Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year. We are off to a fantastic start! As we begin this school year, communication will be the key to our success. The Primary Center Newsletter will be a great resource for all important events and information going on at our school. The Primary Center Newsletter will be e-mailed home and posted on the district website at the beginning of each month. You can also access the PC Parent Handbook by clicking on the link. https://primarycenter.marsk12.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=797595&type=d&pREC_ID=1188247

Drop-Off: Parent drop-off will be from 8:35-9:00 behind the school at the cafeteria entrance. Parents will pull up in lane 1 to the drop-off area and your child will exit the car by themselves. Any student arriving after 9:00 will need to report to the front office and will be marked tardy.

AM Kindergarten Pick-up: Dismissal is at 11:40 AM. Please line up along Doc's Way. You may enter off of Brickyard Road, proceed down the hill, past the Elementary School and turn around in the Lefcon Field Parking Lot to make your way back in line along Doc's Way for pickup or you can enter off of Three Degree Road onto Doc's Way. Please do not cut through and line up in the Mars Elementary School's parking lot or block the Elementary School's intersection while in line. If your child needs help with their seatbelt, please move forward to an open parking space in the parking lot to keep our dismissal running.

PM Kindergarten Drop Off is between 12:30-12:45 PM. Please line up along Doc's Way. You may enter off of Brickyard Road, proceed down the hill, past the Elementary School and turn around in the Lefcon Field Parking Lot to make your way back in line along Doc's Way for pickup or you can enter off of Three Degree Road onto Doc's Way. Please do not cut through and line up in the Mars Elementary School's parking lot or block the Elementary School's intersection while in line. Please have your student ready to go as soon as you make your way to the PC to make our drop off run smoothly and efficiently. Students will enter through the FRONT kindergarten doors located in the front of the building. To ensure the safety of all students, students are to exit all vehicles from the passenger side onto the curb ONLY.

End-Of-Day Parent Pick-up begins at 3:25 PM: If you are picking your child up at the end of the day, you must send a note to school that day with your child. Your child will need to give the note to their teacher. Parents MUST have their large district issued window card displayed to have your child released to your vehicle. If you need a window card, please pick one up in the PC office. Parents without a window card must park their vehicle in a designated parking spot, enter the PC office, and sign your child out.

Mars Area School District parents/guardians are now REQUIRED to complete annual back-to-school forms and information updates electronically via the Skyward Family Access Portal.

Parents/guardians (K-12) my login to Skyward via the “Student Information System” link on the District’s website, www.marsk12.org, (or directly at https://skyward.iscorp.com/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsedumarsareapa/seplog01.w) using the login information provided by the District.

Upon logging in to Skyward, parents/guardians will need to click on the "Student Information Verification" tab to begin the process of verifying and/or completing the following information:

1. Student Information Verification
   1. Student Information
   2. Family Address
   3. Family Information
   4. Emergency Contact Information
2. Technology Polices & Forms
3. Computer Networks/Internet Use Agreement (Policy 815 Attachment 1)
4. District-Issued Student Device Guidelines (Policy 237 Attachment 1)
5. District-Issued Student Device — Technology Insurance Fee Payment and Distribution Collection Information (Policy 237 Attachment 2)
6. Bring Your Own Technology Student Guidelines (Policy 237 Attachment 3)
7. Parent and/or Student Handbook Review

Note: At certain points in the process, parents/guardians will asked to click on link to review information pertinent to that section. The link must be clicked in order to move on to the next step.

The Primary Center's School Picture Day is set for Wednesday, September 11, 2024. You can order your pictures using the link below. Our Picture ID: EVTV6RRDK

Parents, please always bring your driver's license when entering the Primary Center. The safety of our students is our number one priority.

Get Ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Choosing new books empowers kids and inspires them to become bolder, prouder, and stronger readers. AND—as always—every book they buy earns rewards for our library.

Here’s what you need to know about the Book Fair:

It will take place from Monday, September 23rd, 2024 (DAY 2) to Friday, September 27th, 2024 (DAY 1) in the Mars Primary Center Gym during Library classes. Family Night will be on Wednesday, September 25th, 2024 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The schedule is below. Please note when your student will visit the fair.

Please RSVP using the link below & see the additional information and classroom times regarding the book fair for kindergarten and first grade. Please use your exact name as it appears on your driver’s license (no nicknames please!). This will help us prepare for your visit with your student. Please RSVP & have your license scanned by September 18th. Thank you!

