ALFRED ELEMENTARY Parent NEWSLETTER August/September 2018 Important Dates School News OPEN HOUSE/ICE CREAM SOCIAL: Aug 30th @ 6-7pm OPENING DAYS: Sept 4th (grades 1-5) Sept 6th (pre-K & K) SEPTEMBER EARLY RELEASE DAY: Sept 19th @ 1pm PICTURE DAY: Sept 26th (forms will be sent mid month) PTSA MEETING: Sept 11th @ 6pm (The PTSA is always looking for new members. Please contact Nikki Duplisea, President, at ptsa@rsu57.org with any questions) Dear Alfred Families, On behalf of Mrs. Pellerin and I, we would like to officially welcome you back for the 18-19 school year. We hope you have enjoyed many summer activities and look forward to another great year! Our custodial staff has worked hard all summer long getting the building ready for school and it looks AMAZING! We have replaced all windows, shades, lights, and heating units in the building. Many of our teaching staff have worked closely with our new curriculum director over the summer and we are very excited about our plans moving forward. We hope to see you all this week at our upcoming Open House & Ice Cream Social, scheduled for Thursday, August 30th from 6-7pm . Included below are some important reminders: SPECIALS SCHEDULE: To meet the needs of our Specials Staff that we share with Lyman we will continue to have our special’s schedule running on a 4-day rotation. Teachers will be sending out a weekly reminder of the order and day your child has each special. Additionally, please remember to check the calendar on our website that reflects our current rotation schedule. BACKPACK PROGRAM: We will continue our Friday food backpack program this year and we are looking for non-perishable donations. We would like to support as many families as we are able. If you are in need of this assistance or would like to help with this project please contact Jackie Chaplin, our Guidance Counselor or Administration. VOLUNTEERS: If you would like to volunteer this year either in the classroom or on field trips, please make sure that you fill out the volunteer forms ASAP. These forms must be completed annually and are located in the main office and on our website. IMPORTANT REMINDERS: DROP OFF : As a reminder... ● Student drop off begins at 8:30am (unless they are signed up for the Y-CARE program). Students will not be allowed into the building until 8:30am ● Students drop off is in the office/foyer area and students should proceed to their classroom on their own. ● Please do not park in the bus drop off circle. If you would like to walk your child up to the building please park in the parking lot and walk them in using the crosswalk in front of the building. ● Please do no pass cars or buses that are dropping off students this presents a safety TOOTH PROTECTORS: Sept 19th (paperwork will be sent home if you are interested) concern. ● If you need to meet with the teacher, please make an appointment to do so. PICK UP : When picking up your child we ask that you ring the bell and come directly to the office to sign out your child and then please remain in the foyer or office area until your child is called down for dismissal. Due to the nature of dismissal time, we ask that as soon as your child comes down that you promptly leave the building as we need to call our bus students down. Please do not pick up your child from their classroom. This is a safety issue as well as a disruption to the teaching process. If there is a change in transportation, please call the office in the morning or send in a note ASAP so that we can make sure everyone is notified. Emergency Contact Profile Pages will be sent home the first week of school. Please be sure your information is current, especially phone numbers, email address and emergency contacts. We need those forms back to school ASAP so we have up to date information to contact you if there is ever an emergency EMAILS AND FLYERS : In an attempt to be more fiscally responsible we do most of our communication electronically. The majority of information sent home is done through emails so please make sure your email address is updated. If you do not have access to the internet or email, please notify your child’s teacher so we may provide you with paper notices. PARENT HANDBOOK : Our parent/student handbook can be located on our school website (www.alfred.rsu57.org ). Beginning this year, all RSU #57 elementary schools within the district have created a unified family handbook. As a result, several adjustments were made in order to promote consistency with protocols and procedures across the district. ● We will no longer allow cupcakes and other sweets to be brought into school for birthdays and celebrations. Due to increasing numbers of students and staff with allergies and/or dietary restrictions, we encourage alternatives to celebrate that do not involve food. Please connect with the classroom teacher to discuss alternatives. ● Although we recommend that you take vacations at the same time as our scheduled vacations as to not disrupt students academics we understand that sometimes this can not be helped. We ask that at least one week prior to your trip that you fill out the planned absence form which is at the end of our handbook as well as in the office. Please return the completed form at least one week prior to the scheduled vacation. It must be signed by the classroom teacher as well as administration. WELCOME NEW STAFF! We are pleased to welcome Mrs. Maggie Boemmels (Grade 3), Mrs. Catherine Brock (Grade 5), Mrs. Natalie Blackington/Landry (Special Education Teacher) and Ms. Emily Schaffer (part time music for grades 4⁄5) NURSES NOTES... Welcome back! I have a few reminders for parents and students coming into the 2018-2019 year. In your beginning of the year packet you will find a blue annual health record, please complete and return as soon as possible. This is a very important communication tool for parents to ensure that I am aware any of your child’s health concerns. It may seem repetitive but please be thorough and write any conditions even if they are in 5 th grade and you have written it every year. There will also be a Tooth Protectors form in your packet. This is a Maine based program that increases access to preventable dental care for students. Please review the packet to ensure your eligibility and return as soon as possible. PRE-K and Kindergarten Families: Please fill out and return the blue annual health records for your kindergarten student even if you recently filled one out during registration. Children can change a lot over the summer! Please remember to pack an extra set of clothing for your child and check their backpack daily for soiled clothes. I am very excited to see your children again and am looking forward to a healthy and fun school year! As always, I encourage and welcome phone calls, emails, and meetings with parents if you have any concerns or questions. Your child flourishes in a school when we all work together. School Nurse Betty Soule-Parent elizabethsouleparent@rsu57.org ATTENDANCE MATTERS... “Attendance is a valuable part of student's learning. Attendance is an important life skill to learn early on and carry over into college and the workforce. Parents can assist students by: *Talking at home about the importance of coming to school every day. *Checking in with your child daily about how school is going. *Staying connecting to school through written or verbal communication *Setting night time routines to include students preparing for the next day, i.e. completing homework, packing their backpack, getting a good night's sleep. Sometimes students or parents experience difficulties that make it challenging for students to come to school. As the Attendance Coordinator part of my role is to assist parents and students who might be having some difficulties getting to school each day. I am available to talk with or meet with parents to help develop a plan to improve attendance. I can be reached at 247-3141 ext 2234 or by email at ceciliasirianni@rsu57.org. Best wishes for a great year" NUTRITION INFORMATION... Free & Reduced Meal Price Benefits: The School Nutrition Department now offers online applications for free & reduced meal price benefits. Online applications are convenient, secure and confidential. Please visit www.myschoolapps.com to fill out one today!! Account Access/Online Payments: The School Nutrition Department offers free online access to your child's meal account. This service allows parents to make payments, see a history of purchases and set low balance email reminders. Please visit www.myschoolbucks.com to create an account today!! New School Nutrition Website: Please check out our new, redesigned website. We have lots of great information for families such as payment information, free & reduced meal price benefit applications, monthly menus and more!! Please visit https://sites.google.com/rsu57.org/welcome/home to check it out!