Principal Lima's Family Newsletter

Dear Dighton Elementary Families,

We hope you had a wonderful summer filled with fun, relaxation, and time with family and friends! As we get ready to begin another exciting school year, we are thrilled to welcome our students and families back to Dighton Elementary School.

We can’t wait to see our hallways and classrooms filled with smiling faces, laughter, learning, and excitement again. Our staff has been busy preparing for a fantastic year, and we are looking forward to reconnecting with returning students and welcoming our new students and families to our DES community.

This year, we will continue to Empower, Ignite, and Shape every student. Together, we will empower our students to believe in themselves, ignite their curiosity and love of learning, and shape confident, kind, and resilient learners.

We look forward to welcoming our Grade 1–4 students on Wednesday, September 2, our Kindergarten students on Thursday, September 3, and our PreK students on Tuesday, September 8. We can’t wait to see our returning students and meet our newest Falcons!

We are so excited for all that this new school year will bring. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and get ready for an amazing year ahead!

We can’t wait to see you soon!

#WeAreDR

Sincerely,

Mrs. Katelyn Lima, Principal (klima@drregional.org)

Mr. Kenneth Girouard, Assistant Principal (kgirouard@drregional.org)

508-669-4245

Click below to read a welcome back message from our district's superintendent, Mr. Bill Runey.

We’re here to support you and your child throughout the school year! Below are key members of our Dighton Elementary School front office team. If you need to contact anyone, you can do so by using the following email format: First initial + last name @drregional.org

(For example: Mrs. Katelyn Lima = klima@drregional.org)

👩‍🏫 Principal – Mrs. Katelyn Lima
👩‍🏫 Assistant Principal – Mr. Ken Girouard
🩺 School Nurse – Mrs. Allison Alberto
💬 504 Coordinator & School Adjustment Counselor – Ms. Laurie Silvia
🧠 School Psychologist – Ms. Brigid Callahan
📋 Administrative Assistants – Mrs. Krissy Caldeira & Mrs. Stephanie Hanify
🧩 Special Education Coordinator – Mrs. Jennie Baglini
🗂️ Special Education Administrative Assistant – Mrs. Allison Hanson

If you’d prefer to speak with someone directly, feel free to call the school office at (508) 669-4245.

We’re looking forward to a fantastic year together!

New Parent Pick-Up Process:

Parents should park and enter the building through the gymnasium doors. Doors will be opened at 3:10pm. Inside, locate the table marked with your student’s last name. Please have a photo ID ready, as it may be requested for verification. This process ensures that every student is released only to an approved adult and helps us maintain a safe, orderly dismissal.

Morning drop-off will remain the same.

We know this is a change, but our priority is the safety of every student. Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation as we adjust to this new system over the first few weeks. Once you’ve signed your student out, they may leave with the designated adult.

Class assignments will once again be released through Aspen this year. Families will be able to access their child’s assignment beginning tomorrow, Saturday, August 23rd, by logging into their Aspen account. This system provides a secure and convenient way to view class information, and we encourage families to ensure their Aspen login information is up to date prior to the release date.

Bus routes and schedules should be posted on our school website today, as soon as we receive them from Bloom Bus Company. Please keep in mind that the posting time is subject to change.

We encourage families to check the bus routes again as the start of the school year approaches, as routes and schedules may be updated. Please continue to check our website for the most current transportation information.

Our student information system has a section called "Permissions" that needs to be completed by all new families, and reviewed by returning families. Please be sure to log into your Aspen account and select your "Permissions" for each of your children.

One of the required "Permissions" you’ll be asked to sign in Aspen is the Student Handbook. Please take a few moments to review the handbook to ensure you are familiar with both school and district guidelines. Click below to review our student handbook.

We’re pleased to share that school breakfast and lunch are provided free of charge to all students each day. This ensures every child has access to nutritious meals to support their learning and growth. On early release days, only breakfast will be served, so students should plan accordingly. To help families stay informed, weekly menus can be found in our family newsletter.

While meals are free, milk and water are available for purchase each day for students who would like an additional drink option with their lunch.

As the year progresses, we’ll be offering snacks for purchase in the cafeteria. These will first become available to students in grades three and four. Then, once our younger students have had time to settle into lunch routines, we’ll begin offering snacks to kindergarten through second grade students later in the fall. To keep things simple, students may purchase one snack per day, and because of food allergies and intolerances, they are not permitted to buy snacks for others.

For snack and drink purchases, families are welcome to send cash or checks. However, we also offer the MySchoolBucks website and app, which many families find convenient. Through MySchoolBucks, you can create an account, reset passwords, check account balances, and deposit funds directly into your child’s meal account.

Dighton Elementary School's instructional day begins at 9:05 a.m. Students may enter the building starting at 8:55 a.m. The school day ends at 3:20 p.m., and dismissal will proceed according to prearranged locations.

For PreK Students:

The AM PreK session begins at 8:45am and ends at 11:15am.

The PM PreK session begins at 12:30pm and ends at 3:00pm.

Please inform the school office (kcaldeira@drregional.org & shanify@drregional.org) and your child's classroom teacher of any changes to dismissal plans before 2:45 p.m. each day.

Grade-level school supply lists are available HERE.

If you are in the need of a backpack and/or supplies for your student please contact the building principal.

If you need any assistance with purchasing school supplies, a backpack, or a lunchbox for your child, please don’t hesitate to reach out to klima@drregional.org — we’re here to support you and ensure every student has what they need to start the year off right. We will respect your confidentiality through this process.

September

• September 2: First Day Back Grades 1-4 and Kindergarten Open House 10am
• September 3: First Day Back for Kindergarten and PreK Open House
• September 4 and 7: No School
• September 8: First Day Back for PreK
• September 11: Red, White, Blue Day (more information to come)

October

• October 1: Fall Picture Day
• October 11: DES Chorus performs at Dighton Lions Art Festival
• October 12: No School

Dighton Elementary School

The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District

#WeAreDR!

Website: https://des.drregional.org/

Location: 1250 Somerset Ave, Dighton MA 02715

Phone: 508 669-4245 FAX 508-669-4248

Dighton Rehoboth Regional School District does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected group