KES 2024 2nd August Newsletter 😎

KES is a welcoming community where members feel valued in an inclusive, safe, and respectful learning environment. We build strong relationships to promote a sense of belonging and enhance our students’ academic, social, and emotional growth. We create engaging, relevant, and active learning opportunities promoting creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking. We inspire, encourage, and support young minds to take risks, learn from mistakes, and be responsible for their actions.

We will continue with our school-wide, year-long theme…

BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF BELONGING for the 2024-2025 school year!

Here is how we would like YOU to get involved…

o Come to the KES lobby to pick up your family’s copy of the picture book, The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be by Joanna Gaines. (Between 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM)

o Read the book together as a family.

For those of you who can’t get to KES in the coming weeks, here is a link to a YouTube video being read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckqzwiPOSwc

o Discuss the book together as a family:

1. In the opening letter from the author, what does she mean by, “always look at life with your eyes wide open”?

2. Looking at the illustrations, what skill(s) is each person bringing to the project?

3. Which style of approaching the project is most like your own? How do you think another family member might approach this project?

4. Why is it helpful that everyone thinks and learns in different ways?

5. Why is it important to notice and appreciate the differences of others?

6. What is a talent that you bring to the classroom?

7. What type of learner are you? (For example, do you like to work alone or in a group; do you like to talk while you work or do you find it distracting?)

8. What are some ways you can be kind, helpful, and considerate at home and at school?

9. What are some things that you bring to your greater community?

Optional Project:

Create your own hot air balloon drawing (on an 8x11 paper) that reflects your beautiful and unique self! Bring your creation with you on the first day of school.

Reading and enjoying this book as a family will help KES begin the school year with a common experience that will create a sense of belonging. Thank you for supporting our KES learning community.

We hope that you have been enjoying the summer and finding plenty of time to relax and have fun with friends and family. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the students back to school on Wednesday, September 4th!

The team at KES has been actively and excitedly planning and preparing for our students during the summer months. We are looking forward to “Building a Community of Belonging” this year by getting to know our students, learning and growing together within a welcoming, affirming school environment and joyful classroom settings.

At the beginning of each month, you will receive a KES Newsletter with current information about our programs and curriculum, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and belonging (DEIB), and grade level updates. Additionally, a 'Calendar of Events (see above) will be included to ensure you are well informed of the meetings as well as exciting and enriching activities and celebrations taking place at school.

The purpose of this communication is to provide you with important information that will help your family plan for the beginning of school.

Toyin Akinbolago- K Teaching Assistant

Francesca DiLapi- 4th Grade SPED

Gianna Messina- Permanent Substitute

Jamie Nedwick- Library Media Specialist

Kristin Taylor- 4th Grade

Luis Vazsquez- General Music

Faith Willett- Instrumental

*Lauri Griffin- Occupational Therapist (from IMES)

Next week on Wednesday, August 28, we will be welcoming our new students at the Kindergarten Visitation (10:00am) and New Student Orientation for Grades 1-5 (12:00pm). Please contact the Main Office at 763-7700 if you have questions regarding either of these events.

During the week of August 26 your child’s teacher assignment will be posted on your Parent Portal Account on Infinite Campus. You will receive a district email communication asking you to check your account when the information becomes available.

Please see your Parent Portal Account on Infinite Campus for pick-up and drop-off times at the designated bus stops. Please call Transportation Department directly with any questions regarding bus stop locations and times. 763-7237. We strongly encourage all children to take the bus to and from school.

Arrival on the 1st Day of School:

· Kindergarten and all new students (grades 1-5) will be met at the lower sidewalk entrance, busses and cars and escorted directly to their teachers on the Lower Plaza or classrooms. Kindergarteners and new students should wear their Name/Bus Tags for the first two weeks of school.

· 1st grade students will meet their teachers on the Lower Plaza. Staff members will assist all 1st graders in connecting with their teachers.

· 2nd grade students will meet their teachers on the Playground Blacktop (Kickball). Staff members will direct all 2nd graders to this location.

