Hello Lions! I hope this newsletter finds you well. We've had a wonderful start to the 2023-2024 school year. We so appreciate everyone following our safety protocols, visiting us during open house, and sharing your child's excitement with them as they begin the next adventure in their educational journey.
Although it may be reeeeeaaaally hard the first day or two, we're asking that families now wait outside the building when dropping off and picking up. This will help with encouraging more independence from your student. Families are always welcome to join for lunch and other activities in the classroom.
It's been pretty warm in our school this week, and it looks like it might be a little toasty next week, too. Be sure to dress your students in light, cool clothing, send them with a water bottle, and make sure they have a healthy snack to keep them going for the day. We take lots of breaks, are running lots of fans, and get outside when the temperatures are cooler. If students start to become a little more flush than usual, we've encouraged teachers to send them to the office and we'll have them take a break, drink some water, and use a cold pack. We know the warm weather is only temporary, but it doesn't make it any easier some days!
Next week, we'll be beginning our first round of common assessments. We will dig into this data and start to focus on trends and student groups needing enrichment and targeted instruction. You may hear your child begin to speak about their "Targeted Small Group Instruction" that are tailored to your student's needs. We look forward to helping find ways to best meet our students where they're at.
If there is anything I can help with as our Lion Cubs return to school this fall, please reach out to the office or email me at lhoheisel160@mygfschools.org. Take care, and we'll see you soon!
Mr. Hoheisel
#LionPride
Breakfast & Arrival Info
Morning Options:
- Breakfast: 7:40-8:20 (door #1 or #4)
- Waiting Outside: supervision will be provided at 8:00 am for students waiting outside their assigned arrival doors.
Breakfast:
Students eating breakfast may arrive no earlier than 7:40 AM and can enter through the main entrance, Door #1 (if walking or biking) or if you will be dropping your children off in a vehicle, please use our drive-through lane and drop them off at Door #4 in the parking lot.
* Door #2 will be utilized by staff only. When families use this door, it often causes congestion in the parking lot. So please pull all the way forward using the drive through lanes and use door #4 for breakfast.
If your child will not be eating breakfast at school, plan to arrive as close to 8:20 as possible and wait by door #1. We will have designated spaces for students to line up when the bell rings.
Dismissal Info
Dismissal Doors:
- Door 1: Muus, Lovelace, Storbakken, Carsen, & Gierszewski
- Door 5: Fick, Mattice, Barandi, Ellingson, Eriksmoen, & Hagadorn
Parking Options:
Our parking lot has two lanes of traffic. Lane 1, closest to the building on the right, is for drop off and pick up only. The left lane, Lane 2, is a lane for continuous drive-through traffic; vehicles in Lane 2 are not allowed to stop. In order to ensure traffic flows safely in all lanes, PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR VEHICLE. If you wish to exit your vehicle, you will need to park at Elks Pool. Safety is always our first priority.
NOTE: Families CANNOT pull up and stop by our main entrance on 13th Avenue South to drop off or pick up students. Stopping on 13th Avenue South blocks the crosswalk, causes congestion, and puts our students in danger. If you choose to park on 13th, you must park on the south side of the street, remain in your vehicle, and have your child utilize the crosswalk.
- If you would like to drive through our parking lot to pick up your child, please plan to use our pick-up lane along the north wing of the building. School staff will be on hand to assist our students to safely get into their cars at the end of each school day.
Signing a Student In/Out
- Please call the office at 701.746.2285 or buzz at door #1 (flagpole).
- In the office, please sign your child out and check the box if they will be returning for the day.
- When arriving late, you will sign your child in and the office will provide your student with a late slip to give to their teacher, as well as may be marked tardy (dependent on the reason for being late).
- When informing a teacher about an absence, please also check in with the office to ensure your child is coded correctly in PowerSchool.
(Attendance Line: 701.746.2287 or Main Office 701.746.2285)
Snacks & Allergies
School Snacks:
Some teachers schedule a snack time during the school day. You are not required to provide a snack for your child. However, if you do, please send snacks in accordance with the following Nutrition Standards outlined in the Grand Forks Public School District Wellness Policy.
