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Principal Crowley's Corner
"Mrs. Crowley's Guide to Back to School"
Welcome Back!
In this newsletter you will find tips to help everyone get off to a great start. Please take the time to read this and all communication that comes from school. A strong partnership between school and home is vital to the success of students. We understand life is busy, but strive to stay on top of things by paying close attention to the emails, website updates, and teacher communications. Please make sure you whitelist the Option C site so the emails from there won’t go to your spam. Our bulk email system shows when an email was delivered to recipients and whether it is opened or unopened. Thank you for taking the time to read all that we send out!
Class Lists
The list of assigned homerooms for each student will be emailed to you on Thursday afternoon. It will come via Option C with an attachment. We have chosen not to display student and teacher names on the front doors of school as in the past for security purposes. I know you and your children are anxious to find out who their teacher is and who is in their class. I have a rising 3rd and 6th grader at home who will find out this information for their school the day before school begins!
The class lists are final. We simply cannot make any changes because your child was assigned a certain teacher, or your child is not in the same homeroom as her/his best friend, or is with a student they are not particularly friends with. One of our jobs as educators is to prepare the students for the real world and this is one of those teachable moments. In life we need to learn to work with all types of people. What can your child learn from being with a certain teacher or student this school year? How can we foster independence and resilience in our children based on their new environment? As parents, we set the tone for how our children feel about a given situation. If we are positive and excited about the new school year our children will be too!
We do our very best in creating balanced homerooms in every way and will never satisfy every student, parent, or teacher. There is so much thought, discussion, and collaboration amongst teachers and principal about these lists. We do not approach the decisions lightly. Please understand that and please do not email teachers or me about it.
Please know that the teachers and I care deeply about the students at SKS, are committed to teaching in a Catholic school, and are willing to partner with you to ensure your child has a successful school year. The teachers will be reaching out to their classes soon to begin building a strong school-home relationship!
Morning Arrival
School will open on Wednesday, September 6th for grades 1 to 8. Students need to be here by 8:05am at the latest (get here earlier to avoid the back up in car line). If buses run late, which they might the first week or so, no worries – students are excused. Drop off is right by the front doors of school. In order to keep things moving, please do not get out of your car to drop off your child. Faculty will be there the first few days of school to greet them, and after that we ask that the students get out of the car by themselves. We will have 8th graders outside to assist any new students to find their homeroom the first day. After the first week, a faculty greeter and our Student Council members will be there every morning to meet and greet our students.
Please NO SHORTCUTS for morning drop off. Please do not drop off any students at a nearby intersection for convenience sake. It’s not safe. Please refer to the carline diagram below. If everyone works together and follows the rules of car line drop off and pick up will be quick and smooth! Please refer to the graphic above for car line route and procedures.The beginning of the year is always tough in this area but I know we will be old pros in no time.
We start morning prayers and announcements each day at 8:15 am and 1st period begins promptly at 8:25am each day. Being on time is the first step for a successful day at school. Children learn better when they arrive on time and have ample time to unpack and settle in for the day.
Quick parenting tips for smoother mornings:
- Lay out clothes the night before, including shoes!
- Have backpacks packed up and in a designated spot at home each day. Add lunch and water bottles in the morning and out the door you go.
- To encourage autonomy and prevent forgotten items provide your child with a checklist by the door to go through before leaving each morning.
Dismissal
Dismissal begins at 2:45 PM each day. It is so important that all students know HOW THEY ARE GETTING HOME from school each day: Car, Walker or Bus.
Bus Reminders:
- Students need to know what school district and what bus number # they are. For example: my child is Radnor Bus #X or my child is Upper Merion #X.
- If your child is transferring at a local public school, they need to know the transfer bus # too. Your school district should be in contact with you about this important information.
- We ask that all parents help us and their child IN GRADES KG to 3 by putting on your child’s backpack a clear, legible LABEL (A LUGGAGE TAG works best) which says how they are getting home. Many children get panicky and forget at dismissal time. The label helps us help them.
- First, we dismiss buses, then walkers, after that car line.
Car Line Reminders:
- Car Line is formed on Midland Ave. headed west from Villanova to Wayne.
- Please do not block the driveways of our neighbors on Midland as they can get understandably frustrated. We need to be good neighbors to the families on Midland Avenue!
- PLEASE NO BUDGING IN CAR LINE BY TRAVELLING EAST ON MIDLAND, OR EITHER WAY ON ABERDEEN AVENUE AND CUTTING IN FRONT OF OTHERS WHO ARE WAITING IN LINE.
- Please have a visible sign that has the name of your family on it posted visibly on the window or dashboard as we call the names for pick up. I will learn the cars as the weeks go by, but please have pity on your principal and have a sign clearly visible! The signs also help the teachers loading cars at the front of the line. This is especially helpful on sunny days when the glare makes it impossible to see who is in the car. Thank you!!
Partnering with you on the above reminders will help us to move dismissal quickly each day. The first few days are a bit hectic and after that it is smooth sailing. The goal is to safely dismiss the entire school in about 20 minutes!
First Day of School Signs
https://sksschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/FirstDaySchool-Sign-1.pdf
Front Office Reminders
- All absences/late arrivals should be called into the main office or emailed to shodgens@sksschool.org
- Forgotten items such as lunch, books, homework, etc. must be put on the shelf in the vestibule labeled with the student's name. We have them picked up periodically throughout the day .
- All early dismissals AND dismissal changes must be emailed or called in by 2:00 pm. We can not guarantee that a teacher will get the message if it is called in after 2:00 pm.
- Any student leaving early must be picked up by 2:20 pm. Any student leaving early must be signed out by his or her parent/guardian.
Dress Code
Prayer Corner: Eucharistic Revival Resources for Parents
Also, a book recommendation for parents https://books.wordonfire.org/thisismybody
Enjoy the weekend and we will see you on Wednesday!
God Bless You!
Mrs. Crowley