EPE Express
East Pennsboro Elementary School Newsletter
January 2022
Principal's Message
Greetings EPE Families,
December was quite a festive month at EPE! From our Winter Chorus and Band concert to the many classes who participated in the Caring School Communities “Cross-Age Buddies Program,” where students would partner with other classes to build character and promote opportunities for leadership. We also appreciate our many approved parent volunteers who came in to help with classroom events throughout the month of December. Please see our school Facebook page for photos and videos of a few of these exciting events from the past month.
We kindly remind families to send students to school with a coat, hat, and gloves each day, as we are requiring a coat for students at recess. We will continue to offer a wonderful community resource called “Community Closet” which is located at Enola Emmanuel United Methodist Church. Later in this newsletter, you will see a flyer with a google form. Any family in need of clothing items, especially coats for your student(s) can fill out the form, and the Community Closet will reach out to you about getting you a coat. This is a confidential process which seeks to help families in need this winter.
As we look forward to the new calendar year, we are excited for new beginnings, but also mindful of the growth that has already been achieved so far this school year. At EPE, we are always monitoring the growth of every student. Part of that process is our January "universal screening" that will occur this month. School-wide Acadience Reading and Math assessments and i-Ready Reading and Math Winter Benchmark assessments gives us a chance to use various programs to compare math and reading assessment data on each child from the beginning of the year to middle of the school year. This helps our teachers adjust instruction for students and eventually leads into our Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, which will take place in April and May. Additional information on the PSSA will be sent out closer to that time.
The EPASD Elementary PTO also looks forward to hosting fun community events such as Bingo Night, which will be at EPE on February 11th. We will share additional information as we approach the date.
Lastly, please take a moment to recognize a teacher or staff member who you feel is deserving of recognition. Our teachers and staff work very hard to meet the diverse needs of students and families, and take great pride in their work. Even though it is never expected, it means the world to get a “thank you” in recognition of one’s hard work. Thank you in advance for taking time to recognize a teacher in our “Panther Spotlight” section below!
Respectfully,
Rich Tysarczyk, Principal
Dan Etter, Assistant Principal
717-732-0441
EPE Band and Chorus Concert
EPE Band Sign Up - Second Chance!
Did you miss signing up for elementary band in the fall? The East Pennsboro Music Department invites you to the Elementary Band New Student Meeting on January 5, 2021 from 6-7pm. This meeting will take place on Zoom to accommodate for many different schedules. Come learn about which instruments you can play in 4th or 5th grade. This will be an informational meeting for students interested in playing an instrument. We hope to see you there!
The Zoom link is https://zoom.us/j/95341970877?pwd=Uk53Q0llZmJ5WkxJSFJ1LzdsajdIdz09, and the Meeting ID is 953 4197 0877. The Passcode is band.
Community Coat Drive
Please complete the confidential survey below if anyone in your family is in need of a coat this winter. Enola United Methodist Church on Salt Road is running a community closet which supplies clothing needs to families in need. They look forward to supporting our community with any clothing needs you may have. All responses of this survey are kept confidential, and all students and families who receive coats are kept anonymous. Coat pick-up will either be in the EPE office, or at the church itself. Someone will reach out to you when the items are ready to be picked up.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RZp6WSMs3zVGQURHKhFbGo-gpxe6LFFPiJDeC7UyJck/edit?usp=sharing
EPE Science Explorers Registration Information
Cumberland Valley Youth Lacrosse Registration Information
Nominate an EPE Staff Member With Our "Panther Spotlight" Form
https://forms.gle/f13ZhDceewQp42wX8
We appreciate the feedback and may share it in future newsletters.
Please see this fine commendation from the past month:
It was a Saturday morning, back in the early Fall. We were at Adams-Ricci Park for EPLW soccer. Sure enough, we bump into Mrs. Smith. She shared with us that she was there to see one of her students that had asked her if she would come watch. On a Saturday morning, she came over to East Penn to put a smile on one of her students face. Remembering that Saturday morning and knowing that Mrs. Smith is one of so many teachers at EPASD that care about their students just the same, puts a smile on our faces!
EPE Core Value Award Recipients
Giant Food Stores Feeding School Kids Program
GIANT Food Store’s Feeding School Kids Program will once again be running from January 1, 2022 through February 28, 2022. During that time period, anyone who shops at GIANT will be able to “round up at the register” to donate to support our schools. Last year, the program raised $15,114.34 for students in our district.
Weis4School Program Information
Become a Junior Achievement Volunteer!
- Volunteer basis in our school
- 5-8 sessions with a class per year
- Scripted lessons from JA
- Topics centered around careers, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, community.
Interested community members may email the EPE Administration or our JA contact, Gini Riese, directly at griese@jascpa.org.
