Back to School News 2024-2025

Dear Hawley Parents/Guardians, Teachers & Staff,

I hope that you all have had some time to enjoy summer. Perhaps some travel, reconnecting with family and friends, while making some nice new memories.

That is what I have been doing. I have unplugged, gotten away, and enjoyed time with others as well as some Me Time! My Bride of 31 years and I traveled to the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee with 2 of 3 boys. The older they get, the harder to coordinate schedules. The pic to the right is my Happy Summer Place.

We have been busy preparing for the upcoming school year: Painting and waxing and scrubbing, Oh My! As well as doing schedules, class placements and planning. We are looking forward to welcoming all of our new faces as well as seeing all of the old.... well, let's say... returning faces.

This Newsletter shares a lot of IMPORTANT Information that will be helpful for you to have prior to the start of school. Please read carefully and save pertinent information to reference as needed. Parts of it make for great refrigerator art ;0)

As always, if you have any unanswered questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

See you soon-

Christopher Moretti
Excited Hawley Principal

203.426.7666

morettic@newtown.k12.ct.us

Dear Hawley Families,

Welcome to all of our new families and welcome back to those of you who are returning! I hope you enjoyed a relaxing summer with family and friends. I started my summer at my oldest nephew’s wedding and ended when we dropped my youngest child off at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania this past week. Lots of books, travel, and family fun was enjoyed in between.

We are all working hard to get Hawley ready for your little ones. The start of the school year is a fresh beginning for all of us. We are full of enthusiasm and new ideas. We can’t wait to share it with your kids!

By now, you must also be getting ready for school. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. You can reach me by email at tischioc@newtown.k12.ct.us or simply call the Hawley Office at 203-426-7666. I look forward to working with our amazing Hawley students this year!

Sincerely,

Carla Tischio

Lead Teacher

Here are some Important Dates to Remember about beginning of the year events at Hawley. More information about them will follow when school starts.

• Mon, 8/19- ParentPortal Opens: Find out your student's teacher
• Tues, 8/27: Popsicles on the Playground (for Kindergarten), 3:30-4:30 PM
• Wed, 8/28: K Bus Run, 8:00-9:30 AM
• Wed, 8/28: Student Walk Through- 9:30-10:30 AM
• Thurs, 8/29: 1st DAY OF SCHOOL
• Thurs-Fri, 8/29-8/30: 2-Hr Early Release Days (1:37 PM)
• Mon, 9/2- No School: Labor Day
• Tues, 9/10: Open House K-2, 6:30 PM in gym, 7:00-8:00 PM in classrooms
• Wed, 9/11: Open House 3-4, 6:30 PM in gym, 7:00-8:00 PM in classrooms
• Wed, 9/25- No School: Professional Development
• PTA-Hawley Ice Cream Social- TBD
  

Phone and email are the best ways to contact us at Hawley School:

• Our Main Phone Number is (203)426-7666.
• Staff email is:

last name with first initial @newtown.k12.ct.us

Attendance / Going Home Changes

• If your child is going to be absent, please EMAIL our Hawley Attendance Line (hawattendance@newtown.k12.ct.us).
• If your child is going home early or a different way, please send in a note. You can also call the office as well. Late day changes can be problematic so the earlier we know, the better.
• With the end of the day being chaotic and education occurring until the end of the day, we ask that, barring an emergency, there be no student pick ups between 3:10 PM and dismissal.

Although it is helpful to notify the classroom teacher of absences and going home changes, it is IMPERETIVE that you also notify the Main Office.

Thank You~

Our Dynamic Teachers are excited to greet their students. With some departures and enrollment shifts affecting the number of sections per grade level, we have some teachers in new grades, as well as some new Teachers, Teams and Departments. Those names BOLDED are new to Hawley and those with an * next to them are in a new role. You can see the below section for information on our new teachers.

