August 3, 2023
Dear Breakthrough Magnet School South Families,
I hope this letter finds you all happy, healthy, rested and ready to begin the upcoming school year! Hope you were able to find time to do things that bring you joy over the summer. For Mrs. Gustafson it was reading a lot of books, spending a week at the Cape with her family, and celebrating her 18-year old twins as they graduated from high school. Mr. Gaffney spent a week in Arizona, did some gardening, and spent time with family. As the summer comes to a close, I want to provide you with information and updates as we kick off the 23-24 school year. Since we have been focusing on enhancing our gardens, our theme for this year is: Learning & Growing Each & Everyday, Breakthrough Magnet School Leads the Way!
Updates from Over the Summer:
This Summer at Breakthrough Magnet School South: Over 50 students attended the Early Start program, OPMAD Enrichment program & 2-4-1 Sports Enrichment program at Kennelly School in July. A big thank you to our teachers and staff who worked/supported: Mr. Gaffney, Ms. Dachille, Mrs. Gardner, Ms. Ana & OPMAD staff. We are excited to have worked on some improvements and upgrades in our school building as well that we are so excited for everyone to see! We have our new Mindfulness Garden that we completed right before the school year ended, a new greenhouse on our rooftop garden, and a renovated library/media center for students and staff to enjoy! We also have a new website - check it out at www.breakthroughmagnetschool.org.
Staff Changes: At the end of the school year, we said thank you and best wishes to Mr. Ali, Ms. Bocola & Ms. Wallace. We wish them well on their new adventure and are grateful for what they contributed to our school.
Welcome to our new BMSS staff members:
New Staff: Kelsey Dahling (PreK teacher), Justina Woodard (PreK teacher), Kimberly Aitkin (Special Education teacher), Elida Muchollari (Music teacher) & Deverton Channer (custodian).
Congratulations to some staff assignment changes: Monica Doffek (Gr. 2 to Gr. 1), Nikki Kurtz (Gr. PreK to Gr. 2), Mr. Jacobs (STEM Resource to Gr. ⅘ Science teacher) & Melissa Bernardez (Gr. 1 to Resource teacher).
Important Reminders & Updates for the 23-24 School Year:
School Hours: Start time is at 8:40 am (doors open at 8:30 am for breakfast) and end time is at 3:50 pm (dismissal will start at 3:45 pm this year). **There will still be 1-2 Early Dismissal days per month (usually on Wednesdays): please see BMSS calendar for dates. OPMAD will continue to run our before-care (starting at 7:15 am), PreK3 extended day care, and aftercare (until 6 pm).
Dress Code: Students must be in school uniform (even PreK) starting on the first day of school. See our website for all dress code information or contact Mrs. Gardner for assistance. We will have gently used uniforms available at our Back to School Meet & Greet (if you have uniforms that your child has grown out of and you would like to donate them, please bring them to the Meet & Greet). We will be especially enforcing the dress code in our middle school this year!
Arrival & Dismissal: As a reminder, only PreK parents will be allowed to go up on the patio for arrival (8:30-9:00 am) and dismissal (3:45-4:00 pm). K-8 drop-offs and pick-ups are in the parent loop (parents stay in cars) - we have numerous staff stationed outside to assist and support students getting safely in and out of the building. K-8 students will enter and exit the building through the front doors, and students in Gr. 6-8 will go into the cafe from 8:30-8:40 am for breakfast before heading upstairs to class.
ParentSquare (HPS communication tool):
ParentSquare is our main mode of communication so please make sure that you have activated your account before school starts. One of the great features of ParentSquare is that you can set it to your preferred language. This tool is the main way to communicate with the main office, the nurse, and your child’s classroom teacher. All school, grade level and classroom information will be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text or you can download the free App. Contact Mrs. Gardner for more information at 860-695-5748 or GOMEM003@hartfordschools.org.
Before & After School Enrichment Programs:
We are excited that thanks to the district grant, we are able to continue to offer many and varied before and after school enrichment programs for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Stay tuned for more information about fall programs!
Upcoming Important Dates in August/September:
Thursday August 24 4:00 - 5:00 pm: Welcome Back Meet & Greet for Families
Come to school, meet your child’s teacher and visit their classroom - PreK orientation and 6th grade/new to middle school orientation will also be occurring at this time as well! We will also have some tables set up in the cafe that you can stop at for other resources: gently-used uniforms that are free of charge (families can also donate these back to us), OPMAD (before & aftercare, and PreK3 extended care), PTO/School Governance Council, & some FREE Breakthrough South student swag!
Tuesday, August 29th: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!
School Hours: Pre-K3: 8:40 am to 12:40 pm. // PreK4- 8th grade: 8:40 am to 3:50 pm.
Students may enter the building starting at 8:30 am for breakfast (no earlier unless your child is enrolled in OPMAD before-care). Please see our website for our current arrival and dismissal procedures.
Monday, September 4th: Labor Day- No School
Wednesday, September 6th: 12:40 Early Dismissal Day (& PTO Dress Down Day)
Thursday, September 7th: Back-to-School Night 6:00-7:30 pm
You should expect communication from your child’s teacher on Wednesday, Aug. 23 via ParentSquare or phone call. Supply lists for all grades are posted on our school website: www.breakthroughmagnetschool.org. Take care, stay safe, and enjoy the rest of summer vacation. See you very soon!
Mrs. Holly Gustafson, Principal & Mr. Matthew Gaffney, Assistant Principal
P.S. Follow the Breakthrough Magnet School South Facebook, Instagram & Twitter Pages! You can find these on the bottom of our website.