Pomperaug Elementary School

PES Newsletter 9/27/24

MESSAGE FROM MRS. FURMAN

We had a wonderful Open House last night! It was such a pleasure to see so many of you there, connecting with our teachers and learning more about your child’s school experience. Thank you for taking the time to join us—it truly strengthens the partnership we share.

It has been another fantastic week here at PES, and I am so proud of the kindness and positive choices our students are making each day. We celebrated our September STAR students today and I’ve been making "Caught Being Kind" calls to parents, celebrating students who have gone above and beyond in showing kindness to others. I look forward to making more of these calls in the weeks to come!

Today, we did find some Ibuprofen pills on the playground. As a reminder, our school procedure requires that any medication be dropped off by an adult to the school nurse or principal. Thank you for helping us keep all of our students safe.

As we move forward into the school year, your continued support means so much to us. Together, we can create a school environment where every child feels safe, supported, and excited to learn. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns—I’m here to help.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership as we build another great year together!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Furman

Principal

sfurman@region15.org

IMPORTANT DATES

October 3rd - Rosh Hashana- No School

October 5th - Costume Craze

October 10th - Bingo 5pm

October 14th - Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day - No School

October 18th - Professional Development Day - No School

REGION 15 Calendar 2024-25 Calendar

Week in Review

STAR Students for September

PES Teachers Making Trucker Hats!

What's in a name?

Names are often one of the first gifts people receive when they are born! Students in Mrs. Pokrywka's class thoughtfully engaged with big ideas around the importance of people's names, giving people the chance to say names right, and advocating to increase our friends and classmates' sense of belonging when we make sure people are called by their name, pronounced correctly. Students made astute predictions in studying characters and the story line closely with the interactive read aloud text The Boy Who Tried to Shrink his Name by Sandhya Parapukkaran, illustrated by Michelle Pereira. Students then focused on conversations with peers around properly introducing ourselves to each other, and sharing more information about our names, in addition to making a class collection of their names!

Message from Lifetouch

School pictures are ready!

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number.

All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card.

More about the Smilesafe program here.

Thank you!

Adopt a Book

Start the school year off with this great way to celebrate your child's birthday, a special day, or to honor a special teacher. Through the Adopt-A-Book Program, you or your child may choose a book from our selection of new books located in the Media Center.

Once the title has been chosen, a dedication bookplate will be placed in the book.

Your child will also be the FIRST reader to check out the book!

When the book is returned, it will be placed on the library shelves for all the students to enjoy!

Fill out this form and send it to Mrs. Mastropietro in the PES Media Center!

School Dismissal Manager

The district will continue to use "School Dismissal Manager" for all elementary schools. This app will give you the ability to enter your child’s dismissal information. If your child is only taking the bus, you do not need to do anything although it is a good idea to start an account for your student(s) in the event that you need to access it.

If you are picking your student(s) up from school please make a sign for your front windshield with their first and last name(s).

Please make sure you enter this information by 2:00pm of the day of the pick-up.

ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

● Student drop-off will start at 8:50 AM. Students will be marked tardy if they are dropped off later than 9:05. We will make exceptions for late buses.

● Parent pick-up will start at 3:30 PM.

The following information will help ensure a safe and efficient process for student arrival and dismissal.

Arrival of Bus Riders - Bus drop off begins at 8:50 AM. Staff members will be waiting to greet your child(ren) as they exit the bus in the front of the school.
Arrival of Car Riders - Car rider drop-off begins at 8:50 AM.

Please do not enter the Bus Line at any time.
Staff members will be waiting to greet your child(ren) as they exit the car.
The parent drop-off/ pick-up lane is on the side of the building. Parents should enter through the main driveway.
The drop-off/pick-up lane can accommodate up to four cars at a time.
Students should exit and enter from the right/passenger side of the vehicle. Parents should not get out of the car except if necessary to assist their child(ren).
Students who are dropped off will enter the school building through the cafeteria doors.
DO NOT pull around a car in the drop-off/ pick-up line, wait for the cars in front of you to pull away.

Dismissal of students for parent pick-up begins at 3:30PM.

Please do not enter the Bus Line at any time.

Check-in with fastlane. Needs to be done when you reach the sign
Please make a sign with your student(s)' first and last name on dashboard.
Stay in line
No parking and walking over
Please confirm on SDM
DO NOT pull around a car in the drop-off/ pick-up line, wait for the cars in front of you to pull away.
Students who are being picked-up will exit through the cafeteria doors.

With patience, courtesy, and by following the procedures, all students can be dropped off and picked up safely and efficiently. Remember to allow yourself some extra time, especially during the first few weeks of school. Your patience and cooperation are greatly appreciated.

BUS ROUTES

As Superintendent Smith said in his email, due to some streets being impassable, certain bus routes have been adjusted. You can find the updated bus route information for students at the following link and on our Region 15 Website: 2024-25 Start of School Year Bus Route Information.

As always, families have the option to self-transport their children or keep them home if they feel that conditions are too difficult to reach the bus stop or have any concerns. We encourage all students to ride the bus if possible. This will help PES arrival and dismissal to run smoothly and efficiently!

SCHOOL HEALTH AND SAFETY

We continue to follow the guidance of local and state health officials with respect to keeping our school community safe. Be on the lookout for detailed updates from Superintendent Smith.