Anne T. Dunphy Newsletter

Our newsletter will typically be sent home via email every other week. This is our primary mode of communication, and lots of important information will come home this way! Current and past newsletters can also be found on our website: www.burgyschool.org

We are looking forward to a wonderful school year! Please reach out to us if you ever have any questions!

We look forward to welcoming our preschool families next week!
Drop in Open House - Monday 9:00-10:00

First Day of Preschool - Tuesday!

On the weeks a newsletter is sent home, a link to the menu will also be included in the newsletter.

We have included a screen shot of this week's menu below as an example of what you might see when you access the menu.

Our school also offers a school breakfast for students. The breakfast menu is included each week along with the lunch menu. To access breakfast, students come inside the building as soon as they arrive at school between 8:15-8:30.

Our first PTO meeting of the year will take place on Thursday, September 3rd. The meeting will take place on the playground, and kids are welcome to stay and play!

If you're new to our school, this is a great way to get involved in some of our favorite events of the year! There are all kinds of ways to help, from tiny jobs, to larger tasks. Don't be intimidated... it's a welcoming crew!! Stop in at the meeting and check it out!

In the past several years, we have moved to asking that toys, stuffed animals, and playing cards remain at home (grades K-6). This shift proved to be positive for our school community, and will remain part of our school community.

We do know that often a comfort item can be really helpful for a student to have close by. If they come to school, they should remain in students' backpacks. This helps the items to remain safe and avoid heartbreak for lost/broken treasures. Thanks for your support with sharing this message at home! Please know that our staff is always willing to work with families during periods when a child might benefit from an individual plan around a comfort item.

(Please note: We understand that some classrooms have 'sharing' as part of their classroom routines and this doesn't apply to those instances!)

Thanks to all of the families who took on a week of garden care!!

Fire Drill

Next week will will hold our first fire drill of the school year, with the support of members of the Williamsburg Fire Department. Each class will have a chance to practice routines around this safety response ahead of time, and students will be notified of when this fire drill will take place. We will hold these practices throughout the year. Members of the Fire Department are also actively engaged with our school community throughout the year during events such as Fire Safety Day and Field Day! This is a great opportunity for our students to become familiar with and feel safe around these community helpers.

Lockdown Practice

In addition to fire drills, we also hold regular lockdown practices with the support of our state and local police departments. These drills are approached in a very similar way with our students. We often frame fire drills as a way to practice what we might need to do if there was an emergency during which we needed to leave the building, and a lockdown drill as a time to practice what we might need to do if we needed to stay safe inside our building. Families will be notified after each lockdown drill.

Members of our local police department are also frequent visitors to our school community, and become familiar faces. Some of our classes have even had the opportunity to visit the Safety Complex to see their offices!

Shelter in Place

Building Security

Doors to our school are locked throughout the day. Visitors can access our building via the doorbell at the main entrance. We are lucky enough to live in a community in which we know so many of our families and caregivers, but please don't be offended if a staff members asks you to confirm your identity!

The safety of our students is of the utmost importance to us. This is always at the forefront of our thoughts, but even more present each time our country experiences a school tragedy, such as the recent events in Winder, Georgia. Having clear and consistent safety protocols , framed in an honest, but age-appropriate way, and strong partnerships with our community first responders will continue to be an important part of our school community.

At some point this year, we will open an on-line Willi-wear store if families would like to purchase additional gear for the kids or families!

September 1st ~ 1st day of Preschool

September 3rd ~ PTO Meeting 3:15

September 7th ~ School Bus Demolition Derby @ Three County Fair, 2:00

September 16th ~ School Committee, 5:30

September 21 & 22 ~ School Photos (More info to come)

September 23rd ~ 1/2 day a for students (11:45 dismissal)

September 24th ~ Open House 6:00-7:00

October

October 12th ~ No School, Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 13th ~ No School, Professional Development for Staff

Email: sjenkins@hr-k12.org
Website: www.burgyschool.org
Location: 1 Petticoat Hill Road, Williamsburg, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 268-8421
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063877785225