Francis Parker School No. 23

Hello Parents, Families, and Students of Francis Parker School No. 23!

We are so excited for the upcoming 2023-24 school year. All members of the Francis Parker team have been working incredibly hard this summer to ensure that our students have access to engaging, rigorous and culturally responsive instruction that sets the bar high for all. Our custodial team has been hard at work preparing our classrooms and hallways for the hundreds of little feet that will be entering our school building in September. We hope you are ready to experience our Parker Magic!

We wanted to inform you that there has been a change to our K-6 student arrival time. All K-6 students should now arrive at 7:15am (transportation has already arranged this for our bus riders). These extra fifteen minutes will allow students to eat their breakfast and prepare for the school day so that instruction can begin right at 7:30am. Students will continue to be marked tardy after 7:45am.

***You can access our monthly Parent and Family Newsletters by clicking on the "Newsletter" tab at the top of our school web page at www.rcsdk12.org/23.***

ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

Start Time

• K-6TH GRADE STUDENT ARRIVAL IS NOW AT 7:15 a.m. (Breakfast will be served.)
  
• K-6th Grade instruction begins at 7:30 a.m.
• Students will be marked tardy after 7:45 a.m. (K-6) and 8:30 a.m. (Pre-K)
• Students arriving to school after 7:45 a.m. (K-6) or 8:30 a.m. (Pre-K) must enter the school through Door #1, the Main Entrance.

Entrances for Each Grade Level (Doors are Clearly Labeled and Staff Will Hold Up Signs)

• Door #2 (Side facing Park Avenue/Small Playground): Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 6th Grade Students.
• Door #5 (Milburn Street): 4th Grade, 5th Grade, Mrs. Howland's Class, and Pre-K.
• Door #1 (Main Entrance): 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, and all late students.

Walkers/Car Riders

• Students should be dropped off on Milburn Street. Cars can pull up to the curb where students can safely and speedily exit the vehicles and go through their assigned grade level doors.
• Please do NOT pull up or park in the Bus Loop to drop off your child as it is for Bus Drop- Off ONLY.
• Please do not park along Milburn Street in order to keep traffic flowing.

Bus Riders

• Students arriving to school on a bus will be dropped off in the Bus Loop on Barrington Street and go through their assigned grade level doors.

Parking Lot

• Please do not park in the school parking lot, as staff members are arriving at the same time and need a space to park.

End Time

• Student dismissal is at 2:00 p.m.

Bus Riders

• All students will leave the building through Exit 1 (Main Entrance) and walk to their buses in the Bus Loop with their teachers.

Walkers/Car Riders

• Parents MUST call the Main Office by 1:00p.m. if they need to change how their child is getting home on any given day, and/or who will be picking them up.
• Parents/Approved People should pick up students at Exit 5 (Milburn Street) and tell the staff member at the door who they are picking up.
• Parents/Approved People MUST show a Photo ID and be on the approved list of people who can pick up a student. Parents should contact the Main Office at 585-473-5099 if they need to update this information.
  
• Please do NOT pull up or park in the Bus Loop to pick up students as it is for Bus Pick-Up ONLY.
• Please do NOT park along Milburn Street as buses will be parking there while they wait for students.

Arrival Time

• Student arrival is at 8:15am
• Students will be marked tardy after 8:30am
• Students arriving to school after 8:30am must enter the school through Door #1, the Main Entrance.

Dismissal Time

• Student Dismissal is at 2:15pm
• Students should be picked up at Exit No. 5 - Milburn Street

Exit and Entrance for Preschool

• Door #5 (Side facing Milburn Street/Large Playground)

Please see our recent staffing changes below.

Library/STEM Lab

• Mrs. Jennifer Rothfuss (formerly 6th Grade) has moved into our School Librarian/STEM Lab Teacher position.