Here is our Amazing Starting Lineup for 2024-2025

Lead Teacher

• Ms. Tischio

Kindergarten

• Ms. Lubin, Mrs. Mattera & Mrs. Whitmore

Grade 1

• Ms. Albano*, Mrs. Leja, Mrs. Libanio* & Mrs. Massett

Grade 2

• Mrs. Fries, Mrs. Fusco

Grade 3

• Ms. Contento, Ms. Crystal, Mrs. Griffiths & Mr. Poeltl*

Grade 4

• Mrs. Dora , Ms. Markelon & Mrs. Rosa

Art

• Mrs. Bollard & Ms. Griffin

Library

• Mrs. Carlson

Music

• Mrs. Marak

PE

• Mr. Sortino

Spanish

• Senor Pereira & Senora LaFontan

Special Education

• Ms. Howgego, Mrs. Lilly & Mrs. Pisano

Mental Health

• Ms. Fitzpatrick - Psychologist
• Ms. Sollazzo- Counselor

Related Services

• Ms. Staffieri- Speech and Language
• Mrs. Carty- OT
• Mrs. Espitee- PT

Intervention

• Mrs. Vitarelli- Language Arts Consultant
• Ms. Douglass- Reading Teacher
• Ms. Tatto- Reading Intervention Teacher
• Mrs. Hiruo- Math Science Specialist
• Mrs. Cappelli- Math Intervention Teacher

Gifted/Project Challenge

• Mrs. Magness

We have added some terrific new staff this year and are fortunate to have found amazing talent to add to our school.

• Mrs. Pisano joins our special education team and comes to us from the Ridgefield School System.
• Ms. Fitzpatrick is our new school psychologist and she has worked for Bridgeport Public Schools.
• Mrs. Bollard will join Ms. Griffin teaching art at Hawley. She taught art in a New Milford Elementary School.

Please join me in Welcoming the New Staff to the Hawley School Community and wishing them a wonderful school year!

You can learn your student's Teacher Placement on Monday, 8/19, in the ParentPortal in PowerSchool. You need to have an active account to get in. New families have been mailed the information to set up accounts.

If you have any difficulty accessing this information, you can call our main office at 203-426-7666.

Teacher Placement is final. If you have questions, you MUST email your question (morettic@newtown.k12.ct.us). Upon review of your email, I will then reach out to you.

We are excited for our Kindergarten Bus Run and Walkthroughs. I find these 2 events to be a wonderful way to start a new year. It is always a treat to see everyone back together. Hawley is just a building until populated with Staff, Students & Families.

Kindergarten Bus Run

This event is Wednesday, 8/28 from 8:00-9:30 AM. Buses will pick Kindergarten Students up between 8:05-8:45 AM (depending on the route). Students arrive at Hawley between 8:45-9:00 AM. Students not riding the bus or that won't board a bus, can be dropped off at Hawley around 9:00 AM. With the exception of volunteers, No parent or sibling is to ride the bus. Students will meet their teacher and classmates, see their classroom, do an activity and watch a bus safety video. Parents will then pick students up in their classrooms at 9:30 AM where you can then see the classroom and also meet the teacher.

Walk-Through

Again, a highlight of mine each year is the Walk-Through. I just love the excitement of all the kids back in the building and the energy of seeing everyone again. This happens right after the K Bus Run. It is Wednesday, 8/28, from 9:30-10:30 AM. You are free to go to your child's classroom to look around and meet the teacher.

Remember that Hawley has very limited parking. For big events like these, we ask that you park at Caraluzzis and walk over.

PLEASE NOTE: Teachers do have a scheduled Professional Development workshop at 10:45 AM so there will be an announcement for a prompt departure. Also, students are to be monitored and remain with adults.

Buses: HAW buses will drop off students in the bus loop and students may enter the building beginning at 8:45 AM. There are three entrances that students use that lead them to their classrooms. Ample staff are on bus duty and stationed throughout the building to assist students.

Parent Drop Off: Parents are encouraged to have students ride the bus to school. If students are driven in the morning, they are to be dropped off at the designated area in the back of the building between 8:45-9:00 AM. Drivers are reminded not to speed and not to be using cell phones while driving in the school parking lot.

Please follow the signs/cones into the playground blacktop area forming 3 lines facing the playscape. As one line fills, please start another as not to block cars from entering. A staff member will wave you on to the drop off turnaround area. For safety, parents do not exit the car, but rather pull up to the designated area and students exit the car on the right side and enter the building immediately. Please pull up a car length past the door to allow more students to be dropped off, moving the line faster. Staff will be present to assist students in getting out of cars and to monitor safe drop off procedures.

Students are not to be dropped off at the main entrance during Drop Off times. Any student dropped off after 9:00 am will need to be escorted into the building by an adult and signed-in. As it is important for students to be to school on time, this is monitored.

