South School Fast Facts
| School Address and Phone | 831 Main Street Hingham, MA 02043 (781) 741-1540 / FAX#: 781-749-5673 | ||
| School Website | www.hinghamschools.org/south-elementary-school | ||
| Key Contacts | Below is a list of key contacts. Additional contact information can be found on the Hingham Schools website. | ||
| Title | Name | Phone | |
| Principal | Mary Eastwood | (781) 741-1540 x6 | meastwood@hinghamschools.org |
| Assistant Principal | Lori Jacobs | (781) 741-1540 x5 | ljacobs@hinghamschools.org |
| School Admin. Assistants | Pamela Graham Laurie Barry | (781) 741-1540 x1 (781) 741-1540 x4 | pgraham@hinghamschools.org lbarry@hinghamschools.org |
| School Nurse | Carol Lincoln | (781) 741-1540 x2 | clincoln@hinghamschools.org |
| School Psychologist | Kim Kerr | (781) 741-1540 x4206 | kkerr@hinghamschools.org |
| Adjustment & Guidance Counselor | Vanessa Bryer Joanne Smith | (781) 741-1540×4207 (781) 741-1540×4213 | vbryer@hinghamschools.org joannesmith@hinghamschools.org |
| Reporting Absence | Laurie Barry | (781) 741-1540 x4 | southattendance@hinghamschools.org |
| Kids in Action | Jackie Sansone | (781) 741-1540 x3 | jsansone@hinghamschools.org |
| Transportation Dept. | Padraig Cunningham | (781) 741-1510 | pcunningham@hinghamschools.org |
| Email Distribution Lists | Principal’s email distribution: Your primary email will automatically be on the distribution list when your child is registered in our X2 system. You would need to notify pgraham@hinghamschools.org if your email changes and/or if you want to add a second email address. PTO Newsletter and Evite distributions: The PTO will be sending newsletters, reminders and event-specific invitations. Please contact PTO President, Amy Gredler, at amycgredler@gmail.com to have your name added to the PTO distribution list and if you have any questions about PTO communications or would like to volunteer to help. |
| School Hours | The School calendar is located on the Hingham Public Schools website. South School operates on a continuous 6-day cycle, beginning with Day 1 and continuing to Day 6. On each day, students may have one of the following “Specials”: Art, Music, Spanish, Computer Science, Gym (students must have appropriate footwear), and Library. (Students may check out books so long as they do not have any books already checked out.) Note: Holidays, snow days, recesses, and weekends do not “count” on the cycle calendar: Example: Day 5 on Friday, holiday/snow day on Monday, therefore, Tuesday is Day 6 |
| School Calendar | Noon releases are usually scheduled on intermittent Wednesdays. Many of them are the first Wednesday of each month, but it is important to mention that in order to create more conference time and more PD time this year, there are a couple of other Wednesdays that are scheduled as noon releases The purpose of early release is to provide time for faculty meetings, training, professional development, and parent-teacher conferences. You can schedule parent conferences with one of the school administrative assistants, Laurie Barry (lbarry@hinghamschools.org). The following are scheduled noon dismissal days for Professional Development / Early Release Days: 09/20, 10/04, 11/01, 11/22*, 12/06, 01/03, 03/06, 06/05 Parent Conferences/Early Release Days: 11/15/23, 02/07/24, 04/03/24 Dismissal is at noon *Dismissal is also at noon on 11/22/23 to begin the Thanksgiving Holiday. The last day of school also usually has a noon dismissal time. This, however, does not become official until after the experience of lost hours due to delays in winter. |
| Noon Dismissals | Noon releases are usually scheduled on intermittent Wednesdays. Many of them are the first Wednesday of each month, but it is important to mention that in order to create more conference time and more PD time this year, there are a couple of other Wednesdays that are scheduled as noon releases The purpose of early release is to provide time for faculty meetings, training, professional development, and parent-teacher conferences. You can schedule parent conferences with one of the school administrative assistants, Laurie Barry (lbarry@hinghamschools.org). The following are scheduled noon dismissal days for Professional Development / Early Release Days: 09/20, 10/04, 11/01, 11/22*, 12/06, 01/03, 03/06, 06/05 Parent Conferences/Early Release Days: 11/15/23, 02/07/24, 04/03/24. Dismissal is at noon *Dismissal is also at noon on 11/22/23 to begin the Thanksgiving Holiday. The last day of school also usually has a noon dismissal time. This, however, does not become official until after the experience of lost hours due to delays in winter. |
Transportation Bus Routes will be posted on the HPS website and on the HPS Facebook page. Students must ride the bus to which they are assigned. Students may not ride a different bus home with
another student without permission of the Transportation Department (781-741-1510) due to limited bus space and safety considerations. This is only possible in emergency situations. After permission is granted, parents should please write notes to the classroom teacher and the bus driver informing them of this dismissal change.
