Shawnee Star News Weekly Update
🎁🎄 Friday, December 13, 2024 🎄🎁
Hello Shawnee Families!
December is quickly flying by! During this busy time of year, I have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy all that this season has to offer. Our students are counting down the days! They are so excited and their excitement is infectious. It's the most wonderful time of the year!
We are asking for your help during arrival and dismissal. We have a lot of students who are unsupervised and playing in the front of the school during these busy periods; which are causing safety concerns and property damage. Students should not be playing sports during these times when it is congested with heavy crowds. We have had some close calls with students getting hit with balls that are being thrown and kicked. We have had balls hitting windows and going into the parking lot. These are all safety concerns. Our students' safety is a top priority and it takes all of us working together. Please watch your children and ensure they are following these guidelines. Thank you for your help and cooperation.
As a reminder, for the safety of our entire school community, all visitors to the building must report to the main office before going anywhere in the school. This includes during arrival and dismissal times. Also, during school and SACC hours, the playgrounds are for Shawnee students only. We appreciate your help and support to keep our students and staff safe.
Please be sure to read through all of the information in our weekly newsletter as it is our main form of communication with our families. We don't want you to miss out on any important details or happenings. We appreciate your continued cooperation and support.
Together We Will Shine!
❤️Mrs. Simon
December 16 ~ Grinch Day (wear green)
December 17 ~ Kindergarten Christmas Concert @ 12:30 PM
December 19 ~ Classroom Holiday Party
December 20 ~ Half Day of School: Dismissal @ 11:50 AM
December 20 ~ Pajama Day & Holiday Sing Along
December 23 - January 1 ~ Holiday Break
January 2 ~ Classes Resume
January 14 ~ PTO Bagel Day
January 15 ~ No School: Professional Development Day
January 17 ~ PBIS Ticket Store
January 20 ~ No School: MLK Day
January 29 ~ Progress Reports Sent Home
January 31 ~ PTO Daddy Daughter Dance
This year, parents will order hot lunch in advance for their children using our monthly Shawnee Lunch Forms. Therefore, teachers no longer take lunch count in class. The link below will lead you to a form so you can make lunch choices for your student. Simply enter your child’s name, and select their grade and teacher. Then, choose the dates and lunch options your child would like to order.
The link is live now! You may order and make changes anytime between now and 8:00 AM on the day before you are requesting lunch. After that, you will not be able to order for the next day as our totals will be submitted.
Please be sure to check back often as menu changes can occur.
Students can order Lunch Plus / Doubles for lunch. Hot lunch is free but the cost of doubles will be $1.50. Students will need to preorder doubles just as they do for hot lunch. Lunch Plus / Doubles will be an option on our lunch form. Please be sure your child has money on their lunch account. You can deposit money to your child's account using the following link: http://chippewavalley.familyportal.cloud/.
We are excited to bring back this easy lunch ordering opportunity. Please be sure to plan ahead and order on time so we can ensure we have lunches for all students who need them. Thank you for your help and cooperation.
- Lunch orders must be placed by 8:00 AM the day before you are requesting lunch.
Free breakfast will be offered to our students each day. Grab and Go style breakfast bags are available during our morning arrival. Students can grab a breakfast bag from one of our breakfast carts in the hallways before heading to class. There is no longer a need to order breakfast. Please be sure to let your child know if you want them to get a breakfast bag.
We are in need of some help during the months of December and January in our cafeteria. If you are interested in helping please complete the form below. Thanks for your consideration and support.
News from Shawnee PTO
We think our Shawnee staff is pretty spectacular – and we know you do too! While gifts are not expected, we’ve heard your feedback and wanted to help make things a bit easier for those that wish to give back. We’ve compiled a list of your favorite staff members favorite things – just click on the link below.
We have accumulated quite a collection of items in our lost and found. Please encourage your child to stop by and take a look if they are missing anything. We will have the items displayed in the main entrance hallway. We will remind students with announcements as well. Any items unclaimed will be bagged up and donated.
