South Maple Elementary Newsletter

Greetings South Maple Elementary families,

I am very excited to begin the 2021-22 school year. With the many challenges we faced during the 2021-22 school year we have learned that we, as a school community, can work together and grow.

Our goal is to have each and every student enjoy coming to a safe and nurturing school environment each day. The staff has been working diligently to prepare for the upcoming school year. Your child's safety and academic progress is of the utmost importance to us. The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) has guided our planning and has been attached below for your reference. Please know that we expect that adjustments may need to be made as we begin the school year.

We begin the school year with several staff changes. Our school community welcomes

Support staff: Ms. Athey, Ms. Daugherty, and Ms. Delancey

Teaching staff: Mrs. Freeman, Mrs. Hornbaker, Mrs. Sircely, Ms. Wallace

Therapist: Ms. Shelby Smith

Our school looks amazing! The SME halls have been painted. I have included a few pictures below.

It is my privilege to spend time with your children each and every day. I am looking forward to working with you to make this a successful school year.

Respectfully,

Therese Hansen

Principal

Wednesday, September 1.........SME Virtual Open House

Tuesday, September 7...............First Day of School/1st-3rd grade

Thursday, September 9............

...First Day of School/Step Up and Kindergarten/12:30PM arrival

Friday, September 10................Full Day of School/Step Up and Kindergarten

Monday, October 4....................No School Students/PD Teachers

Friday, October 8.......................Picture Day

Monday, November 1................No School Students/PD Teachers

Monday, November 15..............No School/Firearm Safety Day

November 25 and 26................Thanksgiving Break

A South Maple Elementary welcome letter is in the mail. This mailing will include: homeroom teacher, emergency card, network/internet agreement, daily health screener agreement, and directory opt out information. Please complete the forms and return them with your child on the first day of school. A copy of the daily health screener is provided below.

SME staff has created a virtual open house that will take the place of our in-person open house for the 2021-22 school year. The link will be available on Wednesday, September 1, after 3PM, on the GCS website and GCS Facebook. Each teacher will introduce themselves and provide valuable information about their classroom.

• As many of you are aware morning and afternoon traffic is very congested in our area. Please drive safely and follow traffic laws.
• The student day will begin at 8:00AM and ends at 2:58PM. Students will not be allowed to enter the building before 8:00AM. Latchkey information is available at Latchkey
  
• SME staff will assist all students in locating their classrooms. According to the EOP parents/visitors are not allowed in the hallways or classrooms at this time. Please say your goodbye before they board the bus or exit your vehicle, this includes the first day of school.
• Students will eat breakfast in their classroom.
• In an effort to keep traffic flowing efficiently, please do not arrive early for drop off or pick up. Please do not park in the traffic lane by the front sidewalk. Students must exit and enter vehicles on the school side. Please see dismissal attachment below.

Students will receive one breakfast and lunch per day for the 2021-2022 school year at no cost. All 7-12 grade students may purchase an additional Ala carte item or entree. Gaylord Community Schools have mailed the free and reduced lunch applications. If your child qualifies, please fill out the application and return via mail, email, or applications may be done online by visiting www.gaylordschools.com. The applications will be saved and used to determine student eligibility for the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.

For questions, please call 989-731-0969, ext. 1254.

The South Maple Elementary School 2021-2022 Parent-Student Handbook is provided below.

Masks are mandatory on GCS transportation no matter what learning option you chose for your child. Please see the transportation attachment below.

For the safety of our students, parents need to select bussing, pick-up, or latchkey as the method of departure for their children to follow at dismissal. If a parent needs to make a change to this daily routine a phone call must be made directly to the school office before 1:30PM. If the office does not receive information of a change, then the child will go home as scheduled.

GCS will provide students with access to digital tools and resources that support classroom instruction. Every SME student will have a Chromebook at school that will be used to enhance their learning.

The South Maple Elementary office is open to assist you Monday-Friday from 7AM-3:45PM.

989.731.0648

South Maple Elementary

650 East Fifth Street

Gaylord, MI 49735

989.731.0648