Students may have their pictures taken this year by district staff or local media for a variety of reasons and may be posted on the district website, district social media outlets and even posted in the newspaper. If you would not like your child to be photographed, please submit your request in writing to your child’s teacher. If you have any questions, please contact the PC office at 724-625-1588.

The Primary Center is a very busy place, and we could always use an extra set of hands! Volunteers serving all District Schools must comply with Mars Area School District Policy 916, which clearly defines roles and requirements for parent /guardians and community members interested in volunteering in our schools. Policy 916 establishes the following three categories for volunteers:

1. Assistive Volunteers

2. Independent Volunteers

3. Volunteer Coaches/Sponsors

To view the definitions of each type of volunteer and the requirements to serve as a volunteer, please consult the PC handbook. All volunteers are based on a need by the classroom teacher, not all classroom teachers require volunteers in their classrooms.

Any parent wishing to be considered as a field trip chaperone, must submit their clearances and be school board approved by the December board meeting.

Students buying lunches may pay for them by the day, week, or month for the entire 2024-2025 school year. The cafeteria accepts cash and checks made out to the Mars Area Cafeteria Fund. You may also create an account online for your child. Online payments are available at www.schoolcafe.com. You will need your child’s six- digit District ID number that can be provided by your classroom teacher or accessed through your Skyward account. After setting up an account through school café, you have the option to check balances and make payments from your computer or phone. You can also setup email notifications for low balance on your account. There is a fee to prepay using your credit card. There is no fee if you prepay to the school cafeteria.

Cafeteria Prices:

Breakfast with Milk: FREE for K-6 Students

Lunch with Milk: $2.90

Milk Only: $0.65

Students are not permitted to ride home on buses that they are not assigned to ride. All bus pins must be pinned to your child’s backpack! Any questions regarding transportation can be directed to Mrs. Tina Smith at transportation@marsk12.org .

The use of personal technology, mainly smart watches has become a major distraction in the classroom already this school year. Parents, please refrain from contacting your child throughout the day on their individual smart watch device. Students should also refrain from trying to contact family members using their personal devices. If a parent needs to get a message to their child, please contact the main office. We always permit a child to call a parent using the office phone if needed. If a student is easily distracted by their smart watch and not engaged in instruction, the student will be asked to place the smart watch in their backpack. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Students missing school due to a vacation must obtain a vacation form from the school office or the district website. Students may not miss more than 10 consecutive school days. Students are not to be excused for more than two vacations/educational trips within a single year. Vacation forms must be submitted to the Primary Center office at least 2 weeks prior to departure. If the proper application is not completed, the absence will be considered an unexcused absence.

Just a reminder that there are no birthday treats of any kind permitted in the Mars Area Primary Center. If you would like to distribute birthday invitations to students in your child’s class, an invitation needs to be provided for ALL students in the class. Students may also donate a book to the PC Library as part of the “Birthday Book Club.” Please contact Mrs. Vandevort for more details.

Parents please be reminded that if your child is absent for any reason, you are required to provide a written excuse for the absence. On the excuse, please provide your child’s first and last name, date of absence, classroom teacher’s name and reason for the absence. A phone call to the school is not required. Please send the note in with your child to give to their teacher.

If you need to pick up your child during the instructional day, please write a note to your child’s teacher letting them know the day and time you will be picking your child up. All AM Kindergarten students need to have an early dismissal no later than 11:00 AM and Grade 1 and PM Kindergarten students may have an early dismissal no later than 3:00 PM.

New students to the district will receive a shirt in September.

On August 30, students at the PC participated in an assembly to kick-off our 2024-2025 school wide positive behavior initiative, The Mars Way. The PC's PBIS team helped us discuss the importance of being kind, respectful and responsible. This year students will learn The Mars Way, by making good choices, always being kind, ready to learn, and staying safe. Students will earn "Positive Planet Tickets" to turn into the office for prizes and have their chance to get put on the "Principal's Club."

In order to continue to provide positive reinforcement prizes, we would love your help! An Amazon "Wish List" has been created to support the PC students in being "Positive Planets." We will also accept any donations of items you have at your home that you would be willing to donate for prizes. Donations can be dropped off in the main office. Help us reward our students for doing a fantastic job at school. Thank you!