• August 23rd: Kindergarten Meet and Greet! 12pm
  
• August 23rd: New Student Orientation! 1:30pm
• August 29th: First Day of School!!
• September 4th: NO SCHOOL Labor Day
• September 6th: Picture Day
• September 6th: Back to School Ice Cream Social! (Rain date 9/7)
• September 18th: First PTO Meeting @ 6pm
• September 25th: NO SCHOOL Yom Kippur

ARRIVAL

Students will be let off of buses and out of cars at 9am. The school day begins at 9:10am, so please plan accordingly if you plan to drop your child off.

Parents will pull into the Visitors Lot when arriving and position themselves in the loop. Students will be removed from their vehicles by staff members at that loop beginning at 9am. Please do not allow your child out of the car without an MES adult signaling to do so as we want to maintain safety.

DISMISSAL

Students will begin to load buses and be brought to parent pick up at approximately 3:30. Parents who are picking up students, please stage yourselves in the Visitors Parking Loop. A staff member will be checking you in via the SDM app (more information coming soon).

Similarly to last year, we appreciate your patience as we work through any kinks at the beginning of the school year. Our hope is that by week two we will be a well-oiled and efficient machine!!

School Lunch and Breakfast Information

Our Region 15 Food Services team is looking forward to inviting students back into our cafeterias! Food Service Daily Menus can be accessed online through the Region 15 Food Services Page. Breakfast will be available daily at no charge to students. Meal prices for the 203-24 school year can be found here.

Payments Options: Families may fund and view students’ meal accounts through an easy online payment system available through MySchoolBucks (Please note there is a service fee associated with this service) or through a check made payable to: Region 15 Food Service Program to be deposited into your student’s account.

Free and Reduced Meal Applications: Free or reduced priced meals are available to all families. Families eligibility will be based on USDA income guidelines. Applications for free or reduced meals are on the Region 15 Food Services webpage and can be obtained anytime during the school year from the Food Services Department or the Main Office.

Any questions about the Food Service Program should be referred to Meghan Sullivan, Director of Food Services at 203-758-8259, ext. 1026, or via email: Meghan.Sullivan@Region15.org.

Be on the lookout for a Start of School Year Food and Nutrition Services newsletter!

Bus Routes and FirstView® app:

Families will receive a School Messenger regarding their students’ bus route assignment within the next week. Bus route information can be found on our Region 15 website on the Transportation page when they are available.

Region 15 uses an app called FirstView® to allow families the ability to track their student's bus routes. This system allows families direct access to the status of their student's bus and will provide alerts when their student's bus is close to their pick-up/drop-off locations.

Follow the link to read How to Set up and Register your FirstView app.

If you are new to the district, your student’s ID number will be included in the back to school information you receive and will allow you to register to use the Bus App.

Please fill out the Alternate Transportation Form (linked below or on the Transportation Website) if you are requesting bussing to/from an alternate address.

• A “Hello Parent” email will be sent from a member of the Region 15 team this shortly.

• ALL parents: You will need to add the SDM App to a smartphone, tablet, or web browser.

• For new families an email will be forthcoming with your usernames and password. Families who have a login from last year, you will keep your same login information. SDM sends an email out to each family so if you already have a login your credentials will be blank when the email comes.

• IMPORTANT: All students will be defaulted to their bus. Please note: If your child will not be taking the bus you will need to log into SDM and make a change. For example, if you are going to pick up your child, you need to log in and make that change, otherwise they will board their bus home.

• School Dismissal Manager will start on day 1, Tuesday 8/29/2023

• If you are picking your child up at Parent Pick Up, please have your name displayed on the dashboard with your pin number. If you need us to create another card for you, please email Lisa Zinno at lzinno@region15.org. Kindergarten and new students will be receiving these automatically.

Lindsay Olive, RN, is a Middlebury native and even attended MES as a child! She has been a nurse since 2009, has worked in various areas of healthcare, and is pursuing a Master’s in Nursing Education. Nurse Lindsay enjoys traveling and prefers the beach to pretty much anywhere else! Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her sons. She is thrilled to be a part of the MES family!

Hi! My name is Sue Paddock and I am so excited to work with all of you! I just retired at the end of this school year after 42 years as a special education teacher. I loved teaching so much that although I retired, I'm not quite ready to stop working with children completely yet. In my free time, I love spending time with family and friends. I have three beautiful daughters that I love to visit every chance I get!

Joann Kloss is happy to join the faculty and students at MES this fall. She has enjoyed many years working with students in Region 15 as a first grade teacher and is delighted to have the opportunity to engage with students at MES

Hello, I'm Sandy House, a dedicated professional who recently relocated from Missoula,

Montana to the great state of Connecticut. With a wealth of experience, I have a passion for

education and a commitment to nurturing the potential of all students. I'm excited to bring my

expertise and enthusiasm to the Pomperaug Region 15 school district!

MES is on Instagram! Please follow us

@middleburyelementary

We will be posting plenty of pictures for you to stay "in the know!"

Email: hpellicone@region15.org
Website: http://www.region15.org/mes
Location: 550 Whittemore Road, Middlebury, CT, United States
Phone: (203) 758-2401
Twitter: @MiddleburyES