6th Grade

• 6th Grade students will receive all of their instruction within their assigned homeroom only. They will not be switching between classrooms.
• Mrs. Erin Skye-Moore and Mr. Joshua Dean will be our new 6th Grade Integrated Co-Teaching Team in Room 204.
• Mrs. Skye-Moore will be out on medical leave until 11/6. Mrs. Sluman will be the substitute teacher in her absence.
• Mr. Steve Moulton will remain as our 6th Grade General Education Teacher in Room 205.

4th Grade

• Mr. Jeffrey Fose will be our new 4th Grade General Education teacher in Room 210.

1st Grade

• Mrs. Gabrielle Lahoda and Ms. Syvanna Elk will be our new 1st Grade Integrated Co-Teaching Team in Room 105.

Kindergarten

• Mrs. Ashley Millet and Mrs. Jaime Kamauf will be our new Kindergarten Integrated Co-Teaching Team in Room B-3.

Preschool

• Room 107: Mrs. Tammy Williams-Hahn, Mrs. Quattelbaum, and Ms. Douglas

Kindergarten

• Room B-3: Mrs. Kamauf and Ms. Millet
• Room B-4: Mrs. Hesford

First Grade

• Room 104: Mrs. Goldberg
• Room 105: Mrs. Lahoda and Ms. Elk

Second Grade

• Room 102: Ms. Clayton and Mrs. Klotz
• Room 103: Ms. Carlson

Third Grade

• Room 109: Mrs. Carello and Mrs. Swick
• Room 110: Ms. Passamonte

Fourth Grade

• Room 210: Mr. Fose
• Room 211: Mrs. Buonomo and Ms. Thettu

Fifth Grade

• Room 207: Ms. O'Hara
• Room 208: Mr. Kunzer and Mr. Jinks

Sixth Grade

• Room 201: Mrs. Howland and Ms. Smith
• Room 204: Mrs. Skye-Moore and Mr. Dean

• Mrs. Sluman will be long-term subbing for Mrs. Skye-Moore until 11/6
• Room 205: Mr. Moulton

Librarian and STEM Lab Teacher

• Welcome Mrs. Jennifer Rothfuss as our new Librarian and STEM Lab teacher! Many of you know Mrs. Rothfuss well, as she taught sixth grade at Francis Parker School No. 23 for numerous years, and was the District's Model Science Teacher during the 2022-2023 school year. She recently switched to this new role, and we are so lucky to have her!

Preschool Teacher

• Welcome Ms. Tammy Williams-Hahn as our new Preschool Teacher! Ms. Williams-Hahn.....Ms. Williams-Hahn is joined by two experienced paraprofessionals: Ms. Michelle Douglas and Mrs. Joanne Quattlebaum. They make a wonderful team and are looking forward to getting to know all of their new students and families in Room 107!

First Grade General Education Teacher

• Welcome Mrs. Gabrielle Lahoda as our new First Grade General Education Teacher in our Integrated Co-Teaching Classroom! Mrs. Lahoda is a former Reading Teacher, Instructional Coach, and first grade teacher. She joins Ms. Syvanna Elk in Room 105.

First Grade Special Education Teacher

• Welcome Ms. Syvanna Elk as our new First Grade Special Education Teacher in our Integrated Co-Teaching Classroom! Ms. Elk co-taught first grade with Mrs. Goldberg here at School No. 23 as a participant in the ROC Urban Teaching Fellowship. She joins Mrs. Gabrielle Lahoda in Room 105.

Fourth Grade General Education Teacher

• Welcome Mr. Jeffrey Fose as our new Fourth Grade General Education Teacher! This is Mr. Fose's thirteenth year of teaching, and first year at Francis Parker School No. 23. He enjoys reading, listening to music, watching & playing hockey, and spending time with his wife and two sons. He believes that solid communication is the key to building a successful relationship with students and families. He accomplishes this in a variety of ways, including Class Dojo, email, phone calls, and classroom newsletters. He is very excited to be a part of our school community!

