August 22, 2023
Greetings Horace Mann Husky Families,
I hope that you have been enjoying a terrific summer and this letter finds you refreshed and excited for the new school year. The halls of Horace Mann are gleaming in anticipation of the awaited foot traffic, giggles, and energy that will soon fill it. I look forward to greeting new and familiar faces in just a few short days. Please read this letter carefully as it provides important dates and essential information on how to access class placement and mandatory data collection steps.
Class Placement:
The development of class lists is a comprehensive task that requires the collaborative efforts of the tremendous professional educators at our school. All aspects of child development are taken into account. A great deal of time and effort has been put into the development of class lists, and we believe that every student will have a successful school year. Changes or alterations to these assignments will not be made. These placements will be posted on Aspen Tuesday, August 22nd at 4:00 PM. Please login to the Aspen parent portal to access teacher assignments. Here is a list of the Homeroom Codes and Corresponding Teachers:
KF: Wendy Florino
KW: Nicole Wells
1G: Marcy Glickman
1A: Megan Nolan (soon to be 1N)*
2G: Nicole Goodhue
2H: Anne Healy
3B: Kim Barbagallo
3D: Jillian Duzz
4M: Meredyth McGrath
4N: Laurel Neubauer
5C: Elizabeth Collier
5G Jack Golesworth
To access your Aspen account go to: https://ma-melrose.myfollett.com/aspen/logon.do If you cannot remember your PASSWORD please open the ASPEN page and click on “Forgot Password” If you need assistance with your Aspen account, please contact itsupport@melroseschools.com.
Families new to the district and Kindergarten families should have received a separate email with Aspen login information from Leslie Blaney our Student Information System and Data Coordinator.
Staffing Updates:
Some staffing changes haves taken place over the summer. Mayumi Yunes, academic interventionist, Mili Jacobs, Speech Language Pathologist, and Nicole Akouri, Grade 1 have resigned from their positions. All three are moving on to new and exciting career and family adventures. We wish them well. Megan Nolan who has worked as paraprofessional at Horace Mann will be joining the first grade team as a classroom teacher. Leanna Sanchez will be starting her career as our new Speech Language Pathologist. We are very excited for our new pack members.
Important Dates:
August 22, 6:30- 7:30 pm: Kindergarten Caregiver Information Night at Horace Mann APR
August 23, 6:00- 7:00 pm: Mayor Brodeur’s Kindergarten Welcome Party on the Fred Green Field
August 29, 1:50- 2:20: Horace Mann’sKindergarten and New Student Meet and Greet on the Horace Mann Playground.
August 30th: First Day of School in Melrose for all students K-12.
New Arrival and Dismissal Procedures:
All students in grades K-5 will be greeted and welcomed by staff on our first day back. The doors will open at 7:53 and students will enter the building with their teacher and go to their classrooms.
This year, we will be utilizing one door for arrival and three doors for dismissal.
All students will enter from the Parking Lot Door. We will have a rolling arrival from 7:53- 8:03. Students will enter and go straight to their classrooms.
Dismissal is at 2:20.
Students in Grade 1 and Grade 4 will exit via the Parking Lot Door.
Students in Grade 2, Grade 3 and Mrs. Florino’s class will exit via the second Damon Ave door to the right of the main entrance.
Students in Grade 5 and Mrs. Well’s class will exit through the Main door on Damon Ave.
Friday, September 1st, and Monday, September 4th: There will be NO SCHOOL in observance of Labor Day.
September 21, 5:30- 6:30: Horace Mann “Open House”: This event is geared toward parents and caregivers. On this evening, teachers will provide parents/guardians with an overview of the curriculum and learning goals for the coming year. All Grades K-5: 5:30- 6:30. More details to come.
Important Programs:
Early Bird Before School Care will be offered this year. The program opens for drop-off at 7:00 am. It will begin on Thursday, August 31st for students who are registered to attend. Early Bird will be in a new location this year. Students entering the Early Bird Program should go through the Rear Parking Lot Door. Early Bird will be held in the Music/ Art Room. Registration information for the program can be found at this link.
Education Stations After School Programming will be available starting August 30th for students who are registered to attend. Information on registration can be found on their website using this link.
Lunch:
Melrose Public Schools Offers Another Year of Meals at No Cost for Students
Chartwells K-12 at Melrose Public Schools will be participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. As part of this program, we will offer healthy meals every school day. The Massachusetts legislature has provided funding to make meals available at no cost to all students during the school year 2023-2024, regardless of household income. However, families should still complete a Meal Benefits Application as this provides data for key funding for academic resources and may also connect families to additional benefits. This data will also support the additional funds provided by the Commonwealth for this pilot.
In addition to free lunch, our elementary schools offer for purchase an optional 2nd pizza slice with a meal for $2.25 or 8 oz. milk (without a meal) for $.75. Elementary students will receive a lunch ID card. This will be utilized to record the lunch and Ala Carte transactions each day. Please note, based on requirements of the National School Lunch Program, Ala Carte items are non-reimbursable and will therefore incur a monetary charge to purchase.
Horace Mann has three lunch periods:
Lunch/ Recess Blocks | Grades |
11:18-11:58 | K/5 |
11:42- 12:22 | 1/ 3 |
12:06- 12:46 | 2/4 |
Horace Mann PTO Families in Need Fund:
If your family needs assistance paying for back-to-school supplies, the PTO Family in Need fund can help. Contact Principal Churchill for more information at mchurchill@melroseschools.com or 781-979-2190. All requests are kept anonymous. If you would like to donate to the fund, please email ptohoracemann@gmail.com.
Mandatory Data Collection:
Linked in this message, you will find the Melrose Public Schools Confidential Student Health and Emergency Information Form. Parents/Guardians must complete the Student Health form and return it to school on the first day via your child’s backpack. If you have any questions about completing the mandated forms please contact our parent information center at 781-662-2000, press #1. The collection of this information is mandatory and will provide our school and the district with information to communicate with families more effectively.
School Communication:
Stay in the know by signing up for the Horace Mann School PTO. Visit the Horace Mann and district websites which are updated regularly. https://www.melroseschools.com/.
Keep a 2023-2024 District Calendar handy so you will know all the ½ days, early dismissals, holidays, and vacations. Be on the lookout for Husky Pack Updates sent by Mrs. Churchill. Classroom teachers can be reached via email. In addition, each educator will share their particular classroom communication methods.
We are so excited for a great year ahead! Let’s Go Huskies!
Sincerely,
Milissa A Churchill
Milissa Churchill, Principal