Home - George H. Mitchell Elementary School

Weekly Updates from Mr. Bray

September 18, 2023

Please see below for our Weekly Updates. Thank you and have a wonderful week!

Best,

Mr. Bray, Principal

Update from School Nurse: Beginning this our nursing staff will begin their required yearly screenings (vision, hearing, height and weight). Thank you!

School Council Election: Please take a moment to vote for two candidates to serve on our MItchell School Council for the 2023-24 school year. We are so thankful for everyone’s interest in serving on the council this school year. The top two vote getters will be appointed to the council. The deadline to vote is this Thursday, September 21, 2023. Please click on the link to view the ballot and vote. https://forms.gle/5Mq51gHVG4gQ7RFE9

***Our first meeting will take place on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 3:45 p.m. in the Mitchell Conference Room. An agenda will be sent next Monday along with the election results. ***

Early Literacy Screening: Please click on the link for information related to our districtwide screenings for the 2023-24 school year. Early Literacy Screening Procedures Hatian Creole Early Literacy Procedures Portuguese Early Literacy Procedures Spanish Early Literacy Procedures

BR STEM WEEK… Please click on the link for information related to MA STEAM Week. STEAM Week 2023 Info.

Family Fun Night Info. Please click on the link for Family Fun Night Information from GMSPA. GMSPA Family Fun Night

Message from GMSPA: Now that we are back in school and our children are making all new friends, it would be nice to have a way to contact these new families to set up a playdate or reach out for a birthday party. The Student Directory can help!

Please read a little more about the directory below:

The George H. Mitchell student directory is for PERSONAL USE ONLY.

The BRRSD does not allow the school or its staff to distribute student/family contact information to anyone. Therefore, if you are interested in sharing your contact information with the Mitchell community, the Student Directory is a way to do that.

This is completely OPTIONAL. We respect that some families do not wish to be listed in the directory.

If you choose not to be listed, you will not receive a copy of the directory. It is GMSPA's policy that you must participate in the Directory to receive a copy of the Directory.

You must include at least one valid parent/guardian email address to be included. The student directory is shared only via email to participating families. Please keep in mind that your residential address is optional.

All submissions must be made by Friday, September 29, 2023

Use this link to sign your child up for the 2023-2024 GMES Student Directory

GMSPA PreK Info… PreK Families are encouraged to click on the link to learn more about GMSPA. Welcome To GMSPA PreK

September 11, 2023

I hope everyone had a great weekend with family and friends. Below are this week’s Weekly Updates. Please see the information related to 9/11. Thank you and we look forward to seeing all of you at Open House this week. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your week!
Best,

Mr. Bray, Principal

Open House Week: This week we will be conducting our Open Houses here at Mitchell. Our families in grades 1 & 2 are invited to meet their child’s teacher, see the classroom, and visit our amazing Parent Group (GMSPA) and other local organizations in our school cafeteria on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 from 5:00-6:15p.m. Families can attend at any time during this time frame. Our Open House for Pre-K & K will take place on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 from 5:00-6:15p.m. and follow the same format as grades 1 & 2. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Open House this week.

9/11 Remembrance: On this day of remembrance in our country we want to provide a talking point for families if needed. Today is a day that we remember the tragic events that occurred in our country and the men and women who lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. I know our students are young and this may be a difficult conversation to have with them. However, I am asking that you take a moment and if nothing else discuss with them the importance of heroism.

Heroes can be anyone! The police, EMTs, and fire fighters that help us when we are in trouble and need assistance are certainly heroes. We are thankful for them each and every day! However, citizens can be heroes too. Please talk with your child about our TEAM Mitchell Promise: Togetherness, Encouragement, Acceptance, and Motivation. Let them know that when we come together to help one another along with providing encouragement to people when they are down or sad and show acceptance of everyone despite their differences while demonstrating motivation to do the right thing, then we are all heroes!

On September 11th, the first responders were truly heroes and made the ultimate sacrifice to help others. The men and women that went to war over terrorism and fight for our freedom are our heroes, too. Also, many citizens were heroes on 9/11 assisting other citizens out of the buildings, attending to the wounded, fighting hijackers, and supporting one another in a time of chaos and confusion. This should be the lesson that we pass along to our children! They can be heroes and make a difference in the lives of people by showing togetherness, encouragement, acceptance, and motivation.

Please let us not forget the many people who lost their lives on 9/11, and the impact it has had on their families. However, let's use this part of our history to teach our children about what it takes to be a hero and make a difference in the world!