Buses: Hawley students are dismissed to either a Bus Line or a Bus Room. Staff then escort students onto buses at dismissal time. Reed students taking Shuttle Buses, either switch to their home bus or go to the gym pick-up area. Staff will be on duty to ensure students safely board their appropriate buses.

Parent Pick-Up: Parents are encouraged to have students ride the bus home. If you are picking up your child, please note that dismissal begins at 3:37 PM. No car should begin lining up before 3:30 p.m. as the playground is gated and cars can not back up into the driveway as it interferes with buses and traffic on Church Hill Rd. Drivers are reminded not to speed and not to be using cell phones while driving in the parking lot.

Vehicles pull into the Blacktop Playground Area, forming 3 lines (facing the playscape). If at the end of a line, please begin a new line to not block cars from entering. The first day of school, your child will be given a sign with their last name on it. Please display the provided sign (preferably on the passenger’s visor or dashboard). You will be waved around to the dismissal loop and students will be brought to your car. For safety, there is no need for parents to exit vehicles. Staff will be present to assist students in getting into cars and to monitor safe pick-up procedures.

If a sign is lost or another person is picking up, any piece of paper works with the names written large/dark enough to read at a distance. Please make sure that if another person is picking up, the school office is notified and that person knows the procedures.

If a Reed sibling is also being picked-up, we ask that you do not arrive until 3:45 PM (as that is when the Shuttle Buses arrive from Reed) and park in the 3rd line nearest the playground/grass/basketball poles. Students get off the shuttle and will join their sibling in the gym to be picked-up together. No Reed student can be picked up at Hawley unless they have a Hawley sibling also being picked up.

Hawley School only has ONE entrance/exit. The parking lot is narrow and parking spaces are limited. Often it gets tight and crowded as there are buses and cars coming and going, and students walking, especially at drop off and pick-up times. For SAFETY, it is very important to know our Protocols and Procedures and Follow Them.

The Procedures have been clearly outlined above. They will also come home in the PTA Back To School Folders. You can also Click HERE for a printed copy.

~ THANK YOU ~

A walker is defined as a student that walks off the school campus with no adult supervision. If a parent meets a student at school, even if they walk home together, they are considered a pick-up and must follow pick up procedures.

Walkers gather in our lobby, check in with our security guard and then leave. Reed students can meet a sibling in the lobby, check in with our security guard, and walk together. If a Reed student is walking and has no sibling, they will check in with an adult on the bus loop before exiting campus.

It is the responsibility of the parent to determine a safe route home and make sure the student is aware of that route. There are NO school staff that monitors walkers that have left the school property.

Please note that if your child is a walker, they still will be assigned a bus and can use it as needed. Simply inform our main office when they are riding the bus and when they are walking.

There is a waiver that needs to be signed giving permission to walk and taking responsibility for safe routes. This waiver needs to be filled out YEARLY. The waiver is available on the school website. You may also click HERE for the form.

In mid-August, Bus Numbers and Routes will be available online at the Newtown Public Schools website, under Parents Tab, then Transportation, or by Clicking HERE. They will also appear in The Newtown Bee’s Back To School Edition.

Here are some helpful reminders and information regarding bussing.

• Each year, buses are delayed the first few days of school as routes and stops are ironed out and tweaked. The speed of routes depend on the number of students on the bus and, of course, weather and traffic. A routine and dependable time does emerge.
• Bus Passes to other houses, per District Protocol, is usually restricted and/or limited. Parents needing a student to ride a different bus for Day Care purposes need to call AllStar Bus Company (203-304-9779) to determine if there is room on the bus, the school is then notified by AllStar, with the parent following up for confirmation.
• If your child goes to different locations during the week (ex. daycare Tuesday and Thursday) in which bus transportation is available, you can fill out an Alternative Bus Stop Form. The form is available on our school website under Parents then Transportation or by Clicking HERE.
• If you are allowing your student to be dropped off at a bus stop with NO adult present, a Bus Drop Off Waiver form must be filled out YEARLY. The form is available on our school website under Parents then Transportation or by Clicking HERE.
• It is important to be at the bus stop to greet your child. Without a waiver, or for younger students, they will NOT be dropped off if no adult is present. Students are then driven back to school where parents will then need to pick up the student. Although school staff is there to greet them, most students get nervous by this experience.