Shawnee Caring KIDS is an after-school club for student role-models who want to spread kindness in their school and local community. Students will be chosen from 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade based on their application and teacher recommendation. Past participation in this club does not guarantee future participation. For more information, please see the application below. For questions, contact Ms. Kopinski. Email: pkopinski@cvs.k12.mi.us
For the safety of the Shawnee Community, we ask that dogs are on a very short leash when on school grounds. We also ask that you keep all pets off the main sidewalks and away from the school entrances and busy areas. Thank you for your understanding as we are trying to be sensitive to student allergies and fears, along with safety. We appreciate your support and cooperation!
Keeping our school community safe is our top priority. In keeping with that commitment, Chippewa Valley Schools requires that individuals volunteering in our schools or with our students complete a criminal records check.
When parents sign up to volunteer for a particular event or program, our staff will send them a link to the online form. Parents will be asked to fill out the online form at least 2 weeks prior to their scheduled volunteer assignment to ensure timely processing of applications. All information is submitted through a secure web site with the Michigan State Police. This process ensures all volunteers receive appropriate approvals, and our Human Resources Department can effectively prioritize the thousands of requests they receive each year.
You must be signed up to volunteer for a particular field trip, event, or program prior to filling out the online form. All forms must be completed electronically. Paper forms will no longer be accepted. Parents will need to complete a new form each school year if they intend to volunteer.
We appreciate all of our volunteers that make our school so great!
At Shawnee we have a School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) program. SWPBIS is a broad range of systematic and individualized strategies for achieving important social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior. In other words, we recognize students’ correct and positive behavior to set the standard and climate at Shawnee. We know that when good behavior and teaching come together, our star students will excel in their learning. As a staff, we have established Shawnee Stars behavior expectations for all areas of the school: classroom, cafeteria, assemblies, hallways, playground, bus, and bathrooms.
Shawnee Stars – Take Responsibility – Are Always Safe – Respect Others – Shawnee Stars
The premise of SWPBIS is to reward the good behaviors and work to improve the negative behaviors. The staff will work to teach, model, rehearse, reinforce, and praise students for appropriate behaviors. See below for further details and information.
As part of our School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports Program (SWPBIS), we are once again partnering with The Positivity Project to empower our students to build positive relationships and become their best selves. There are 24 Character Strengths we will discuss throughout the year. We will focus on a different positive character education theme each week. Next week's theme will be: Self-Control. You can access Positivity Project Family Resources as well so you can continue the conversations at home. Please be sure to ask your child about what they are learning with The Positivity Project.
We are excited to announce the return of Shawnee's Spiritwear Store! Our virtual store will remain in place throughout the 2024 - 2025 school year. Our store has tons of product and design options for you to choose from, letting you create your perfect custom spiritwear. Your purchase can help raise money for our school!
Join Our Spiritwear Store! Join below and we will keep you up to date on new products and promotions we add to our site. JOIN TODAY!
Students will enter and exit the building through assigned doors:
- Door #1 (West Wing Walkers)
- Door #2 (Bus Riders)
- Door #20 (Kindergarten Walkers)
- Door #22 (East Wing Walkers)
Bus Tags:
- On the first day, colored bus tags will be provided to bus riders (K-2). Please be sure these tags remain attached to students and visible for staff to assist.
Arrival:
- Students cannot be dropped off early or left unattended while waiting to enter school.
- We encourage parents and students to wait in their vehicles until the first bell has rung and it is time to enter the building.
- Visitors are not permitted into the building. Staff and 5th Grade Safeties will be positioned around the school to help students get to classrooms.
Arrival Times:
- First Bell - 8:50 AM ~ Doors will open and students may enter through their assigned doors.
- Second Bell - 8:55 AM ~ After the second bell rings, all doors will be closed and all students must buzz in at Door #1. Students will be marked tardy if they arrive after 8:55 AM.
