Sunset Express

Email: amccaw@vicksburgschools.org
Website: Vicksburgcommunityschools.org
Location: 201 N Boulevard St, Vicksburg, MI, United States
Phone: (269)321-1500
Twitter: @TLIMPrincipal

Happy New Year Sunset Lake Families!

We hope your family had a wonderful Holiday Season!

We would like to introduce our new Sunset Lake Office Aide, Tamara Young. Tamara is a familiar face to Sunset Lake since she had served as our Library Aide. Tamara has three children in our district and her youngest, Brady is a 5th Grader at Sunset Lake. We are happy to have Tamara on board! (Tamara's role was to replace Shannon Hillard, who accepted the Administrative Assistant position at our Vicksburg Middle School.)

With a new year, comes new goals.....this month we have kicked off LEAD.

Lead Responsibly

Everyone Makes Good Choices

Always Safe

Do the Respectful Thing

We reviewed our Hallway Expectations with all of our students and have introduced LEAD tickets. Students who are "caught" doing a great job with the hallway expectations may earn LEAD tickets. Each week our classrooms will draw one ticket for a chance to spin our Sunset Lake Leader Wheel. The wheel will have choices for students to win. The reward choices are based on our student's feedback from a class survey.

Events Coming Up:

January 26th is a half-day of school- school dimissal is 12:15p.m.

This marks the end of our first semester and teachers will be working on our midyear report cards in the afternoon.

Friday, January 26th will be our Family Movie Night. This is a FREE event that our PTSO offers for our families to connect and spend time together. See the PTSO notes to learn more details.

The rest of this month is an important time of year to check on our students' progress. Students will be completing our district's mid year reading and math assessments as well as finishing up classroom unit assessments. Please try and encourage your child to get a good night's sleep and to try their best with each assessment. Thank you!

Sunset Lake Parking Lot Reminders:

• All pedestrians should use the Pedestrian Painted Walk-Way to keep from people walking between cars and to keep the flow of our traffic moving.
  
• Drop-off-- Please have your child get out of the car curbside, as soon as your car has come to a stop at the sidewalk area. (Please do not wait until you are at the front of the door section to unload, as it slows down our process)
  

If you are interested in being more involved with school decisions and our school improvement process, join our Family Lighthouse Team! If interested in learning more, please email Tamara Young at tyoung@vicksburgschools.org

Thank you Sunset Lake Families for all that you do to support us at Sunset Lake Elementary. We are looking forward to a great second semester!

Yours in Learning,

Amie McCaw

Sunset Lake Elementary Principal

• January 18th 5th Grade Ski Trip
• January 26th-Half Day Dismissal 12:15pm
• January 29th - 1st day of 3rd marking period
• February 1st - 4/5th Grade Musical Program
• February 6th and 8th - Student Led - Parent/Teacher Conferences
  

Please note that during our winter months we monitor our weather closely when determining outside/inside recess. Safety is our first issue. We review radar and windchill temperatures up to the moment when recess begins. Students go outside if WINDCHILL temperatures are above 0 degrees. Students should dress in layers and come prepared EVERYDAY to go outside. At times we may also determine to shorten the recess if we feel the conditions are not favorable for a safe and successful playtime.

Our school has partnered with Smile Programs, the in-school dentist, to bring important dental care to our students. It’s an easy and convenient way for your child to get quality dental care, and most insurance covers 100% of preventive treatment. Permission Forms Were Sent Home Permission forms were recently sent home with each child. To participate, be sure your child brings a completed and signed form back to his or her teacher. If you haven’t received a form, please contact the school right away. Dental Disease Is Preventable We are providing this service because taking care of your child’s teeth is important to keeping them healthy and in school learning. Tooth decay is the most common chronic and infectious disease among children. In addition, kids with oral disease can suffer with pain and difficulty eating. Nearly all dental diseases are preventable through regular dental exams. The dental team will set up a mini-dental office in our building and provide dental services for all children who return completed forms. Smile Programs has been servicing schools, and creating healthy smiles, for over 14 years.

PLEASE BE SURE TO COMPLETE, SIGN AND RETURN THE DENTAL PERMISSION FORM TODAY!

Safe Kids Kalamazoo County, led by Bronson Children's Hospital, is again, offering Winter Sports Helmets at a Reduced Cost

($25 cash only) minimum donation

BLITZ:

• CALL TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT: Bronson HealthAnswers at (269) 341-7723
• DATE: Saturday January 13, 2018
• TIME: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• LOCATION: Bronson Methodist Hospital - Gilmore Center for Health Education – Forum Room A

Children & Adult Sizes Available: (based, in part, on head circumference)

XS - 18.89” to 20.47”
Small – 20.47” to 21.65”

Medium - 21.65” to 22.83”

Large - 22.83” to 24.01”

X-Large - 23.28” to 25.19”

***Individuals receiving a helmet must be present***
Colors: Matte Black, Matte Silver, Matte Dusty Blue & Matte Maroon

• CALL TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT: Bronson Trauma Services at (269) 341-7959
• DATES: 1st & 3rd Thursday of each month
• TIME: Noon - 4:00 PM
• LOCATION: M-308

http://sunsetlakeptso.weebly.com/

The PTSO will be hosting a Family Movie Night on the 26th of January. We are asking for food donations of 18 oz jars of peanut butter, granola bars and applesauce cups for Friday Packs.

We will be watching the original version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The movie was decided on and voted for by the Student Lighthouse Team. The movie starts at 6:00 and we will have water, popcorn and candy for sale.

It is a free event with the exception of a Food Donation, if you would like, but it is not required.