News to Know...

Dear Parents/Guardians:

In just over a week, we will celebrate the 100th day of school! It is hard to believe that we are already at the 100 day milestone... this school year is certainly flying by in a flash!

It is the time of year when we really begin to see things "click" for our students... concepts that they may have struggled with earlier seem to make sense and many students seem to hit their stride mid-year. As always, we appreciate all that you do at home to support your child's learning. From nightly reading of "take-home" books to editing "Paragraphs of the Week" and practicing math facts to assisting with word problems (even though math is way different than how you were taught), the things that you do make a difference. If your child is experiencing difficulty or frustration, I encourage you to reach out to the teacher to discuss ideas for providing extra support. Our staff can provide targeted interventions to address areas of need, and our teachers are always willing to share strategies that you can try at home.

This time of the year can also be a challenge as the winter doldrums settle in and children are eager to play outside and get some fresh air. We try to always provide outdoor recess when the weather cooperates and playground conditions are safe. Students will go outdoors when the temperature (including wind chill) is 15 degrees or higher. Please be sure that your child has appropriate cold weather gear including a warm coat, boots, hats, gloves/mittens, and snow pants.

I wish you and your family a fantastic February!

Sincerely,

Marcie Ware

PK-5 Principal

Morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up are busy times at the Primary-Elementary School. Did you know that over 200 students get picked up each afternoon from both our Link and South side entrances? And just as many students (and sometimes more) are dropped off each morning? Along with each student is at least one adult (and sometimes younger siblings) that are also walking to and from the building. There is no doubt that the parking lot is a busy place and we need all parents to help keep it a safe place for both children and adults.

We are working with the Canandaigua City Police Department to ensure that we are implementing procedures that help everyone adhere to basic traffic rules. A few reminders about expectations in the Primary-Elementary parking lot-

• All lanes are ONE WAY only... please follow the arrows to ensure that you are traveling in the correct direction.
• During morning drop-off, students should only be let off when they are next to the curb/sidewalk. Under no circumstances should cars "double-park" and students exit vehicles- Having students move between vehicles is dangerous and prohibited.
• It is a violation of sect. 1210 of the vehicle and traffic law to leave an unattended car running. Please make sure that all vehicles are shut off before entering the building.
• Handicap spaces are reserved for those with appropriate plates/stickers. Please do not park in handicapped spaces under any circumstances, at any time.
• We have many staff members that travel between buildings so they have reserved spots closer to the building. We kindly ask that you not park in these reserved spots- even if they are vacant when you arrive. Chances are that someone will be coming back to the building very soon.
• Please be mindful of the fact that there are many people moving in our parking lots throughout the day... move slowly, adhere to crosswalks and traffic cones, and be extra alert.

Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in helping to make the parking lot a safe place for everyone!

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it is still a busy one here at the Primary-Elementary School. Important upcoming dates to make note of:

February:

Tuesday, 2/2, Wednesday, 2/3 and Thursday, 2/4— Kindergarten Registration, North Auditorium; 7:30-4:00 and 5:30-7:30

Tuesday, 2/2 Frieda O'Hanlon District-wide Spelling Bee for grades 4-8; 9:30 a.m. Primary-Elementary South Auditorium

Monday, 2/8 through Friday, 2/12- Fitness Fun Week in grades 3-5 Physical Education classes

Monday, 2/15 through Friday, 2/18- Winter Break; NO SCHOOL

Super Family Literacy Night will be held on Monday, March14th, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., at the Canandaigua Primary-Elementary School. The festivities will begin in the South School auditorium, with a lively presentation from Jeff Mack, our visiting author. His presentation is guaranteed to make us laugh!

Students and Parents will then have the opportunity to choose from a variety of fun-filled literacy activities. For example, making your super hero mask, or attending a story time and craft activity, creating your own super hero, to winning some terrific prizes at our super hero word games. You will also have the opportunity tap into your inner super powers on at the Reading Gives Us Super Powers inspired photo booth. In addition, don’t forget to check out the “It’s a bird, It’s a plane...No, it’s Super Readers!” displays to gain new ideas of books that you may want to read.

This event is completely FREE, thanks to our PTSA. We hope to see you there!

Although September may seem like a long way off, we are in the process of coordinating registration for both kindergarten and UPK (Universal Pre-Kindergarten). If you have a child that will be eligible for kindergarten in the fall of 2016, please plan on attending one of our registration sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of THIS week. Hours are 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.and 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. If you know of someone with a child of kindergarten age, we ask you to kindly share this information as well.

Commissioner of Education Elia has announced a recent facelift to the EngageNY website that was originally developed to facilitate the sharing of best practice around Common Core implementation. The changes include a “more robust search, responsive design for better viewing on mobile devices, and streamlined navigation. Please take a look - https://www.engageny.org.

Information about our Visitor Policy was included in last month's newsletter, but it is so important that we decided it was worth sharing again. All visitors are required to sign in and state their destination. It is a violation of the Visitation Policy to go to a location other than the destination listed. Parents and visitors are encouraged and welcome in school, but our policy does not allow visitors to classrooms during the instructional day (8:50 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.) All visits to classrooms during these hours should be arranged in advance with the teacher. This policy allows us to maintain a consistent instructional day and helps to ensure the safety of students and staff. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

The Primary-Elementary School has a Twitter account! Please follow us at @CdgaPrimElem as we share important updates and celebrate the amazing learning that is taking place each and every day!

The Principal’s News to Know newsletter will be sent each month by email. To ensure that you receive the newsletter, please make sure that you have a working email address on file with the district. If you would like to add an email or make changes, please contact Faith Shaw at shawf@canandaiguaschools.org. The newsletter will also be posted to the Primary-Elementary School page on the district website under the “Principal’s News to Know” tab. If you would like to request a paper copy, please submit a note to the Main Office and we will be sure to get one to you.

Email: warem@canandaiguaschools.org
Website: canandaiguaschools.org/elementary
Location: 96 West Gibson St.
Phone: 585-396-3900
Twitter: @CdgaPrimElem