Dismissal:
- Staggered dismissal will continue to help eliminate the formation of crowds.
- Staff and safeties will be positioned around the school to help students.
- Students will exit the same doors they enter.
- Please arrange a meeting spot with your child so they know where to meet you upon exiting the building.
- If you are picking up a student who is a member of Safety Patrol or Service Squad and will be one of the last to leave/be dismissed, we ask that you please wait in the parking lot during the initial dismissal rush and before pulling into the drop-off/pick-up lane. This is supposed to be a moving line of traffic and cars should not be sitting for long periods of time in this space.
Staggered Dismissal Times:
- 3:35 PM - SACC (School Age Child Care), Safeties & Service Squad
- 3:37 PM - 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade Walkers/Parent Pick-Up
- 3:38 PM - Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grade Walkers/Parent Pick-Up
- 3:39 PM - Bus Riders
Unless your child is attending SACC or a pre-arranged activity, they should not be arriving at school before 8:50 AM. Also, staggered dismissal begins at 3:35 PM. Please be sure that you pick up your child on time or have childcare arrangements. There is no supervision for children before and after school. Thank you for your cooperation.
We would like to remind everyone just how important it is to follow the parking lot safety procedures. For the safety of your child and the entire Shawnee community, please follow the parking lot procedures. Be patient with each other and always remember you are the #1 role model for your children; they learn by watching us! We want to ensure that every child makes it to and from school safely. We can only accomplish this important task with your help and support.
Have you signed up for ClassLink for Parents? Logging in on any of your devices gives you easy access to all the school websites you need. That means you can quickly check things like your child's grades on the PowerSchool Parent Portal, manage payments on PaySchools Central, and more! Check out the video for more information!
Click here for full directions to sign up!
SACC is open each day school is in session beginning at 6:45 AM and after school until 6:00 PM. If you are interested in utilizing SACC, please complete the registration process online. Families will be processed as our staffing can accommodate. Schedule changes for existing families will also only be accepted as staffing allows.
Michigan School Meals will be the policy for the 2024-2025 School Year. The Michigan government has funded the school meals for Michigan Public School students that are not covered by the Federal Reimbursements. This means all students will eat their breakfast and lunch at no cost. Michigan School Meals is a Michigan initiative however, all USDA guidelines and regulations are still in effect. This includes still requiring families to fill out an Education Benefits Form.
While the Education Benefit form help with student eligibility for school meals and summer EBT qualifications, they are more important for other school programs. If the number of applications decline, funding for some programs can be lost since the overall funding for schools is based on the number of Education Benefits Forms turned back into Food Service.
To see if your family qualifies for additional benefits, please fill out a free/reduced application at chippewavalley.familyportal.cloud. Applications are good for one school year and should be completed each year unless you are notified that your child qualifies for free/reduced meal benefits for the current school year.
Hello Chippewa Valley Families:
We would like to welcome all of you back to the 2024-2025 School Year. If you have not done so already, please check your email and download the StopFinder app. Every parent and/or guardian have been sent an email link directly from StopFinder to access the school bus information for your student. The link is only valid for 28 days. It is very important to note: if you have multiple students in the district, you will be required to activate each email link.
You can head over to https://www.chippewavalleyschools.org/departments/transportation/
where you will be able to learn all about StopFinder. You will also be able to access InfoFinder another great tool for our parents!**It is important to check Stopfinder just prior to the first day of school for any changes.**
Lastly, Tuesday, September 3rd, Middle School and Elementary have a 1/2 day of school. Dismissal times for Middle School is 11:00 a.m. and Elementary is at 11:50 a.m.
On behalf of the staff in the transportation department, we wish all of you a fantastic, safe and healthy school year!
We are also looking for substitute lunch monitors, crossing guards, teachers, etc. Being a substitute allows you to work when you want to and have the flexibility to work around your schedule. If you are able to work, even one day a week, we could use the extra help. Apply Here!
Thank you for your consideration and help.
