Marathon Memo

We are excited to begin offering breakfast at Marathon on Monday, November 18th!

• Breakfast will be free and available to any kindergarten and first-grade student who would like to participate upon arrival.

• Breakfast will be served in a 'grab n' go' fashion from a kiosk in the lobby from 8:45 - 9:00 a.m. Unfortunately, we will not be able to serve tardy students. This is due to staffing and prep time for the 11:00 am lunch.

• Our food service staff will prepare the food and place it in bags. Students will bring it to class and eat it once at class or enjoy it later in the day during snack time. All food items will meet nutritional guidelines.

• Shelf-stable white milk will be available.

• To facilitate the process, students choosing breakfast should have their student ID cards, similar to the lunch process. This ensures we follow all allergy restrictions as we do with lunch. If your child needs an ID replacement, visit: Replacement ID Options

• Students will not be turned away if they do not have their ID card. Students may state their ID number if they are awaiting a new ID or don’t have it with them. Given the limited time window for breakfast, looking up numbers will slow the breakfast line. Helping your child learn their ID number will be helpful. Reciting the numbers to the tune of Happy Birthday has been helpful for many to memorize it.

• Marathon Elementary Breakfast Menu

Marathon is excited to offer this meal time to our students. Talk to your child about breakfast and review the menu. Do you want them to get breakfast? Did they eat breakfast at home and you do not want them to get it? Do you want them to get breakfast to save for snack? Talking with your child about this will be very helpful.

If you have any questions about breakfast at school, please contact Michelle Condakes, the Hopkinton Public Schools’ School Nutrition Director, at mcondakes@hopkinton.k12.ma.us.

Article: Breakfast for Learning: Why the Morning Meal Matters

At our October School Council meeting, we talked about school safety. A swatting hoax had recently occurred at the high school, and the outcome of the discussion was to share aspects of school safety with families.

With all that goes on in the world today, an aspect of school operations that has a more significant presence than years ago is school safety. We promote safety at school and prepare for unexpected situations in an ongoing manner, continually revisiting our plans. The Hopkinton Public Schools have a positive relationship with our local police and fire departments who contribute greatly to our planning and preparedness.

At the district level, school principals are members of the School Safety Task Force. This group is composed of school leaders and community leaders, including police and fire. The SSTF regularly reviews and updates crisis planning and protocols. The details of which are not all public. This is intentional. Publicizing such information makes it readily available to all, including those who may not have good intentions. We are fortunate to be at Marathon. The building was built with added safety features that are not publicized.

At the individual school level, we have a Crisis Response Team composed of teachers, counselors, a nurse, paraprofessionals, and office staff. Our CRT reviews and develops plans that include daily safety practices and procedures. We debrief after an event such as a fire drill to discuss: What went well? What do we need to improve upon? Our plans are regularly reviewed and updated. ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) is part of our emergency plan. It is essential that staff know the plans and actions to take. Given the age of our students, they will not participate in ALICE simulated drills. As a staff, we participated in a situational ALICE drill during our August professional development days. Over the year, students participate in a variety of safety drills including fire drills, bus evacuation, and weather drills. We will practice a Weather Move later in the year. A Weather Move requires staff and students to move into interior hallways and rooms away from all windows, doors, and glass.

These drills are practiced to keep us safe. In talking with your child, you may reinforce everything we do daily to stay safe. You wear your helmet when you ride your bike, not because you expect to fall, but just in case. To be safe. We wear seat belts in the car, just in case. But we don’t expect bad things to happen. Our “just in case” practices mean we won’t have to think about those worries at other times. The more you practice anything, the better you get at it, like drawing or riding your bike. Practicing a plan to keep everyone safe can make children feel more confident.

Throughout the day, our doors are locked. Those visiting the school must access via the buzzer system at the main office. Visitors are asked questions and to step aside for others to come to the camera and state who they are and their purpose for visiting. We do this to avoid “tailgating” (allowing another to enter behind one granted access to the building). Using the vestibule for items dropped off during the school day limits those entering the building. All volunteers including Mystery Readers are CORI cleared via the Hopkinton Public Schools. We ensure that all inside our building, staff included, have this clearance. We have procedures for arrival and dismissal.

Anything out of the ordinary is reported. The “See Something-Say Something” mantra is practiced at Marathon. Staff can communicate through multiple means, including portable radios. There is much to our safety planning and practices. While all is not shared, these plans are robust and continually revisited to ensure they reflect ever-changing times. The procedures for arrival and dismissal help all follow the group plan, contributing to a safe and efficient process. If someone does not follow our procedures from arrival to dismissal, it stands out, and follow-up occurs.

Fortunately, We have a School Resource Officer (SRO), Officer Matt Santoro. The SRO contributes to a well-rounded approach to support student needs, including community building, safety, and crisis response. Visits by the SROs and other members of the police department to simply say “hi” and “how are you?” contribute to a positive relationship. SROs and the HPD will be present when needed and are often present at various times of the day. This does not mean something is wrong, rather they are part of our team who care for our Marathon Community.

To view the November HPTO Newsletter, click here