Primary Press

🥱You have to feel a little bad for the kindergarteners...after the first day, we could see so many of them walking into school each morning looking utterly exhausted. This is a lot for their young minds and bodies to adapt to, but the good thing is...they are loving it! The routines and structure and the way our kindergarten teachers embed joy into the day is an art they have mastered, and we are sure they will be waking up next week ready to dive into week number two.

📖It is fun to see the first graders now in their element. This isn’t their first rodeo here at CEPS, and you can tell they are proud for already knowing many of the Spartan Star skills and strategies we review at the beginning of each year. They are moving on up in their development, and this is the year we typically see tremendous gains, specifically in reading skills. We encourage you to take any opportunity you can to read with them at home...and make it fun! In June of this next year, take a moment to think back on the progress your child has made, both academically and socially-emotionally over the course of the year.

🔥Second graders...this is your year! It still boggles our minds to think that our seven and eight-year-olds are the “oldest” students in the school. But it is clear that they are stepping up to be good role models. The great thing about second graders is that (for the most part!) they still have an innate joy for learning and participating in all the educational opportunities that are presented. Let’s continue to capitalize on that and work together to discover and promote the passions and curiosities that each of our students exhibit...we just might be igniting a flame that sparks a future career path a decade from now!

In general, we have to highlight how well our students are doing with all of our school-wide procedures, especially at arrival time, lunch & recess, and dismissal time. The routines our students learned have resulted in safe and happy students that know what to expect - all very important for this age of students!

📅✅This is a good time to share a couple of reminders. Your attention to the details below (in no particular order) is much appreciated and will enhance the smooth operations and positive partnerships that are already forming so soon in the year:

• DROP-OFF is 7:20-7:45; breakfast is 7:20-7:45

• PICK-UP is 2:42-3:00; remember to use a car sign at pick-up, whether by car or by walking; extra signs are available in our front office!

• STUDENT DAY: The student instructional day is 7:45-2:42; students that arrive after 7:55 are marked tardy and need to be walked into the main office by an adult

• ABSENCES: For student absences, feel free to use the IC app to log your child's attendance, or send an email to both the classroom teacher and cepsattendance@mcfsd.org (please include the reason why your child is out so that it can be marked for attendance purposes). You can also leave a voicemail on the attendance line at (608) 838-4904.

• OTHER ABSENCE INFO: Please note that if your child rides the bus or goes to daycare, you also need to contact those organizations as well to inform them of the absence. We really appreciate your help in making sure all bases are covered when your child is out!

• LUNCH VISITORS: Each student will get a chance to be "special person" one time per year for the week, and your child's teacher will let you know when that is. As a fun option, for those families that are able to do so, your child may invite favorite adults to come in during the week and eat lunch with them in our cafeteria (please call the office in the morning if you plan to purchase a school lunch for yourself)! If a non-parent/guardian adult is joining for lunch, we do need a parent/guardian to call/email our front office for permission ahead of time. We limit it to special person week due to space and supervision restrictions in our cafeteria and appreciate your understanding.

• YOUR ASSISTANCE NEEDED: Since only parents/guardians listed in Infinite Campus receive communication like these emails, it is the family’s responsibility to let other adults know of our school procedures; for example, using a car sign at pick-up, how to buzz in at the main office, how to safely drop-off and pick-up students in the loop, no birthday deliveries at school, etc.

• OPEN HOUSE: Mark your calendars for our CEPS FALL OPEN HOUSE, which will be held THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5th (last names A-K 4:30-5:20 & L-Z 5:40-6:30). Details will come closer to that date!

As we wrap up, a good talking point for the weekend with your child would be to discuss our “Spartan Star” expectations. They learn that "Spartan Star says...be safe, be kind, and be responsible!" and they are taught what that looks, sounds, and feels like all around school. We then catch students and classes being Spartan Stars, recognize great behavior for students, classes, and the school, and tie in our fun "superhero" theme for the year through dress-up days, and school-wide assemblies and celebrations.

At the McFarland School District, our Mission is: Meeting the needs of every learner, every day. We appreciate your partnership on this journey!

Sincerely,

Greg Nelson, Principal

Brooke Hauser, Associate Principal