Greetings Pembroke Hill Families! We are excited to see you at the start of school on Tuesday, September 3rd ! As we prepare for the return of students, we wanted to provide you with updates and information to assist you during your Back to School preparation.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns at 603-485-9000 or office-phs@sau53.org

WELCOME BACK!

Teacher assignments for grades 1st-4th, will be made available through ALMA on August 12th. Kindergarten assignments will be available in ALMA August 16th.

If you do not know your Alma Parent login- you can email office-phs@sau53.org

8/12, 8/13, & 8/14 - Kindergarten Assessments (by appointment only)

8/26 - 8/29 - First PHS Staff Days

8/29 - SCHOOL WIDE Meet & Greet (please see schedule and times below)

8/30-9/2- No School, Labor Day Weekend

9/3 - First Day of School for Students Grades 1-4

9/3 - Kindergarten All Aboard (please see schedule and information below)

9/4 - Kindergarten First Day of School

9/10- No School for students- NH Primary Day

This is for returning students ONLY.

If you are new to PHS this school year, you do not need to complete the updates and permissions.

**PLEASE NOTE - ALL UPDATES MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE START OF THE YEAR. STUDENTS MAY NOT ATTEND FIELD TRIPS IF WE DO NOT HAVE UPDATED INFORMATION.

ALL students returning to Pembroke Hill School will need to have their annual updates and permissions forms completed in ALMA Start prior to the start of the school year. These digital forms update our ALMA database with all current contact information, medical and permission forms. These digital forms replace the packet that was sent home in the past.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Your parent/guardian ALMA login information. "Please email office-phs@sau53.org if you need assistance.
• The link to our tutorial - CLICK HERE
• Contact information for the child, parents/guardians, emergency contacts, child's physician, etc.
• Updated documents may be required (I.e. - immunization records, custody information, etc.) There is an opportunity to upload this information into ALMA OR it can brought to the school office prior to the start of school.

For medical Information - Mrs. Mayer, School Nurse (kmayer@sau53.org)

For registration information - Front office (office-phs@sau53.org)

Kindergarten Families,

Congratulations! You are the proud guardians of a Kindergartener in the Fall!

We would like to formally welcome you to the Pembroke Hill School community! If you are already a part of our community, we are thrilled that you have another child you will be sharing with us.

Fall will be an exciting time for you and your child! Kindergarten is a fun year filled with learning, friends, and growth. It is a time for children to develop a love of learning, gain knowledge, and practice social skills. We aim to provide all that through engaging activities in a nurturing environment.

Kindergarten Screening - August 12th, 13th and 14th

In August, we will be completing our Kindergarten screenings. Teachers will be looking at your child’s knowledge of letter names and sounds, name recognition, counting and number knowledge, knowledge of shapes and colors, etc. This information provides us with a great starting point in meeting your child’s individual needs from day one.

Sign up is required. Please contact the main office at office-phs@sau53.org for more information.

All Aboard - September 3rd

Tuesday, September 3, 2024 is a special day for our kindergarten students! Once all 1st - 4th grade students have safely arrived at school for their first day, the buses depart for a special kindergarten only bus run. All kindergarteners and their families are invited to ride the bus to school where they will have the opportunity to see the school, visit a classroom and meet the teachers and staff. After a brief visit, students and their families will board the buses for the return trip home. Here is what you can expect for this shortened first day:

At 9:00 Bus pick - up begins. Please wait at the bus stop closest to your home. Bus routes will be posted at Hill School and Three Rivers School one week before school begins.

9:15-9:30- Buses arrive at Hill School. Kindergarten teachers will meet all children and their parents/guardians in the multipurpose room.

After a quick introduction, students will head to the classrooms with the teachers and the parents/guardians will stay in the multipurpose room to meet with administration.

10:00 - Parents/Guardians and children reconnect in the multipurpose room for the return bus ride home.

10:15 - Buses depart Hill School.

We look forward to meeting all of our new learners and their families!

Thank you,

PHS Administration and The Kindergarten Team

On August 29th, we will host a school wide Meet & Greet/Open House for you and your child. You may stop in, during the scheduled times for each grade level to meet your teacher and take a quick tour of the classroom prior to the first day on September 3rd. This will be a time to see the room and meet the teacher. We ask that if you have information to share about your child, that you schedule a separate meeting with the teacher.

Classrooms will only be open during the scheduled times.

Kinder & Fourth 1:00-1:45

First, Second & Third 1:45-2:30

OPEN HOUSE

This year we are combining Meet & Greet and Open House into one event, to be held on the dates and times listed above.

Later in the school year, we will be offering a replacement event focusing on the students' learning.

Once these dates and times are determined, we will share the information with families.

Free and reduced lunch applications will go home with students on the first day of school. We

encourage ALL families to fill it out and return in an envelope.

