Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is amazing to see our community come together to celebrate our diversity! We had over 20 tables that represented cultures from around the world and from our very own Harrison community! Thank you to all the parent volunteers who made specialty dishes that represented their countries, designed activities, and made detailed visuals that taught all our children who participated. Children traveled with their passports and received stickers. They were excited to learn about people different from their own experiences. The time and effort that you all gave to provide this experience are appreciated by all the Harrison Community! 

As we are moving closer to summer, I want to make sure everyone takes advantage of purchasing books for your child to read in the summer from our Virtual Book Fair. The sale ends on June 14th. Please see the details from our PTA newsletter for information on how to order.  The secret to reading growth is very simple. Children who read continue to grow as readers. Make some book choices from the book fair that are engaging for your children and also support our PTA at the same time. 

As it gets warmer and warmer please remember to have your children bring in water bottles they can access during recess and continue to bring in towels in a separate bag that children can use. It has been extremely useful and students are definitely used to the routine. Thank you all for your continued support to finish this year strong!

Warmly,

Mr. Garcia

Upcoming events in June…

June  7 - 4th Grade Character Connections

June 11 - Spring Concert for students only.  Grades 3-5 will attend. (Rain Date June 14th)

June 11 - 3rd Grade Storytellers

June 17 - 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony (Rain Date June 18, more information to follow)

June 21 - 5th Grade Party (Rain Date June 22)

June 23 - Volleyball / Pizza Party - 12:15 dismissal

June 24 - Last Day of School - Clap Out - 12:15 dismissal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope this letter finds everyone enjoying a restful, short break as we enter into the final month of the school year. Memorial Day weekend is a time where we should enjoy the company of friends and families, but most importantly remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to allow us to live in the country we all call home. I also think it’s a time to recognize those who currently serve or have served in the armed forces. Thank you to all those in our community who have served in the armed forces or have lost loved ones in pursuit of freedom.

Thank you to all those who had made Field Day 2021 a huge success! Our teachers, faculty, staff, and parents made it possible to spend the day outside as a community practicing the themes of fair play and sportsmanship. Thank you to our fabulous Physical Education teachers, Mrs. DeVito and Mrs. Adams, for planning and preparing an event filled with activities to help teach our students valuable lessons.

Just a reminder, there will be no school on Tuesday, June 1st. This day is a giveback for an unused snow day.

On Wednesday, June 2nd, we will celebrate our annual Multicultural Day. Thank you in advance to all those parents who are preparing food and educational experiences for our students to visit different cultures all at Harrison School. Last week, this event was canceled due to weather, but as of right now the forecast looks positive. We hope to see you all there.

See below for our upcoming events in June…

June   1 - School Closed - Snow Day Give Back

June   2 - Multicultural Night

June   4 - Virtual Book Fair (ends on June 14)

June   4 - 4th Grade Character Connections (Rain Date June 7th)

June 11 - Spring Concert for students grades 3-5 (Rain Date June 14th)

June 11 - 3rd Grade Storytellers

June 17 - 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony (Rain Date June 18, more information to follow)

June 21 - 5th Grade Party (Rain Date June 22)

June 23 - Volleyball / Pizza Party - 12:15 dismissal

June 24 - Last Day of School - Clap Out - 12:15 dismissal

Please see attached flyer for Brain Camp this summer that is located at Riker Hill Elementary School. The program is for students entering 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade. 

Thank you all for your continued and future support in making the end of the year amazing for our children!

Sincerely,

Mr. Garcia

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are officially off and running with our new routines for our full day of school! Thank you all for sending your children ready with all the supplies they need. Please continue to make sure students bring their towels, lunch, and baggie for recess. As the weather is getting warmer please consider packing students with water bottles to have access to in their baggies so that they can stay hydrated!

Our Multicultural Night is Wednesday, May 26! Thank you to all the parents who are hosting tables to represent and teach our children about our diverse populations that live in our community! Students will be taking a tour and filling out their passports as they learn so much about what makes us unique and special. Please refer to the times and information for this event on our PTA newsletters. Masks must be worn during the event, with the exception of when you are eating or drinking away from the tables. Thank you in advance for continuing to keep our community safe.

