The Kinsner Weekly

Friday, May 24th is Early Release Day! The classroom parties (run by PTA) will take place between 1:00-1:45 PM. Families may sign-in at the office. Lunches and recesses are adjusted - please connect with your teacher if you're in need to the specific time. The 5th grade promotion ceremony will take place in the gym starting at 10:00 AM. Early release will occur at 2:05 PM for walkers and 2:10 PM for car and bus riders. Wishing you all a happy and safe summer vacation! See you back in August!!

We are considering changes to our model for next year for safety reasons. As you know, the current car line wraps around the large parking lot. We also have a high volume of families elect to park want walk up to the front doors to meet their child. When traveling to and from the parking lot both families on foot those traveling in vehicles need to be on high alert as there are multiple pathways to get to the sidewalk. This presents some valid safety concerns.

The new model would flip the car loop and bus loop, which is the original design of the school. The drafted plan would have cars entering using Waterford Pkwy. Police and administration would provided heavier support near the entrance in the beginning of the year. If you're waiting in the line on Waterford, we'd ask that you park closer the curb to allow for thru traffic. Upon entry, cars would take an immediate left into the car loop, which allows for more vehicles to access the loop and more students to be dropped off or picked up simultaneously. We'd like families to have their child exit out the driver's side back door for immediate sidewalk access. Cars would then exit the loop left to avoid congestion on Waterford and leave out Kylemore. Visual graphics of this plan will be available in August.

Families could continue to use the park and walk option, which entails parking the car in the main lot and walking up to the entrance of the school. If you're using this option, we'd ask families to enter and exit using Kylemore only.

More information regarding the bus loop process, back door entry (which will continue) and organizing the car riders (so it's not the wild west) will be outlined closer to the start of next year. Visual graphics of this plan will be available in August.

We're fully expecting some bumps within the new process. A steering committee will be created to support feedback and to make any necessary adjustments. Once we solidify the process, proper directional signage will be installed.

Order Before The School Year Ends

We've seen that people who don't order before the end of the school year are likely to miss the order deadline once summer starts! The end of the school year is approaching fast! Let this be your reminder to order your PTA Fundraiser School Supply Boxes before this year ends! Click to Order now.

Recently, the Board of Education approved mobile units to be placed at the elementary schools. Kinsner Elementary will receive one mobile unit, which has two seperate classrooms.

Why is this helpful for Kinsner?

We are limited with large group space. Each classroom is filled and we aren't losing any "bubble" groups next year. A "bubble" is when one cohort (or grade) is larger, so they have five classes instead of four.

As you know, our stage is now the music room and band and orchestra often practice in the atrium (the hallway). We repurposed the Media Center and cafeteria to double as extra music and art spaces. Our roof is on a slant, so we can't place any groups up there (sorry, trying to make light of a dim situation).

Next year, we are excited to welcome back half-day Kindergarten! But that does mean we are losing another large group space. The mobile unit will provide two additional classrooms to serve our students.

Who is going into the mobile unit?

We've had a lot of discussion regarding who will be placed in the mobile unit. We are considering factors such as general safety, age appropriateness, maximum usage, etc. It is equipped with AC and heat but does not have a restroom. For access, it also involves going in and out of the building. All that said, we'd like to avoid having younger students, any homerooms or special needs intervention small groups from using this space.

The plan is to have our 3rd-5th grade gifted math population use one of the classrooms (sessions are approximately 60 minutes daily). The other classroom would be used for band / orchestra, which gets them out of the hallway. Rest assured that band / orchestra and gifted math instruction does not occur at the same time. When our band or orchestra is not using that space, it will double as a location for one-on-one instruction from support services such as Mindfully, AIMS testing, audiology, etc.

Where will this be located?

The unit will likely be placed at the front of the school near the current bus line (in the grass area, outside the K-1 hallway). We explored using the courtyard behind the school but due to the slope of the hills, transportation is unable to maneuver around the bend of the school. We looked at adding it near the blacktop, but that limits space for kids to play at recess.