| Drop Off | For safety and traffic flow reasons, all students should be dropped off by the red sign on the sidewalk by the fire station. Please do not drop students off at the main school door unless they are tardy (check in at office) or coming in for early programs. Children are able to go to their classrooms at 8:40; please do not drop them off any earlier than 8:40 when teachers begin official duties. Students will continue to go in grade level doors. Many adults will be available to direct students when they arrive at school each morning. |
| Dismissal | South School students are dismissed in one of the following ways (all supervised by staff) Special Note: Any change from your child’s normal dismissal routine requires a note to the teacher and/or a phone call to the office from a parent/caregiver. Please call before 2:00 PM if possible. Students are not allowed to call home for dismissal changes during the day. Kindergarten Dismissal: All Kindergarten students should be met by a parent/guardian at bus stops or school depending on their dismissal routine Upper Main Street Walkers: dismissed through playground and walk down the sidewalk towards Liberty Pole. Kindergarten students should be met by a parent/guardian at the end of the playground driveway on the grass in front of the multi-paned window near rainbow). Please wait on/near the grass near the red bench. Lower Main Street Walkers: dismissed to the lower level parking lot along with Lower Lot Students. Bike Riders: Dismissed with Lower Lot if Lower Main St., dismissed to front hallway if Upper Main St. With parent/caregiver permission, children may ride their bike to school if they are in grades 4 and 5. Third graders join them after their safety training (Bike Rodeo by Safety Officer) in September (This year it will be Friday, September 15th during the school day.) Teachers will send out information as it gets closer. All other grades may ride only if they are accompanied by an adult. Children need a change of dismissal note for bike riding as well, and weather determines when we suspend riding for the winter. This will be announced at school and communicated by email. Bus riders: dismissed to the gym hallway as their bus is called. Kindergarten students are brought down in advance by teachers in their appropriate bus line, and they always board the bus first and sit in the seats behind the driver. Please note that for safety reasons kindergarten students need to be met at the bus stop by an authorized adult, otherwise they will be returned to school, and parents will be notified to come and pick them up. Please refrain from cell phone use in all pick up/drop off lines. Liberty Pole Car Loop: for Liberty Pole children only (in the afternoon) due to traffic flow reasons cars must turn right, at the end of our driveway near the fire station. Parents may pick up Liberty Pole children in the upper parking lot. Cars queue up to the red sign across from the Fire Station and take a right into Liberty Pole. Parents also need to send a note informing the teacher that the child will use this dismissal and put a sign identifying the child’s last name in the car window. Please refrain from cell phone use in this line. Please do not get out of your car. We will bring your child to you. Please do not make a double line in the driveway. If you cannot get in, pass the driveway and come back when things begin to move. The Option for those who are picking up by car and DO NOT live in Liberty POLE: Lower Lot Pick Up refers to times when parents/caregivers pick students up by car in the lower Main Street parking lot. You need to send a note to school informing your child’s teacher that he/she will be dismissed to the Lower Lot that day. Cars typically line up shortly before dismissal. Please put a sign identifying the child’s last name in the car window. Please do not get out of your car. We will bring your child to you. Overflow traffic may wait “live” on Loring Hill Road. Please do not block driveways or park on grass. Please do not park there for any other school event! |
| Visiting South School | All doors to the school are locked at all times. There is a buzzer located to the left of the main school entrance. There is a second buzzer to the left of the vestibule door. All visitors are required to first report to the school office (located inside the main entrance) to sign in/sign out and obtain a visitor sticker. Please be ready to present an ID if the office staff does not know you. |
| Absences | If your child is absent, please do the following: Please call in all absences to the school at (781) 741-1540 (follow prompt for reporting an absence). This number is available 24 hours a day for your convenience. You may also email southattendance.org. If we do not hear from you, we will be calling to check on your child. If your child arrives at school after 8:50 am, he/she should report to the office accompanied by a parent or authorized adult so that the absentee list can be revised. They will also receive a tardy pass so that teachers will know they are accounted for by office staff. |
| School Breakfast/Lunch | School breakfast / lunch is available to all students. Breakfast will be available as a “grab and go” item…Monthly breakfast/ lunch menus are located on the HPS website. These meals are free of charge for the 2023-2024 school year as there are state funds that are supplying these free of charge. Please be aware that there is a charge for bonus helpings and certain ala carte items. Parents/caregivers still need to set up an account so that sales can be tracked. It is also helpful to follow what nutrition your child is getting. Contact Kim Smyth, our Food Services Director with any questions or concern. |
