Cardinal Elementary News

Monday, January 29th:

Tuesday, January 30th:

3:00-4:15 After School Math

Wednesday, January 31st:

3:00-4:15 After School Math

Thursday, February 1st:

3:00-4:15 After School Math

Friday, February 2nd:

SOAR Assembly

Upcoming Important Dates:

February 16-20 Mid Winter Break for Students

February 29th March Is Reading Month/ One School-One Book Kick Off Party

March 11th-14th Parent Teacher Conferences

March 15th No School for Students

March 29th-April 7th Spring Break

Parents,

This week we have started to enforce no hats or hoods in school. Hats and hoods are appropriate on the playground in the cold weather, but not in the classroom or while students are moving throughout the building during the day.

We shared with students the "why". That we are seeing that students are using hats and hoods to disengage from learning, increased disrespect towards staff from students wearing hats and hoods, and most importantly, school safety. We need to be able to easily identify our students both in person and on video. We are working to upgrade our camera system, and we need to be able to identify students. Students wearing hats and hoods makes this difficult or altogether impossible.

If students are seen wearing hats and hoods other than recess, arrival, and dismissal, they will be asked by staff to remove them. Failure to do so will result in parent contact and disciplinary action.

If you have concerns with this policy, please contact Heather MacDonald or E'lyse Benson.

Our next Kickstart to Career Deposit Day is February 7th. Forms will be sent home next week.

Due to an increase in traffic during the winter weather, we are including our Drop off/Pick up Procedures as a reminder.

Parent Pick Up/ Drop Off Update for 2023-24 School Year

Please review these procedures and communicate your daily plan with your student(s) to alleviate any confusion at the end of the school day.

Buses will drop off and pick up students in the North Lot off of Sheridan. This parking lot may be used by buses and staff ONLY. For the safety of our students, the North Lot is closed to all parents and visitors. At the end of the school day, students who ride the bus will exit the building through their hallway corridor doors on the east or west end and be escorted to the North Lot by staff to board buses.

The South Lot at the front entrance is parent pick up/drop off for 4th and 5th grade students. The lot has been striped to reflect a pick up lane along the sidewalk and parking spaces for building visitors on the opposite side facing the road. We ask that the pick up lane on the right side is used and that cars pull all the way forward to allow more cars to fit and the process to go smoothly. There is signage that shows the zone for dropping off and picking up. Stopping at the beginning or middle will back up the cars on Marquette. Please do not park in visitor parking and walk up or send students across in this area as there will not be a crossing guard present. Also there is only 1 pick up lane. The other lane is for driving through only. It is strongly recommended that students enter and exit the vehicle from the passenger side to ensure student safety.

The West Lot is the Parent Pick Up/Drop Off for 2nd and 3rd grade students. For parents and guardians who wish to park and walk across to pick up their student, a crossing guard will be present. Please model safe crossing by using the crosswalk and following the directions provided by the crossing guards. In this lot, the lane along the sidewalk is for parent pick up and drop off. The other lane to the left is for driving through only. It is strongly recommended that students enter and exit the vehicle from the passenger side to ensure student safety.

Please pull all the way forward as space becomes available, and when leaving, follow the loop of the parking lot all the way around to exit onto Marquette.

If you have students in multiple grades (for example 2nd and 5th), we recommend using the West Lot as the younger students will be closer to their entrances.

Beginning of the School Day Procedures:

This year, students will go directly to their classrooms at drop off. Please do not drop off students prior to 8:00AM as there will not be supervision for students and they are not permitted on the playground. 2nd and 3rd grade students will enter through the doors leading to their hallways on the west side whether they are using buses or parent transportation. 4th and 5th graders who are bused will use the entrances to their hallways on the east side of the building and 4th and 5th grade students who are transported by parents will enter through Door 2 on the west side near the drop off. At 8:00AM, the first bell will ring and staff will open the doors to the grade level corridors and front entrance. Students will enter the building, and proceed to their classroom. Students should be inside the building when school begins at 8:10AM. If your student arrives after this time, please park in the front lot and sign your student in at the office window. Students may not arrive early, as there is no supervision available before 8:00AM. Signing students in makes it an excused tardy instead of an unexcused tardy.

End of the School Day Procedures:

School ends at 2:55PM on regular release days and 1:50PM on early release days. Please ensure that your student knows the plan for the end of the day before they come to school in the morning (riding the bus, parent pick up, day care). If there is an emergency change during the school day, you must contact the office by 1:30PM (1:00PM on early release days) so we can ensure that all students receive their messages.

Please ensure that students are picked up on time from school each day at 2:55PM (1:50PM on early release days). The office staff is not responsible to provide day care before or after school. After school day care is available through community education for families who require after school care.

Due to several instances last school year, the following procedures from our school handbook will be enforced when students are picked up late from school:

1st Offense: Parent will receive a warning

2nd Offense: Parent will be required to come in for a meeting

3rd Offense: The authorities will be contacted

Middle school and high school students picking up younger students are not allowed on school property until the dismissal bell rings at 2:55PM unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Our Lost and Found is overflowing! Please check out the video below. Please e-mail jeff.dekuiper@orchardview.org if you see something that belongs to your student and he will get it to them. At the end of January, items not claimed will be donated.