To learn more about Junior Achievement, visit the following websites:
https://www.jascpa.org/classroomk-5
General EPE Information:
Change in Routine Procedures
The classroom teachers follow routine dismissal procedures daily. Changes in those routines
should be for urgent reasons and must be accompanied by a Change of Routine Notice or a
written parental notice requesting such a change. All student verbal requests for such changes will be denied without written notice or a phone call from a parent/guardian. Seesaw messages, text messages, and emails will not be accepted during the school day of a change of routine. Please have these requests into the school ahead of time so we can ensure students are where they need to be for a safe and secure dismissal.
EPASD Attendance Procedures
EPE accepts attendance notifications (excuse cards, absence notes, etc.) via email. Parents can email epesattendance@epasd.org as a means of reporting your child’s absence. Paper notes will still be accepted as well. Reminder that all excuse notifications are required to be submitted within three school days of your child’s absences.
Excused Absences:
When a child is enrolled in the district’s educational program, the student is subject to the
Pennsylvania State Attendance Laws. The Board considers the following conditions to constitute an excused absence from school:
1. Illness
2. Quarantine
3. Student required court attendance
4. Prearranged doctor and dentist appointment for time of appointment and appropriate travel time only
5. Authorized school activities
6. Pre-approved educational tours and trips, not school sponsored
7. Other urgent reasons, including funerals, that apply to the child and approved by the building administrator
Parents/guardians are expected to telephone the school when students are absent for any reason. In addition, a written excuse from a parent/guardian is required for each absence.
Unexcused Absences:
An unexcused absence shall be defined as:
• Absence from school with parent/guardian consent for reasons other than those considered
excusable.
• Leaving school during school hours without permission from the administrator.
• Absence from school without knowledge/permission of parent/guardian (truancy).
• Absence from school without knowledge/permission of school authorities.
• Absences from school without written parental excuse submitted within 3 school days of the absence.
You may refer to the Elementary Student Handbook in the link below to review more specific information about our attendance policies in certain situations (Page 10 of the document). Please contact our school office if you have any questions about our attendance policies or procedures.
https://4.files.edl.io/69d5/07/19/21/151326-d52fa66e-ffe7-4c30-b50d-154126ce7428.pdf
Automated Absence Alert:
EPE will begin sending automated absence alerts this school year. The Automated Absence Alert system was implemented to inform parents when their students are absent from school. If/when your student is absent or does not report to their classroom they are recorded as absent. When the daily attendance is submitted electronically, an automated message will be sent to a phone identified by the parent/guardian. This call will normally occur by approximately 10:00 am. Should you have questions or concerns you may contact the
attendance secretary by calling: East Pennsboro Elementary School (EPE), (717) 732-0441.
Car Rider Procedures
School Buses:
School buses will queue at the rear of the school building, behind the new addition for arrival and departure.
Car Riders:
Cars for parent drop off and pick up will queue in front of the school. Please pull up to the stop sign rather than stopping midway through the loop to unload. In the afternoon, parents must have their name hanger tags visible for student pickup. Students may only be dropped off or picked up within the “loading zone” that will be marked in the front of the school - approximately the first ten cars at a time. Parents may not park in the parking lot and walk up to the loop attendant. Please stay in your car at all times. Please review the map below of the car rider loop.
School Vans:
School vans will utilize the small loop near the baseball fields for arrival and dismissal. No cars should be in this loop.
Times:
Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM. Students must be in the building by 8:50 AM.
Parent pick up times run from 3:20-3:40 PM.
We certainly appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we ensure a safe and orderly process for each student. We continue to recommend that you send your EPE students to and from school on our school buses.
Create a Sapphire Parent Portal!
Please create a Sapphire Parent Portal account. There are several benefits to creating a parent portal account:
- You can access your child's report cards when they are published
- You can keep track of your child's attendance
- You will be able to receive important notifications about your child
To create a parent portal account:
- Go to our website www.epasd.org
- Hover over the "Students" tab
- Click "Sapphire Community Web Portal"
- Click "Create a Web Portal Account"
- Follow the remaining on screen instructions to enter your information.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Wadlinger at pwadlinger@epasd.org. She would be happy to help!
2021-2022 School Year Calendar
https://3.files.edl.io/a46e/21/07/12/193153-0662518b-7b67-41b7-9b1b-05072d4992b6.png
EPASD Elementary PTO Meeting Dates and Locations
Important Dates
January 2022:
3 - School is in Session
6 - School Board Meeting 7:00 PM EPE LGI
17 - Schools Closed in Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
18 - End of Second Marking Period
20 - School Board Meeting 7:00 PM EPE LGI
25 - Report Cards Issued
28 - 1:20 PM Dismissal
All above dates are subject to change. Any changes will be communicated via our blackboard connect system.
Please see our previous newsletters:
About us
Email: rtysarczyk@epasd.org
Website: https://www.epasd.org/
Location: 840 Panther Parkway, East Pennsboro Township, PA, USA
Phone: 717-732-0441
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastPennsboroElem/