Matt Fusco, Principal

60 Prospect St. (Formerly St. Ann’s School) 

Gloucester, MA  01930

Phone 978-281-9820 / Fax 978-281-9717                                                                              

mfusco@gloucesterschools.com

August 28, 2021

Dear Veterans’ Families:  

This letter is all about the arrival and dismissal procedures for the Veterans’ School’s new address on 60 Prospect St.  There is a lot of information in this letter so make sure that you read it carefully.  

The neighborhood around our new location has been very excited and welcoming to us as we have moved into our new place.  They are glad to see some new life and energy come into the area and are looking forward to seeing children in the neighborhood learning and using the park etc.  Believe me, if there are issues, it reflects poorly on all of us and I will be reaching out to the surrounding community from time to time, to see how things are going.  As a school community we need to do our best to be good neighbors by following these simple rules.  

Drive slowly and safely around the school and neighborhood.

1. Don’t park in front of or in someone’s driveway even if you think you will be there for a short period of time.

2. Don’t double park or live park in an area that you shouldn’t be in.  

3. WALK TO SCHOOL IF POSSIBLE

4. Have your child take the bus if they qualify

5. Be patient and show grace to everyone

6. While we never want students to be late, don’t panic and drive too fast if you are running late.  We will always forgive a tardy if there is a good reason.

ARRIVAL

There are two streets that are out in front of Veterans’.  The first is Prospect St. which runs on the “ramp” side of the school.  This street is fairly busy and does not allow for any parking.  The second is Pleasant St. which runs along the parking lot side of the school and has the Holy Cow Ice Cream Store and Yellow Sub.  Here is a map to the location.  

https://goo.gl/maps/vHQK1QiFSnZvSKP57

In the morning, drop off will be along the left hand side of Pleasant St., we will have staff out on the sidewalk assisting students to get out of the cars so you can stay at the wheel. We will direct them on the best way to get into the building.  

Here are a few things to remember:

1. Give your hugs and kisses to your kids before you leave your house in the morning!  

2. Children must exit the car on the driver’s side (sidewalk side) of Pleasant St. 

3. We will direct students to enter the parking lot area by the front part of the church

4. There is no extended parking in this area, this is a dropoff and go area.  If you want to accompany your child onto the property, you must find a parking space on the surrounding streets and walk to the school.  

We are serving breakfast everyday starting at 8:20 up in the cafeteria.  Students entering the property between 8:00 and 8:40 MUST go into the school and up to the cafeteria so we can make sure they are supervised.  At 8:40, we will bring all the students out to the parking lot and line them up to come into the school and go to their classes.  For the first 3 days of school, we will not be serving breakfast as we need to make sure that all students know how to find their way around the school and we work out any issues with staffing and supervision.  We will be serving lunch on all days. Breakfast will begin on Sep 7, 2021.  

DISMISSAL

For dismissal, we insist that all Kindergarten and first grade students are released to a parent, guardian, older sibling or a pre-arranged with the school adult.  The same holds true for students that are taking the bus.  Safety is always our number one priority.  Here are some things to remember:

1. At 3:00PM the teachers will bring out to the parking lot area any students that are not taking the bus to home, the YMCA or Pathways.  The teachers will make contact with the person picking up the student and will not release the student to anyone we are not familiar with. 

2. If you believe that your child(ren) could walk home from school (grades 2-5) fill out the attached walkers form or send in a note to your child’s teacher stating that you give us permission to let them walk home.  

3. If you are picking up your child from the school, find a place to park and walk over.  This will cut down on traffic and congestion.  You don’t have to park directly in front of the school on Pleasant St.  There are other areas nearby that are a short walk.  

4. There is no parking on the right side of Pleasant St.  and do not park in the parking lot behind Savour Wines.  That is a condominium complex and not public parking. 

BUSING

The buses are going to be parked at the corner of SMITH ST. which will be closed to other traffic during our arrival and dismissal times.  The buses will be met in the morning by Veterans’ Staff and the students will be escorted to the school.  We expect the buses to be arriving by 8:40 or so.  Students will have the option to get breakfast if they would like.  In the afternoon, students that are taking the buses will gather on the main floor of the school and walk out to the correct bus by an adult.  

I think that covers all of it.  Please remember that we have not seen arrival or dismissal in action at this location so let’s all show each other some patience and grace as we work out the kinks to any potential issues.  Give yourself some extra time for the arrival and dismissal of your child(ren)  until we get into a good groove.  You are the best group of parents in Gloucester and even though I am a little nervous about how all this will go, I know that we will all figure it out together.  