Even if you do not think your child will get school lunch/breakfast often or do not believe you qualify, we are still asking for all families to complete the application. Title 1 Funding is determined based on these applications and we want to make sure our information is an accurate across the school. This information is kept confidential.

**Costs are not final and may be subject to change.

Breakfast cost: $1.40

Lunch cost: $2.60

For additional information please visit our school website - CLICK HERE

The September Lunch Menu will be posted the week before school begins on the PHS website.

Arrival - 8:00 am

• Please Note: No child may NOT be dropped off at school before 7:40 am.
• Students must be in the building by 8:00 to avoid being marked tardy.
• Arrival staff begins entering the building at 7:58 to ensure they are ready for their students promptly at 8:00. If you arrive from 7:58 on, please bring your child to the front office.
• A parent MUST sign a child in at the office, they may not come in unattended.
• Tardies start promptly at 8:00am.

Dismissal - 2:20 pm

Student Pick Up and Drop Off Procedures

• Perley Avenue/Rowe Avenue is for bus pickup and drop off only.
• Parents and caregivers will use the Belanger Drive entrance for pick-up and drop-off.
• Please practice buckling and unbuckling of car seats with your child. Staff will not secure a child into the car. If you need time to perform these tasks, we will ask that you pull off to a safe area and assist your child.
• Parents must remain in their vehicles when dropping off and picking up. If you need to buckle your child, we will have you pull forward to a designated area to do so.
• ALL PARENTS PICKING STUDENTS UP IN CARLINE MUST DISPLAY THEIR PICKUP NUMBER FROM THEIR REAR VIEW MIRROR. ONLY A SCHOOL PROVIDED PLACARD WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR SAFETY PURPOSES. THEY WILL BE PROVIDED AT MEET AND GREET AND THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
• For the first week of school, you may use your pickup number from last year. After the first week, you will need to display the most current tag.

Dail Transportation would like to verify transportation for all bus and non-bus students for the 2024-2025 school year.

You can either call them directly at 603-736-9682, email Linda Beaudoin at lbeaudoin@ridesta.com, or they will be available at the Pembroke Town Library on the following dates:

August 14th, @ Pembroke Town Library from 4:00-7:00

August 27th, @ Pembroke Town Library from 2:00-5:00

ALL Students transportation must be verified before the first day of school.

This year we will have 4 Unified Arts classes: Art, Music, Physical Education & Library. Instead of having a class on the same day each week, we will have a waterfall schedule where students will attend each class and then start back at the beginning of their rotation. When there is no school due to scheduled holidays or an unexpected snow day, the rotation will resume when we return to school. At PHS we use colors to keep track of the rotation: Red Day, Orange Day, Yellow Day and Green Day.

Once Classroom teachers are assigned in Alma, you can visit the PHS website to find the Unified Arts Schedule for each teacher. Click the "For Students" Menu and select their grade level to see what class they will have each day.

A great way to help younger students track the schedule, is to write the list In order (With the color) on a paper on your fridge. When they get to the bottom of the list they will start back at the top. Students will often remember what they went to the day before to check if they need sneakers or library books that day.

August is officially here and it's time to start thinking about setting students up for success in the coming school year! Here are some suggestions that might help students prepare to return in September:

• Use the last 2 weeks of August to slowly adjust back to school year bedtimes/wake up times.
• Practice a routine in the morning that will help everyone be ready to leave on time: eat breakfast, get dressed, pack snack/lunch, brush teeth etc.
• Label items like backpack, lunch box, water bottles and sweatshirts. Many students can not identify their own items (especially if they are new) but items with names are returned directly to students.
• Talk about going back to school, the conversation will give children a chance to share if they are excited, nervous and support their feelings.
• Younger students who are car drop off/car pick up can practice doing their own car buckle as parents remain in their vehicle during drop off/pick up.
• Pack a picnic and see how your child does opening containers and eating a lunch/snack independently. Then practice any areas that were tricky.
• Reconnect with friends, meet up at the playground or a playdate. It's easier to face a new year with a friend!

If you are interested in volunteering and/or being a chaperone you must have fingerprints and a background check through the state on file with the SAU. This process can take a few weeks, so it is best to plan ahead so that a delay at the state does not hold you up. Please contact the PHS main office to begin this process and get the rest of the instructions. If you were fingerprinted in the past and are unsure if your records are up to date, then you may call the main office to check your status.

**IMPORTANT Change to volunteer documentation - As part of our school board policy, volunteers must participate in one activity within the last year to maintain their current fingerprints as active. In order to ensure that we document this correctly, ALL volunteers must sign in at the front office and select VOLUNTEER at the kiosk. If you fail to sign in, you may be required to be fingerprinted again in the future.

Please reach out via office-phs@sau53.org if you have any questions.

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