Heath Brook School...

Hello Heath Brook families,

We are excited to welcome and welcome back our students for the new school year! This letter has LOTS of information for families; please keep it handy.

Construction Update

- Last August over 17,000 square feet of the Heath Brook flooded during a flash rain deluge.

- Work was started and completed to re-open C wing, which houses our Occupational and Physical Therapists, Speech Pathologists, English as a Second Language and Reading Specialist Teachers, and Special Education Teachers.

- This summer the second phase of asbestos removal has been completed for the rest of D wing, the main office, and classroom B1. There is new LVT flooring in B wing hallway and the office area.

- The classrooms in D wing are in the process of a major overhaul. Old, leaking, 'greenhouse' windows and doors are being replaced. Updated electrical service and replacement HVAC systems that will provide year-round heat and cooling for these five classrooms will be installed. New ceilings, interior dividing walls and doors should be finished this fall so that new LVT flooring, sink bases, and classroom cabinetry to replace those lost in the water will also be installed.

- We are hopeful that our first grade classes will be able to move to D wing by January (everyone now cross your fingers). In the meantime, they will continue to use A wing classrooms as homerooms. We are incredibly grateful to our Unified Arts Specialists (Music, STEAM and Digital Literacy, PE, Library and Art) for their flexibility as they continue to deliver engaging lessons to our kindergarten and first grade students.

In the meantime, we are getting ready for another new year of fun and learning.

Read on to learn more about important Heath Brook news ...

Terry Gerrish, Heath Brook Principal

There are lots of exciting events in the coming weeks! Add these important dates to your calendar. If you are unable to attend any of these events, and want the information shared, please contact the school office or email jcunningham@tewksbury.k12.ma.us and we will get your request to the person who can provide answers to you.

Monday, August 26

- Kindergarten Orientation/Open House 4:15 - 5:45 p.m

- PAC Welcome to School Play Date 5:45 - 6:45 p.m. on the playground behind the school

Tuesday, August 27

- Preschool Orientation/Open House 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.

- Preschool - PAC Welcome to School Play Date 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.

- Grade 1 - PAC Welcome Back Play Date 5:45 - 6:45 p.m.

Wednesday,August 28 First Day of School

Tuesday, September 18 Grade 1 Open House - 5:30 p.m.

We are so pleased to introduce our newest Heath Brook staff members to you. It takes a village to form strong partnerships to help our young learners. We’re thrilled that each one of these talented professionals is joining our staff, as they bring a combined wealth of knowledge and great passion for working with children.

New to Tewksbury Public Schools:

Ms. Alyssa Collette. Kindergarten. Miss Collette holds MA DESE license #543154 certified in Early Childhood PK - 2, with SEI Endorsement. She holds a B.S. in Education from Framingham State University (Early Childhood Concentration - Commonwealth Honors Program - graduate cum laude). Miss Collette worked last year for St. Monica’s Elementary School in Methuen as a kindergarten teacher. She completed practicums in the Ashland Public Schools and just finished working with Mrs. Cournoyer (from the Dewing) in one of the TPS summer programs. She brings with her the enthusiasm and knowledge of current practices that new Tewksbury educators often do. Her recommendations and references speak to her commitment to teaching, consistency in the classroom, and ability to create and foster a robust learning environment.

New to the Heath Brook

Mrs. Meagan Welch - Preschool DLC Teacher. Previously at the Dewing School, Mrs. Welch joins our growing program at HB.

Ms. Julie Naughton - Kitchen Manager. We are happy to welcome here as she transfers from Center Elementary School.

Names of new Education Support Personnel (ESP)/aides

Mrs. Deb Guttadauro - Supporting students and Mrs. Welch in our preschool.

To be Hired (PHR) - Registered Behavior Technician. Working with teachers and other ESPs to help children acclimate to the routines of school.

ESP to be hired - Will join Mrs. Pagones' kindergarten classroom.

Current/Former Heath Brook staff who have moved into new positions at the Heath Brook

Ms. Jane Doonan - ESP Joins Miss Collette in Kindergarten.

Ms. Nicole Spano - ESP. From Mrs. Paradis' kindergarten class to working with Mrs. Costa in a few kindergarten classrooms.

Ms. Carmen Gonzalez - Moving from Grade 1 to Kindergarten student support

Ms. Andrea Merlino - ESP. Previously jack of all trades as Principal's Support Person, she now will support kindergarten students, working with Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Langlais.

Mrs. Pagones welcomes son Beckett.

Mrs. Hayward welcomes daughter Ivy.

(not really Beckett and Ivy here, but we thought the picture was cute.)

We have a new process that will be rolled out this school year. Accident illness forms, Allergy surveys and over the counter medication forms will be on our new platform Droplet. Please watch for this email to arrive shortly. These forms need to be filled out annually. It is crucial we have the most up to date information on your student for their success and safety.

If you have any medical concerns about your student, please reach out to your school nurse via email to set up a time to speak or meet with them. They will get back to you as soon as they are back from summer break.

We appreciate your support!

In order to strengthen our home-school communication, the Heath Brook is always looking for better ways to stay connected to our students and their families. Below are some of the tools the Tewksbury School District implements to make communication easier and more efficient:

Tewksbury Public School Website: TPS Website Heath Brook Page

Follow us on FACEBOOK – @heathbrooktewksbury

Friends of Heath Brook PAC Facebook Page: Please visit PAC Facebook link to stay up to date on the latest information sent out by the Heath Book PAC community.

