News From Fort Zeller Elementary

Greetings to our Fort Zeller Families,

I hope this email finds all of you doing well, after a summer of much relaxation and rejuvenation. I can't believe our new school year is here. Our teachers and staff have worked hard in preparation for the arrival of our little ones. We are looking forward to a fabulous year that cultivates a safe, fun, and positive learning environment for our young learners. We can't forget about our amazing and generous PTO who works with us to plan informative workshops and engaging events for our students and families.

This monthly newsletter has the essential information and dates for the month of September, so I thank you in advance for your time in reviewing it.

All the Best,

Jodi Houck

1. The ELCO School District will once again be providing school supplies for all students. The only thing your child will need when he/she enters school is a backpack.

2. We will be conducting several safety drills in the next three weeks. Thank you in advance for your help in reiterating the importance of these drills to our students at home.

3. Please be sure to complete all the forms on Power School by September 5. There is a link further down in this newsletter.

4. Prior to the first day of school, make sure you login into Bus Planner to verify your child's bus number, time of pick-up, and time of drop-off. There needs to be an adult at the bus stop at drop-off to greet your child or he/she will be brought back to school and you will need to pick them up there.

5. I urge you to join your child's Schoology Course when your child's teacher provides you with the code so you can be in communication with his/her teacher. Please don't hesitate to call the teacher if you need help.

6. If you are dropping off or picking up our students, please follow the traffic pattern provided in this newsletter. To assure the safety of our little ones, all vehicles must yield to our school buses, in addition to following the traffic pattern when pulling out. Also, please avoid stopping in the circle to talk to other parents, as this causes congestion during drop-off and pick-up times. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation.

7. As in past practice, please complete a 'Transportation Waiver' form if you are planning to pick up your child on a daily basis for the entire school year. Additionally, please provide your child's teacher with a note if there are changes to your child's transportation mode at the end of the school day.

Aug. 20

• Kindergarten Bus Ride & Meet the Teacher Night 5:00-6:00 pm

Aug. 25 (Sunday)

• FZ Chalk the Walk from 3:00-4:00

Aug. 26: (Day 1)

• First day of school

Aug. 29 (Day 4)

• Medical Emergency Drill
• PBIS Assembly

Aug. 30 - Sept. 2: Happy Labor Day - No School

Sept. 3: (Day 5)

• Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm

Sept. 4: (Day 1)

• PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm.

Sept. 6: (Day 3)

• Admin Lockdown Drill
• Summer Reading Calendars-or-Library Certificate-or-Book Mobile Punchcards Due

Sept. 11: (Day 1)

• Fall Pictures
• 1st & 2nd Grade Open House 6-7 pm

Sept. 12 (Day 2)

• Summer Reading Ice Cream Reward

Sept. 13: (Day 3)

• Severe Weather Drill (Instruction)
• Family Groups

Sept. 16: (Day 4)

• School Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm

Sept. 17: (Day 5)

• Interior Threat (Instruction)

Sept. 19: (Day 2)

• Exterior Threat (Instruction)

Sept. 24: (Day 5)

• Two Hour Delay Start

Sept. 26: (Day 2)

• Interior Threat Drill @ 2:00 pm

Sept. 27: (Day 3)

• PBIS Assembly

If your child completed one of the Summer Reading Challenges, we would like to celebrate this accomplishment! We will have an ice cream party Thursday, September 12th. Also, your child will receive a free book.

In order to participate in this celebration, your child should turn in one of the following to their classroom teacher: Library certificate OR Summer Reading Calendars OR “Wild About Books” Mobile punch card and reading log. Please make sure your child’s first and last name is listed on their paperwork.

Please turn in paperwork by Friday, September 6th!

Important NOTICE!

If you feel that your family will qualify for free and reduced meals, please submit an application.

There are three ways to complete a 2024-2025 Free and Reduced Application;

• Apply online at schoolcafe.com (Preferred and most efficient method)
• Paper Application Free and Reduced Application (Printable) Available
• Apply on Compass https://www.compass.state.ps.us

For SchoolCafe.com, you will need to create a user ID and Password and then add your child(rens) information. You will need their 7 digit ID number for the online application.

Cafeteria Cash and Check Deposits - We are asking our families to have all cash and check deposits in an envelope with the students name printed, cash amount, teacher name, and the student's ID Number. We are trying to eliminate the handling of cash at the registers. All cash deposits will be placed in the student's account and no change will be given. Please send only what you want deposited at that time. We will have extra envelopes available at the registers for the students to fill out if an envelope is forgotten.

2024-2025 Elementary Cafeteria Prices

**Elem. Breakfast - Student-Free**

Elem & IS Lunch - 3.05

Middle School Lunch- 3.25

HS Lunch- 3.25

Reduced Lunch- Free
Adult Breakfast - 3.00
Adult Lunch - 5.50
Extra Milk - .60

Swiss Drinks- 1.25
16 oz water bottle - 1.00
Ice Cream - 1.00 (Now available every day)
Snacks/Chips - 1.00 (Available every day)

ELCO School District is growing our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels. Click on the icons and follow along!

Facebook - @ELCOSD

Twitter - @elcosd

Instagram - @elcosd

Why:

1. Celebrate our students.

2. Keep parents, students, alumni, and the community in the loop of what is happening in our district.

3. Promote the great things happening such as athletics, activities, and other events.

4. Build an ongoing conversation about the positive impact our district is making in the lives of our students!

What do I need to do?

