The Sylvan Sunday Swoop

Greetings Sylvan Blue Jay Families!

We had an amazing first week of school with Blue Jays! They were making learning and leading a priority. Blue Jay students began practicing their established routines and procedures and learning about our behavior matrix. On Friday, we practiced our first Fire Drill of the school year and we were so proud of them as they took it seriously, were quiet, listened to their teachers, and exited the building in a timely manner. Way to go Blue Jays

Shoutout to our families for getting your students to school every day, on time, and ready to learn! Our attendance rate this week was 97%. We will start counting Tardies this week, so be mindful if arriving after 7:50, you will have to come in to sign in your child. Let's keep that great attendance momentum going!

During the afternoon dismissal, all parents/guardians picking up in the car rider line, must have their student's assigned yellow number card visible on the dash or in the window. If you do not have a car rider tag, you will need to park in the overflow lot across the street and come in with your ID to get your student. This is a safety precaution to ensure that ALL students are going home with someone who has permission to pick them up. No passing is allowed in the car rider line. Please be patient as we work out any kinks and get in a groove with our afternoon dismissal. The safety of our Blue Jays is a priority.

Please note: Traffic turning left into the car rider line cannot block the oncoming traffic on Sylvan Rd. per the Highway Patrol. Please utilize the overflow parking circle to turn around so that you can turn right into the car rider line drop-off.

Remember, there is no school on Monday due to the Labor Day Holiday. Let's get excited for Week 2 of learning, leadership, and collaboration as we soar UP to our Unlimited Potential!

#BlueJaysSoarUP

#SylvanisourHappyNest

NO SCHOOL: Labor Day Holiday

Beginning of Grade 3 Testing

Title 1 Night 4-6 pm

Progress Reports

Reminders:

• School begins at 7:50 a.m. for ALL students Pre-K-5. If you arrive after 7:50, you must park and walk in with your students to sign them in before they can go to class.
• School ends at 2:35 p.m.
• If you are signing your students out early (before 2:00 p.m.), you must go inside the front office and check them out. If you arrive early, but after 2:00 p.m., to sign your child out, you must wait until the dismissal announcements are made at 2:00 p.m. We appreciate your cooperation with this matter!
• If you need to change your child's afternoon transportation, please email Mrs. Moon (kristine_moon@abss.k12.nc.us) AND Mrs. Whitesell (shirley_whitesell@abss.k12.nc.us) before 2:00 p.m. Teachers cannot check and respond to messages and emails throughout the day when they are teaching. Please do not expect an immediate response from your child's teacher during instructional hours. Office hours for teachers begin after 3:00 p.m.
• Families may come to eat lunch with your students. Please reach out to your child's teacher 24 hours in advance to let them know you are coming so they can plan for seating. Remember: NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK MAY BE BROUGHT IN (in advertised packaging). Upon arrival, please sign in at the front office and get a visitor's tag.

Families, please use the linked form OR scan the QR code to indicate the preferred name for your student. For instance, if your student is named Daniel and you prefer for them to be called Danny, indicate that on the linked form. This is in accordance with North Carolina State Law (S.L. 2023-106; Senate Bill 49) Section 115C-76.45.(5).

We are always looking for people that are willing to drive a bus for Sylvan Elementary. It is a very rewarding opportunity to work with our children. Contact the school if you or anyone you know may be interested in supporting our community.

Week 2 Arrival: You will still be able to walk your student to the double glass doors, but that will be where you give your student hugs, kisses, and words of affirmation and let our fantastic staff take them to class.

Moving Forward: After Week 2, we ask that you transition your drop-off to the car rider line. There is a map below showing where to go for that.

All students at Sylvan Elementary have the option to receive free Breakfast and Lunch.

One of our school improvement goals this year is to increase our reading proficiency (fluency, comprehension, decoding, etc). Early intervention in the younger grades is critical to ensure we are able to support our students as we grow each year. Below are our specific goals for our youngest learning in grades (K-2).

• By June 2025, 80% of students in grades K will be at grade level proficiency as measured by mClass. At the end of the 23-24 school year, we had 77% of our Kindergarten students on grade level.

• By June 2025, 70% of students in grades 1st will be at grade level proficiency as measured by mClass. At the end of the 23-24 school year, we had 67% of our 1st grade students on grade level.

• By June 2025, 65% of students in grades 2nd will be at grade level proficiency as measured by mClass. At the end of the 23-24 school year, we had 62% of our 2nd grade students on grade level.

We know with our amazing students and staff, we can surpass our goals in the 24-25 school year, but we need your help at home. Here is how you can help our youngest learners grow their reading proficiency at home.

If you would like to explore more early literacy resources, click the links below.

FCRR At Home Examples

K Family Involvement Guide

1st Grade Family Involvement Guide

2nd Grade Family Involvement Guide

3rd Grade Family Involvement Guide

Another school improvement goal this year will be to increase our average daily attendance to 94% or higher. While we know life can be hectic, we want to emphasize the importance of students being on time, being present, and ready to learn.

Students who are chronically absent--meaning they miss at least 15 days of school in a year--are at serious risk of falling behind in school. Missing a day of school here and there may not seem like much but absences add up!

When a student misses 2 days a month:

• they will miss 20 days a year.
• they will miss 30 hours or more of math over the school year.
• they will miss 60 hours or more of reading and writing over the school year.
• they will miss over 1 year of school by graduation.

When a student misses 4 days a month:

• they will miss 40 days a year.
• they will miss 60 hours or more of math over the school year.
• they will miss 120 hours of more of reading & writing over the school year.
• they will miss over 2 years of school by graduation.

Lateness=Lost Learning

Students who are late or tardy are also greatly affected too. Every minute counts!

• 5 minutes late each day = 3 days lost!
• 10 minutes late each day = 6.5 days lost!
• 15 minutes late each day = 10 days lost!
• 20 minutes late each day = 13 days lost!
• 30 minutes late each day = 19 days lost!

We want our families to know that we are here for you as partners in your child's education and we are here to support their success. We feel strongly that their success starts with their attendance. This school year we will be implementing the attendance flowchart below to notify and work with families when we are concerned about attendance. We are here to help, so please do not hesitate to reach out!