December Newsletter 23-24
December 2023
A Note From Dr. Hooton
Duello Family,
December always feels like the busiest month of the year, filled with many fun activities both at school and home!
We are looking forward to our upcoming school events and holiday parties. We can’t wait to see what PTA has planned for Pancakes with Santa! Thank you in advance to our wonderful PTA and all the volunteers for providing a night of fun for our families!
The staff and I would like to wish you all a month filled with special times celebrating the holidays with the ones you love most!
Some reminders:
1) If you have a transportation change for your child(ren), please communicate with our main office so we are aware of the change.
2) Please make sure your child(ren) brings their coats, hats and gloves every day, because we still go outside for recess during the winter months. If your child(ren) are in need of winter clothing, please do not hesitate to contact our school counselors. If your family is able to share extra winter coats, gloves and hats, please contact our school counselors as well.
3) Our second quarter will be coming to an end on December 21 with report cards being emailed home on January 12.
4) Please remember there is no school for students from December 22 - January 3. We return to school on January 4. I hope everyone enjoys the winter break with friends and family!
Sincerely,
Dr. Hooton
Upcoming Events
- Friday, December 8: PTA Pancakes with Santa (click HERE for more info!)
Monday, December 11: Late Start - Doors open at 10:05 a.m.
Wednesday, December 13: 5th Grade Concert- Music of the Nutcracker at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, December 19: Restaurant night at Texas Roadhouse
Thursday, December 21: Early Release - dismissal at 1:20 p.m.
Friday, December 22-Wednesday, January 3: NO SCHOOL- Winter Break!
DUELLO MIC DROPS
Mrs. Tempesta, Reading Interventionist
Jackie is amazing! RSPs have taken over our lives and I know how crazy it was for the reading team to navigate through something so overwhelming, then address it through many PT conferences in addition to supporting the staff as well. In the midst of all of that, she got the ball rolling for Terrific Tutors and set things up for us. She is a team player and always willing to help out! I'm thankful to work with her!
Mrs. Gina, Building Instructional Assistant
Gina is absolutely incredible! She came after the school year began and jumped right in. She has been asked to do a huge variety of tasks and never hesitates to get started immediately. She always has a smile on her face and her love for kids shines brightly. Gina is the perfect addition to our Duello family!
Ms. Stephanie, Instructional Assistant
Stephanie is AMAZING! She does a fantastic job with her students by making them feel comfortable and loved. She seeks out things for her kids to do that are both fun and educational, while teaching them core values like accountability and responsibility. Duello is lucky to have her!
Ms. Sydney, Instructional Assistant
Ms. Bradshaw, Instructional Assistant
Molly is absolutely magnificent! She gives 100% every single day, no matter what is going on in her life or how she is feeling. She loves her kids with everything she has, and she consistently goes above and beyond for both coworkers and her students. She was one of the first people to volunteer to help set up for an event, and one of the last to leave. Not once have I heard her say, "That's not my problem" but instead, runs quickly to assist. She has her master's in writing, so should you ever need help with a story or writing a fun lesson, she's your person! Molly is very humble and one not willing to brag or show off, so often times she gets overlooked, but she is one of the sweetest, kindest, and most loving people you will ever meet.
Mrs. Patrico, Reading Interventionist
Karin works hard for her students every day & has been so helpful with RSP's & interventions this year. She is supportive, helpful & has a great amount of knowledge and insight that helps all of us. Karin is appreciated and is a great colleague to work with. She helps students grow and makes such amazing progress with reading every year.
Mrs. Mandy, Instructional Assistant
Mandy is consistently (year after year) flexible and demonstrates a team player mentality. Especially in situations when schedules have to be changed in order to meet student needs.
She advocates for her students, is patient when they are struggling, and doesn't give up on them!
Mrs. Heather, Division Secretary
Heather is a ROCKstar! She goes above and beyond in everything she does! She is dedicated, hard working, and isn't afraid to take on extra jobs that are thrown at her. She comes to work everyday with the biggest smile on her face and has a heart of GOLD. Thank you Heather for EVERYTHING you do, your hard work does NOT go unnoticed!
Mrs. Lyons, 4th Grade Teacher
Erin is always looking ahead to adapt our Math quizzes and tests to fit what the district is asking us to do. She cross checks standards, curriculum, online resources, and paper resources to see what is going to be best for our students. I love that she takes the time to do this for our team.
Mrs. Delcour, Student Support Interventionist
Mrs. Delcour has a gift for positivity and joy. She helps, supports and shares a laugh whenever needed, without judgement. Her relationships with students are remarkable, as she takes time to make connections with those that need it most. She is a real-life superhero walking our halls!
