East Elementary School -

Dear Students, Parents and Guardians,

We hope that this letter finds you well and that your summer provided the opportunity to take some time to rest, relax and enjoy life as a family! Our custodial staff has worked hard this summer to clean and prepare the building for the new school year and our faculty have been making their way back to East over the last week or so to begin their preparation for the return of our East School scholars! 

For those who may not know me yet, I’d like to share a bit about my background, journey in education, and a little about me as a person. I began my career in the New York City public schools, where I worked as a math specialist and taught 4th and 5th grades. In 2004, I relocated to Connecticut and joined the Bridgeport School District as a grade one teacher. My passion for mathematics led me to become a math coach in Bridgeport for several years. In 2012, I transitioned to New Canaan, where I served as a math specialist at West School before becoming the K-8 math coordinator. Most recently, I have had the privilege of serving as the assistant principal at South Elementary School for the past three and a half years. I am married to a kind and caring man, but have no doubt, we love to laugh and play pranks on one another. I am also the mother to a 15 year old boy and 11 year old girl who keeps me on my toes.  I love getting to know people, socializing and enjoying new experiences. 

I am truly excited to now be a part of the East Elementary School community to ensure the best possible experience for students. I firmly believe in the power of collaboration and the importance of building strong, positive relationships within our school. Together, we can partner to create rich, powerful and impactful experiences for all learners. I am eager to see all of the students and get to know them, as well as get to know all of the families.

 I would like to share a few pieces of information and while I know we will have more opportunities to connect. Below are a few housekeeping details. 

Safety is our primary key to ensuring students feel emotionally comfortable and are able to focus on learning when in school. Ensuring anyone who enters our building has a legitimate reason to be there is one of our first lines of safety. As a reminder, all adults who come to visit the school must enter through the main entrance and have a valid photo ID to present to the campus monitor, office staff, or administration every time you visit the school. A visitor sticker will be issued, which must be clearly visible at all times while in the building.  Visitors should not visit rooms or spaces where they are not expected.  Please wait in the vestibule if picking up a child early from school by the campus monitor. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with these safety measures.  

Placement: We know all of you are eager to receive placement information; placement will be sent via email on Thursday, August 22nd. 

Enrollment: While I am new to East School and look forward to meeting all of the families, we want to extend a warm welcome to all our new families and convey a heartfelt welcome back to all of our returning families! We will start the school year with approximately 561 students across grades K through 4. The grade breakdown is as follows: 

Our enrollment represents the same number of sections as last year, holding steady at 30 sections. Along with our 111 new kindergarteners, we are welcoming 16 new students to East across grades 1 through 4.

 Staff Updates: We have been working hard to ensure we have hired the most qualified staff to be part of our East school community. With enrollment fluctuations, retirements and for various other reasons, we have hired some new staff this year, as well as welcoming staff from across the district.  I am thrilled to work alongside our talented staff to ensure the success of all of our students

Elementary School Hours: The instructional day for students is 8:40 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.  Students can begin arriving at 8:30 a.m. and report to their classrooms.  Buses will also begin arriving as early as 8:25. You will be receiving  a letter about your child’s bus information soon with bus stop location and times for pick-up and drop off. Every year, it takes a week or two for bus routes to settle out, and we respectfully ask for a little extra patience during this time.  As a friendly reminder, please use the dismissal manager system if you need to make any changes. 

EARLY BIRD PROGRAM and RIGHT AT SCHOOL: East School offers an Early Bird Program for a fee, which allows working parents to drop off their children as early as 7:30 a.m. Information about the Early Bird Program can be found on the East School website. We are also thrilled that we have partnered with Right at School to offer after school care for those families who need it. 

Meet & Greet Sessions, Grades 1-4: We will host our annual  Meet and Greet opportunity for all students in GRADES 1 - 4 on  Wednesday, August 28th from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.  in the classrooms. Adults must have a valid photo ID to enter the building for this brief visit time. 

Kindergarten Meet & Greet Sessions: A separate letter will be sent to all kindergarten parents explaining our Kindergarten Meet and Greet sessions for kindergarten students on Thursday, August 29th. 

New to East School Tours: For families new to East, we will conduct tours of the building on Thursday, August 22nd at 9:30 a.m.  for grades 1-4.  Please enter through the main entrance. 

 First Day of School: The first full day of school for all students in Grades 1 through 4 is Thursday, August 29th - 8:40 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.

The first full day of school for Kindergarten students is Friday, August 30th - 8:40 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. (Please see the separate Kindergarten Parent Letter for the Kindergarten Meet and Greet Schedule for Thursday, August 28th.)  

PTC - Partners in Our Work: Please read the email communication from the East School PTC that will be emailed tomorrow for additional information. Their mailing will have more information for all families about their work and many exciting upcoming events as we launch this new school year.  

We are very excited to welcome our new students and families to East School and all returning scholars and their families back to school for the 2024-2025 school year! See you very soon

Respectfully,

Zoe Robinson, Principal

Maura Fruin, Assistant Principal