Ponderosa Weekly

THURSDAY AUGUST 22 - BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2 - LABOR DAY - NO SCHOOL

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3 - STAFF WORK DAY - NO SCHOOL

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9 - PICTURE DAY

👇 Link to District 2024-2025 School Year Calendar 👇

In accordance with federal and state law, individuals with a disability may be accompanied by a service animal on district property and in district vehicles so long as the animal is under the control of its handler and housebroken. Likewise, a trainer may be accompanied by a service animal that the trainer is training on district property and in district vehicles. Please refrain from bring "pets" on school ground between the hours of 7:30 am and 3:30 pm on school days. The district policy can be found here.

Please join us for back to school nigh this Thursday, august 22nd. This is for students in grades 1-5. Kindergarten families already had their kindergarten orientation before school began. To allow parents with multiple students here at Ponderosa, there will be two sessions. The first will start at 5:00 pm and the second will start at 5:30 pm. Teachers will provide the same information during both of these sessions. This is a great opportunity to see what your child's day is like in their classroom. Classroom teachers will provide more detailed information.

1. Unless they are participating in a school activity, students may NOT be on school grounds before 7:40 (8:40 on Wednesdays) as there is no adult supervision before that time.

2. After school students are expected to leave school grounds unless they are with an adult. They must go home before they may return to play on the playground.

3. When dropping off or picking up students in the "Hug and Go Lane", please pull forward as far as possible. If you will need to exit your vehicle for any reason (i.e. helping a student in or out of the car, unloading backpacks, etc.) you must park in a parking spot. The "Hug and Go Lane" is for quick drop off and pick ups only. Please have students enter and exit the vehicle on the PASSSENGER side when in th "Hug and Go" lane.

4. Students must be escorted by and adult to and from the parking lot. Do not drop students off, or ask them to meet you in the middle of the parking lot.

5. If an adult needs to enter the building for any reason, they must come through the front doors prepared to show their ID.

In our commitment to fostering a focused and engaging learning environment, we recognize the importance of moderating the use of personal electronic devices, including but not limited to cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, and other digital devices during class time. Please review our "PES Device Procedure" before school begins. If you need to get a hold to your student during the day, please feel free to call the front office and we will get them a message .

Students are welcome and encouraged to bring a water bottle with them daily. Please make sure they are filled with water only. Students may not bring soda, juice, sports drinks, coffee, or anything else with them to drink during the day. We will ask students to dump out the water bottle or cup and may refill it with water. We do have water bottle filling stations throughout the building that students have access to. If your student has a medical need, please contact the front office.

Nutrition Services is excited to share that we have contracted with a new software company to manage our meal and application program. My School Bucks is no longer active but the new software is called Linq Connect and all student balances have been moved to the new software. There are many new features that this program offers which weren't available before so we're sure you're going to love it!

Please see the attached documents which explain how to create an account along with frequently asked questions.

As a reminder, school meals are free for students this 2024/25 school year! We encourage everyone to complete a Free & Reduced application as it provides benefits to you and the district such as grants, program funding and fee waivers. If you don't want to create a Linq Connect account and only want to complete a free & reduced meal application, please click this link Online Meal Applications.

For the 2024/25 school year, the Thompson School District will provide access to no-cost meals for all students through the Healthy School Meals for All program.

Research shows students perform better at school when they are not hungry. By providing access to breakfast and lunch for all students at no cost, we better support their learning.

Although all students will receive access to no-cost meals, it's still important for households to provide their income information when requested. Gathering this information allows the Thompson School District to receive the state and federal funding we qualify for. These funds go directly to schools to help cover the cost of meals and support after-school activities and other nutritional programs for students. Plus, qualifying households may be eligible for Summer EBT benefits, receive discounted or waived school fees, class materials, utilities support, and more. Providing household income information ensures you and your school receive all available financial support.

The attachments contain more information and forms to provide your household income information. While the following pages may reference eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals, access to breakfast and lunch will be provided free to all students regardless of household income.

Our school meals follow U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines for healthy school meals. You can be confident your children are getting quality school meals while saving your family time and money.

School Hours:

• 8:00 am - 3:10 pm - M, T, Th, F
• 9:00 am - 3:10 - Wednesdays

Breakfast:

• 7:40 am - 8:00 am - M, T, Th, F
• 8:40 am - 9:00 am - Wednesdays

Please note - students may not be on school grounds before 7:40 am (8:40 am on Wednesdays) unless they are participating in a school sponsored activity. There is no adult supervision before that time.

REMINDER: If students bring their personal phones or smart watches to school, they should be off and in their backpack during the school day. If they need to contact someone, they may ask an adult at the school. Thank you for your assistance with this!

Next PTA meeting:

Stay tuned...

To Contact PTA:

Email us at info.pespta@gmail.com

Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/PonderosaPTA/

See more PTA information at https://www.thompsonschools.org/domain/256

The YMCA of Northern Colorado offers safe and structured care for Ponderosa students before and after school. YMCA is open from 3:10 pm until 6:00 pm each day after school. And Wednesday mornings from 7:00 am to 8:40 am. For more information or to register, please go to: https://www.ymcanoco.org/before-after-care/thompson/before-after-school-care

Attendance Line: (970) 679-9590

Additional information can be found at the Thompson Schools

Email: nicole.jackson@tsd.org
Website: https://pes.tsd.org/
Location: 4550 Florence Dr., Loveland, CO 80538
Phone: (970) 679-9500
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ponderosapandas

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