Principal's Message

Dear Thacher Families,

First through fourth grades are off to a great start! We're looking forward to welcoming our kindergarteners next week! I'm going to leave the information below for one more week to make sure our new kindergarten families know our routines.

Drop-off and pickup have gone really well so far but will likely slow down in the middle of the week when we had kindergarten and ELC families. Please be patient as our new families learn our routines.

Kindergarten Families: In order to help us make sure our records are correct, please take a moment to fill out the Transportation Form so we know how your student(s) will be getting home. If you need to make changes to this after the first week, please send a note to the office.

Please use the following link to view breakfast/lunch menus: APS Food Service Menus.

See you soon!

Frank Rich, Principal

Click here to view the Attleboro Public Schools back to school information

Kindergarten Orientation

Tuesday, September 10, 2024.

Students with last names A-L will be from 9:00-10:00 AM.
Students with last names M-Z will be from 10:30-11:30 PM.

Kindergarten students begin school on Wednesday, September 11, 2024.

We use ASPEN as our student information system. Directions below will allow you access to the name of your child’s classroom teacher.

TO VIEW A STUDENT'S HOMEROOM:

FROM A COMPUTER DESKTOP:

Log into your Aspen account at https://ma-attleboro.myfollett.com (If you do not know your username, or need you password reset, please contact your child's school directly.)

Click the 'Family' top tab

Click the name of the student you wish to view

The student's homeroom number and teacher is listed in the middle column of the 'Details' page.

FROM A MOBILE DEVICE:

Log into your Aspen account at https://ma-attleboro.myfollett.com (If you do not know your username, or need you password reset, please contact your child's school directly.)

Click the Menu button in the top left corner

Select Family

Scroll down to see the Homeroom and Homeroom Teacher field

If you have multiple students, you can change the student by clicking on their name at the top of the list and selecting from the dropdown list.

We look forward to seeing you all next week!

School Hours

Our school day runs from 8:45 AM to 3:25 PM. Doors open for arrival at 8:30 AM each day. If your child arrives after 8:45, you will need to park and walk your child into the main office to sign in.

Early release dismissal time will be 12:25 PM (no lunches are served on early release days).

Information Packets

Will go home the first week of school. Please complete the enclosed forms and return them to school with your child as quickly as possible. As we try to move as much as possible to a digital format, this includes the use of Aspen as a way for families to review their child’s demographic and emergency contact information. The, Getting Started with Aspen Student and Family Portals, will help families who are new to Attleboro as well as families who could use a refresher.

You may notice a small change to the student information form, specifically the "Do Not Publish" option. Please make sure you read the explanation underneath which clarifies that by checking the Do Not Publish box, you are identifying that you do not wish to have your child's image, name, work, etc. published anywhere, which includes our yearbook.

New Aspen Login Screen

This evening, the login screen for Aspen will be getting an updated look... but don't worry, you'll still use the same login and password to access the site as usual. This new login screen is the first part in a series of upgrades designed to make the site more secure for families, students, teachers, and staff. If you have any questions, please contact the office.

Attleboro Public Schools New Year Information

Click here to view the Attleboro Public Schools back to school information

Walkers/Car Drop-Off

The James Street doors open at 8:30 am.

Families can either choose to go through the active drop-off loop or park in the main lot and walk their children to the door. We strongly encourage families who live close by to walk to school and families who transport their children to utilize the active drop-off loop.

We understand it can feel like an eternity waiting in the active drop-off line, especially if you have to get to work or some other appointment, but we have timed it and on an average day, it only takes 5-10 minutes from entering the line to pulling away from the school.

Active drop-off loop: (see image below)

The first car in line should always be at the “drop-off” sign.
All of the other cars should be lined up along the curb by the sidewalk in front of the school.
Make sure you DO NOT block the crosswalks.
Make sure your child has all of their belongings and is ready to exit the car when you reach the sidewalk.
Students MUST exit the car on the right-hand side.
Parents MUST stay in their car.
Please do not pass cars in line in front of you. Wait for them to complete their drop-off and pull away when they do.
Once it is safe to do so, pull forward and exit the parking lot.
There will be no parents/visitors entering the building at Car Line Drop-Off.