Snacks should include a nutrition label
Sugar is not the first ingredient (Different names for sugar: brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, fruit juice concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup)
- Candy is not allowed
All snacks are peanut and nut free
Any fruit or vegetable is allowable
Yogurt and cheese are allowable (with freezer pack to keep cool)
Plain water in any size is allowable
Snacks that contain or may contain peanuts or other nuts (for peanut and tree nut restricted schools), do not fall within the nutrition standards listed above, and/or do not have a nutrition label, will be sent home with your child.
Peanut/Nut Free School:
- When sending a snack or packing a lunch, please remember to check labels to make sure it does not contain or have traces of peanuts/nuts.
Birthday Treats & Invitations:
Due to food allergies, we no longer celebrate student birthdays with a “birthday snack” in our schools. Parents are welcome to find other non-food items to send to school if they wish. Please discuss with your child’s classroom teacher for ideas or preferences.
Teachers will not assist in the distribution of birthday invitations in the event that a student would be left out. If the classroom teacher creates a classroom directory, please utilize that for sending invitations through the mail.
Attendance Policies
- STAY IN SCHOOL Program - There is a positive correlation between regular attendance and academic success. The Stay in School Program is a collaborative effort of community agencies with the purpose of reducing excessive school absence and tardiness. This is a joint venture between school, family, and community, which offers assistance to parents and students at an early intervention point in order to reduce time away from the classroom.
- ATTENDANCE POLICY - As per North Dakota state law, all students enrolled in the Grand Forks Public Schools are expected to be in school on time and ready to learn each day. To accomplish this, a child needs proper nourishment, sleep, and support from the home. Regular attendance patterns develop a positive daily routine that supports learning and requires the members of the school community, including parents, students, teachers, and support staff.
- North Dakota State guidelines state: “Students shall miss no more than 20 days per year.”
- Parents are expected to call the school attendance line
- Child will not be in attendance.
- Medically excused absences do not count against a student's twenty days IF a note is provided by a doctor, dentist, orthodontist, optometrist, therapist, etc.
RECORDING ATTENDANCE
The following guidelines are used to record attendance if school is in session for a full day.
- Whole day absent – If a student is absent four (4) or more hours, they are reported absent for one (1) school day.
- Half day absent – If a student is absent two (2) or three (3) hours, they are reported absent for one-half (1/2) school day.The following guidelines are used to record attendance if school is dismissed at 11:20am.
- Whole day absent – If a student is absent three (3) or more hours, they are reported absent for one (1) school day.
- Half day absent – If a student is absent two (2) or less hours, they are reported absent for one- half (1/2) school day.
1:1 Student Devices
- Students at Grand Forks Public Schools will be issued a student learning device. Kindergarten–2nd grade students will receive an iPad, while students in grades 3-12 will be issued a Chromebook.
- With these digital learning tools comes a variety of information for our families. Please carefully review the attachments for information on: the Acceptable Use Policy, Receiving, caring for, using, and returning the learning device,the Device Use Pledge, the Device Protection Plan (DPP), and Internet connectivity.
Family Supports
- School Social Worker: Mrs. Logan Kassa (lkassa100@mygfschools.org)
- School Counselor: Mrs. Tracy Lawler (tlawler010@mygfschools.org)
A Note from Lewis & Clark's PTO
The Lewis and Clark PTO is excited to welcome you to another school year! All parents and caregivers are invited to be part of the PTO. We meet monthly, we organize fun events for our school community, and we raise money and fund requests to support all sorts of things for our teachers and students. Our first meeting this year will be Monday, September 11th at 6:30 pm. We hope to see you there!
Do you have any questions, ideas, or ways to support our Lion Pride? Please contact your PTO Co-Chairs.
Maura & John Ferguson, co-chairs (mauracferguson@gmail.com; johnferguson225@gmail.com)
We look forward to another great year!
Notes from the Child Nutrition Program
PLEASE...PLEASE...PLEASE fill out the appropriate documents needed for your student/family.
Link to Free & Reduced Priced Meals Information
Special Dietary Needs Form
Wellness Policy:
- In accordance with the Grand Forks Public School Wellness Policy #6175 we strive to be superior in our nutrition standards. This means that no fast food or other restaurant food is allowed in the lunchroom for either student or parent.
