Dear Lothrop Families,
We often think of the summer as “over” when the 1st of August arrives. I choose to think that we still have lots of sunny days to enjoy. That said, our building is about to be really empty as Summer Institute and the Pittsford Recreation Camp begin to pack up for the summer. Without our Lothrop Learners, we are just a big building. I hope that this finds you well and enjoying the summer days and night.
While today has been a beautiful sunny day, the rain has certainly changed plans for many. A planned project for me was to sand and stain our back porch. After failing to string a few predicted sunny days together I finally resorted to setting up tarps in the form of a huge tent to get the job done! I tend to look at the positive side- it kept my problem solving skills sharp over the summer and I have a like-new porch to enjoy! I was able to spend a wonderful weekend with my two adult daughters, one of them celebrating her 30th birthday-YIKES and I just returned from a fabulous week at the Center for Creative Leadership in NC.
As usual, this is a busy time for our facilities team. The school is shaping up with lots of clean and shiny rooms. They had a bit of an unfortunate setback in early July as we had a pipe burst in the ¾ wing, which in-turn flooded the 1-2 classrooms...which were already cleaned. Not to be discouraged, they have pushed through positively and are in good shape for teachers to return soon. Pittsford volunteers have begun construction to build a ¼ mile walking path on campus. The sod has been removed to create the path and stone will be laid soon. Some of our Summer Institute learners have already tried it out and gave 2 thumbs up! Thank you to the Mullins, Charbonneau and Chmielewski Families, Brad Keith, Tom Grace, Dennis Barbush and Mike Alexander for their donations of time, equipment, work and materials. We will need volunteers to rake stone when it is added to the path. Please let me know if you have a couple of hours to help in the coming days.
As with many new school years we welcome new staff. Lothrop is thrilled to welcome these new members to the Lothrop Family:
Samantha Masterson-Pre-K
Stacey Pearsons-¾ Classroom Teacher
Lori Allaire-6th Grade Classroom Teacher
Nicole Roy-Physical Education and Health
Meranda Bassette-Student Support
Hope Ralph-Special Education Paraeducator
Jackie Proulx-Rutland Mental Health Therapeutic Case Manager
Lothrop Focus
We will continue our work on our RNESU Goals:
Provide systematic academic and emotional interventions and supports for improved student achievement
Support continuously improving instructional practices to meet the needs of all students
Expect all students to read on grade level by the end of grade two
We will also implement Tier lll of PBIS. This is an exciting accomplishment as there are few schools in Vermont with full implementation through Tier lll I am grateful for our PBIS team who attended the training the week after we ended an extraordinary year. This work will dovetail nicely with our social and emotional side of our Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) structure in ensuring that all students have what they need to grow socially and emotionally.We will also be focusing on our Morning Meeting structure and embedding universal restorative practices within this time. This is an important piece to building a community in each classroom. It was difficult to make this happen last year, so to ensure it returns we have a small team that will be doing work to set expectations and compile resources.
On the academic side, last year we Identified that there was a need across grade levels for explicit work with math word problems. Another small team will develop a Pre-K-6 structure for solving word problems and an action plan for implementation. Our strong intervention system will continue and our grade level teams will continue Professional Learning Community (PLC) work at the district level to articulate common assessments and curriculum.
Family Support and Involvement
We look forward to families returning to the building when it is deemed appropriate. We have missed seeing everyone in person. We look forward to the return of Four Winds which has developed an outdoor learning program for the fall and we will continue our Friday Morning Assemblies within guidelines. Information regarding family attendance will come from the district. We will continue to get virtual views of our work when we are able. I am always looking for someone to spruce up our Memory Gardens and I know that our teachers always appreciate any help that you can provide. Again, guidelines to follow.
Lothrop PTO
The Lothrop PTO will continue to meet next year on the second Wednesday of each month. I would expect that they will determine the structure of the meetings at the August budget meeting. I will share this information as soon as it is available. I would like to see some form of virtual option be available as I think that more families are able to attend. Our learners greatly benefit from the continued support provided by the PTO.
