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Gordon Gazette: Edition 23-24 v.2
News You Need!
Principally Speaking
September 7, 2023
Greetings Explorer Families!
As our second week of school is coming to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you. This school year has started strong! The school/home partnership is incredibly important to the success of our kids. Thank you for supporting them (and us!) in their education. Creating routines and expectations around school is an important part of that partnership. If you haven't yet signed up for ParentSquare, I encourage you to do so. It gives you some agency over how/when you recieve our communications, and gives you a very easy way to communicate with us as well! You can find information on this at www.nkschools.org, and then click "Families" in the top right corner, and then "ParentSquare" from the drop down.
Students in 1st through 5th grade have started our benchmark assessments. Kindergarten will begin next week. Their chromebooks are required for these tests, so please make sure they come to school daily with charged devices. There will be programs students can access from home to further their learning as well! For math, we have i-Ready MyPath, which is leveled to student skill based on the results of their i-Ready assessment. For reading this year, we will have BOOST. This will also be individualized based on assessment results. BOOST will not be available until the ELA assessments have been completed. Each week, I see which students have completed 45 minute in each program. Many of these minutes are done in class as well. Those who have are put into a lottery, and 2 champions in each subject area are announced and given a brag tag! It's a fun way to encourage and celebrate learning.
Here at Gordon, we have STAR expectations. They are:
I am Safe with my body and words
I use Teamwork by building community with everyone
I Act Respectfully to all people and things
I am Responsible for my effort, work, and actions
We talk about these often, and reward them when we see them. You may have seen your student come home with a brightly colored "Super STAR". They are supposed to write their name on the back and put it in our tank. When our tank is full, we earn an all school reward! We also recognize a character trait every month, and those Students of the Month eat lunch with me and have a special frozen treat! They also recieve a student of the month brag tag and a brag tag that identifies what character trait they are recognized for. They can also earn brag tags from their teachers and other staff. This is a fun way for us to recognize (and see) the great things that happen at Gordon!
This is an excellent time for me to tell you about our wonderful PTA. Our PTA supports so many fun and engaging activities here at Gordon. They sponsor family fun nights, popcorn Fridays, Tye Die day for every staff and student, holiday shop, and also gives a considerable amount of money to fund field trips (so that we aren't asking families for money), assemblies, and rewards like our brag tags. I'd encourage you to join the PTA. Joining the PTA does NOT mean you have to volunteer. It's an easy way to support the amazing work they do here. There's a like just below this note if you're interested.
September is Attendance Awareness Month! Attendance is so important, and makes a huge impact on student learning. This year, we want to make sure every student misses no more than 9 days of school, or one day a month. Absences add up, and missing just two days every months puts students at risk of falling behind. Please view the "Attendance Policies" and how to report your child's absences on our school website under "Our School".
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15. and celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic Americans from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Explore exhibits, videos, images and more at hispanicheritagemonth.gov.
In case you missed it, the September half days were removed from the calendar, and moved to the day before Thanksgiving break and the day before Winter break. Our next change in normal operating will be Friday, November 10 in observation of Veterans Day. You can find the updated school calendar here.
If you don't follow us on Facebook, I encourage you to do so! We try to keep it up to date and full of fun pictures of what happens here!
Thank you all for sharing your kids with us. Gordon is such a great community of students, staff, and families. We appreciate you!
All In,
Heather Ben-Judah
Principal of the Greatest Kids in the Galaxy
Upcoming Dates!
October 17-Picture Day!
November 10-No School
A friendly reminder
Gordon Elementary School
Head Lice and Schools
Unfortunately, head lice in school-aged children are a common occurrence in schools throughout the country. Our school district is no exception. There are some simple steps that you can take at home to drastically reduce the number of cases seen in our district each year. Control of head lice depends on prompt identification and treatment. Your help in spending 5-15 minutes inspecting your child weekly throughout the school year for the presence of head lice would make a huge difference.
The following procedure is recommended for inspecting your child for head lice:
Under a bright light begin looking at your child’s head beginning with the area just above the back of the neck.
Part the hair into small sections and look closely for head lice or nits (eggs). Head lice are about the size of a sesame seed. Nits are gray or whitish and attached firmly to the hair shaft near the scalp.
If you find live lice on your child’s head, start treatment as soon as possible. Your local pharmacist or family physician can recommend appropriate treatment options.
Notify the office staff at your child’s school. Your child can return to school the day after treatment.
Inspect the entire family for head lice if lice are found on any family members.
North Kitsap School District has adopted a no live lice protocol. Our management protocol is based on the Harvard School of Public Health which provides an evidence based management plan for public schools. More information can be found on the Harvard School of Public Health website at http://hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.html or the Center for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/lice/
Pre-Arranged Absence Form
PTA NEWS
BECOME A MEMBER
** No obligation to volunteer!
* Stay Informed
* Ensure your voice is heard
* Helps support school programs
* Promotes student advocacy
* Numerous discounts to enjoy!
Click Here for the form
VOLUNTEER
We need your help more than ever to help make Gordon the best for our kids! We have many opportunities to volunteer at the school for the PTA. You do not need to be a member.
Click Here to fill out the form and we will contact you as opportunities arise that you are interested in.
Want to know more? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or check out our web site!
Join our team!
We are actively recruiting for a variety of positions throughout our district. We are looking for para-educators, bus drivers, substitutes, food and nutrition specialists and certificated teachers. If you are interested in helping our students with in-person learning, let us know! Visit our website to view open positions and apply now!
Nondiscrimination Statement
The North Kitsap School District will provide equal educational opportunity and treatment for all in all aspects of the academic and activities program without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, immigration status, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
Questions or complaints of alleged discrimination can be directed to the Civil Rights Compliance Officer Title IX Officer and Gender Inclusive Schools Coordinator Rachel Davenport, Executive Director of Human Resources, rdavenport@nkschools.org (360) 396-3003 and/or Title IX/RCW 28A.640 Officers Craig Barry, Director of Secondary Schools, cbarry@nkschools.org (360) 396-3018 and Kari Brumley, Director of Elementary Schools, kbrumley@nkschools.org (360)396-3042 and/or 504 Compliance Coordinator, Lori Buijten, Director of Special Education, lbuijten@nkschools.org (360) 396-3072; address - 18360 Caldart Ave NE, Poulsbo WA 98370.
School Hours
Elementary School (Kindergarten through Grades 5)
Regular Schedule: 9:20 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Wednesday Early Release Schedule: 9:20 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Half Day Release: 9:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.