We have been busy all week getting ready for students to come back to school on Monday! The school is ready to go and looks polished and clean with much thanks to Gerri Wills and the LSUU maintenance crew. For those of you who do not know, Gerri has been cleaning The Elmore School for at least a quarter of a century! She takes a lot of pride in the work that she does, so if you happen to see her out in the community, please Thank her for all her hard work! The Maintenance Crew has also polished the floors, power washed the outside of the school, added woodships to the playground surface, refreshed our sand in the sandbox, moved furniture and boxes, and replaced a light fixture and some missing shingles on our shed. They have been great at responding to every request I have made.
We kicked off the new year on Wednesday with a new student orientation followed by an ice cream social for everyone! It was so wonderful meeting parents and new students seeing so many smiling faces. The playground was full laughter and smiles as children and parents enjoyed each other's company. I'd like to thank Ryan Heraty, our new Superintendent / Principal for joining us as we celebrated the start of a new school year.
Here are a few reminders for the start of the school year!
The first day of school is Monday, August 30th. Students should arrive between 7:30 - 8:00. Parents are permitted to walk students into the school this year (masks required). Breakfast is available at school this year (free) for any student who needs it. We have cereal, milk, juice, cheese sticks, and fruit available. Students who would like breakfast at school, should plan to eat when they arrive. After students arrive (and eat breakfast), they can go out to the playground until school starts at 8:00.
Dismissal is at 3:00. The buses usually arrive around 3:10. Just a reminder that if you and your child(ren) use the playground after school, I ask that you supervise your child and help ensure that your child is playing safely with the equipment and with other children. We ask that students do not climb up the outside of the slide, are play physically rough with one another. When you leave, please assure that the balls and other equipment are put away neatly in the shed and the shed door is shut. We appreciate your help in maintaining a safe playground for all to enjoy.
Lunch: Parents who wish to order school lunch (free) for their child should notify me by email by 7:00 pm on Sunday evening. It is best if you can give me your order for the whole week at that time. If you need to change plans for during the school week, I ask that you notify me by the evening before the change. For now, School lunch will be available 5 days per week with an option of a salad or Sandwich. We will begin doing parent Provided Hot lunch in a few weeks after we can get a schedule established. If parents choose to sign up to provide hot lunch, we will not have "school lunch" on that day. Providing Hot Lunch is a choice and is not required of anyone. I will send out an email when I have specifics on what is available for lunch options.
Of course Students may bring their own lunch from home.
FYI: We have two peanut allergies in the classroom this year. These students may be in the same room as peanuts / peanut butter but they may not ingest it. Please keep this in mind this year if you are bringing in snacks / meals to share. You may also like to know that I am also gluten free.
Milk: Milk is also available for any student who would like it for snack or lunch.
Supplies: Students do not need any special school supplies such as crayons, pencils, markers, or notebooks. We will provide everything they should need during their school day. You may want to have supplies at home for students to use in completing homework.
Homework: Will start out slow and work our way into a regular homework routine. Generally, students will be asked to read a minimum of 10 minutes X the grade they are in (first =10 min, second = 20 min, third = 30 min.), they will have a little math, and spelling homework, Once a week they will have Scholastic News which can also count toward their reading time. Students will be responsible for filling out a reading log with the total number of minutes they read. We all add up our collective reading minutes to earn rewards! Homework should be completed the night it is assigned and returned to school the next morning. Assignment that are incomplete will need to be completed during students choice time or recess. Students will not have any homework assignments over the weekend.
If students have a Camp Chair (as mentioned in your Welcome Letter)they should bring them to school on the first day and plan to leave them here through the fall. We will be eating and learning outdoors as much as possible while the weather is allows.
Health and Safety: School will be open for in person learning 5 day per week this year. The biggest thing we will be doing to assure we all remain healthy and safe this year will be: 1) Everyone will be required to wear a Mask while indoors (unless they are eating). Masks are not required (at this time) outdoors; 2) Please keep sick kids home from school. While we understand this can be challenging for parents to juggle with work schedules, it is vital that any students (or staff) with any symptoms (nasal discharge, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, body aches, chills, fever, loss of taste or smell, etc) must remain at home until they have a negative PCR test or are otherwise diagnosed by a physician or Quarantine for the duration of 14 days. Once students have a negative test they can return to school 24 hours after their symptoms subside without medication.
Please send your child with at least 2 clean masks each day and an extra pair of indoor shoes they can keep at school (these could also be slippers).
PE will not officially begin until the second week of school. Robb Wills can only do PE on Friday until October. Ericka and I will make sure the students get physical activity and movement on Tuesdays until Robb and take over.
Library will be Monday's at 2:00.
I think that is it for now. I'm looking forward to a great year ahead!
Enjoy your weekend!