Communication
Snapcodes to re-register will be e-mailed to all families SOON unless an email was not provided at registration. In the few cases that an email was not provided, a SNAP code will be mailed separately to you. If you do not receive a code, please email Sara-seddy@rnesu.org or give us a call at the school. When you register online, please be sure that you have included an email that you check frequently. IEP, 504, EST and any home/school meetings will continue to have virtual options whenever possible even when families are permitted in the school. We will be setting up our conference room with a new system that will capture our conference room.
NEW this year will be a platform called Thrillshare. There is an app that can be installed on your phone to view our live feed (just like social media) and receive SMS notifications when there is new and important information. This will be rolled out at the district level. I have already posted a few things on the Live Feed that you can see on our new website. From Thrillshare, my posts will push out to the Lothrop School Facebook Page as well as the @LothropPrinc Twitter Account, the Thrillshare Live Feed, Lothrop website and email. All news will go through this application, so it may look a little different this year. That said, we remain committed to a high level of home to school communication.
For our new families, you can find us at:
Facebook: Lothrop Principal and Lothrop School
Instagram: Lothrop Principal
Twitter @LothropPrinc
**I hope that this is the year that I can utilize Instagram more now that I have the ease of posting in multiple places at once.
Pre-K 3 and new students will receive a hard copy of the updated Lothrop Family Handbook during the first week of school. Please find the updated version on the school website in the coming days.
School Supplies
As always, there is no expectation to send school supplies for your child. In the past, Lothrop Families have asked for a list of supplies that would be helpful. We will be utilizing individual supply boxes again this year and any donations of these items would be greatly appreciated:
Grades K-2 Thick Dry Erase Markers Grades 3-6 Thin Dry Erase Markers
16 count crayons
colored pencils
Grades K-2 Thick markers Grades 3-6 Thin markers
Pencils
Glue sticks
Take home pocket folder
**Items that do not fit into the individual supply boxes will be sent home for your learner to use at home.
Emergency Operation Procedures
Please see the enclosed information regarding instructions on how to respond in the event of a school emergency. During an emergency situation, it is imperative that everyone follows the plan as outlined. You will notice that the information contains appropriate responses. The Pittsford Fire Department, Rescue, Police Department and Lothrop School will continue to share procedures and important information.
Breakfast and Hot Lunch
Meals will continue to be free for the upcoming year for all families. We do, however, encourage families to fill out the free and reduced lunch paperwork even if they do not feel like they will be eligible. This helps with our Title l funding eligibility.
Bus Routes and Schedules
Will be posted on the school website and pushed out through Thrill share and email as soon as they are released from Central Office.
**The structure for drop off and pick-up will look similar to last year, guidelines to come.
**We expect AM recess for all to resume beginning the first day of school.
Upcoming Events and New Info
September 1st-First day of school for Grades 1-6
Kinder students will have a revised schedule for the first few days of school
September 1st - Mrs. Blanchards’ Class Orientation 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (No transportation on this day)
September 2nd - Mrs. Lucas’ Class Orientation 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. (No transportation on this day)
September 3rd - First Full Day of School for Kinder (Transportation provided on this day)
September 2nd-Pre-K Meet Miss Samantha and Miss Kayla @ Caverly
3 year olds drop-in from 8:00 AM-9:30 AM
4 year olds drop-in from 10:00 AM-11:30 AM
Pre-K Screening for those who missed the June screening will be scheduled in the afternoon.
September 7th-Pre-K First Day of School
Pre-K will be on M-T-TH 3 yr olds 7:40 AM-11:00 AM /4 yr olds 11:30 AM-2:50 PM
September 1st-First Day of School for grades 1-6
School begins at 8:00 AM. Students are allowed on campus at 7:35 AM
September 16th @ 6:30 PM: Open House~Tentative
Guidance regarding masks and other protocols will come from the district in the days to come. While the pandemic continues, enough protocols have been dropped so that we can expect a more normal year. We are excited that our learners will return on September 1st~they are the wonder and magic of Lothrop. It remains a true pleasure to continue to lead at Lothrop and I look forward to continuing great work with a positive and talented staff and community. My door is always open. Please reach out to me early with questions, concerns or ideas!
It is ALWAYS About the Learner!
Best,
Debbie
Debbie Alexander
Lothrop Principal
E-mail: dalexander@rnesu.org
(802) 483-2242 X2421