| Parking | Parking is an issue due to our limited space. Please adhere to the following: Six short term (30 minutes or less) reserved parking spaces can be used in the main parking lot (four on the right and two on the left). Please do not use these parking spaces if you plan on being in the building for more than 30 minutes. These spots are monitored by office staff. Please do not park on Loring Hill Road except as “live” for Lower Lot Dismissal. Please be sure to NOT block any driveways or pull onto lawns. Please follow the no parking signs posted on Independence Lane. Please do not park within 15 feet of the fire hydrant in the main driveway. Please do not park in the driveway where “no parking” signs are posted. Parking is available at the Lutheran Church parking lot if needed for any school event. During grade level events, staff members are asked to park on the playground to free up more parking spaces. If close neighbors walked to all school events, that would be very helpful. Perhaps people could also find parking sponsors who live nearby, or carpool with neighbors. |
| Contacting a Teacher | Teachers in grades K-5 are available for parent conferences during some scheduled early release days. Parents are also welcome to arrange other conference times during the year by contacting the teacher directly to find a mutually convenient time to meet. Official Conference Days for 23-24 are: 11/15, 2/7, 4/3. Conferences begin at 12:40, and are scheduled every 20 minutes until 2:20 P.M. If you would like to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher, please call the school office 781-741-1540 x2 or email Laurie Barry at lbarry@hinghamschools.org. If the schedule is full, or you would like to arrange one at a different time, contact your child’s teacher directly to schedule a mutually convenient time. |
| Teacher Conferences | Teachers in grades K-5 are available for parent conferences during some scheduled early release days. Parents are also welcome to arrange other conference times during the year by contacting the teacher directly to find a mutually convenient time to meet. Official Conference Days for 23-24 are: 11/15, 2/7, 4/3. Conferences begin at 12:40, and are scheduled every 20 minutes until 2:20 P.M. If you would like to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher, please call the school office at 781-741-1540 x2 or email Laurie Barry at lbarry@hinghamschools.org. If the schedule is full, or you would like to arrange one at a different time, contact your child’s teacher directly to schedule a mutually convenient time. |
| Back to School Nights/ After School Programs Other School Events | Back to School Nights are scheduled for September 13 (2,5) and September 20 (1,3, 4). Specific times will be announced for each grade level through a flier in September. Kindergarten will have a drop-in in event in October. All Grades: Fly South Enrichment Program- Most Tuesdays and Thursdays 3-4. Grades 3-5: Homework Heroes– Tuesdays 3-4. Please watch backpacks, email and website for specific information about all programs. Many school events take place throughout the year. Parents are informed of these events via School Newsletters, principal’s email, and teacher correspondence. Here are a few examples of events by grade where parent attendance is welcome and where parent volunteers are needed: Kindergarten: Alpha Fest (Spring) Grade 1: First Grade Musical (June) Grade 2: Poetry Festival (May) Grade 3: Massachusetts Hometown History Showcase (November) Grade 4: States’ Fair (May) Grade 5: Booth Day (May) Farewell Ceremony (June) School-wide: Field Day (June) We also ask that siblings are not dismissed from class for events at other grade levels with the exception of the “Fifth Grade Farewell Ceremony” as it is quite disruptive to the learning process. |
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| PTO | We are so grateful for ALL that our PTO does for the SES Village! Please consider volunteering to help. The South School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meets monthly on Friday mornings. Dates are posted on the PTO website, which can be accessed by clicking on a link from the South School website. For further information and to be included in the PTO listserv, contact Amy Gredler at amycgredler@gmail.com |
| Room Parents | To facilitate communication and organize volunteers for classroom and school events, each class has two volunteer room parents. Room parent volunteer forms are distributed the first week of school by the PTO, and these two parents are chosen in a random lottery. There is an informational meeting shortly after the random selection. Throughout the year, you may be contacted by them for certain events etc. All volunteers must complete a CORI form every school year, processing takes 7-10 days. |
| Snow Days | Snow days, delayed school openings, or weather-related early release will be posted on the HPS website and provided to the media. In addition, some Boston radio and TV websites have a school closing email/texting notification process beginning late fall. Select a school district and provide an email address to be notified by text/email of a school closure, delay, or early dismissal due to weather. |
| Special Note/Financial Assistance | Please also know that if any of our families need financial assistance at any time or for any reason during the year they should contact the school Adjustment Counselor, Vanessa Bryer (vbryer@hinghamschools.org) or the school Guidance Counselor, Joanne Smith (joannesmith@hinghamschools.org) who will keep all such requests confidential. This includes things like school picture orders, field trip fees, Homework Heroes, Fly South, items for the holidays, or any other need you may have. |
| Additional Sources of Information | Here are some additional sources of information: South School/Unified Elementary Handbook: The handbook is located on the school’s website. During the first week of school, parents/caregivers will receive a form indicating they have read the handbook. This form needs to be signed and returned to school. South School Directory: the school directory is printed and distributed during October. It contains phone and email addresses of students and is organized by grade and class. Parents may elect not to have information printed in the directory. We thank the PTO for producing this directory! PTO website: Click on the PTO link on the South School website. |