Dear Dorchester Parents,
It has been wonderful to welcome you and your children back to Dorchester over the past week, whether in-person or remotely. Please see below for some important information and updates.
Back to School Night
Back to School Night will be virtual this year, with your children's teachers presenting and answering questions via Zoom or Google Meet. Please save the dates and be on the lookout for more information from your children's teachers and me via email as we approach these evenings. The teachers' virtual presentations will be live but will be recorded in case any parents are unable to attend.
Wednesday, September 16
6:30 - 7:15 Kindergarten
7:15 - 8:00 Grade 1
Thursday, September 17
6:30 - 7:15 Grade 2
7:15 - 8:00 Grade 3
Tuesday, September 22
6:30 - 7:15 Grade 4
7:15 - 8:00 Grade 5
Face Coverings
Please note that face masks with exhalation vents or valves are not permitted in school. Additionally, gators are only allowed if they are thick enough to pass the birthday candle test, meaning that a child cannot blow out a birthday candle while wearing the gator. Lastly, please ensure that your children's masks are the appropriate size for them and fit their faces snuggly so there are no gaps near their noses, cheeks, or chins.
Accessing Special Area Lessons
All information for your children's daily special area lessons are posted in their SeeSaw accounts for K-2 and Google Classrooms for Grades 3-5. Some lessons are live via Zoom or Google Meet, while others are videos or assignments that students can complete at their own pace. If you have questions about the assignments, please contact the individual special area teachers directly. You can view the schedule of daily specials for each grade,
as well as tutorials for SeeSaw and Google Classroom, on our
Dorchester Remote Learning site,
Birthday Celebrations
We have an updated
Birthday Celebrations Menu for 2020-2021. It is also posted on our website under "Parent Info." Please help your child select activities from the menu and let your child's teacher know of his/her choices at least one week in advance of the day when your child will be celebrating in school.
Arrival
Please note that the Dorchester staff is available to supervise students at our school entrances beginning at 8:00, so we are unable to allow students to exit their cars until that time. Additionally, parents should not exit their cars at any time on the car line to assist their children as it is a dangerous due to traffic passing along the left side of the cars. If your child is unable to unbuckle him/herself, please wait to pull all the way to the front of the car line to help your child.
Dismissal
Each child received a yellow piece of paper in school with his/her name on it for parents to use during dismissal. Please be sure to display this on your passenger side visor (NOT the dashboard) during the car line so that our staff can assist in helping your children get to your cars. Additionally, just as I noted above for arrival, parents should not exit their cars on the car line and can pull up to the front if they need to step out to assist their children.
I appreciate your continued collaboration in ensuring a smooth and successful school year for your children.
Sincerely,
