run and receive awards/prizes for achieving milestones. At the end of the week, students who want to participate will run up to 35 minutes to high-energy music. Special accommodations will be made for any student who may require them. The Fun Run will take place in the grassy area behind the playground during school hours. Look out for more information in the coming weeks. For now, mark your calendars with these key dates!

● Foster's Fun Run Kick Off - 10/06/2023

● Event Day - 10/18/2023

Questions? Visit the FAQ or feel free to reach out to Meg Tomasello (mgrier77@yahoo.com) for more information.

• As our Foster's Finest are getting back into the groove of school, let's help them to get back on track with separating & recycling trash as well. On Friday, 09/29 and Tuesday, 10/03, 4 Slash the Trash Volunteers will guide our students at lunch.

• Volunteer for a 70min-session over lunch at the following sign-up

• https://forms.gle/eeoved94uLFJxUPd8

• Did you know that out front, Foster school has many different pollinator plants which are beneficial for many different bees, insects & butterflies? Some have already bloomed like Wild Bergamot, Butterfly Milkweed or Golden Alexander, some are blooming right now like the New England Aster & others, like the Common Milkweed, have fed Monarch caterpillars which have created their chrysalis to become Monarch butterflies again right in front of our eyes.

• The different plants now have little name tags so you can identify them for your own little pollinator habitat.

• Tipp: Fall is a great time to seed since many of these native plants need the cold of winter to germinate in spring.

• Foster school & its community have proven to be very flexible & creative over the years & even more so during the current construction. To keep everyone safe & construction-equipment-obstacle-courses to a minimum, it has been decided to move the beloved Walk & Bike to School Day to a (hopefully) construction-wise calmer period in Spring. More time to practice these bike riding skills!

Green Team begins on October 4 for the students who enrolled in the program.

Thank you to all of our Foster’s Finest parents who have volunteered to be a room parent for this school year. All teachers and classes should be hearing from your room parents soon! A special shout out to our Room Parent Coordinator, Anna Mancuso, for leading the charge! In the interim should you have any questions please reach out to your classroom parents below:

FRIDAY OCT. 20th

We are almost sold out! Have you registered yet?

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsJdmVQn3xrzrtMr0q5d-SmNmXe8OqG0v6kSN5djYxV4BetA/viewform

Not golfing on 10/20? You can still help us run the event day logistics! If you’re available to volunteer please email sadler.melissa@icloud.com

Date: Friday October 27th, 2023

Time: 4:00-5:30pm

Location: Foster Playground & Adjacent Parking Lot

• All 19 Classrooms will be assigned a parking space number in the Foster Parking Lot for their classes designated Trunk or Treat car to be parked.

• Stay tuned for more information from your Room Parents on how to help!

• This is NOT a drop off event; kids must be accompanied by an adult.

• This will be a “nut free” event.

• A DJ will set up near the playground area with music and fun activities for the kids.

• Everyone is encouraged to come dressed in their costumes: kids, siblings, parents, teachers, faculty…

• Parking will be limited in the larger Foster Lot due to the trunk or treat cars so please try your best to plan accordingly, walk if applicable etc.

• Please advise Families to keep their Dogs at home for this event

• There will be a contest for the top 3 decorated cars Judged by Foster’s Finest Teachers

Last Year’s Winners Were:

o 1st PLACE – Healey Gr 5 “Garden of Doom”

o 2nd PLACE – Rapson K “Spooky Safari Jungle”

(Rapson has won 2nd place two years in a row)

o 3rd PLACE – Sinanan Gr. 3 – Jurassic Park

The 5th grade committee is up and running and always looking for volunteers to help out with all of the various activities throughout the year! If you’d like to get involved please email Renee Cedorchuk, rcianelli@gmail.com and Adrienne Ramsay, adrienne.ramsey@gmail.com. Thank you to everyone who has paid your dues thus far!

FOR ALL THINGS PTO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Foster PTO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095302822577

@Foster_pto_02043 on Instagram:

https://instagram.com/foster_pto_02043?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Check out our website too: www.fosterpto.com