When does the school day begin and end?
School is in session from 7:55 AM-2: 25 PM. Doors open at 7:45 AM. Parents may not drop children off earlier than 7:45 AM. Students who arrive after 7:55 AM will be marked tardy.
On ILAP day (early release) Wednesdays, school is dismissed at 11:45 PM.
Who do I call if my child is absent?
Please fill out this form.
What are ILAP days?
Early release ILAP (“Improved Learning for All Plan”) Wednesdays are scattered throughout the school year. These afternoons are designated for teacher professional development, parent-teacher conferences and class placement meetings. On early release Wednesdays, school is dismissed at 11:45 PM.
How do I get a bus pass for my child?
Please complete a transportation form available on the SPS website. Elementary students who live more than 2 miles from their school are offered transportation without a fee; those students within a 2-mile radius are required to pay a fee.
Where do I find my bus stop location and schedule?
Bus routes and stops are determined by the SPS Transportation Office. The bus schedule and stop information is available online on the SPS website.
How do I find something my child left on the bus?
Please contact bus dispatch directly at (978) 443-8631.
What is Back to School Night?
Generally held in September, this is an opportunity to meet your student’s teacher, learn about grade-level curriculum, the teacher’s expectations and goals, and learn about the daily school routine. Special subject area teachers are also available to meet. This evening is an informational night, and is not an appropriate venue to discuss individual student concerns or progress. Families are asked to attend without their children.
What “specials” are offered?
Students in grades 1-5 will generally have one specialist visit per day: Spanish, Library, P.E., Art, and Music. Kindergarteners will also have one specialist visit per day: Library, P.E., Art, and Music.
How do I get a school directory?
Each year, HOP publishes an electronic Haynes directory with names, addresses, emails, and telephone numbers of Haynes’ students, as well as class lists. Access will be available for purchase at the beginning of the year. Families will receive instructions for the directory via email. Inclusion in the directory is completely voluntary.
The directory may only be used for purposes related to Haynes, its student body, and its faculty/staff – it may not be used for any commercial solicitations.
What are MCAS?
As part of the Education Reform Act of 1993, the State Board of Education has instituted a system of student assessments beginning in Grade 3 that culminates in a “must pass assessment” in Grade 10 in order to graduate from high school. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) requires students to participate in testing in the areas of Reading, English and Language Arts, Writing, Mathematics, and Science. The purpose of this assessment was to determine the progress individual students had made in acquiring the knowledge and skills as outlined in Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
It is important to remember that all of these assessments are only part of the story about what students know and can do. A variety of other formative grade level assessments are used during the year, including benchmark tests, projects and activities, and unit assessments – all of which inform instruction and the interventions that will help students succeed. It is a way for our school to look at our curriculum and instruction and ensure that it is aligned with the state’s learning frameworks. Please reassure your students that they have the skills and strategies to be successful!
Can I give my teacher a gift?
It is the policy of the School Committee to discourage the giving of gifts to teachers and administrators. Donations in a teacher’s name may be made at each of the schools through SERF and the PTO’s. Money received in such a manner is used to purchase library books, prints of artwork and other items that benefit the entire school. Massachusetts Law limits the amount of any personal gift a staff member may receive to $50 from an individual. (Collecting contributions from a group of parents to present as a class gift to a teacher is limited to $150 and cannot identify participating parents – it must be from the “class”). However, the monetary limit is not applicable if the gift from an individual or group is for the classroom, such as student materials, books or other similar items.
Is there band and orchestra at Haynes?
Yes, Students may elect to begin violin, viola, cello or string bass in fourth grade (and may continue through 5th grade). After renting an instrument from a local shop with string instrument expertise, the students take once-weekly group lessons for 45 minutes during the school day. Weekly assignments encourage students to explore music on their own and require 15 minutes of practicing, four or five days per week. The year culminates in a Stringfest in May, where all students join together to display the amazing musical growth they have achieved during the year!
Band lessons are offered to students in Grade 5. Students may elect to study a woodwind (flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone), brass (trumpet, french horn, trombone, baritone), or percussion (snare drum) instrument. They attend a 45-minute group lesson once a week during the school day and support their learning at home by practicing 15 minutes per day, four or five days per week. During the school year, students experience and perform music from every period of time–from Medieval and Renaissance music to the Modern and Pop Culture music of today. In the process, students build a solid foundation for reading and interpreting music notation and symbols, and they learn to produce a musically acceptable tone on their instrument. Students are expected to perform in two band concerts with all of the fifth-grade band students. Individual performances at school meetings and community gatherings are encouraged but not required.
Further information about band and orchestra can be found on the SPS website.
Who was Josiah Haynes?
Deacon Josiah Haynes was born June 4, 1696 and died April 19, 1775. He was a descendent of Walter Haynes, one of the original settlers of Sudbury. He was a farmer, a deacon of the church and an ardent patriot.
HOP is the Haynes Organization of Parents: an organization of parents and guardians of children attending the Josiah Haynes School. We interact with teachers, professional and administrative staff of the school; we foster, enrich and otherwise support the educational programs and related activities conducted by the school; we present cultural and science programs and activities that aid and supplement the curriculum; and we raise money to fund professional development programs, technology purchases, classroom supplies, playground equipment and much, much more.