August 2, 2024
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 & a week in MN, and moving into a new house. Mr. Gaffney spent time at the beach working on home projects and hosted extended family for vacation. As the summer comes to a close, I want to provide you with information and updates as we kick off the 24-25 school year. Since we are adding S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) as our secondary school magnet theme (and there is a train in our school logo), our theme for this school year is: Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead!
Updates from Over the Summer:
This Summer at Breakthrough Magnet School South: Over 30 students attended the Early Start program & OPMAD “Unplugged” Enrichment program in July. A big thank you to our teachers and staff who worked/supported: Mr. Gaffney, Ms. Dachille, Mrs. Gardner, Ms. Dachille, Ms. Kurtz, Mrs. Lawson, Mr. Billings, Ms. Ana & OPMAD staff. We are excited to reveal our beautiful new mural that was painted by Hartford artist Ben Keller in June in our outdoor amphitheater space. We are also excited to share our new middle school sports logo/mascot that was designed by one of our former parents (we are still the Breakthrough South Royals but we now have a new logo/mascot)! More exciting news: we will be having FULL day PreK3 for the first time ever at Breakthrough South! With all the hot weather, our garden spaces have been thriving, and we look forward to our annual BMSS Beautification Day scheduled for Fri, Aug. 16 from 9-12 pm. We are asking for volunteers to help come clean up our outdoor spaces in preparation for the new school year!
Staff Changes:
At the end of the school year, we said thank you and best wishes to Ms. Marolda, Ms. Morin, Ms. Chassidy (K/1 para) & Ms. Doffek. Additionally over the summer, we learned that Dr. Rivers (our part-time school psychologist) and Ms. Jovaisa will be moving onto new adventures. 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: DeShawn Billings (Behavior Tech) & Kristine Hansen (Gr. 2 teacher)!
Congratulations to some staff assignment changes:
Nikki Kurtz (Gr. 2 to Gr. 1) & Linda Birden (PreK ECE to PreK teacher).
Important Reminders & Updates for the 24-25 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 3:30 pm for PreK & 3:45 pm for K-8). **There will be 1 Early Dismissal day per month (usually on Wednesdays): please see BMSS calendar for dates. OPMAD will continue to run our before-care (starting at 7:15 am), 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 Bash (if you have uniforms that your child has grown out of and you would like to donate them, please bring them to the Bash). 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 (3:30-3:45 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 due to some state magnet grant funding, 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:
Friday, August 16 from 9:00-12:00 pm: BMSS Annual Beautification Day
Come volunteer a couple of hours of your time (dress comfortably) to help us clean up our outdoor spaces - pull weeds, spread mulch and do some planting. We want to help make our school look beautiful for the start of the new school year!
Tuesday, August 20 10:00-1:00 pm: HPS Back-to-School Celebration
At Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford. Bring the Kids! Free backpacks and school supplies! Food! Activities for all ages! FREE shuttles are available to and from DD Park running every half hour from the following schools: MLK - beginning at 9:40 am, Global - beginning at 9:50 am, Naylor - beginning at 9:40 am, ELAMS - beginning at 9:50 am. Food, backpacks and supplies are first come, first served while supplies last.
Monday, August 26 8:30-12:30 pm: 1st day of school “Transition Day” for K & 6th ONLY
In order to support the transition grades, HPS is having K, 6th and 9th grade students in the district start a day earlier than everyone else (half-day early dismissal) to help support students and families with the transition to those grade levels. More information to follow!
Monday, August 26 1:00-2:00 pm: Back-to-School Bash for Families
Come to school, meet your child’s teacher and visit their classroom - PreK 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), PTO/School Governance Council, & some FREE Breakthrough South student swag! PTO will also be hosting their annual BBQ fundraiser in the outdoor amphitheater space so that you can see our beautiful new mural!
Tuesday, August 27th: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL for ALL grades!
School Hours: PK3 - 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 2nd: Labor Day- No School
Wednesday, September 4th: Picture Day “Dress to Impress” (uniforms optional)
Wednesday, September 11th: 12:30 pm Early Dismissal & PTO Spirit Day Dress Down
You should expect communication from your child’s teacher on Wednesday, Aug. 21 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 Pages! You can find these on the bottom of our website.