Please send students dressed appropriately for winter weather. As we are experiencing cold, snowy weather, it is important that students are properly dressed for outdoor temperatures, snow, and slush. Boots, snowpants, hats and mittens are helpful. Students will not be permitted to stay indoors unless the temperature "feels like" less than 10 degrees.

We recommend labeling all winter wear so it is easy to identify when lost or when items get mixed up between students.

Finally, please use extra caution in the drop off and pick up lanes. Icy conditions can lead to accidents and we don't want students, parents, or staff to be hurt!

Cardinal Families,

Please review the poster below.

We are here to work collaboratively to provide a safe, nurturing school for your children. We are happy to meet with you regarding any concerns you may have. We do ask that you follow the expectations outlined below, or you will be asked to leave and schedule a time to meet with us later.

Thank you for your assistance with this.

Sincerely,

The Cardinal Elementary Office, Teachers, and Staff

Please do not allow students out of vehicles until 8:00. There is not staff available to supervise students and it is not safe to have children standing outside unsupervised.

School begins at 8:10 and your student is tardy at 8:10.

Our staff stands outdoors from 8:00-8:10 each morning. At 8:10, we start walking towards the doors and once we are inside, your student will need to be signed in tardy at the office window in order for us to maintain accurate attendance records. If an adult signs the student in, it is an excused tardy. If there is no adult to sign in the student, it is an unexcused tardy.

While we understand that this may be frustrating, this can be avoided by ensuring that your student arrives to school prior to 8:10.

At Cardinal Elementary, we believe that when our students work hard all day, they should not come home with hours of homework. When they come home, they should have time to play, participate in activities, and have quality time with family.

We DO prioritize reading at home for 20 minutes daily. This can be done through reading to self or being read to. Research shows that children who read at home daily achieve higher literacy outcomes. Here is a link from What Works Clearinghouse on Tips for Supporting Reading Skills At Home

The only other homework sent home will be work that has not been completed during time provided at school and occasional study guides for unit assessments.

Please check out our Cardinal Elementary Webpage. We update this with information daily. On the Homepage, you will be greeted with our daily Cardinal News Network where our students talk about what it means to SOAR at Cardinal and share news updates. You might even see your student being featured.

On the "Parents" page, there are updates about upcoming activities and other important information for parents.

At our monthly PBIS assemblies, we share behavior data and goals with our students. Here are some updates for families to discuss with their student from the month of December.

In December 2023, there were 181 Behavior Referrals.

In December 2022, there were 226 Behavior Referrals.

This is a decrease of 24.8%

In December 2023, 103 Students Received a Behavior Referral

In December 2022, 110 Students Received a Behavior Referral

This is a decrease of 6.7%

We are currently working to reduce the number of referrals for "defiance". This is when students refuse to follow directions from staff at school. When these behaviors occur, it is disruptive to the learning for the student involved and other students in the classroom. In other settings, refusing to follow directions from staff could result in a safety issue for your student or their peers.

In December 2023, 49 Referrals for Defiance

In December 2022, 46 Referrals for Defiance

This is an increase of 6.1%

Our students have been sharing ideas to improve in this area on our daily CNN News. This is also available on the Cardinal Elementary Webpage.

Additionally, we ask that you please have a conversation with your student about the importance of following directions from their teacher and other adults at school.

Working together, we can make a greater impact on your student's school success.

Weekly Average Attendance: 93.23% Much better than last week!!!

Top 5 Classrooms

#1 Miss Kleinjans' Classroom 95.8%

#2 Mrs. Arends' Classroom 95.5%

#3 Ms. Janusiewicz's Classroom 94.7%

#4 Mrs. Dault's Classroom 94.6%

#5 Mrs. Muskovin and Mrs. Mastbergen's Classroom 94.0%

2nd Grade:

Hayley Gabriel

Emilio Gutierrez

Kaleb Johnson

Brycen Johnson

3rd Grade:

Makenzie Fletcher

Jameson Garcia

Unique Grigsby

Kashis Morris

Julius Reynolds

Xavier Ross

4th Grade:

Cohen Cook

Deegyn Harter

Mya Wood

5th Grade:

Kristionna Alston

Tonya Grammar

Markwan Herron

Anna Krehn

Mekhi Watts

Maliya Wilson

Our PTO Meetings will be held in the Cardinal Collab Lab the second Tuesday of the month at 3:30 PM.

Our next meeting is February 13th. We hope to see you there!

Hey!

Join us in earning cash for our school PTO by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. Box Tops are worth $.10 each and they add up fast! Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need - equipment, supplies or experiences the kids love!

Download the Box Tops for Education app here: https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=BIQ06E75

Limited Time! With every new Box Tops participant, the impact on schools doubles (or more!). So right now when you refer a friend and they scan their first receipt between now and 9/7, you’ll earn 40 Bonus Box Tops for your school. Link

Don't forget: Every scan gets you an additional entry, so the more you scan, the more you increase your odds of winning $1,000 for yourself and $1,000 for your school in our Back to School mega sweeps! Ends 11/30.*

Email: heather.macdonald@orchardview.org
Website: https://www.orchardview.org/schools/cardinal-elementary/
Location: 2310 Marquette Avenue, Muskegon, MI, USA
Phone: 231-760-1700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/147170625423848
Twitter: @heather_macdon