South Elementary School News

Dear South School Families,

The end of the first grading period has arrived. Students have been hard at work learning new things and making new friends. The children have settled into a routine and have adjusted well to the new school year. Thank you to our families for making sure your children are well rested and prepared for school each. Good habits form early. Being on time and prepared are important skills that start now. So, we appreciate your help and support in your child’s education.

There are many things going on at South School. Please take the time to read through the remainder of our newsletter. Feel free to reach out through email or by phone should you have any questions or concerns.

Tracie Murphy, Principal

South Elementary School

If your child has a South School “Where the Adventure Begins” shirt, we will have several days throughout the school year that we will wear these shirts. (This is optional.) Let’s show our Dover South School pride on the following dates:

November 1, 2024

January 10, 2025

February 7, 2025

March 28,2025

April 4, 2025

May 2, 2025

Area school districts are joining those across the state in participating in an effort to identify, locate and evaluate all children from birth through 21 who may have disabilities. Many unidentified children with disabilities are preschoolers and parents may not be aware their child has a disability or that there are programs and services available. Anyone knowing of a child who may have a disability should contact the school.

Monday, November 11th is Veteran's Day. Students are encouraged to wear Red, White and Blue on that day. If you have a Veteran you would like to honor, please complete the "Wall of Honor" form that was sent home and return it to school. Each classroom will have a Veteran visit and read them a story. Students will have the opportunity to thank them for their service. Students will be involved in many learning activities that day as well.

Thank you to all of our Veterans and those currently serving our Country.

In order to make our drop-off and pick-up lane run more smoothly, we need your help. Please remember this is a continuously moving line. Do not park and get out of your car. If you need to enter the building for school business or to meet your child for pick up, please park on one of the side streets.

Also, the two handicapped parking spots are not part of this line. These spots are reserved for those that have a handicapped placard on their car and need to park to enter the building for school business. The line begins AFTER these two parking spaces. Thank you for your help and cooperation to make arrival and dismissal times run more smoothly and safely for everyone.

We ask that you share this information with anyone that may be transporting your child.

On Thursday, October 31st, students are permitted to wear their Halloween costume to school. Students must come to school in their costume; they may not change at school. Students must be able to sit at their desk comfortably. The following are NOT permitted:

• Halloween face masks, face paint, or hair color.

• Any attire with offensive logos (alcohol, tobacco, skulls, etc.)

• No props or weapons

Our PTG has planned and organized a parade around the block, weather permitting.

Parent/teacher conferences will be held on November 13th and 21st. You will receive information from your child's teacher with the date and time of your conference. If you would need to cancel or reschedule your conference, please contact the office.

Parents or Guardians are required to call the school office to report his/her child absent. If no call is made, the school will attempt to call you. Parents are responsible for informing the school of his/her child's absence and the reason for the absence. Please call the school office between 8:00 A.M. and 8:30 A.M. Upon returning to school, a written note is required explaining the reason for the absence. Please refer to our Elementary Handbook for our entire attendance policies and procedures.

For your planning, Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day will be April 25th, 2025 at 2:00 P.M.

In order to protect your child, we have a procedure that asks you to come into the school office to pick up your child while school is in session. Students must be signed out before being able to leave. Please be sure to state the reason for early pick up on the sign out sheet. Students arriving late to school must be signed in at the office as well. Please do not simply drop your child off at the door. You will need to escort them to the office to sign them in.

All doors will remain locked throughout the day. All visitors must use the office door when visiting our school. A monitoring device has been installed on the office door. Please activate it by pushing the button. Office personnel will unlock the door once you've been identified. If you will need to go anywhere in the building other than the office, you will need to provide a photo I.D. This I.D.

will be scanned and a visitor badge will be issued. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping everyone in the building safe.

Parents are reminded to update their child’s Emergency Medical Authorization, (EMA), every year.

This provides us with information about your child. If you haven’t updated this yet...please do so at your earliest convenience by visiting www.dovertornadoes.com.

*Click on the Parents tab located at the top of the web page.

*Click on Parent Portal

OR Click on the link below

https://dover.esvportal.com/

Students will be on Thanksgiving Break from November 27th-December 2nd. Classes will resume on Tuesday, December 3rd. The South School Staff wishes all of our families a Happy Thanksgiving. We hope you are able to enjoy the time together.

Pets and/or other animals are not permitted on school grounds. This includes all exterior areas including sidewalks immediately surrounding the schools during drop-off and pick-up times. This policy is for the safety of all.

Throughout the school year, we conduct several safety drills. These drills are required and also help

our students and staff know what to do in the event of an unlikely emergency. The following drills

are conducted throughout the school year; Fire drills, evacuation drills, intruder drills, reverse evacuation drills and tornado drills. Teachers review these with students before they are conducted. Our local Police department and first responders are also involved with conducting drills. If you have any questions regarding these required drills, please feel free to contact the school for more information.

South School will be holding our annual "Santa Shop" December 9th-13th. Students will be able to shop with their class during the assigned time. There will be many items to choose from. Please be sure to plan in advance who your child is to shop for. There will be more information coming home soon including the day your child's class is shopping. If you would like to volunteer to help out at the Santa Shop, sign-up information will also be available soon.

Prompt payment of workbook and supply fees is greatly appreciated. The fee for K-1 st grades is $25.00. As always, thank you for your cooperation. Pre-school tuition must also be paid by the first of each month. Our preschool tuition is currently $130.00 per month. Failure to pay your preschool tuition will forfeit your spot in our program.

Students can enter the building at 8:40 A.M. The first bell rings at 8:40 A.M. Students must be in their seats ready to work at 8:55 A.M. when the bell rings in order to be considered on time for school. Good habits begin early so it is important that children are on time and ready to begin their day. Dismissal

begins at 3:20 P.M.

Communication between home and school is very important. In order to keep you up-to-date with what is happening, we have several methods of communication.

1. Email Newsletters: Be sure to check your email for monthly newsletters and occasional updates.

Should your email address change, please let us know.

2. Phone Notification System: In the event of any emergency or to share important information, Dover Schools has a phone notification system. Please be sure to notify us if you change your phone number.

3. Staff Email: Each staff member has an email where they can be reached.

4. Voicemail: Each staff member has voice mail where you can leave a message if needed. Simply call the office and ask for the staff member you need. Mrs. Polce can transfer you to the proper voice mail box to leave your message.

5. Facebook: Check us out on Facebook to see what all is happening at Dover City Schools.

November 13th/21st: Parent-Teacher conferences

November 14th: PTG meeting 6:00 PM at East School

November 27th-December 2nd: NO SCHOOL-Thanksgiving Break

December 3rd: Classes resume

December 9ht-13th: Santa Shop