Gator Gossip

Gearing Families,

The month of March is packed with great stuff. Please take the time to look through all the wonderful pictures from our PBIS Assembly. You will also find important flyers regarding Kindergarten Round Up &Young 5's and Saints Softball Clinics. Please note that this event will take place at St. Clair Middle School NOT Gearing Elementary.

This week is School Social Worker Week, and we are truly blessed to have the amazing Katelyne Click as our SSW. Ms. Click does an amazing job advocating for students, parents, and staff. I have been in education for 23 years so believe me when I tell you, She is one in a million. Thank you Ms. Click for all you do for Gearing Elementary School.

Requests and Reminders.

1. Please continue to send students with coats, gloves, boots, snow pants, and gloves. The play area can be quite wet and muddy when the snow begins to melt. We want to limit the number of muddy shoes and clothes as much as possible.

2. If you need to sign your child out early, please do so before 3:15. If you have ever been in the main office near the end of the day, you know how busy it can get. We understand that emergencies may come up, but we would very much appreciate it if it could wait until our 3:39 dismissal.

3. Finally, I want to thank you for the patience you give each other at drop-off and pick-up. Everyone drives slowly, safely and is willing to let others merge. Please continue to use the drop-off lane for drop-offs only. If you elect to walk your child to the door, please continue to find a parking spot.

Thank you,

Mr. Zimmer

***Please note that this event will take place at St. Clair Middle School (soon to be St. Clair River Elementary) located at 4335 Yankee Rd. St. Clair Michigan 48079 from 4:00 - 6:00***

Congratulations to all of our Gators to hit the 25 PBIS ticket milestone.

Congratulations to all of our Gators to hit the 50 PBIS ticket milestone. They will receive an Extra Recess with Mr. Zimmer

Congratulations to all of our Gators to hit the 75 PBIS ticket milestone. They made the Spirit Tunnel that our Character winners and 100 Tickets earners get to walk through, and they will receive a treat from the principal.

Congratulations to all of our Gators to hit the 100 PBIS ticket milestone. They will receive a Positive Behavior Yard Sign.

Each student in the classroom receives Free Hungry Howies Personal Pizza. (This will be announced over the PA next week)

Will your child be 4 years old by December 1st? Then, it is time to sign up for FREE high-quality PreK. All Michigan 4-year-olds can now qualify, prioritizing families that need it most. Click the link below to apply. If you have questions, call the ECSD Early Childhood Center secretary, Chris Klecha, at 810-676-1010.

Link to Application

The Adams Street entrance is currently CLOSED. We hope to have it reopened soon. Please note the merging of traffic (the red and blue arrows). If you are going to park and walk your child up to the building please use the crosswalk.

A few other bulleted items regarding Drop Off and Pick Up

• Use the Crosswak, do not walk in between cars.
• No Parking/Standing in this area. Parents should stay in the car, or park their car in the lot.
• No Cars in the bus loop from 8:15 - 8:45 and 3:15 - 3:45.
• If your student arrives after 8:45, an adult MUST walk them in the building and they will need to be signed in at the office.

Please remember that we are a Nut-Restricted School. We know that peanut butter and jelly is a popular item for young kids, but we cannot put some of our kids at risk. There are some healthy and delicious alternatives like SunButter.

Principal: Michael Zimmer

Office Staff: Administrative Secretary – Mrs. Sara Distelrath

Office Paraprofessional – Mrs. Pam Kaminski

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL –Tuesday, September 3 (Half Day of School, Dismissal at 12:08 p.m.)

SCHOOL HOURS - The school day begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:39 p.m.

HALF DAYS FOR STUDENTS - Dismissal at 12:08 p.m.

PLC DELAYED START WEDNESDAYS – School begins at 9:45 a.m. Please refer to the school calendar for dates.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - Monday and Tuesday, November 25 and November 26, 2024.

ARRIVAL PROCEDURE – BEGINNING OF THE DAY

• Students are asked not to arrive at the building prior to 8:35 a.m., as supervision is unavailable.

• Latchkey is available for students who need to arrive before 8:35 a.m.

• Kindergarten and 1st Grade students line outside their hallway doors.

• 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grade students line up at and enter the building through the Main doors at 8:40 a.m.

• Classes begin at 8:45 a.m. when the second bell rings.

If you drive your child to school, the designated “Student Drop-Off Area” location must be used when dropping off your student. Please follow the directional arrows. For safety reasons, do not drop your child off at the crosswalk. The circle drive is for buses only. Students enter the building through classroom doors.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURE – END OF THE DAY

• All students are dismissed out of the same doors they entered.

• If someone other than a parent is picking up a child and is not on the emergency card, a signed note must be provided by the parent authorizing this release.

• Students will not be released to persons on the emergency card before dismissal time, unless prior arrangements have been made with the parent/guardian.

CHARTWELLS FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

Breakfast and lunch will be free for all students.

SKYWARD

Skyward is our student database. You can access your child’s information through Skyward Family Access. If you do not know your Skyward username and password, please contact East China School District Administration Office at (810) 676-1000.

Methods of Communication

• ECSD Website www.ecsd.us
• Gearing Elementary School Website
• Gearing Elementary School Facebook Page "Like this page to stay up to date on current events.
• Classroom newsletters, emails, apps, etc
• Email
• Phone
• Skylert phone calls
• Monthly Newsletters

Methods of Communication from Parent to School

• Email
• In-Person
• Phone
• Written Notes
• **We do not monitor our Facebook page as a form of two-way communication.

ABSENCE PROCEDURE

If your child is absent from school due to illness or other reasons, you must notify our attendance line at (810) 676-1666 (24-hour hotline) by 9:30 a.m. All absences must be called in with the reason for the absence. Absences are verified by the office each morning.

EARLY DISMISSAL PROCEDURE

Parents will be notified in advance if an early dismissal is scheduled. If early dismissal is required due to weather conditions or emergency situations, every effort will be made to notify parents. Please keep emergency phone numbers on your child’s emergency card current.

LATCHKEY PROGRAM

A latchkey program is available at Gearing Elementary for parents who require supervision for their children before and after school. Latchkey hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and 3:39 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Latchkey is also available on half days. For additional information and to make latchkey arrangements, please go to the Latchkey information page on the ECSD website.

SUPPLIES

All students will be supplied with basic classroom supplies. A suggested list of additional classroom supplies was sent to families with classroom placement letters. For safety reasons, gym shoes are required to participate in physical education class.

NUT Restricted School

**Sun butter is one possible substitute for peanut butter.

SNACKS

**healthy snacks for classroom

**no dessert type snacks ie: cookies, candy, chocolate,

Give examples of health snacks

BIRTHDAY TREATS

**at the discretion and approval of the classroom teacher

**purchased with nutritional label- NUT FREE

**no visitors

IMPORTANT: A large white envelope labeled “Important Information Enclosed” was given to you at Open House or will be sent home with your child on the first day of school. It is important that the Emergency Card be updated for each child and returned by Thursday, September 5, 2024.

Friendly Reminder ~ Friday, September 20th is Picture Day!

Picture Retakes will be November 12th.

Thank you for your cooperation in creating a safe, organized school for our students.

Using a secure Login ID and password, you can log into Skyward Family Access and view your students’ data, such as progress reports, attendance records, report cards, transcripts, lunch information and more. Your one login to Family Access allows you to view data on all your enrolled students in the district, even if there are multiple school sites.

How to log into to Skyward Family Access:

1. Go to the district home web page at www.ecsd.us.
2. Click on the Parents link, then Family Access link.
3. Enter your Login ID and Password on the Skyward Family Access login screen.