December 2017
Absence Reporting: Please report all absences/illnesses to the school office before the start of the school day via our new attendance form posted on our school website:
https://thoreau.concordps.org/
Elementary Progress Reports: On or around February 2nd, classroom progress reports will be published through the Aspen Portal in the Published Reports section on the front page of the portal. If you have multiple children attending Concord Public Schools or Concord-Carlisle High School, each child’s name will appear next to any available reports. Reports can be downloaded and saved as pdf files if you wish. With the exception of specialized reports (Special Education or English Language Learner), reports will no longer be mailed.
To access the portal, login from the Parent menu of your child’s school website. (A link to request a password reset can also be found at this website or email parentportal@concordps.
Coats for Kids:
Concord Middle School’s Coats for Kids Club needs our help in collecting coats for Anton’s Cleaners annual Coats for Kids drive. They are accepting all winter coats – kids, adults and babies – that are in good wearable condition. They cannot accept vests, hats, gloves or snow pants. Please donate coats that you would give a friend to wear in our donation box in the lobby. Coats are being collected through January 6th, 2017. Thank you for your generosity. Your donations are greatly appreciated!
Teacher Gifts and the Conflict of Interest Law:
As public school educators, the staff at Thoreau is subject to the conflict of interest law, G.L. c. 268A. This means that we may not accept any gift worth $50 or more that is given because of the positions we hold at Thoreau. The Ethics Commission recently created an exemption to permit class gifts to teachers. A teacher may accept a gift, or several gifts during the school year, from public school students and/or their parents and guardians, with an aggregated value of up to $150, if the gift is identified only as being from the class, and the identity of the givers and the individual amounts given are not identified to the recipient. Please call the main office if you have questions about the Conflict of Interest Law as it pertains to teacher gifts.
Bundle Up:
We go outside each and every day, unless we have a frigid wind chill or it is raining. On those cold winter days, the warmest part of the day is mid-day. Please send your child dressed to play outside. If we have snow on the ground, your child will need to wear snow pants and boots to play in the snow.
Upcoming Events:
12/13 Teen Buddies
12/15 PTG Meeting, 9:00 AM, Cafeteria
12/21 Winter Play Performance, 7:30 PM
12/25-1/1 Winter Break/New Year’s Day
1/2 Students Return
1/8 SAC Meeting, 5:00 PM
1/9 PTG Meeting, 7:00 PM, Library
1/10 Teen Buddies
1/15 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day: NO SCHOOL
1/19 Principal Coffee, 9:30 AM
1/24 Teen Buddies
Forgotten Lunches, Instruments, Homework, Books, Sneakers, Etc.:
In an effort to keep interruptions to learning to a minimum, we seek your support in reducing the number of students who need to leave class to call home to request that items be brought to school. Please help students learn to be responsible (especially in our upper grades) by reminding them to check to be sure they leave home with any necessary items. If it is absolutely necessary to drop something off, please leave it in the main office.
Changes to Dismissal Plans:
Please send in a note to your child’s teacher if you need to change his/her dismissal plans for that day. If possible, all play dates should be arranged prior to your child’s arrival at school. If you need to change your child’s dismissal plan unexpectedly, please notify the office by 2:30 PM. Thank you for your assistance with this matter.
Dismissal/Arrival Parking:
During arrival, please reserve the van accessible spaces for vehicles with handicapped placards. During dismissal, please be sure not to block the crosswalk or fire lanes. Because the back parking lot is reserved for faculty, parents are encouraged to park along both sides of West Street and on the right side of Pleasant Street or Chase Road. If it’s not raining or snowing, parents picking up their students should meet them behind the building near the basketball court. In the case of inclement weather, pick up is in the cafeteria. Thank you!