Mitchell September Calendar: Please click on the link to view our September School Calendar. Mitchell September Calendar

GMES Dismissals IMPORTANT: We are requesting that if know your child will be going home a different way than their normal routine that you please email the school at gmesdismissals@bridge-rayn.org This will allow us to notify the classroom teacher and make sure your child is in the proper location for dismissal. You will always receive an email confirmation back so that you know the request has been received. Please be advised that the dismissal email will be turned off daily at 2:45 p.m. and the only dismissal that will be allowed after 2:45 p.m. is in emergency situations. After 2:45p.m. please call the main office at 508-964-7500. Please do not just email the classroom teacher as they do not always have time to check email throughout the day. It is important that the office is aware of all changes. Thank you for your cooperation.

Parent Pick-Up Grades K-2: This is a reminder that all families should wait in the parking lot closest to the main entrance. Please do not wait on the sidewalk leading into the building. We need this space for the students and teachers. Also, please do not call your child out of line. Please be patient in check-in with the teacher and they will hand off your child to you once they check your ID. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe!

GMSPA Meeting: September- GMSPA meeting is tonight September 11th at 7:30pm in the Mitchell Library. Below is the google meet link to join virtually. https://meet.google.com/ijc-sfoh-vft All are welcome to attend in-person or virtually.

School Council Representative: If you are interested in serving our School Council, please email Mr. Bray at dbray@bridge-rayn.org The council meets 4-5 times per year from 3:45-4:45 p.m. here at Mitchell. We will be scheduling our September Meeting soon. Thank you!

September 7. 2023

I am writing to remind all of our families that we are a climate controlled school. We are very fortunate the heat and humidity are not major factors for us unlike other schools. Please know that classroom temperatures are in the low 70s. Also, we will be having indoor recess in an effort to keep students and staff cool as we do not have a lot of shade area outdoors. Also, below is information about our upcoming Open Houses next week and some Parent Pick-Up information for everyone to be aware of starting today. Thank you and stay cool.

Best,

Mr. Bray, Principal

Open HouseNext Week: Next week we will be conducting our Open Houses here at Mitchell. Our families in grades 1 & 2 are invited to meet their child’s teacher, see the classroom, and visit our amazing Parent Group (GMSPA) and other local organizations in our school cafeteria on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 from 5:00-6:15p.m. Families can attend at any time during this time frame. Our Open House for Pre-K & K will take place on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 from 5:00-6:15p.m. and follow the same format as grades 1 & 2. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Open House next week.

September 5, 2023

We had a wonderful first day of school with our grade 1 & 2 students today. It was so exciting to see all of their smiles and hear amazing stories about their summer. We are looking forward to welcoming our PreK and K students tomorrow for their first official day of school. Below are some reminders to help make tomorrow go as smoothly as possible for everyone. We thank you in advance for your assistance and cooperation. Enjoy the rest of your night!

Best,

Mr. Bray, Principal

K-2 Morning Drop-Off Procedures: All vehicles will enter the school via South Street. Please be aware that one entrance is for buses and vans only! All vehicles should follow the map and proceed to the front of the school with the first car stopping at the last staff member at the front of the main lobby entrance (see map). K-2 drop off map 2022 updated.pdf

Please be advised that we are conducting a rolling drop-off in the morning for grades K-2. Please follow the pattern on the attached map.

Please be advised that if you do park you may be delayed in exiting the lot to leave due to rolling drop-off traffic. If you decide to park and walk your child to the main entrance you must join the drop-off line when exiting the parking lot. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT CARS DO NOT PASS IN THE DROP-OFF LANE AS STUDENTS EXIT OUT BOTH SIDES OF THE CAR. Also, all vehicles must enter and exit from South Street. Thank you for your patience and assistance keeping everyone safe!

Pre-K Morning & Afternoon Drop-Off and Dismissal Procedures: All vehicles will enter the school via South Street. Please be aware that one entrance is for buses and vans only! When you come in the main entrance from South Street, take the first left. This entry way will bring you to the PreK parking lot. (see map) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ALhjVGbArIC9PSEZARbKCGZx-xwyyHHo/view?usp=sharing You will follow this same procedure for both Drop-Off and Pick-Up.

If you bring your child late or need to dismiss your child early. You will need to park in the front parking lot and come to the main entrance of the school where a secretary will assist you.

August 28, 2023

We are very excited to welcome students back to school next week. Below is some important information to help make the start of school go smoothly for everyone. We ask that you please be patient as everyone gets used to the daily procedures. Thank you for your continued support and enjoy the rest of your week!

