Siple Scoop

It has been a wonderful start to the school year! My staff and I have enjoyed getting to know all of the children and helping the children get to know us. I am so impressed by how well the students have adapted to returning to school. Based on these first weeks, I think it is going to be an amazing year.

The children are starting to settle into the routine of school. This can be difficult the first couple weeks. A regular bedtime can make a big difference. Thank you for all you do at home to help your child be successful at school.

Every month I will be sending the Siple Scoop to help keep you informed about what is happening at Siple. Please take a moment to read through this important information so you can stay informed. I look forward to working with all of you to give our Siple students the best learning experience possible.

Respectfully,

Christy Flowers, Principal

cmflowers@davisonschools.org

810-591-5104

It appears everyone is learning how to use the parent drop-off and pick-up lane. I wanted to share some things that parents can help us with during these times. Please take a moment to read these tips and be sure to contact the office if you have any questions.

1. We follow whatever your child's bus tag says for dismissal. If it says your child rides the bus, your child's teacher will be walking them to the bus. If there is a day when their dismissal plans are different from their bus tag, PLEASE call the office before 3:00 p.m. so we can send a note to the teacher and have your child ready for whatever the change of plans are that afternoon. Do not contact the teacher because they are focused on teaching and we don't want to miss this important information.

2. Drop-off starts at 8:15 a.m. Please make sure that your child has their shoes, jacket, etc. on and that they have their backpack ready to go. This helps us move the line along at a quick pace so parents can be on their way to their next destination. It is critical that you do NOT drop your child off unattended. We have multiple staff members in place each morning in the drop-off line. For your child's safety it is imperative that you remain in the line and wait to let your child out of the car only when a staff member has opened the door for them to get out. This ensures your child is being supervised.

3. It would be helpful if you could make it possible for your child to enter and exit the vehicle on the passenger side. Cars will sometimes pull around on the driver's side so for the safety of the students and staff keeping everyone on the passenger side works best.

4. We begin calling students for pick-up at 3:30 p.m. Please make sure you have your BLUE dashboard card on the passenger side dashboard window. If you do not have your dashboard card, please contact the office to get a replacement. Please make sure the card is visible to the staff.

5. For both drop-off and pick-up, please come onto the Siple property using the west entrance only. Please do not enter the East driveway that is clearing marked "Do Not Enter". This drive is for buses only and was created to seperate buses and cars for the safety of our students and staff.

6. Please try to reduce gaps between cars to a safe, but small distance. We want to get as many cars off Coldwater Road as possible.

7. If you need to help your child buckle their seat belt, please pull ahead and park along the lawn in front of the building. This allows the carline to continue to move forward.

8. I have noticed students opening car windows and sitting on the doors half in and half out of the car/truck. For everyone's safety, please do not allow your children to do this. I would hate to see someone slip and fall.

I want to thank everyone for being mindful of keeping our drive and parking lot safe. This is greatly appreciated.

Homecoming Week is September 16th - September 20th. The theme this year is Spirit Week in the City. A flyer is shared below to promote participation. Spirit Days at all the Elementary buildings are the same. Our spirit days are:

Monday, September 16: City Lights: Wear neon or bright colors!

Tuesday, September 17: Sports in the City: Wear your favorite sports team!

Wednesday, September 18: Silly in the City: Wear mismatched clothes & crazy hair!

Thursday, September 19: Working in the City: Dress for your future profession!

Friday, September 20: We LOVE our City! Wear Davison Maroon and Gold!

Once again, the kindergarten students are invited to walk at the front of the parade. Flyers will be sent home this week to give parents details. The Homecoming parade travels from the High School down Clark Street, and then turns North down Main Street, ending at the library. The parade will begin at 5:00 p.m. The Football game will take place in our beautiful Cardinal Stadium at 7:00 p.m. and will include the special half-time ceremony where the new Homecoming Queen will be crowned.

We love having visitors and volunteers at Siple! All visitors should press the door buzzer at the main entrance. An office staff member will be happy to assist them with the reason for their visit. Please be prepared to show your photo ID when picking up a student from school. As always, the safety of our students and staff will always be our highest priority. Volunteers are required to complete a volunteer application prior to helping in the building. These applications are available in the office. We invite you to join the fun!

Our first student Count Day for the State of Michigan is Wednesday, October 2nd. Attendance is very important on this day as it determines the funding our school receives. We know that if your child is sick they need to stay home, but if they are not please make sure they are in school on time for the entire day. If your student will be absent that day please call our attendance line at 810-591-5100. We appreciate your help with this.

We are required to perform various emergency drills to prepare and educate our students in case of an emergency. We practice fire drills, tornado drills, and ALICE drills. I am very proud of the way my staff handles emergency drills. We realize we are working with very young children and use age appropriate language when we teach them these important procedures. We also make sure to remind them the drills are just practice and that they are safe.

Title I is a federally funded program that enables us to provide intervention for students who need extra help with reading, writing, math, science or social studies. Students are chosen to participate in our intervention programs based on testing data that is gathered throughout the year. Siple’s MTSS Interventionist, Mandy Barrett, oversees our Title I programs. Below is an explanation of the interventions we provide at Siple.

The interventions we provide at Siple are:

Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge: Primarily for Kindergarteners, this intervention is provided by our trained paraprofessionals and helps students learn letter names and sounds in a systematic way.

Reading Intervention for Students to Excel (RISE): For students in grades 1st-4th, this intervention has 3 stations. Students read a book and work on reading strategies at one station, focus on breaking words apart and sight words at another station, and write about their reading at a third station. RISE is also provided by our trained paraprofessionals and overseen by our literacy specialist.

Bridges Math Intervention: For grades K-4, students work on critical numeracy and computation skills with a trained paraprofessional.

Classroom interventions: Teachers may also provide interventions in the classroom in reading, writing, math, science or social studies.

If you have any questions about our intervention programs, feel free to contact Mrs. Barrett at (810) 591-5104 or mbarrett@davisonschools.org.

We invite all parents to get involved at Siple by joining the PTO. Our PTO works to support our students and staff by hosting or funding special events. They organize fundraisers to provide these extra opportunities for the students. Everyone is invited to participate! Our first meeting of the year is Tuesday, September 10th from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. in the SIple Media Center. You are invited to join us in by entering the building through door number 8. We would love to see you!

9-2: Happy Labor Day! No School

9-10: PTO meeting 4-5:00 p.m. Siple Media Center, enter through door 8.

9-11: Early Release Day- School lets out 2 hours early. Parent Pick-up begins at 1:30 p.m.

September 16-20: Homecoming Week

9-16: Wear Neon or bright colors

9-17: Wear your favorite sports team

9-18: Wear mismatched clothes and crazy hair

9-19: Dress for your future profession

9-20: Wear Davison Maroon and Gold - Homecoming parade and game!

9-27: Siple PTO Popcorn Friday

Siple Elementary

9286 E. Coldwater Road

Davison, MI 48423

Christy Flowers, Principal

cmflowers@davisonschools.org

Office Phone: 810-591-5104

Office Fax: 810-591-5102

Attendance Line: 810-591-5100