Caring Conscientious and Confident
Dear Hardy School Families,
WELCOME BACK! I am hoping this letter finds all of you energized for a new school year. I spent
lots of time here at Hardy School this summer getting ready to have a fantastic school year. I am looking forward to
another year that focuses on a Caring, Conscientious and Confident environment in which our children can learn and
grow. Please read the Code of Conduct that your child is bringing home today. This will be our focus as we think about
logical consequences for office referrals. We will continue to support our core values with the Responsive Classroom
program. This summer we were fortunate enough to have even more teachers participate in the Responsive Classroom
training. We are even closer to having all teachers trained in this program. Responsive Classroom will help Hardy to
have a common vocabulary and clear expectations for all who learn, teach and supervise here.
At arrival, children will enter through the designated playground doors. You may not use the
front door to the school before 8:15 a.m. Please make your best effort to have your children to school on time. If your
son or daughter is tardy, enter through the front door after 8:15 a.m. and enter the main office. Your child will sign in
with Ms. Williams and then she will give him or her a busy bee cut out so your child can buzz right to his or her
classroom. The busy bee will indicate to the classroom teacher that your child has checked in at the office.
Your child will be bringing home an important package of papers today. In this package, you will
find a Student Health and Emergency form, a Photo Release Permission form, a Code of Conduct form, and a form.
These forms MUST come back to school. Please be prompt with their return. Also read through the rest of the forms
and return if necessary. Kindergarten parents will be receiving two CORI forms in their packets. If you plan to volunteer
this year, you must bring this completed form to the office with a photo ID. Ms. Williams will process the form for you.
Please do not begin bringing in forms until September 21st. If you are not a Kindergarten parent and you have not filled
out a CORI but would like to do so, they are located electronically on the Arlington Public Schools website under parent
forms.
NEW STAFF
We have had some changes and shifts here at Hardy School and I would like to introduce our new staff members. Ms.
Jennie French joins our first grade team this year. We have added a fourth first grade as our numbers have grown!
Jennie comes to us from St Mary’s in Winchester where she taught first grade. She also filled a long-term sub position
before that here in Arlington. Ms. Alexa MItrano has joined our third grade team at Hardy. Alexa is not a stranger to
the Hardy Halls! She worked in Laura Morello’s fifth grade classroom last year. She has worked hard this summer to
add a reading certificate to her qualifications. She is thrilled to be able to head her own classroom at Hardy. Ms. Julie
Holbrook will be joining us as a special education TA. She will be working in all grade levels to support our students. She
comes to us from the Boston Public Schools. Mr. Tyler LIneback will be a new Kindergarten TA in Tracy Potter’s
classroom. Ms. Carly Dresselhaus will also be joining our Kindergarten TA’s. She will be working with Erica Dusombre.
Both Tyler and Carly also work in the afterschool program here at Hardy. Ms. Allison Pratt will be joining us this year as
our Social Worker. Allison comes to us from Lynn Public Schools and also brings experience from her time at The Walker
School. Ms. Tammy McBride will be joining us this year as a reading coach. Tammy works with many schools in the
district. At Hardy she will be running a writing lab for fourth grade teachers. Dina Angelakis will be joining us in the
cafeteria this year. She will be working full time with our students and is looking forward to being at Hardy. Dolores
McGee will be joining us this year as a literacy tutor. She will be working with first and second grade classrooms to
support students with fluency and comprehension. Ms. Kathy Ryan will be joining us for several sections of PE this year.
Wendy works in several other elementary schools in Arlington and will be helping us make sure that all students have
two sections of PE per week. Mrs. Sandra Bergantz is certainly very well known here at Hardy, last year she was part of
the third grade team, and this year she is returning to teaching fourth grade. She looks forward to this year as she
knows her perspective from teaching third grade will help her fourth graders’ transition! Ms. Emma True and Ms.
Michelle Naugler will be filling in for Ms. Kim Connors and Ms. Jennifer Pierce respectively while they take care of their
new babies! Congratulations to them both and thank you Emma and Michelle! Out METCO students travel a long
distance to come to school with us and this year their TA will be Chris Landford. Finally Ms. Peggy Tsatsoulis will be
changing her role this year. She will be moving from her role as district psychologist to Hardy’s special education team
chair. We are excited to have her at the helm in this crucial role.
REMINDERS
As the school year begins, it is important for us to remember some general rules as well as school rules that help to keep
our children safe each day at school.








Use playground doors for arrival please. School begins at 8:10 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m Monday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday, school begins at 8:10 a.m. and ends at 1:00 p.m.
If you are biking to school, please do not cut through the teachers’ parking lot. It is not safe.
Footwear needs to be secured to your child’s feet. This means no flip flops, crocs or clogs
There is no parking in the loop while dropping off children in the morning. This is a very busy area that needs to
be free of cars.
There is no parking on Chandler St. in the morning while dropping off your child. There will be Hardy Staff
members that can help you make sure your child gets into the playground safely. These staff members will be
wearing an orange vest and will remind you of this rule if you happen to forget.
There is no parking in the teachers’ parking lot. We have very limited spaces as it is and we want to leave these
for teachers so they are able to get to their classrooms to greet your children.
If your child is going to be absent, please call into the Hardy Safe Line 1-781-316-3780
There are ABSOLUTELY NO DOGS ALLOWED on the school property during school hours, including drop off and
dismissal.
Arrival During Inclement Weather








INDOOR ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 7:55 a.m. Until then, the doors will be locked, so plan accordingly.
If is raining significantly, temperatures are frigid, or the playground is icy and unsafe, we will have an indoor
arrival. Look for the signs posted on the playground and front door to indicate an indoor arrival day.
Please still use the playground door for an indoor arrival.
Kindergarten will go to the gym. They will have a designated space to stand.
First grade and second grade will go to the cafeteria. They will have designated tables.
Third through fifth grade will wait in the gym. They will have designated spots.
IT IS NOT NECESSARY for you to accompany your 1st through 5th grader to these locations. They will have
practiced this protocol with their teachers.
Kindergarten parents will be able to walk their Kindergartener to the gym and drop them off in line. Both
locations will be supervised. Please do not bring Kindergarteners to their classrooms. There will be no one
there to supervise them.
Parent Visits



Many teachers welcome parent help in their classrooms. This time MUST be agreed upon before hand.
Parents should not be entering classrooms in the morning or walking their children to their classrooms. This is a
very busy time of day and it is harder for children to say goodbye at the classroom door. It is also harder for
teachers to attend to morning duties.
If you have a child that is having a difficult time separating, please reach out to me so that we can work on a plan
together!
DeFrancisco’s Declarations
Being out and about in classrooms with students and teachers is by far my favorite part of being a principal. It is
important for children to see me invested in their learning as well as for teachers to see me invested in the important
work that they do every day. In addition, I hope that I am also able to give parents a peek into classrooms when I share
what I have seen in DeFrancisco’s Declarations. As I am sure you know, it takes a bit of work to put these newsletters
together and I have had many parent offers from helping with the writing for grade levels to editing before sending.
While I appreciate these offers, this is something that I really need to feel is coming from me to you. Therefore, I will
continue this newsletter in the same fashion as last year and will be sending out one newsletter per month. Please
enjoy reading about what your children are up to when I am out and about!
I look forward to seeing you all and working with your families this year.
Sincerely,
Kristin DeFrancisco
Principal
Hardy School