Dear Florence Roche Families,
Welcome to the new school year! We are thrilled to be opening the year in our brand new school building. It is finally here after watching the construction process over the past 2 years. I am excited to welcome all of our students and staff into this beautiful school. There is so much to learn about our new school and all of the creative learning opportunities designed into the building and grounds. I look forward to seeing everyone experiencing these amazing spaces! We started to host our tours for students this week. It was great to see all of their reactions as they took in all there is to see in our new building.
The reestablished Florence Roche School has an enrollment of 615 students in 29 classrooms. Along with the many students joining us from Swallow Union, we also have a large group of classroom teachers, special educators and paraprofessionals making this transition as well. I look forward to building relationships with everyone and establishing our culture and traditions in this new school.
With our new school comes many new procedures including arrival and dismissal along with building access for visitors. These are the most important to share with you as we open the year. The new traffic layout has 2 driveways approaching the school as you enter the campus off of Route 119. The buses will drop off and pick up following the driveway on the left. Parent/Guardian drop off and pick up will follow the driveway on the right. The parent/guardian drop off and pick up will be a moving car line traveling around a traffic circle at the front of the building and exiting back down the driveway to Route 119. This aerial photo, provided by LeftField, shows the 2 driveways and their corresponding traffic circles.
Access to the building for visitors during the school day will be through the front door. A visitor will ring the bell on the outside of the building to be let into the foyer. All first time visitors will need to have their license or identification card scanned into our system in order to access the building. For any future visits, you will still need your license/ID to enter the building. We have a kiosk in the foyer that will scan your license and a visitor badge will be printed for you in the office. Parents or guardians who are simply dropping something off for a student or dismissing someone for an appointment will enter through the main entrance and our office staff will help you. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we all get used to this process for entering the building. I am confident that we can provide a safe environment for our students and staff while also creating a welcoming experience for our visitors.
Our building has a beautiful cafeteria with plenty of space for our students to enjoy lunch in the company of their peers. The room was designed with acoustic panels in the ceiling to soften the noise level even with 100 or more students talking. I’m really looking forward to experiencing lunch with our students in this new space. The cafeteria is a great opportunity for anyone interested in a volunteer experience with us. Please email me at bodonoghue@gdrsd.org if you are interested in learning more about any of our recess or lunch volunteer opportunities.
The lunch program will continue to be a no cost option for families this year. In addition, we will be adding a “Grab and Go” style breakfast option at no cost to students. After the Labor Day holiday, we will begin to provide quick and easy breakfast items that students will eat in their classrooms during their arrival and settling in time. We will communicate more information about this option after meeting with Whitson’s, our food service contractor.
There will be many “firsts” for all of us this year as we begin to experience this beautiful new school. I plan to continue with my weekly Principal’s Update to keep everyone up to date with what is happening here at Florence Roche. I will also plan to provide some additional communication as needed while we are settling into our new school. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Enjoy these last days of the summer break!
Brian