The Shutesbury Elementary School has a website that may be accessed by going to www.shutesburyschool.org. There is much useful information at this site including a calendar of activities, a current lunch menu, and our weekly Roadtown News (please note: Attachments to the Roadtown will be included in the electronic version).
All staff have e-mail addresses (last name first initial {john doe = doej@ shutesburyschool.org) and email is an effective method to support home/school communication.
Staff members have classroom websites that are located on the school’s website.
We encourage caregivers to visit and become active in the school. You should, however, make prior arrangements with the classroom teachers to set up conferences or classroom visitations. Teachers may be contacted during the regular workday by voice mail (8:00-3:15) and will return your call at their earliest convenience. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have concerns about any kind of learning or social experience at school. It is also helpful to share any changes at home that may affect your child’s performance.
If a problem should arise concerning your child, please contact the classroom teacher. Usually all difficulties can be solved at this level. The principal is available for help if issues cannot be resolved.
Open House at Shutesbury Elementary School will be held on a Wednesday evening shortly after the commencement of a new school year. This is an opportunity for caregivers and students to visit teachers and classrooms on an informal basis and learn about programs, curriculum, and instruction.
Caregiver – Teacher conferences are held twice a year in the fall and the spring. Please see the school calendar for dates.
The purpose of a caregiver-teacher conference is to exchange information about a child in all areas that affect his/her school performance. Both caregivers and teachers should feel part of a team examining the strengths as well as the challenges that impact the child’s performance. This sharing should lead to insights that support the child’s growth and development. It is also the time when caregivers learn about their children’s school lives, and teachers learn about their students’ lives out of school.
Students are dismissed on conference days at 1:00PM. During the spring conference, students are encouraged to participate by sharing their work and portfolios with their teacher and caregivers and then time is set-aside at the end of the conference for just the teacher and caregivers to talk.
If there is a pressing issue, caregivers and teachers do not have to wait until a conference is scheduled and may schedule a meeting at any time during the school year.
The Roadtown News (RTN) is published weekly and distributed on Fridays. This newsletter highlights upcoming events, recognizes outstanding performances, includes the lunch slip and pays tribute to those who have helped contribute to our youngsters’ education. If you would like to make an announcement or submit an article for the Roadtown that relates to students and their families, please e-mail Laura at feltmanl@shutesburyschool.org. The deadline for weekly submissions is Wednesday at 4:00 pm. The Roadtown News is on our website at: www.shutesburyschool.org. Classroom information and updates can be found on the teacher’s individual blogs that are part of the school’s website.
Lunch menus and other news items are easily accessible on the website.
The School Committee allows outside individuals or groups to disseminate literature in the school newsletter as indicated in the School Committee Policy KHC (Notice Distribution Policy). This policy maintains that any literature disseminated by an outside group should explicitly state that the information being distributed is not sponsored nor endorsed by the school.
The Superintendent of Schools shall determine the necessity for an emergency closing or delayed opening of school due to weather conditions or other emergencies. Announcements concerning such closings are made over telephone calls and texts, local TV and radio outlets and the school website.
Shutesbury Elementary School will NOT be specifically mentioned in the media, please listen closely for the ERVING UNION 28 announcement. This will apply to Shutesbury.
Local radio stations that will announce closings are:
WHAI 98.3 FM (1240 AM) Greenfield WRSI 93.9 FM (The River) Northampton
WPVQ 95.3 FM (The Bear) S. Deerfield WRNX 100.9 FM
WHMP 99.3 FM (1400 AM) Northampton WPNI 1430 AM Amherst
Television stations that broadcast closings are: WGGB-TV Channel 40 WWLP-TV Channel 22
Important:
Please be advised that Shutesbury Elementary School will NOT be listed under Amherst. There may be times when Shutesbury Elementary School and the Amherst Regional Middle School and High School cancellations or delays are not the same. Caregivers with children in both systems should listen carefully to the list of closings and plan accordingly. Shutesbury is listed under Erving School Union 28.
An announcement of any Union 28 cancellation or delay is placed on the school web site (www.shutesburyschool.org.)
We utilize an electronic information system to call and text caregivers with the information about school delays and cancellations. The phone call/text usually takes place at 6:00 AM.
Please note: the media outlets may have school closing information BEFORE we are able to put the information on our website or phone system.