Dear Cabot families,

Welcome to the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. I hope the summer of 2018 was relaxing, restful, rejuvenating, or whatever you had hoped it would be. We look forward to having the return of students in less than two weeks. We are ready for our second and final year at the Carr School. I am confident with the return of many of our great teachers and support staff that we will have another year of success. The dedication of these teachers is evident as many of this year’s teachers have already begun to return and set up their classrooms. They are ready and looking forward for the year to begin.

I am excited to begin my 2nd year at Cabot at Carr. In my first year, I was witness to students with wonderful talents, teachers who were committed to student learning, and a transition to the new school with relative ease and comfort. I look forward to having an equally exciting and successful year two. As always please don’t hesitate to contact me or your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

This year we will maintain our arrival and dismissal routines from this past year. We will be continue to use the School Pass system for dismissal as well as reporting your child’s absences. You will be receiving an e-mail as a reminder to set the default for your child’s dismissal routine. Remember that we use this system to monitor both student absences and afternoon transportation (including changes to the after school routine). When you set the default for dismissal as well as when you make changes throughout the year this is the primary mechanism for teachers, the office, and staff on bus duty to ensure your child is dismissed to the correct location. Thank you, in advance, for using this online system to report changes to your child’s dismissal routine and absence from school.

The bus schedule is located here on our school web page. While we only have the time when the bus starts their route, plan to arrive at your child’s stop based on the bus starting time each morning. These times may get adjusted as the routes and timing are worked through during the first few weeks. You will be notified of any changes. In addition, I would recommend you help your child remember their bus stop on the ride home. We are confident in our procedures to ensure your child is on the correct bus, but your child may need help knowing when to get off the bus on the way home.

The first two of weeks of school, as your child gets off the bus in the morning their teacher will be in front of the school. We unload one bus at a time to make sure each child can find their teacher. For our younger students we will have plenty of adults that will help ensure no one gets lost or confused. Classroom teachers will wait out front until all buses arrive before they enter the school. The teachers will then walk the class into the school together. Parents who drive their children to school are invited to wait with their child where you can say goodbye’s prior to your child entering the building. As teachers walk their class into the building it will help create a positive sense of community, support, and independence for students success.

This year you will continue to see the routines and structures that allow students to reach their fullest potential while here at Cabot. We are also expecting a year of planning for the transition back to our Cabot home next summer. As you may have seen when we moved to Carr, moving schools requires a great deal of organization and structure to keep current routines running as well as thinking about the future. The staff is aware of this balance and we appreciate your patience as we work through this process. As we head into the spring we will be working on many aspects of the transition to the new building such as transportation, mural development, classroom assignments, a new mascot, drop off routines, pick up routines, opportunities for students to visit the school, and even a time for parents to come into the building before the first day of school in 2019-2020. We will be communicating all of these dates and routines as they get closer.

Attached are the class assignments at your child’s grade level. I am sure you realize that your reaction to the class placement for next year can have a significant impact on your child’s response to the assignment. You can best help your child by listening to any concerns and conveying your complete and sincere confidence that he/she will manage quite well with the new teacher and classmates. As you review the list with your child, point out old and new friendships. Remind him/her of the positive aspects of a fresh start and the opportunity to establish relationships with new classmates and friends. Change is difficult for many of us and can cause excitement, fear, anxiety, or a sense of loss. Understanding these feelings and helping your child manage them is an important coping skill to model. Remember that many thoughtful hours went into this process and the decisions were made with careful consideration of each child’s needs. We want each and every child at Cabot School to have the most successful year possible. As in the past, all placements are final. I thank you in advance for your support. We invite you to visit Cabot at Carr on Thursday, August 30 from 2:30 – 3:00 PM to see your child’s classroom and teacher. Students and parents are welcome to this open house visit.

Classroom teachers for the 2018-2019 school year are:

Kindergarten: Lynda Cain - 101, Julie Ann Kelly - 102, Marisa Aftandilian - 141

Grade One: Heidi Lucas - 103, Molly Williams - 104, Olivia Bernow - 142

Grade Two: Amy Martins - 212, Lindsay Olson - 213, Deb Morris - 214

Grade Three: Peter Wong - 116, Brittany Glynn - 115, Blair Bishof/Lucy Couture - 117

Grade Four: Brenna Green - 201, Matthew Miller - 202, Katie Bowler - 204

Grade Five: Joe Guarino/Lindsey Mallette - 205, Steve McCarthy - 203, Leah Callahan - 105

The following are important dates which you may want to be aware of to start the year:

August 28 -      Presentation and school tour for new parents grades 1-5 - 7:00 - 8:00 PM

August 30 -      Open house for parents and students to visit classrooms 2:30 - 3:00 (PTO provides popsicles)

September 4 -   First day of School grades 1-5 and kindergarten group A

September 5 -   First day kindergarten Group B (no school kindergarten group A)

September 6 -   New family welcome and tours 5:30 - 6:30

September 7 -   School spirit day (first Friday of the month students wear your Cabot t-shirt/gear)

September 10 - No School - Rosh Hashanah

September 12 - School Council Meeting - 5 PM in conference room

September 17 - Community Supper - 5:00 PM CARR field

September 19 - No School - Yom Kippur

September 21 - Community Supper rain date

September 23 - Cabot Connecting/Boston buddies Ice Cream Social 3 PM

September 25 - Curriculum Night grades K-5 6:00 PM

September 27 - Early Release Day - students dismissed at 12:30 PM

September 28 - CABOT PTO/CASP movie night

October 1 -      First full day Kindergarten Group A

October 3 -      Library Volunteer training

October 4 -      First full day Kindergarten Group B

                       Picture Day

October 5 -      School Spirit Day

Our core values remain in place as we promote a positive school culture here at Cabot!

Take Care of Ourselves  Take Care of Each Other  Take Care of Our School

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. Thank you all again for your support! I am looking forward to a great year.

Thank you,

Mr. Sprung