Best,

Mr. Bray, Principal

School Phone Number & Dismissals: Here is our phone number to use when calling the school. 508-964-7500. If you need to dismiss your child or make a change to your child’s dismissal routine, please send an email to gmesdismissals@bridge-rayn.org. Please do not just email your child’s teacher as they are busy working with students and may not see the email prior to the school day ending. All emails to gmesdismissals@bridge-rayn.org will receive a response to know that it was received. Thank you!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: The first day of school for our Grade 1 & 2 students is Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Families in Grades Pre-K and K will have New Student Orientation on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 with Pre-K and K students' first day of school being Wednesday, September 6, 2023. Below are the hours for Pre-K and K Orientation on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Pre-K Orientation: Please park in the Pre-K Parking Lot (Use Lower Lot if full)

AM Pre-K and Full Day Pre-K Orientation Time: 9:45-10:45a.m.

PM Pre-K Orientation Time: 1:00-2:00p.m.

Kindergarten Orientation: Please park in the Lower Lot

Last Name A-I 10:00-10:45a.m.

Last Name J-P 11:30-12:15p.m.

Last Name Q-Z 1:30-2:15p.m.

School Hours: Below is a list of school hours for students. We look forward to seeing them next week.

Pre-K Hours of Operation:

8:15-8:20 - AM Pre-K Drop-Off

8:15-10:45 - AM Session

10:40-10:45 - AM Dismissal

12:15 - PM Pre-K Drop-Off

12:15-2:45 - PM Session

2:40-2:45 - PM Dismissal

*1:55-2:05 - Full Day Pre-K Dismissal

***If you are bringing your child in late or dismissing them early from Pre-K you must come to the main entrance and speak with our school secretaries.***

Grades K-2 Hours of Operation:

8:45 - Morning Parent Drop-Off

8:50 - Bus Drop-Off

8:50 - Students Enter Building

9:05 - Student Day Begins (After 9:10 students will be marked late)

3:10 - Students will prepare for dismissal

3:10 - Parent Pick-Up will begin ***All families will wait outside the MAIN ENTRANCE. Teachers will bring their students outdoors to you. ALL adults picking up a student must have an ID with them. This will be a slow process until teachers/staff become familiar with families. Please be patient.

3:20 - Bus Students will Load Buses for Dismissal ***Please be at your child’s assigned stop 10-15 minutes early to greet your child as they arrive home.***

If you bring your child late or need to dismiss your child early. You will need to park in the front parking lot and come to the main entrance of the school where a secretary will assist you.

Please be advised that we are conducting a rolling drop-off in the morning for grades K-2. Please follow the pattern on the attached map.

We are requesting that you consider the rolling drop-off to help alleviate traffic on South Street. If you must park and walk your child to the doors, please park in the lower lot and cross at the crosswalk. Please be advised that if you do park you may be delayed in exiting the lot to leave due to rolling drop-off traffic. Also, all vehicles must enter and exit from South Street. Thank you!

At 8:45 a.m. staff will come outside to begin unloading students. Students will enter the building and wait in the main lobby until being dismissed to class at 8:50 a.m. The goal is to unload approximately 10-15 cars at a time. As soon as your child exits the car you may proceed to the exit and leave the parking lot via South Street as long as the car in front of you has departed (NO PASSING) in the drop-off line.

Again, we understand that some students may be nervous about exiting their car at the beginning of the year. Thus, families can park in a parking spot in the lower lot (see map) and walk their child to the main lobby. Adults can not enter the building with their child. Please use the crosswalks. We hope this will help ease some of the stress and anxiety of students at the start of the school year.

***The Bridgewater Police Department requests that vehicles do not line up or arrive prior to 8:45a.m.

Afternoon Pick-Up Dismissal Grades K-2: Parent/Guardian Pick-Up will occur outside the main entrance to the school. We are requesting all families please wait in the parking lot closest to the main entrance. Please do not wait on the sidewalk or benches leading into the building as we need this space for students to wait. We will have cones labeled for each grade level so that families are aware where their child can be located once coming outdoors for dismissal. Please find your child's teacher in the designated area for each grade level and have your ID ready to go. For safety reasons please DO NOT take your child without checking in with the teacher! Thank you in advance for your patience.

Message from School Nurses: We are a Peanut and Tree Nut Aware District: students should not share food, there is no eating on buses, and the cafeteria does not serve foods that contain peanut/tree nuts. Please read this important letter from our Nursing Department. Thank you for keeping everyone safe while at school.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FM0z1ZA8O-V051wio7lE9zf6sItlQYgmeU2M1XlNNNk/edit?usp=sharing

Please have your child keep a spare set of clothing in his/her backpack at all times. Bathroom accidents, food spills, etc... do happen. If they have their own clothing they can go directly to the bathroom and change their clothing.

