August 12, 2021

 

Dear Bryantville Families,

 

I hope that your summer is going well!   My name is Jennifer Simmons, and I am honored to be assuming the role of Principal of Bryantville.  I will be working alongside Traci Costa who will begin as the new Assistant Principal and Team Chairperson.  As the new school year is fast approaching, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce ourselves to you.  For the first six years of my career, I worked in Easton teaching grades 5 and 6, after attending Stonehill College.  I transferred to Pembroke and continued to teach for nine more years.  Over my fifteen years of teaching, the majority was spent working in an inclusion classroom, working very closely with and co-teaching with the special education staff.  In that time, I continued my education, receiving my Masters degree in Elementary Education and my Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Educational Leadership and Management. In 2015, I became Assistant Principal of North Pembroke Elementary.  During my time in Pembroke, I served as a representative and leader of numerous curriculum committees and district initiatives, allowing me the opportunity to work with Dr. Glaude, Mrs. Arons, Dr. Galligan, and many members of the Bryantville staff.  I look forward to continuing these successful collaborations to lead our staff in best supporting your students and ensuring a successful school year.   

 

For the first 12 years of Mrs. Costa’s career, she was the Director of a preschool while attending Lesley University.  At Lesley, she completed her Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree in Elementary Education. Since then, she has further completed her CAGS in Leadership. Mrs. Costa has been teaching in the Pembroke Public Schools for the past 18 years, first at Hobomock and then at North Pembroke. She is excited to start this new role and utilize her knowledge and experience in the classroom to help support the students and staff school-wide in Kindergarten through grade six.  

 

It would be an understatement to say that last year was a challenging time for our students in Pembroke and in schools across the nation.  It was amazing to see the resilience and flexibility of all members of our Pembroke community as we navigated through a very tumultuous year.  While we continue to take direction from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as well as our local board of health, I am hopeful that we will be able to return to some level of normalcy as we embark on the new school year.  

 

The Bryantville staff is ready to kick off another exciting year of learning for our students!  Our office support staff and custodians have been busy preparing for another exciting year since the students left in June. A huge thank you goes out to all staff who work tirelessly through the summer to ensure the school is ready and prepared for our students in the Fall.  The school is gleaming, schedules are completed, and classroom assignments have been prepared.  Classroom placement letters were mailed earlier this week.  

We will be hosting two additional meet and greets for families who would like to come and visit prior to the start of the school year.  Please join us on either Monday, August 16th from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM or on Wednesday, August 18th from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM. 

Registration

Please register your child for school if you have not already done so.  All new and returning students must register for school using our online registration portal.  For those students returning to us, you should have received an email from the district on July 19 with your child’s “snapcode”.  This code will be required for you to access all parts of the registration portal. You can find the link to the registration portal on our district website under “Enrollment and Attendance”.  If you have any questions, please contact the main office.

 

Staffing Updates

In addition to Mrs. Costa and myself, we have had a few additional staffing changes that were made in preparation for the new school year.

 

We are happy to welcome Ms. Brooke Rinkus as a long-term substitute in second grade.  She will be covering for Mrs. Meghan Power who will be out on maternity leave.  Ms. Rinkus worked as a second grade teacher in Pembroke last year which will allow for a smooth transition for our incoming second graders.  

 

Last year, Mrs. Annie Goode worked as the Grade 1 Cohort D, Remote Teacher.  We are thrilled to have her resume the role of reading specialist this year.  Mrs. Goode worked this summer with many of our younger students in the Summer Early Literacy Program preparing them for this upcoming school year.  We are lucky to have her and her expertise!

 

In addition to these new faces, we have some additional changes.  Mrs. Maria Dunn will be returning to inspire creativity in our Art room, and Mrs. Powell will be moving from grade 2 to grade 3 due to student enrollment numbers.  We are excited to welcome Mrs. Dunn back and to have Mrs. Powell in her new grade-level teaching assignments.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Bittenbender, our school psychologist, has relocated out of state.  Our team is currently in the process of searching for a new school psychologist and are hopeful that we will find someone of the same caliber. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Is the school day the same as last year? 

Our school day for students has remained the same for the upcoming school year. The day starts at 8:15 AM and ends at 3:00 PM.  Students will be marked tardy/late if they arrive after 8:15.  If parents wish to utilize the YMCA before or after school program, information can be picked up in the main office. 

You can help us on the first day of school by sending in a note with any special “end of day” information.  If there are certain days that you will pick up your child from school, a note with these days clearly listed ensures that we do not put your child on the bus.  Without parent notes, we assume that children are taking the bus.

                                                                                                                                

Where can I find the supply list for the new school year? 

To see the supply list for a grade level, go to our school website and scroll down.  There is a Back to School section with a backpack.  Click here to access the lists. There are other important parent resources on the site that you may find helpful as the new school year gets underway. 

 

Where do I find a copy of the Student/Family Handbook?  

The Student/Family Handbook will not be distributed at school.  It is available on our website under the “Parents and Students” tab and then by clicking on “Family Resources”.  This document will be updated soon once the School Committee approves the document.  If you need a printed copy, please contact our office.  A link is provided during the registration process through School Office Pro as well.

 

Am I able to send in food for classroom celebrations?  

We have many children with food allergies. In order to protect our children, our school district has a policy that food and drinks may not be traded or shared at school.  This is also the reason why we do not allow food to be brought into the classroom to celebrate special events such as birthdays and holidays.  Enclosed is a letter from our school nurse.  We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

 

What days are notices sent home? 

Thursdays are “Communication Days” in our school. We use these days to send home newsletters and announcements.  Weekly information is also sent home through Broadcast email.  You should receive these automatically when you register your child on School Office Pro; however, if you are not receiving them, you can go to the district website and under the Community menu select broadcast emails.

 

The school calendar can be found on the Pembroke website under Students and Families.  It lists vacations, early release days, and teacher professional development days when school is not in session.  In addition, please find some important dates to note:

 

Important Dates to Note

        

September 1	First Day of School for Grades 1-6 (8:15-3:00)
September 1	Kindergarten Student/Parent Orientation @ 9:30 or 11:30 If you have a Kindergartener, additional information will be forthcoming.
September 1	Instrument Pick Up The Goulet Music Company will be at the Pembroke High School Cafeteria to provide rental instruments for first year players.  They will be able to provide all your rental needs and method book purchases; there is no need to call ahead.
September 2	First Day for Kindergarten Students
September 3	No School
September 6	Labor Day - No School
September 22	Open House (6:30-8:15) More information about our Open House will be sent when school begins.
September 23	School Picture Day (Make sure to save the date!)
September 29	Early Release Day (Dismissal at 12:45)

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy these last couple of weeks of summer, and we will see you soon!  We look forward to getting to know you and your children as we begin a new school year!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Mrs. Jennifer R. Simmons                          Mrs. Traci A. Costa

Principal                                                      Assistant Principal/Team Chair