Grade Five Welcome Letter
August 1, 2011
Dear Maple Street School Fifth Grade Students and Parents:
Welcome back for the 2011 – 2012 school year at Maple Street School! In just a few short weeks, the faculty, staff, and I will be greeting you as you arrive for your first day of the new school year, and I look forward to sharing with you the excitement that returning to school, a new teacher, and new classmates brings with it. It is a fresh start, and with that opportunity comes the potential for a terrific school experience.
Last year at our closing ceremony, the faculty and I reminded you that, as a fifth grade student, your role will shift in our community. No longer “new” to our school, the teachers and I hope that you will be active and engaged members of our school community, helping to be the best role models for our newest students in grade four. Many of you will recall how intimidating the move to MSS can be for the new students, and we hope that you will lend them a helping hand whenever possible. Knowing your classmates, I am confident that you will all be terrific role models and guides for the fourth graders, helping them to have a terrific year.
At the same time however, your teachers and I hope that you can look to the sixth graders as positive leaders in our school, and learn from their responsible actions and leadership. As our oldest students, they have a lot to offer our community to positively impact others. Look to them as a support to help make the year the best it can be.
Parents, as we approach the new school year, I am reminded of the importance of communication between MSS and home. I encourage you to take a moment to think about your child’s upcoming experience at MSS, and to feel free to drop me a letter or email with any information you feel that I could share with your child’s teacher that may be significant in helping to make the transition to his or her new classroom go smoothly. I will make certain that the information you share gets to the teacher or appropriate staff member before the start of school. Additionally, if you have yet to register for the school’s email listserv, a critical aspect of our communications network, I would ask that you do so by visiting the “Principal’s Page” at: www.hopkintonschools.org/mss and clicking the “Listserv Sign Up” tab.
In closing, I speak for all faculty and staff when I say how much we are looking forward to the start of the new school year on August 30th. Please feel free to visit the school in the interim or contact me at 746-4195 if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Michael Bessette
Principal, Maple Street School