We are excited to be having our Field Day on May 27th for our students! Grades 3-5 will be from 8:25-11:15 and Grades K-2 will be from 12:15-2:25.  Teams will be dressed in either Blue or White, as designated by their teacher, for that day. Please make sure that your child is ready for the elements (Hat, sunscreen, etc.) and also bring a labeled water bottle. If your child is a virtual student who will be participating in school, please let your classroom teacher know, and make sure to fill out a COVID tracker form before your arrival and report to the Kindergarten Blacktop to have your child’s temperature taken. The COVID tracker must be shown on a phone or printed out.  Any virtual students who will not be participating on-site for Field Day will receive asynchronous field day activities that will be shared by their homeroom teacher. 

Thank you all for your continued support to make the rest of the school year exciting and memorable for our children!

Sincerely,

Mr. Garcia

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are excited to add our lunch and recess period starting on May 10th! There are a few items I would like to clarify that will help us facilitate the lunch and recess block of time for the rest of the school year.

1. Parents are encouraged to pack lunch in a disposable bag.  This is not necessary but could be helpful.

2. In addition to a lunch box/bag, I want every student to bring a labeled drawstring or additional bag to hold their lunch and their towel together. This bag will make it easy to keep their towels and lunch boxes clean and orderly as they are playing at recess. Please label this bag on the outside with your child's name that is easily recognizable.

3. A letter detailing procedures for ordering our cold lunch options will be communicated soon by the district.

Sincerely,

Mr. Garcia

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are very excited about our return to a full day on Monday, May 10th. The school day will increase for all of our students and that increased time will be beneficial and exciting for our children. Please know that we are taking every measure to make sure this transition is as safe as possible and we appreciate all your help in making it happen.

Morning Drop Off

The doors will continue to open at 8:00 am. All parents must continue to show their COVID tracker form. Students will be temperature checked before entering the building.

Dismissal

Dismissal for students will be between 2:30 and 2:40 depending on their grade (See staggered dismissal times below). Teachers will exit through their grade level’s dismissal door and wait to hand children directly off to a parent or guardian. Please utilize parking in town as frequently as possible. You can also use the parking lot, but please note that there are limited spots available and you may need to circle around if you can’t find a spot to park and pick up your child. We are utilizing one side of the parking lot to help assist with quick student pick-up. If you are only picking your child up, you may line up on the left side of the parking lot as you are entering, get your child and return immediately to your car. Please be mindful as you are blocking somebody from getting out. If you are planning to spend time with your child on the playground, please do not park in our school parking lot. 

Staggered Dismissal Times (See dismissal doors below)

Kindergarten (Media Door #6) - 2:30 pm

1st Grade (Middle Blacktop Door #9) - 2:35 pm

2nd Grade (Middle Blacktop Door #10) - 2:35 pm

3rd Grade (Middle Blacktop Door  #8) - 2:40 pm

4th Grade (Door #3) - 2:40 pm

5th Grade (Door #2) - 2:40 pm

Snack 

Please pack your child with ONE snack. Now that we are having lunch it should be something quick and easy to eat. 

Lunch 

Students will eat lunch socially distanced in both indoor and outdoor areas. Please make sure that students are prepared for any weather as we will be utilizing outdoor spaces at every opportunity possible. Please make sure your child continues to bring a towel every day as it will be used for lunch in addition to snack. 

Parents will have the choice to purchase cold lunch options (Bagel, Turkey sandwich, ham and cheese, tuna sandwich, etc.).  All lunches must be preordered by 11:00 pm the night before. Beverages for lunch can only be ordered if the child is purchasing a cold lunch option. District instructions on where and how to order will be provided later this week.

Students who are bringing their lunch will be encouraged to make sure it is simple and, if possible, in a disposable bag with their name on it.