· 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will go directly into the building via the Lower Plaza doors and to their classrooms. Staff members will be assisting students to the second floor of the building and directing them to their classrooms.

Parents/Caregivers walking their student to school will be greeted at the sidewalk entrances by members of our staff. From that point, students only will be escorted or directed to their teacher or classroom. For the safety of all our students, parents/caregivers will not be permitted on campus during arrival.

The building opens for students beginning at 9:08 a.m. Students enter through the Lower Plaza doors. The Lower Plaza doors lock at 9:15 a.m. Students who arrive after 9:15 a.m. should enter at the Main Entrance and stop in the Main Office to receive a late pass to bring to their classroom teacher.

A.M. Drop-Off:

A car drop-off point has been established on the school driveway to ensure the safe arrival of all children at school. After turning into the school driveway, please pull forward to the designated drop-off location near the Lower Plaza area. Staff members will be at the location to greet students.

· There is no parking for any reason in the main circle driveway during arrival.

· Parents should remain in their cars and students should exit curbside.

Walkers: Students should walk (enter campus) from the lower sidewalk to the building without parent escort; parents should remain at the entry to lower sidewalk area.

Safety is our top priority, and therefore, we must ensure that each student is accounted for at the ending of each day in accordance with what you have planned.

Please complete and submit the 2024-25 Daily Dismissal Form (see "button" with link below) by Thursday, August 31.

Change of Dismissal Plans:

Any change to what has been submitted on the KES Daily Dismissal Form requires a note explicitly stating the alternate plan (i.e., pick-up, playdate, After School Activities, Elev8, biking home). Please try your best to have dismissal plans arranged in advance of the start of the school day. However, if the need arises to change dismissal plans after the start of the school day, you need to call the school by 12:00 p.m. to ensure that the information is relayed and followed. You must follow up with an email as we are required to have written documentation.

P.M. Pick-Up Location:

When picking up children at dismissal time, park in the lot across the street from the school or on Huntville Road in the designated spots and walk to the “Art Room A” entrance (double doors closest to Huntville Road). Doors will be open from 3:35-3:45 p.m.

Early Pick-Ups:

Children picked up early from school will dismiss from the Main Office; you may not pick-up your child between 3:15 p.m.-3:40 p.m.

Walkers:

Walkers are those students who are not assigned to a school bus and/or live within reasonable distance (1 mile) from school. These children are dismissed between 3:30-3:40 p.m. at the lower sidewalk.

· Written excuse is required by New York State Law each time a child is absent or late. The excuse should be sent with the child when he/she returns to school or on the day of lateness. In addition to the specific dates, the reason for the absence or lateness should be stated in the note and signed by a parent or guardian.

· Parents are requested to call the school attendance line (763-7750) on the first day of each absence. If a child is absent and no call is made, the school will attempt to contact the parent. This is done for the safety and protection of the child.

We will continue implementing our breakfast program for elementary students. Please see the details below about our breakfast program:

· Students who participate will enter the building during arrival time (beginning at 9:10 am) and go directly to the cafeteria.

· “Grab and Go” breakfast bags will be available. Sample items include a bagel, muffin, or breakfast bar along with a fruit with a choice of milk.

· Students will bring their “Grab and Go” breakfast to eat in their classroom during the morning routine.

· Monthly Menus are available on the website.

Breakfast costs $1.75. To see if you qualify for the Free and Reduced Priced Meal program (breakfast and/or lunch), please refer to THIS LINK.

The KES cafeteria has a lunch program that provides a healthy entree, a vegetable, fruit, and a drink (low fat or skim milk that is antibiotic and hormone free or juice). Students may purchase hot or cold lunch as well as snacks through an automated meal pay system. You can find information about the MyPaymentsPlus, menus, and Free and Reduced Priced Meal Program applications using THIS LINK.

