Anne Hutchinson Back to School Letter

Dear Anne Hutchinson Parent(s) and Guardian(s), 

I hope you are enjoying these final weeks of summer! As we look ahead to the start of the 2026-2027 school year, our new Interim Assistant Principal, Ms. Dayna Orlando and I are excited to welcome you back to Anne Hutchinson School. We’re eager to continue the important work of fostering a learning environment where every student feels supported, challenged, and inspired.

Now entering my third year as principal, I remain grateful for the opportunity to lead such a dedicated and caring school community. Last year was filled with meaningful relationships, collaborative efforts, and a shared commitment to student growth, and I look forward to continuing this important work.

As we prepare for the first day of school on Wednesday, September 2nd, I’d like to share some helpful information to ensure a smooth and successful start to the year. My apologies in advance for the lengthy message, but there is a great deal of important information to share as we begin the new school year. Thank you for taking the time to read through the details below. In addition, be sure to mark your calendars for Back to School Night on Thursday, September 17th. Details will be provided in our monthly newsletter, Hutch Happenings.

Updates

This summer, the mural project by Sabrina Murals was completed! We are excited to welcome the children back to hallways that are now filled with color and life, beautifully reflecting the spirit and pride that make Anne Hutchinson such a special place to learn and grow. 

The School Day

The first day of school is Wednesday, September 2nd. This is a full day of school. Supervision in the back of the school begins at 8:00am. New this year, our school day officially begins at 8:10am and students will enter the building at this time. The school day ends at 3:00pm.

New Positions at AH

• Meghan Galvao - Grade 2 ICT
• Gianna Degaltini - Grade 2/3 Special Class
• Maria Elena Barbuto - Instructional Coach

On Friday, August 21st class placement information for the 2026-2027 school year will be available electronically through the Infinite Campus after 2:00pm. Infinite Campus is replacing Home Access Center/eSchoolPlus as the District’s student information system and will allow you to monitor content like class schedules, report cards, and more! If you have not already done so, please make sure you have an account with Infinite Campus. Instructions for setting up an account have been emailed. Thank you in advance for understanding that requests for class placement changes will not be granted at this time.

NEW ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

OUR ARRIVAL PROCEDURES HAVE CHANGED!

This school year, we will be implementing a new morning arrival procedure to accommodate car line drop-off and help create a safe and efficient arrival for all students. Students who ride the bus and vans will continue to be dropped off in the front of the school and be escorted to their class line up locations. 

There are now TWO ways to enter for morning car drop-off:

• Ann Place from Joyce Road
• Mill Road

All vehicles will EXIT through Ann Place onto Joyce Road.

Please note: Ann Place is now a TWO-WAY street. Please read the procedures below carefully and refer to the map for the suggested car line routes.

Morning Arrival – Entering from Joyce Road/Ann Place

1. Begin lining up on Joyce Road before reaching Ann Place (yellow line). Please do not enter Ann Place before 8:00 a.m.
2. At 8:00 a.m., vehicles may make a right turn from Joyce Road onto Ann Place to enter the school drop-off line.
3. Follow the traffic pattern (blue arrows) and pull all the way to the end of the school building before stopping to drop off your child.
4. Please have your child ready to exit the vehicle quickly and safely when directed by staff.
5. Once your child has exited the vehicle, continue forward through the car line toward the Ann Place exit (red line).
6. Before exiting Ann Place onto Joyce Road, please stop and carefully watch for oncoming traffic.

Morning Arrival – Entering from Mill Road

1. Vehicles approaching the school from Mill Road should drive straight into the designated student drop-off area.
2. Vehicles entering from Mill Road do not join the Joyce Road/Ann Place car line before drop-off.
3. After dropping off your child, continue straight toward the Ann Place exit (red line).
4. As you approach the exit, carefully merge with vehicles exiting the Ann Place car line.
5. All vehicles will then exit the school area via Ann Place onto Joyce Road.

For morning drop-off, families may ENTER from either Ann Place or Mill Road, but ALL vehicles will EXIT through Ann Place.

We appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation as we implement this new arrival procedure. Following the designated traffic patterns and the directions of staff will help us keep arrival safe, orderly, and efficient for all students and families.

Please refer to the Arrival Map for the class line up location(s) and Dismissal Map for location(s) of pick-up. 

NEW: Early Drop-off & Late Pick-up Pilot

The Early Drop-off & Late Pick-up Pilot DOES NOT replace ‘Right At School’ childcare.