School Breakfast & Lunch: School lunch and breakfast is offered daily to students. This year, breakfast and lunch are FREE to those students who want it. Your child will receive a PIN number at the beginning of the year to use when purchasing a lunch. A great way to have your child practice their PIN number is to make it the code on the lockscreen of a device they may use. If your child is in grades 1 & 2 they will have the same PIN number as last year. If your child forgets their PIN number they will still be able to get breakfast and/or lunch. Lunch Menus are posted on the District Website www.bridge-rayn.org.

Communication with Families… Most of our correspondence will be via email and posted on our school website. However, from time to time we may have to send important information via phone. Please be sure to listen and check your voicemail before calling the school. Once you have listened to the message, please contact the school with any questions and/or concerns. Thank you for your help with this matter.

August 28, 2023

This is just a reminder that today is our Open House for new PreK, new K, and all students grades 1 & 2 new to Bridgewater. Please see below for more information. Thank you and we look forward to welcoming you to Mitchell today at 3:00 p.m.

Building Tours… Today, Monday, August 28, 2023 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. we are inviting all of our new PreK, incoming K, and new to Bridgewater families to come visit the school and take a self-guided tour. For our incoming K families, we will have a school bus on site for students to enter and sit. This is designed to help your child feel a bit more comfortable about riding the bus to school. It is important to know that the teachers will not be present for the tours. Also, the teachers and staff have been in over the summer working hard preparing their rooms to welcome back students. Thus, classrooms will be locked. However, we will have a sample room open for you to look at while you are here for your tour. PreK and K families will meet staff and see individual classrooms on September 5th. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

August 23, 2023

I hope everyone is having a great week with family and friends. The new school year is quickly approaching, and we are updating our school database to ensure that students arrive and get home from school in a timely, safe manner. Thus, we want to ensure that our Power School System has accurate/updated information listed. We are requesting that everyone please complete the attached Google Form by Monday, August 28, 2023.

https://forms.gle/gz6nY39m2R7q68eN7

We are getting ready to print and create our Transportation Tags for students and this information is essential.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mitchell School at: gmesdismissals@bridge-rayn.org

***We will be sending important information prior to the start of school with our instructions for Morning Drop-Off and Afternoon Pick-Up instructions and traffic flow patterns so please be on the lookout.

August 18, 2023

The new school year is rapidly approaching, and we are very excited to welcome everyone back to school on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 for students in grades 1 & 2. Students in PreK and K will have orientation on September 5, 2023 with their first day of school being Wednesday, September 6, 2023. Below you find some important information for your review. We will be sending lots of information in the coming days, so please be sure to check your email frequently. Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Best,

Mr. Bray, Principal

Placement Letters TODAY: Beginning today at 5:00 p.m. you will be receiving an email with your child’s teacher assignment for the upcoming school year. You will receive your child’s teacher name, room number, and for our PreK and K families you will receive information about orientation scheduled for Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Please be advised that some of our K families that have enrolled over the summer will not be receiving a letter until your child is screened on August 23-24. Please know that we spent a great deal of time on student placement and received feedback from the staff during this process. Thus, we do not make changes in placement. Thank you for understanding and cooperation.

Bus Transportation Letters: Today, if your child qualifies for bus transportation (living outside of 1.5 miles from the school) you will also be emailed your child’s bus transportation letter for grades K-2. Please be advised that here at Mitchell we begin our dismissal process at 3:10 p.m. Thus, buses are not fully loaded and departing from the school until 3:25-3:35 p.m. This will be a longer process during the first couple weeks of school as students and families get used to the routines for dismissal. We will be sending more information about drop-off and pick-up in the coming days.

Building Tours… On Monday, August 28, 2023 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. we are inviting all of our new PreK, incoming K, and new to Bridgewater families to come visit the school and take a self-guided tour. For our incoming K families, we will have a school bus on site for students to enter and sit. This is designed to help your child feel a bit more comfortable about riding the bus to school. It is important to know that the teachers will not be present for the tours. Everyone will meet their teacher at orientation on September 5, 2023. Also, the teachers and staff have been in over the summer working hard preparing their rooms to welcome back students. Thus, classrooms will be locked. However, we will have a sample room open for you to look at while you are here for your tour. PreK and K families will meet staff and see individual classrooms on September 5th. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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