Reporting Absences, Drop off and Pick up information via PICKUP PATROL:

We use a system called PickUp Patrol to help track dismissals for our students. PickUp Patrol (PUP) saves us a great deal of time here in the office and reduces interruptions in our classroom. It also provides parents/guardians with a convenient way to make changes to your children’s dismissal plans.

Most importantly, helps us ensure that our students are safely dismissed to their correct after-school destinations.

Use the PUP web app for:

ATTENDANCE: Notify the school office when your child will be absent, arriving late or leaving early. You no longer need to call the office phone if you use this system.

DISMISSAL CHANGES: Submit changes to your child’s regular dismissal plans. For example:

• A student normally rides the bus, but is getting picked up today.

• A student usually goes to aftercare, but is leaving early for an appointment.

How it works:

Your child will be assigned a dismissal plan based on dismissal information in ASPEN. This is the plan they regularly follow on normal days. We call this the Default Plan.

Whenever you have a change to the Default Plan, you’ll submit a change through the PUP website. When the plan is submitted, the school and your child’s teacher will be notified and PUP will relay the change to them. You will also receive a change notification.

All plan changes will now be entered in PickUp Patrol. We will no longer accept handwritten notes with dismissal changes or phone calls to the office, unless it is a true emergency.

Cut off time to make any changes to dismissal is 1:00 PM daily and 10 am on early dismissal days. You will not be able to make changes after that time.

Getting started with PUP:

1. REGISTER: You will receive a registration email from PickUp Patrol with a link to set up your account.The PUP web app is free to parents and you can use it from your smartphone or computer. PUP is not accessed through the app stores. Instead, for easy access, follow the instructions in your registration email for how to add it to your phone’s home screen.

1. Review DEFAULT PLANS: Once you register, log into your PickUp Patrol account to confirm your child’s default dismissal plan. If the information is incorrect, you may change the default plan directly on your child’s page.

Thank you for using PUP to make safety a priority and to ensure our dismissal process is efficient for all our students.

If you have any questions, please first check the https://www.pickuppatrol.net/faq page. If you still need help, please contact Mrs. Cunningham-Allard in the school office or PickUp Patrol at support@pickuppatrol.net.

Please make sure that both you and your student take the time to review the online student handbook. We make changes to the handbook each year and it is helpful for families to be familiar with the handbook and its contents. All parents should verify they have reviewed the handbook by completing the on-line Elementary Handbook Sign Off by Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

Please click here: PreK-Gr.4 Elementary Handbook

Aspen Accounts: Please click here to learn more about Aspen, which is our secure, web-based school information management system that organizes all facets of student data – from attendance to conduct, grades to schedules, transcripts to activities. Tewksbury has been using Aspen for many years with great success. The Student Portal has been implemented and is available to all K-12th grade students.

Each year, we reflect on our drop-off and pick-up procedures to make sure that we have systems in place that allow students to get to school safely and efficiently. We are also pleased that Tewksbury Public Schools provides such reliable, free bus transportation to all students. We encourage families to utilize this resource, as it is an exciting part of our students’ school experience.

However, if you choose to drive your child to school in the mornings and afternoons, we kindly ask that you review the following procedures.

*If your child is late to school, please park in the marked spots and walk your child to the front door/ring the bell and a staff member will assist.

We will be using Pickup Patrol this year to organize attendance and dismissals. See introductory information in a letter that will be sent to each household.

Bus students: Students taking the bus home will be accompanied to bus dismissal locations in school where they will wait in their bus lines until the buses have arrived.

Parent Pickup:

• Parents are responsible for ensuring their child is buckled safely before driving away.

• Parents: Please be considerate of other parents and complete all pickup routines as quickly as possible.

• Preschool parents may wish to park in the lot and walk their child to the door, where they will be met by their teacher.

• K & 1 parents enter through drop off/pick up line. Wait for school staff to move your car to the front of the line. Students should exit car with as much independence as possible so that families behind your car can drop off/pick up their child(ren).

Did you know that the Massachusetts Legislature continues funding so that ALL children can get FREE breakfast and lunch? Please take advantage of this opportunity and encourage your child to order and enjoy school meals everyday! Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria beginning at 8:35 am each morning. For more information on our food service program, please click TPS Food Services.

We actively encourage our families to get involved in their child’s school experience! Keep an eye out for upcoming information on ways to participate as a volunteer or as a member of a council. Consider joining the Heath Brook Community by:

• Serving on the Heath Brook School Council - focus this year will be decided by the members of the Council. Meetings are once a month from October - May

• Becoming a member of our PAC (Parent Advisory Council) See their Facebook Page, or contact this year's PAC leadership: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hbpac/

• Lending a hand at a PAC organized event
  

• Volunteering to support your child’s classroom

• "As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has- or ever will have- something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression."

The Heath Brook School is one of two primary schools that serve students aged three through 7 who learn in preschool through grade 1.

Email: tgerrish@tewksbury.k12.ma.us
Website: www.tewksbury.k12.ma.us/heath-brook
Location: 165 Shawsheen Street, Tewksbury, MA, USA
Phone: 978-640-7865
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathbrooktewksbury