Community Submission Form

Covid 2020-21 New Policies:

Please do not arrive at school before 8:00am. The bell will ring at 8:10am.

Drop Off:

We have reorganized the way students line up to enter school.  We are still asking students to wait in lines.  Members of the outdoor committee are painting crickets on the black top six feet apart.  Students will stand on a cricket and be safely social distanced on all sides.  We know that the first days many families come together to see their children into class.  We respectfully ask that only one adult come with a child, again to keep the numbers smaller and the area less crowded.   Staff will be available to help you find the lines.  Masks are to be worn at all times during arrival, and drop off.

Kindergarten students will line up outside of the exterior door of their classroom along Fayette Street.

First graders will line up on the basketball court by teacher. 

Second grade students will line up on the four square blacktop by teacher.

Third and fourth grade students will also line up on the basketball court. 

Mrs. Lowe’s fifth grade will line up behind the second grade lines on the black top. 

Ms. Gorman’s class will line up on the sidewalk outside the cafeteria next to the school.

Students in grades one, two and three will enter through the front door of the school.  Fourth and fifth graders will enter the school through the cafeteria door.

We are asking people to enter the school grounds for line up via the fire lane (the blacktop area just next to the play structure).  If your child is lining up on the basketball court we ask that you enter the court from fire lane, walking the past the rainbow bench, and take a right into the back side of the basketball court. This will allow children to enter at the back of their classroom line. There is no fence there and children will not have to pass their classmates.

Covid 2020-21 New Policies:

Students will be dismissed through four separate doorways. 

Kindergarten students will exit through their classroom doors along Fayette Street at 1:45pm.

Ms. Russo and Mrs. Taffel’s third graders will exit through the kindergarten hallway door (formerly kindergarten students exited the building through this doorway) at 1:45pm.

Grade One will exit through the front school door at 1:45pm.

Grade Two will exit through the cafeteria door and proceed to their drop off line on the four square court where a family member can pick them up at 1:45pm.

At 1:50pm, Mrs. Duggan’s third graders will exit the building through the kindergarten hallway door.

At 1:50pm, Fourth Graders will exit through the front school door.

At 1:50pm, Fifth Graders will exit through the Cafeteria door.

We ask that families quickly pick up their child and move away from the school to keep social distance.

Please leave a message (including the date, your name, your child’s name and reason for absence). Safe arrival number is 781-316-3716.

Families are  encouraged to send snacks with their children for consumption in the morning or later in the day. Children can take advantage of the partnership with Arlington EATS and obtain a snack at school. The school has snacks available to all children. A specific snack time is scheduled for those students who have an early lunch. 

Parents can ask the teacher if the snack needs to be nut free.

All visitors need to sign in and sign out in the main office. Additionally all visitors must wear a “visitor” badge.

Parents can ask the teacher if the snack needs to be nut free.

There is street parking located on Eastern Avenue outside the school. 

During snow storms the side of Eastern closest to the school will be blocked off.

The Drop Off area outside the school is intended for quick stops, especially during arrival and dismissal times.

Please do not block fire hydrants and crosswalks.

Parents and children are reminded that pets are not allowed on school property. This is both a safety issue and a health concern. Please do not walk dogs or other animals on the school grounds. This also applies to families when dropping off and picking up their children. When medically required and prescribed, service animals are allowed. Communication with the building principal about a service animal is required.

Students should walk bikes and scooters to the bike racks in the back of the school.

If you will be volunteering in your child’s classroom and or chaperoning field trips, you must complete a CORI form. Please see Mrs. Killeen in the main office.

In order to try and reach as many parents as possible with school notices and information, communication is disseminated in the following ways:

• PowerSchool

This is the records database for Arlington Public Schools (APS). It is where information pertinent to student enrollment is stored. The information in this database is accessible only to APS employees. The contact information stored here is used by the APS administration to communicate with parents. The Brackett PTO does not have access to information in PowerSchool.  https://aps.powerschool.com/public/home.html

• Emails from Principal Zerchykov

Principal Zerchykov will periodically send notices to families via parents’ email. This distribution list is compiled through PowerSchool (see link, above). szerchykov@arlington.k12.ma.us

• Brackett PTO Online Directory

This is the database that the PTO uses to communicate with Brackett families, and create class lists. You must OPT-IN every year. https://brackettelementary.membershiptoolkit.com/ 

Room parent messages will be sent using the information in the PTO Online Directory, so that class specific events and volunteer opportunities can be communicated. If you want to participate, it is important to register every year with the PTO Online Directory and to update teacher names/grades. 

• Brackett School Website

Brackett’s website displays general information about the school, timely announcements, copies of eNews, and the school calendar. The calendar is maintained by the PTO, hosted by Google and can be downloaded. https://brackettelementary.org/

• Paper flyers in your child’s backpack

Occasionally, paper notices are distributed in class for your child to bring home.

• Brackett Specific Facebook Pages

Brackett-specific Facebook pages are for current families and faculty of Brackett. 

Brackett Elementary School PTO: https://www.facebook.com/groups/227346734350605/files/

Grade-specific pages are listed below. The grades referenced are the grades for the 2020-2021 school year. Each class’s  graduation date from Brackett is in parentheses. 

Kinder (Brackett Class of 2026): https://www.facebook.com/groups/2710606525851099/

1st Grade (2025): https://www.facebook.com/groups/409524649600216/

2nd Grade (2024): https://www.facebook.com/groups/162842864392947

3rd Grade (2023): https://www.facebook.com/groups/812928838869013/

4th Grade (2022): https://www.facebook.com/groups/156969768039151

5th Grade (2021): https://www.facebook.com/groups/423484807813140