School supply lists can be found using this link: 2024-25 KES School Supply Lists

We will be practicing evacuation/fire and lockdown drills at the beginning of the school year. Teachers will prepare their class in advance for the drills. We will notify families each time we conduct a drill. Please join us at the PTO General Member Meeting on September 19 at 9:30am to learn more about the school's safety procedures.

We would like to take this opportunity to share with you the 2024-25 KES Family Handbook. (Link below)

We hope this helps you gain greater understanding of the policies, practices, procedures, and services that makes the school run smoothly and safely, and thus assist you in becoming an integral part of our school community. We trust that this handbook will provide you with answers to questions you might have or the resources necessary to find those answers. Please do not hesitate to call us if that is not the case.

At KES, we continue to search for ways to facilitate ongoing communication between the home and the school. This handbook will be updated yearly, so if you have any suggestions, corrections, or comments, please contact the school’s main office at 763-7700.

As a school community, we work toward establishing an atmosphere where children can learn and develop academically, socially, and emotionally. We embed social and emotional learning opportunities into the classroom and school-wide to help students build relationships, identify and manage emotions, and develop a growth mindset. Morning Meeting is a time where students come together as a class to learn, discuss, and practice these skills, while connecting with each other and their teachers. Through these and other approaches, such as monthly school-wide sharing assemblies, we teach and reinforce positive behavior.

KES' expectations derive from our KES PAWSome Pledge.

At KES we...

Practice Respect

Accept Responsibility

We Choose Kindness

Safety Comes First

KES is PAWSome!

Explicitly teaching these behaviors helps students to understand what is expected to create a positive environment. Our school expectation matrix linked below displays P.A.W.S. expectations across school settings. At the beginning of each school year, and throughout, classroom teachers facilitate the process of identifying respectful, responsible, kind and safe expectations with students. These expectations are reinforced with a classroom system to recognize positive behaviors as students demonstrate them. Similarly, expectations are taught, reviewed and positively reinforced in special classes, lunch and recess, and on the buses.

Communication from the classroom teacher will be sent home when a student is experiencing a particular challenge in meeting the expectations. We know that the home and school connection is critically important to supporting our students. Additionally, we believe in teaching students how to learn from their mistakes and use positive reinforcement to guide them in modifying their behavior.

Lunch and recess are by design less structured compared to our instructional settings. With this said, it's also a time of the day where issues arise.

We revised the behavioral expectations for lunch and recess (see links below) and created a string of morning meeting lessons to explicitly teach and inform our K-5 students of what is expected from them during lunch and recess. We reworked the seating organization of the cafeteria and created a summer training session for our revamped team of Lunch and Recess Supervisors (formerly known as School Monitors).

A commonly used best practice in our classrooms involves a term/approach called explicit instruction. Explicit instruction is a way to teach in a direct, structured way. When teachers use explicit instruction, they make lessons crystal clear. They show kids how to start and succeed on a task. They also give kids plenty of feedback and chances to practice. We are leveraging this approach to teach our students about the revised expected behaviors during lunch and recess.

We ask that you take a few minutes over the coming weeks to review the attached "Expected Behaviors" for lunch and recess slides with your children. Our thinking is that less is more when it comes to the expected behaviors, but we also feel strongly that a partnership between home and school is essential when it comes to communicating these expectations with the children.

Lunch 1

Recess 1

Stay tuned for more information about the improvement plan in the monthly newsletters this year.

DASA seeks to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students, free of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, taunting and bullying. If you are aware of an incident or have a concern, please contact one of us listed below. You will be asked to complete the BOE Incident Reporting Form (see "button" below for attachment).

Cristy Harris, Principal and KES Dignity Act Coordinator 763-7700 or charris@klschools.org

Kweon Stambaugh, Assistant Principal (designee) 763-7705 or kstambaugh@klschools.org

Jessica Fulton, Social Worker (designee) 763-7669 or jfulton@klschools.org.

Thank you to the PTO for supporting our initiative to upgrade our bathrooms to reflect the positive environment we seek for our KES students. The painting was done by our Art Teacher, Christine Eckler.