Braintree's Weekly Update

We had a successful school opening this week! Thank you for sending your caring, creative, and helpful children to Braintree. It has been a pleasure to get to know them in the halls, classrooms, and the playground. Thank you also to our passionate and dedicated staff for a smooth first few days.

Please read on for some important information!

Now that we are back to a more normal school year with fewer visitation restrictions, Braintree is ready to welcome families as partners in our work in creating the best educational opportunities for students. Whether we call it a PTO, Family Advisory Council, or something else, we hope that you will join us. If you are interested in joining a family group responsible for organizing events, advising school decisions, etc. please email Principal Patti Sprague (psprague@orangesouthwest.org) with your name and contact information. We will determine what days/times work best for interested folks.

We are excited to announce the hiring of Jackie Hunt as our new music and band teacher! This new hire changes our specials schedule that was sent in the Family Handbook. The new schedule is:

• Monday - Library
• Tuesday - Physical Education
• Wednesday - Music, Chorus, and Band
• Thursday - Physical Education and Instrument Lessons
• Friday - Art

Jeff Green, elementary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) teacher is still with us, but will not be having a separate class for STEM at this time. Because we do not have school on 9/2, 9/9, or 9/16, music and art will switch for the week of September 5.

Keeping your children safe is our #1 priority at Braintree. As part of our preparedness (and in accordance with state and district policy) we will be practicing three different types of drills during the month of September.

• Evacuation Drill - we practice leaving the building
• Lockdown Drill - we practice getting everyone into a safe space and we are prepared to act
• Clear the Halls Drill - we practice getting everyone into a safe space and our work continues

We do not take these drills lightly, and we are dedicated to presenting these routines to students in developmentally appropriate ways. No drill will ever come as a surprise and families will be notified when they take place. We are working with our facilities team and local authorities to organize the drills this month.

EdReports, an independent curriculum rating company, recently released their 2022 ratings. Carnegie, our math curriculum for grade 6 students, received a perfect rating in all categories (rigor, coherence, and usability)! Bridges, our K-5 math program, also received "green" scores for all categories. We are proud to use these evidence-based programs with our students!

In order to continue building our school community, Mrs. Sprague has visited classrooms to read This Is A School by John Schu. Students brainstormed what a school is, listened to the book, added to the brainstorm, and then created art to represent our school. Students have been remarkably thoughtful about their school community. Third graders in Ms. Robinson's room shared that they think of school as a safe place to make mistakes and a place where we make friends and learn about the world. We are proud that Braintree serves its students as this type of school! All classrooms will be visited before the end of the month.

The first open forum with the superintendent will be held on September 15th at 7:00 PM in the RUHS media center. It will follow directly on the heels of the RUHS open forum that begins at 5:30. There will be two main topics for discussion that evening: what life skills do our students need to participate fully in everyday life that they are not currently receiving, and a discussion of school security and the one door protocol. All are welcome as are your thoughts and ideas. Once the main discussion is over, I open the floor to any other topics folks want to discuss. Based on recent conversations with community members, other topics we should touch on are the side road by the high school, should we have a resource officer, and with some possible funding available after the next legislative session, should we seek to rebuild the high school and RTCC complex.

Please label any items your children take to school, including backpacks, water bottles, coats, lunch boxes, etc with at least their first and last name. It keeps our Lost & Found smaller and makes it much easier to return items when they are misplaced.

Friday, September 2 - Inservice Day - No school for students

Monday, September 5 - Labor Day - No school

Friday, September 9 - Inservice Day - No school for students

Friday, September 16 - Inservice Day - No school for students

Wednesday, September 28 - Picture Day - Order forms will come home soon!

Tuesday, October 11 - Inservice Day - No school for students

Wednesday, October 12 - Conference Day - More info to come!