Principal's Update 09-12-2014

Thank you to all of our parents who attended our Curriculum Night on Wednesday evening! It was great to see so many interested and involved parents! If you were unable to attend on Wednesday, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher for information and to learn more about what is going on in your child's classroom!

On Thursday, our school completed our first fire drill of the school year. We will complete four fire drills over the course of the year, including one with the local fire department in October. Following our fire drill, we also practiced walking to 63rd Street Church, which is our relocation site should we need to evacuate the school and we are not be able to return. Our students did an excellent job with the relocation and I was extremely impressed with the way they followed directions and took this opportunity to practice seriously. I am confident that in an emergency situation our staff and students will know how to respond in the best way possible.

Many of our classrooms started to delve into the curriculum this past week, as it was our first full
week with the students. We finished up our STAR assessments and will be using the data we collected to plan for our DEB (Differentiated Engagement Block) groups during our data review meetings this coming Monday and Tuesday. Our teachers will also be attending an additional training on either Wednesday or Thursday in preparation for our all school improvement training on Friday when we have no school for students. As a result, your child's teacher will be out of the classroom for a short period on either Monday and Tuesday and again for a full day on either Wednesday or Thursday. The district has made a conscience effort to limit the amount of time that staff will be pulled out of the classroom for trianings this year, but this week will be one week where they will be out of the classroom for important meetings that will set us up for a successful year with students.

Our new bus company, First Student, is continuing to make adjustments in order to improve our bus service. Many of the kinks that we experienced at the start of the year have been worked out and busses should now be running at the originally scheduled times that were posted to the website at the start of the school year. Please visit the district website to check the bus routes and verify times. Changes that were made with stops or routes have also been reflected on the website. Those changes were discussed with individual families that were effected, but I encourage parents to look at the routes again, as the buses should be following the routes that are currently posted.

If you are dropping off or picking up students before or after school, please note that you may not stop to drop off or pick up students right in front of the school, as this is the bus loading zone. Even if you do not see buses present, you may not stop right in front of the school, as the busses may be coming around the block to drop off or pick and need to be able to pull up right away. Cars should drop off students before the crosswalk at Sherman and Jackson. Students should always get out of the car on the curb side and walk up to the building on the sidewalk. I use the phrase, "No feet on the street," with students to remind them to get out of car on the side where they do not have to walk in the street to get to the sidewalk. Also, if you pull into the parking lot to drop off or pick up students, please keep in mind that cones are purposefully placed in the driveway in order to stop cars from coming in and out while students are crossing the driveway to get to school in the morning or walking home after school. As a result, all cars must wait to leave or enter the lot until the cones are moved by our patrols or one of our staff members. Please do not ask students to move the cones, as they have been instructed not to move the cones for anyone. Parents are encouraged to park up the street on Ridgeway Drive, rather than in the parking lot if they want to pick up or drop off their students at the door, but then need to leave immediately after drop off or pick up. Finally, when driving, please be sure to drive slowly through our school zone, as we have students on patrol and children crossing the street at both ends of the school who walk home. It is important to also note that it is illegal to pass a bus from either direction when a bus has its stop sign out, and it is illegal to be on a cell phone in a school zone. Passing a bus with its stop sign out or talking on a phone in a school zone can result in a ticket and a fine. If you have questions regarding our pick up or drop off policies, please feel free to contact me.

This Tuesday is the Elementary Band Open House for students in fifth or sixth grade who are joining band for the first time. Information regarding this event has been posted to the Peachjar! Parents should also look out for information from our PTO regarding our upcoming Fun Run, as well as, information about our first Box Top contest!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:
Monday, September 15th: 5th Grade Parent Outdoor Education Information Mtg., 6:30 p.m. @ Sipley School
Tuesday, September 16th: Beginning Band Open House, 5-8 p.m. @ JJH
Friday, September 19th: No School, School Improvement Day
Friday, September 26th: Fun Run
Friday, October 3rd: Fall Picture Day
Tuesday, October 7th: Room Parent/New Volunteer Mtg., 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 7th: Mingle with Matthews, 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 16th: 5th Grade Robert Crown Parent Information Night, 6:30 p.m. @ Murphy
Friday, October 17th: Market Day Pick-Up
Thursday, October 23rd and Friday, October 24th: 5th Grade Outdoor Education Trip
Friday, October 24th: Halloween Dance