Your patience the first few weeks is greatly appreciated. At first, please arrive at bus stops a little early and remain at bus stops a little afterward until predictable routines are established. Let the bus company know directly if there are any issues.

You can also feel free to contact the school with any questions that you may have.

Every student at Hawley has access to a Chromebook for instructional purposes. There is no need for students to have any personal devices in school that sync to the internet. If a cell phone is needed for afterschool safety purposes, the Principal needs to be informed and grant permission. The device is to then remain in the student's backpack during the day and on the bus. They are not to be used for videotaping, recording, accessing the internet or texting.

SmartWatches may be worn if used only as a watch. They are not to be used for videotaping, recording, accessing the internet or texting. These watches will also be asked to be put away during testing.

It is the responsibility of the parent to explain these rules to the student. If a device is used inappropriately, it will be taken and the parent will be asked to come pick it up and it will no longer be allowed in school.

We love volunteers at Hawley. There are many opportunities for family members to be involved in our school community as a volunteer. Whether it is as part of the PTA, chaperoning field trips, as a guest reader, helping in the library, or coming in to help with a class activity. All of our volunteers are very much appreciated and valued.

Each school year, volunteers must complete a Background Check Authorization Form and a Volunteer Information Form/Waiver of Liability Form. The District is working on streamlining this process and making it easier for parents. More information will be shared when available.

The following is asked of all our volunteers:

• Please be on time

• Adhere to the parking guidelines (park at Caraluzzis if here longer than an hour)

• Please go directly to the area in which you are helping and leave when finished. Visiting other areas of the building is not permitted.

• It is the expectation that volunteers will work with and assist all children and not just their own child.

• Volunteers are needed to assist the students in the classroom and therefore we ask that younger siblings are not present. Toddlers and babies can divide attention or create a distraction. Their presence at classroom celebrations is at the discretion of the teacher.

Confidentiality is very important to us as a school community. It is our expectation that anything observed or heard while at school is not discussed outside of school.

1. District School Calendar 2024/2025: click here
2. 2024-2025 Supply Lists: Located on our school website under the Hawley Parent Resources tab or Quick Links, or you can click here
3. District Days Off, Early Release and Delayed Opening Days: click here for a complete list. PLEASE Save and Reference throughout the year.
4. Current/Updated Contact Information: It is imperative that our database contains updated and accurate information. This includes, but is not limited to, addresses and all phone numbers, local emergency contacts, and the email addresses that you would like to use to receive school communications. New families have had information mailed to them on setting up accounts.
5. Student Picture Use: There are many wonderful events that occur throughout the year at Hawley School. We love to share pictures of them with you through our website, newsletters, X (formerly Twitter) and the Newtown Bee. We can only use your child's likeness with your yearly permission. You can grant this by updating your student's information in PowerSchool using the ParentPortal. Again, we need permission granted each year.

Our website contains a tremendous amount of information and has the answers to most questions including, but not limited to, dates to remember, forms, handbooks, pictures, access to PowerSchool, PTA information, teachers websites and much more.

Click HERE to visit the Hawley website.

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @hawley_school to see pictures and to learn more about all things occurring at Hawley. You can also see X (formerly Twitter) Happenings on our school website.

• For us to use your child's likeness, we need your permission. Permission must be given yearly. You can grant it via the ParentPortal.
  

Click HERE to go to the Hawley X (formerly Twitter) page.

There is an excitement that starts this time of year. Buildings are clean and look great. Summer paperwork is being completed. Teachers start popping in the building to start preparing. Kids start to wonder about their teacher and classmates. AND, parents start to see light at the end of the tunnel ;0)

Enjoy the rest of your Summer. Do fun activities and make memories with Family and Friends. I am so looking forward to this school year. We continue to get ready to Welcome Everyone Back.

Back to School Activities and Festivities will be here before you know it. The Incredible Staff is preparing and our Terrific PTA is planning for the year ahead. It is going to be Amazing!!!

Please reach out with any questions that you may have. Questions are always better asked then left rolling around the head. I am looking forward to seeing you soon!

Stammi Bene~

Proud Hawley School Principal

Email: morettic@newtown.k12.ct.us
Website: http://newtown.hawley.schooldesk.net/
Location: 29 Church Hill Road
Phone: 203.426.7666
Twitter: @hawley_school