Dismissing Your Student

If you need to change your student's dismissal routine (e.g. change from taking the bus to getting picked up, dismissing early for a doctor's appointment, etc.), you must send in a note. We recognize that much of our world now communicates digitally, and it's tempting and logical that you would think to email your student's teacher. However, we run into issues when either the teacher is out that day and unable to alert the office, or if the email comes in while the teacher is in front of the class and isn't able to check their email. With all of that in mind, please send in a paper copy of the dismissal note.

Afternoon Pickup Procedures

Our goal is to ensure a safe, orderly, and efficient car rider pickup process. Following the procedures at all times will help us achieve our goal. We appreciate your patience and cooperation.

CAR PICKUP:

Cars should remain in a single file line while waiting in the pick-up line.
Dismissal begins at 3:25. The first car in line should be at the “drop off” sign.
Guardians MUST STAY IN THEIR CAR
Display your family car sign clearly on your dashboard or passenger side window so staff can read your child’s name.
If you are carpooling, please display BOTH students’ names on the car sign. You may add the additional child’s/children’s name(s) on a separate piece of paper, but please write large enough for the staff members to see it.
Stop your car at the curb behind the car in front of you.
Students will be called out to the cars as they pull up to the front of the line.
Children MUST be loaded on the right side of the car.
A staff member will assist your child into the car if needed.
Children will be responsible for buckling themselves in.
Please safely exit the line when the child(ren) is buckled in. Wait for the car in front of you to go.

WALKERS:

Walker dismissal will start at 3:20, and end at approximately 3:30 pm
Staff will be at the door, checking/asking parents for students’ names; students will be called out of line and sent out the door with their parent(s)/guardian. Students will not be released to others without permission.
- Parents/Guardians will meet their children at Door 3 near the gym.

Bus stops/times are posted on the district website. Most answers to questions about transportation including bus stops, the fee for service program, or routes can be found on the APS Transportation Home Page. Should you have a specific question that you cannot find the answer to, please contact the transportation office at 508-222-0012. A reminder that for the first 2 weeks of school, times may be off by 5-15 minutes as everyone adjusts to more traffic on the roads when school begins as well as those families who take that extra minute to give a goodbye hug or words of encouragement. Please be at your stop at least 10 minutes before the estimated time of pick up/drop off. Once two full weeks have gone by, you will have a more realistic, regular time that the bus or van arrives/drops off at the designated bus stop. Thank you for your patience at the beginning of the year.

Communication

This digital newsletter, The Panda Press, is our primary method of communication for schoolwide information. It will be posted in our Attleboro Public Schools app at the end of each week. We strongly encourage everyone to download the Attleboro Public Schools app. This mobile app is the go-to place for district and school events, alerts, documents, and staff directories. Through this app, families can also access Rooms to communicate with your child's teacher. please visit the Rooms Support page for more detailed information and a link to download the app on both Android and Apple devices.

We also frequently post to our school website & Facebook page as well, so make sure to visit it and click “Follow.”

Please remember our staff are working with your children throughout the day. This means we may take up to 24 hours to respond to emails and you may need an appointment to have a meeting. Our clerks, Mrs. Cornetta and Mrs. Alves, are often able to answer your questions. We maintain student confidentiality as required by law and frequently we cannot give out student information over the phone.

If your child(ren) will need medication in school next year, please see your doctor for medication orders. These need to be renewed at the beginning of each school year.

Medications cannot be sent in with students. It must be brought in by a parent/guardian.

Please make sure we have the most up-to-date vaccination records for your child. If your child has any allergies (e.g., food, bees, etc.), please reach out to me to make sure we have that in our records to help us keep your child safe.

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

Lisa Kilfoyle lkilfoyle@attleboroschools.com

Stephanie Rosario srosario@attleboroschools.com

School Nurses

Thacher Elementary School

PTO Updates

Our first Scholastic Book Fair of the year is September 16 - 20. We need your help to make it a success! Please use our Sign-up Genius to volunteer for a block of time to help out!

Make sure to follow their page on Facebook!