Recess 

During our recess periods, students will be required to wear masks at all times. Please remember to pack additional masks for your children, as they may need replacements throughout the day. We will be utilizing all our property to distance our students and we will have systems in place for sanitizing any equipment students use between recess periods. We will also make sure students sanitize before and after recess and lunch periods. 

Thank you all for your continued efforts to make our pivots successful at Harrison School. Please continue to take all precautions. As a community, if we work together, we will finish this year strong and have a blueprint to support our efforts for the future.

Warm regards,

Mr. Daniel Garcia

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week was a very exciting week at Harrison School! The hallways were filled with more energy than they have had in a long time as we accepted back more of our 3-5 students for the first time. I hope everyone had an amazing Spring Break and that you enjoyed Easter or Passover if you celebrate.

As I venture outside at dismissal, it makes me so happy to see children playing on the playground! You may have noticed that the playground has been updated with multiple pieces of equipment for our children. Thank you to the PTA for investing time, money, and love to get us the equipment that will serve our children for many years to come! If you are not yet a member of the PTA, please sign up. On most Mondays, you will notice that we send out newsletters with updates from the PTA. All these updates allow us to fund projects for our children. There are many fundraising and volunteer opportunities available and they all make a great difference in our children’s lives! 

Thank you to all the families that communicated their travel plans with us. As we continue to make plans for increasing the school day, it is very important that we continue to remain vigilant in keeping our community safe by adhering to all our protocols. Please continue to communicate travel plans with Mrs. Milano to make sure we isolate, if necessary, and please fill out the daily COVID tracker.

Also, since we are seeing more students in the building each day this is also increasing the number of parents/guardians picking up at dismissal. As the weather gets warmer,  please utilize parking in town as frequently as possible. You can also use the parking lot, but please note that there are limited spots available and you may need to circle around if you can’t find a spot to park and pick up your child. We are utilizing one side of the parking lot to help assist with quick student pick-up. If you are only picking your child up, you may line up on the left side of the parking lot as you are entering, get your child and return immediately to your car. Please be mindful as you are blocking somebody from getting out.  Please walk to your teacher to pick up your child. We want to make sure that no students run across streets or parking lots. If you are planning to spend time with your child on the playground, please do not park in our school parking lot. 

Spring Parent-Teacher conferences have been rescheduled to the week of April 26. During that week, afternoon small group sessions will be canceled to make time for teachers to meet with all families. Your teachers will reach out to you to schedule conferences at some point this week. Also, report cards for the 2nd Marking period were made available on Friday in Genesis.

Our teachers and staff at Harrison are working tremendously hard and we also appreciate your efforts. Thank you for all that you are doing to continue to support us at Harrison School.

Warm regards,

Mr. Daniel Garcia

Dear Parent and Guardians,

We are very excited at Harrison to be welcoming back our Kindergarten-2nd grade students for in-person learning tomorrow, Monday, March 15th. Just a reminder that students who have chosen in-person learning in grades 3-5 will return for 5 days a week in-person instruction on April 5th. Everyone at Harrison has been working very hard to make this transition seamless. Families of students returning for the first time, please make sure to read my correspondence sent out on March 11, 2021. The letter details procedures we have been using since the start of the year to keep our community safe and healthy. Thank you all for taking the time to review this document. 

For our 3rd-5th grade students, Wednesday, March 17th is a Cohort A day. We look forward to seeing those students on Wednesday.

This month is National Nutrition Month. At Harrison, we are going to be recognizing healthy food options to contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Mrs. Milano will be sharing a read-aloud discussing the topic and we will spotlight healthy snack choices throughout the week. Please see the flyer from Mrs. Milano detailing the importance of healthy eating for our children, and know that we are working together at school to help foster this very important life skill.

Warm regards,

Mr. Daniel Garcia

Dear Parents,

We are preparing to "Spring Forward", both with Daylight Savings Time and in welcoming more students for in-person learning beginning next week. Please click here to review the detailed plans for Harrison School.

Warm regards,

Mr. Daniel Garcia