Sixth Grade Long-Term Substitute Teacher

• Welcome back Mrs. Tarrah Sluman as our long-term, 6th Grade Integrated Co-Teaching Substitute Teacher! Mrs. Sluman is a highly qualified substitute teacher who acted as a long-term substitute in an Integrated Co-Teaching setting at our building last year. She has reviewed all students’ IEP goals and is working with Mr. Dean to create an engaging and welcoming classroom environment. This will provide a smooth transition for continuity of instruction and social-emotional well-being for all students in the classroom when Mrs. Skye-Moore returns.

School Psychologist

• Welcome Mr. Steven Kelly as our new School Psychologist! He joins Mrs. Austin in this role and looks forward to working with students, teachers and families this school year. He has numerous years of experience and is a welcome addition to our staff!

Please click here to view the Classroom Supply Lists for the 2023-2024 school year, which you can also find as a link in the "Updates" section of our school website.

Students will be provided with a Student and Family Handbook to be taken home during the first week of school. Please review this handbook thoroughly with your child when you receive this information. You may also access it on our school website at https://www.rcsdk12.org/domain/12077.

What is our House System?

In the House System, students and staff are sorted into 1 of 4 multi-age/grade Houses when they first arrive at our school. Each house represents an important character quality that we emphasize at Francis Parker School No. 23. They remain in that House throughout their time at Francis Parker School No. 23. In a House, students are able to interact with peers from other grade levels. With this, the older students become mentors to younger students who are struggling or need advice — and they in turn grow as leaders themselves. This creates a positive climate and culture of belonging for students and staff. It also helps to build character, relationships, and school spirit.

House Names

Ubuntu (Green)

• Strength, Charity, Compassion, Humanity

Kuaminika (Orange)

• Wisdom, Courage, Responsibility, Virtue

Beneficus (Purple)

• Peace, Generosity, Kindness, Industry

Heshima (Blue)

• Truth, Integrity, Respect, Honor

Healthy Competition

It is important for the House System to promote a sense of healthy competition so that students can learn how to be team players. It promotes working for the good of the group and learning how to persevere in hard times, which can often lead to rewards. The key is to promote a culture of constructive competition. Staff models a playful competitive spirit that celebrates wins, learns from mistakes, and accepts loss gracefully. Students learn that dedication and participation are powerful tools to success.

Earning House Points

Points are collected throughout the year for each student, which counts toward their overall House’s score. Students can earn points for anything deemed worthy, and they never lose points for any reason. Each day, the House that is in the lead has their House Flag flown under the American Flag on our school's flag pole, and the color of the lightbulb in the lamp next to the House Cup represents the team in the lead.

The House with the highest amount of points at the end of the year wins the House Cup!

Welcome to Francis Parker School 23 from your School 23 Parent Teacher Association!

• Please click here to access our PTA webpage which has useful information to help you this school year.
• For parents with Facebook accounts, there is a private Facebook group for parents of current School No. 23 students that you can access by clicking here. Requests to join must be approved by an administrator, so it may take a few days to get access after you request to join.
• Please email the PTA at school23.pta@gmail.com to be added to the PTA's email group.

Thank you for all you do. Enjoy the rest of your summer and we will see you soon!

Latasha Pomerantz - President

Andrea Borrelli - Vice President

Trisha Osuch - Treasurer

Leia Petty - Secretary

Kindergarten Virtual Orientation

• August 30th from 3:00pm-3:30pm

Back to School Bash

• August 30th from 4:00pm-5:30pm

Preschool Orientation

• September 1st from 10:00am-11:00am

Kindergarten Classroom Visit

• September 5th from 2:00pm-3:00pm

6th Grade Orientation

• TBD

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!

• September 5th at 7:30am (K-6) and 8:15am (Preschool)

***PLEASE VISIT THE "EVENTS" TAB ON OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE TO ACCESS EVENT FLYERS, and/or click on the "Calendar of Events" attachment below to access all events for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year!***

www.rcsdk12.org/23