• If you are on these social media channels – follow us!

• Help promote these accounts to your family and friends.

• If you aren’t on these platforms – that’s OK. The district will continue to provide communication through traditional channels.

As part of our continued effort to provide you with accurate, timely information regarding all aspects of your child’s transportation to and from school, the ELCO School District uses a student ID card swiping system and a GPS system on all of our buses. Your child will receive a new ID card within the first few days of school. This card must be used to swipe on and off the buses every day including any field trips and athletic trips.

Parents will maintain access to the portal throughout their child’s entire school career. Please keep this information for future reference. If you request a change during the school year, you must complete a transportation change form. The updated information should be viewable on the portal within two school days of being received by the transportation department.

Transportation Change Form: https://www.elcosd.org/Page/1025

To login into the Parent Portal

• Go To: https://elco.mybusplanner.com/ (also linked below)
• Click on: Parent Portal
• If you have not created an account please follow the instructions on how to create an account. You will need the following information in order to create an account, (a) Student ID, but you would need to enter their Lunch ID in the portal, (b) Student Birth Date (c) School, and (d) Grade
• Transportation tab–shows your child’s transportation information to school and from school. The route # is the bus number.
  
  

If you have any questions or if any changes need to be made, please contact Brightbill at (717)866-1420 or email Elisa Schubert at eschubert@brightbill.com or Charlene Kline at ckline@brightbill.com

We will continue to utilize our pick-up and drop-off circle that was implemented last year. A picture below is provided for our new students' families. The drop-off and pick-up times will be as follows:

1. Morning drop-off: We will not have staff members on the sidewalk until 8:30 am.

2. Afternoon pick-up: We will begin at 3:30 for K-2 students, please be prepared to show your driver's license and sign your children out until our staff is familiarized with you.

It is very important for you, as the parents and guardians, to receive essential information and notification of events; therefore, I urge you to please join the courses of your child's teacher.

If you have not had a chance to complete these online forms (student information, over-the counter-medication form, mass notification, emergency contacts, parent/guardian contact, parent/guardian information...), we ask that you do so as soon as possible. It is helpful for us to have your updated information in order for us to have an open line of communication with you. If you need help with any of this, please don't hesitate to give our office a call.

Don’t forget to return your Over The Counter (OTC) permission form or you can complete it online by logging in to your Power School account. All medications must be brought to school and given to our nurse by a parent or guardian.

Let's join our kindergarten classrooms to celebrate their color days on the dates below. All students and staff are encouraged to participate.

1. On September 4th, 2024, at 6:30, our PTO will host its first meeting in our library at Fort Zeller. Most meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of every month. We hope that you will consider joining our meetings and provide your valuable input to support our students and staff at Fort Zeller.

2. Volunteering: If you have an interest in being a volunteer in your child's classroom or in our school, please use this link, https://forms.gle/o5NDXviL3K2V8MKh9, to complete the necessary paperwork on clearances. Don't hesitate to call our office at (610) 589-2575 if you need additional assistance.

PTO Officers 2024-2025

●President: Kristen Martin

●Vice President: Kirsten Wenger

●Secretary: Ashley Derolf

●Treasurer: Haley Wanner

August

1 - Austin Gahres

3 - Charlotte Daly & Nathan Tverdokhleb

4 - Jude Sanders & Kensleigh Good

5 - Annette Beers

6 - Carson Shollenberger & Rylen Wanner

8 - Elias Akulov

10 - Elaine Fullmer & Castiel Bentley

13 - Grayson Stevenson

15 - Amari Turner, Robert Dove & Lucas Bowman

16 - Avery Wolfe

17 - Donovan Gray

23 - Carson Halvin

27 - Tristan Desantis

29 - Sarah Akulov & Lillian Brennan

30 - Sofia Shcherbakov

31 - Dawson Stites & Oaklyn Sclesky

September

4 - Cole Nee & Kenadie Layne

5 - Calvin Metzgar

6 - Adaline Brown

7 - Reiley Gerhart, Thomas Horning, Natalie Kelchner & Austin Irwin

8 - Azariah Carpenter & Zidyx Carpenter

10 - Kaylena Cipriani

11 - Judd Gibson

13 - Brayden Laureano

14 - Ezra Fittery

16 - Derek Ream

18 - Riley Halye

20 - Valerii Shcherbakov

21 - Chevelle Williams

24 - Julien Torres & Willow Eberly

25 - Saanvi Patel

26 - Alexis Brandt, Raelynn Galzarano, Taylor Keashon & Myles Hower

30 - Egan Kreiser

Our students will not take the iPads home again this year; however, there will be times when classroom teachers will send them home with students to complete assignments. Thank you in advance for your help to ensure that the iPads are carefully handled at home in addition to being charged and getting the proper care.

This past summer, our ELCO book mobile traveled throughout the district to provide our students and families with books, fun activities, and yummy treats. We are so appreciative of all the time and dedication our staff put in to making the bookmobile so successful!

Fort Zeller Elementary School

243 North Sheridan Road

Richland, PA 17087

Phone: (610) 589-2575

Fax: 610-589-5815

Twitter: @ElcoFort

Email: jhouck@elcosd.org
Website: https://www.elcosd.org/Domain/211
Location: 243 North Sheridan Road Richland, PA 17087
Phone: (610) 589-2575
Twitter: @ElcoFort