Mr. Fusco

PrincipalHi Everyone!!  

Can you believe that we have made it to Thanksgiving?  I didn't think we could do it, but we did.  Tomorrow we will hit 50 days of successfully being in school.  Most districts in the state have not been able to do what we have done so you should all be proud of yourselves.  Makek sure that we stay the course and stay safe over the next several weeks. There is a surge expected but I think if we are all vigilant, we should be ok.  I know we can do this!  

There are a few big events coming up: 

picture re-takes are Wednesday, December 2nd

The first term ends on December 11th with Report Cards and progress reports going home on December 18th.  

The last day of school before the holiday break is December 23rd.  Dismissal will be at 11:00AM.  

**************Message from Mr. Fusco ***********

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

The last day of school is June 17th!!  

June 8, 2020

Hello Veterans’ Families,

I hope that all of you are safe and healthy.  This has certainly been a tumultuous time for everyone so I want to start off by saying thank you to all of the students and families that have been working so hard to stay actively engaged with their teachers and their schoolwork.  All of us realize how difficult this has been for everyone so your efforts are appreciated.  Considering that we only have two weeks left, there are a few events planned that we hope will show our appreciation, love and caring for our whole school community.  Please do your best to make sure your child gets involved in these activities so that we can part for the summer still connected and looking forward to September.  

Last Day of School:  The last day of school is Wednesday, June 17th.  

Chromebooks:  The logistics of trying to have families return chromebooks and the need to  disinfect them  if we were to take them back would be an overload to our personnel and systems.  Therefore, any families that received a chromebook from the Gloucester Public Schools should keep them over the summer for use in the fall in case we return to some form of in-school/remote learning.  Keep the chromebook over the summer for use in the fall.  

Virtual Field Days/Olympics- Mrs. Hubeny, the Physical Education teacher has planned a virtual field day/olympics for all students and staff beginning on June 12th.  Each student will be on a team and they will be able to earn points over the course of June 12th, 15th  and 16th by doing certain physical and academic activities.  Much of this will be done over class dojo and through google classroom so make sure you are staying connected.  Mrs. Hubeny will be reaching out with more information in the coming days.  

Car parade ~ The Veterans’ school faculty and staff want to show our appreciation to all of our families by holding a car parade through our neighborhoods on June 12th we will be starting out from Vets around 10:00AM.  Make sure that you are outside your home so that we can wave to you and say hello (and goodbye).  We will be sending out the route over the next several days.  The car parade is for faculty and staff only.  

Virtual chorus concert ~ 1. This week students should still be practicing their concert repertoire (suggested or self selected song).

 2. Students should perform their song for their families this Friday 6/5.

 3. Families should record their children singing or playing their song and submit it on Monday 6/8 by email (preferably sharing via Google drive with sharing privileges) to Mrs. Nelson at jnelson@gloucesterschools.com

Take a family photo ~ We would like to see if we can get all Veterans’ Families to send us a photo of themselves wishing everyone a great summer.  You can send this to Mrs. Lambert at klambert@gloucesterschools.com.  She is going to put the photos into an awesome slideshow that we can share with you.  

Personal items ~ Because we left in such a hurry on March 13th, students left behind personal items in their desks and cubbies.  I am working on a plan for a contactless pickup for parents of these items and I will be letting you know how that will happen within the next few days.  

The Future!!  ~ All of us are wondering what school will look like in September.  We are currently waiting for the Department of Education to give us guidance on how to proceed.  The faculty and staff at Veterans’ are already working proactively to make sure that we are ready for whatever type of learning is recommended.  Honestly, it is pretty much all I think about right now!!  Therefore, over the summer, it is very important that you read all of your emails, listen to my phone calls and respond when we need you to respond so that you and your child are prepared for whatever comes our way in September.  Communication between the school and your home is going to be the key to our success.  

It’s amazing how much we have going on but I think it will be really important to be as involved as possible for your children.  We miss you and your kids so much!!  As always, I am available to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.  The faculty and staff stand ready to assist you as well.  Take care and stay safe.  

Thank you,

Matthew J. Fusco
Matt Fusco

Principal 

978-712-9959

****** Message from the Superintendent ************

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am writing to inform you that last night, Wednesday, April 15, the Gloucester School Committee voted to keep school open next week. In effect, April Vacation has been cancelled and school will be in full remote session on Tuesday through Friday, April 21, 22, 23, and 24. Teachers will continue to reach out, conduct lessons, and provide schoolwork remotely.

Barring any further requirements from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, we anticipate that this will shorten the number of days school is in session in June.

Thank you,

Richard Safier, Superintendent