Mrs. Evans, Speech Language Pathologist
Mrs. Evans has been rocking the social committee!! The "stangs"giving pot luck was a huge success!
🎤 Wish to celebrate or appreciate a Duello staff member? Looking to give a general shoutout highlighting DUE's bright spots? We will share our Mic Drop Moments via the monthly newsletter, our weekly staff newsletter, and social media!
Kindergarten Registration
All children who will turn five before Aug. 1, 2024, are eligible to attend kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year. View registration event dates, starting as early as Jan. 11, and get more information here.
Special Area Teachers' Newsletter
Please click on this link to view the Special Area Teachers' December newsletter.
Here you will find updated information from each Special: Art, Computers, Library, Music and PE.
Reading Success Plan - Parent Communication
Mental Health
Mental health is extremely important, so we take extra care that our students have various materials available to them. Please view this link to read about our mental health resources and services.
Opt-Out Communication
Please read the attached document for more information on opting your student(s) out of presentations.
Student Misconduct and Consequences
Please read the revised and updated document at this link from our Student Services department.
Leader in Me
Read the document at this link to learn more about the amazing program- Leader in Me!
Late Start Information
The WSD will be providing supervision for K-5 students who need to be dropped off at the regular start time on scheduled Late Start Days this school year. This is separate from our Before Care Program through Chautauqua.
WSD Parents: to register your student, visit https://wsdr4.revtrak.net/ and select your student's Elementary School, followed by clicking "Late Start Registration" and completing the form for your student. Please register each student attending separately.
The fee is $10.36 (which includes a transaction fee) per child for each late start day you would like to register for.
Please visit our Late Start page on our District website for more information.
General Information
Morning/Afternoon Schedule
- Doors open at 8:05 a.m.
- Breakfast from 8:05 a.m.-8:20 a.m.
- Dismissal begins at 3:15 p.m.
Lunch/Recess/Specials Schedule
Reporting Absences
Regular school attendance is critical to your child’s success at school. In the event that your child should need to be absent from school, please notify the office at (636) 327-6050 and press 1 to report that absence. Please leave your name, your child’s name, and grade, the teacher's name, and the reason for absence. You may also email attendance changes to attendance.duello@wsdr4.org
Arrival and Dismissal
This is an important reminder of the drop-off and pick-up procedures that we will enforce for the safety and efficiency of the students and parents at Duello. Staff supervision and student drop-off begin at 8:05 a.m. If you arrive early, please wait with your child(ren) until 8:05 a.m. to assure that they are supervised. Parents should not drop students off in the parking lot in order to avoid the drop-off line.
Walkers- Walkers are defined as students who walk or ride their bike home. These students will be dismissed and will either travel home alone or meet their parent/guardian. The parking lot is not a designated crosswalk and is extremely dangerous for students to walk through unattended. Please do not bypass the carline for convenience and put your child and others in danger.
Car Riders- Car Riders are defined as students who will have parents/guardians who will utilize our car rider line to drive through and pick their child up. This is the most efficient way if a parent is coming to pick their child up. The line might look long but it moves quickly.
Car Rider Drop Off- Now that we are a month into school, we wanted to share and remind parents that if you are dropping off in the car rider line in the morning and your child needs assistance getting out of the car, please put your flashers on and a staff member will help assist getting your child out of the car.
A smooth and efficient procedure takes all of us working together. I appreciate and expect all parents to follow the outlined procedures.
Child Nutrition Updates
Breakfast K-12: $2.00
Elementary Lunch K-5: $3.10
Secondary Lunch 6-12: $3.15
Reduced Price Meals:
Breakfast: $0.30
Lunch: $0.40
Click here to see the breakfast and lunch menus for the 23-24 school year.
Applications for free & reduced priced meals are available here or at any school office. In an effort to assist families as we transition back to paid meals, the USDA has increased the income guidelines used to determine eligibility. Click here to see the new guidelines.
If you believe your family would qualify for this program, please fill out an application.
Applications can be returned by the following methods:
Scan and email to: marysanzottera@wsdr4.org
Fax: 636-327-3961
Mail: Child Nutrition Services, 101 Support Services Drive, Wentzville, MO 63385
Volunteer Registration Form Updates
Would you like to volunteer at your student's school? Would you like to attend field trips? Please read the information at this link for more information, and to sign up to volunteer!
Mrs. Amber Houdei | Assistant Principal
1814 Duello Road
Lake St. Louis, MO 63367
636.327.6050