Based on feedback from families, EUFSD elementary schools will be piloting an early drop off and pick up at Waverly, AH, and Greenvale for the first month of school. In an effort to provide families who periodically need additional time at the start and end of the school day to pick up their child from school, parents/guardians will now be able to drop their children off at school up to 25 minutes before the bell rings and pick up their students 25 minutes after the end of the day school bell rings if they need a little extra cushion to drop off/pick up their child.

We will monitor how many families require this assistance throughout the month of September to determine if we will continue the extended hours for the remainder of the year.

During early and late pick up, students will be supervised in the school gym until their parents are able to pick them up. Parents/guardians who require more than 25 minutes at the start or end of day or require daily childcare, are encouraged to utilize Right at School childcare.

Childcare Opportunities

• Right At School at Anne Hutchinson School 26-27
• Right At School at Greenvale School 26-27
• Right At School at Waverly School 26-27
• Lincoln Academy 11 Woodlot Road, Eastchester, NY 10709: A bus will be provided to Waverly School and Greenvale School who are enrolled at Lincoln Academy for Before and After Care. There are 20 open spots available at Lincoln Academy.

Transportation

Please contact Kristene Reichard, Supervisor of Transportation, with any questions or concerns about the school bus: kreichard@eufsdk12.org, (914)793-6130 ext. 4280. 

Attendance

For any attendance-related questions, please contact our Office Assistant, Lisa Knapp, by email lknapp@eufsdk12.org or by phone (914) 793-6130 ext. 5102.

Food Services

Please be sure to set up your lunch account, as the first day of school is a full day. We welcome a new Director of Food Services, Ms. Pina Laura Cilento, and she is excited to provide our students and staff with a wonderful variety of lunch options. You can access our Food Service page HERE and you can also set up your My Payments Plus account here as well. The lunch menu for September will be posted before the start of school. Please be mindful of our district-wide food and nut policy which can be found here. Please refer to this as you pack classroom snacks for your child.

Health Office Information

If you have any questions for the school nurse, please email or call Catherine O'Hanlon, RN, ext. 5111, e-mail: cohanlon@eufsdk12.org. New medication forms for both prescription and over the counter medications must be signed every year by a health care provider and parent/guardian. Medications must be dropped off by a parent/guardian, in the original container and properly labeled. Students diagnosed with seizures, diabetes, asthma or allergies must have an emergency action plan specific to that diagnosis completed by a physician. Please also submit the NYS school exam forms for students in grades 3 & 5 if you have not already done so. Immunization requirements can also be found on the school website, Health Forms. 

Supply List 

While you can not order online through A.Hartz company for school supplies, you can check HERE for what is needed for each grade or visit Value Drugs in Eastchester located at 1 Tuckahoe Avenue.

Electronics in School

As a gentle reminder for all of our Anne Hutch families - students who bring electronic items for use before or after school (i.e., cell phones, smart watches, electronic games) must turn them off and store these items in their backpacks during the school day. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with this request!

Media Opt-Out Form

If you do not want your child to be photographed and shared on the district’s websites, newsletters, or social media outlets, please complete the district’s Media Opt-Out Form and return to school.

PTA and SEPTA Information 

All families are encouraged to join our supportive community of parents in the PTA and SEPTA.  

Safe Swimming Memorandum

The New York State Education Department has issued a memorandum outlining the new requirements for safe swimming. Click this link if you'd like to learn more about NYState's Safe Swimming Tips for Everyone. It has helpful tips and strategies for water safety as we finish up these last few weeks of Summer.

Lastly, I want to take a moment to recognize and thank the following people for their hard work and dedication in ensuring we’re set up for a successful school year! 

• I want to convey a very special thank you to Lisa Knapp, our school administrative assistant, for her tireless work in the office this summer. She managed everything from registration of students, to teacher orders, to mountains of paperwork.   
•  A HUGE thank you to our custodial staff, Joe Piaquadio, Manny Sanchez, and Sylvia Valencia. They have spent the summer deep cleaning and preparing all of our learning spaces.
• Also, thank you to our Anne Hutchinson teachers and staff for their tireless work and dedication over the summer to ensure that we were ready for another successful school year.
• In addition, a very special thank you to our technology team under the guidance of Greg Silwecki, for device and technology updates within the school. d
• Lastly, I would also like to thank Julie Dameron and Kaitlin Casey, PTA Presidents, and Amy Earle, AH SEPTA Liaison, for their support. I am so appreciative and I look forward to all of the Anne Hutchinson events we are planning this year.