Thank you to all the parents and students for donating their unopened extra Halloween candy. The Mars Area Primary Center collected approximately 180 pounds of candy for Harvest Street Mission. (formerly Mission from Mars)

PTO sponsored Winter Parties will take place on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. All parents that have been selected as party parents will need to have their driver’s license scanned in the RAPTOR system by Friday, December 13. Please provide a written note, if you are planning to take your child home after the party.

AM Kindergarten Party Time: 9:30- 10:30 AM

PM Kindergarten & Grade 1 Party Time: 1:15-2:15 PM

What is a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Day?

On a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Day, students will be able to connect remotely to their classes during the school day. Note: This school year, all schools will run on a Two-Hour Delay Schedule on a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Days to better enable both teachers and students to prepare for the school day.

What will be expected of students on a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Day?

On a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Day, students will need to connect remotely to their classes during the school day. Students will be expected to log on to each class to participate in live instruction throughout the school day. Assignments and other instructional materials will be available via the Schoology learning management system, which may be accessed via the District website, www.marsk12.org.

ELEMENTARY — At the elementary level, students will login with their homeroom teacher to verify their schedule for the day, which may vary. (Note: The Two-Hour Delay Start Time for AM Kindergarten as well as for Grades 1-6 is 11 a.m. The delayed start time for PM Kindergarten is 1:45 p.m.)

When a remote learning day is called, all buildings are closed to students, as well as all after school events. When referring to the local television and radio stations, please continue to check for updates regarding delays and remote learning days. Our schools may start out as a two-hour delay but change to an official remote learning day if the weather continues to worsen throughout the morning. If you have any questions regarding a two-hour delay or remote learning day, please check the district website www.marsk12.org.

Two-Hour Delays: No child may enter the school before our delayed starting times. A two-hour delay means buses will pick up children two hours later than normal and parent drop-off will be 2-hours later than usual. Our official entry time for students to enter the building is 10:35 AM on a two-hour delay schedule. Afternoon kindergarten students can be dropped off no earlier than 1:30 PM.

The PTO Sponsored Holiday Shop will be held at the PC on December 4-6. Students will be permitted to shop for family and friends in the gymnasium during their scheduled shopping time. The shopping schedule has been emailed home from the PTO. Parents wishing to shop with their child will need to have their driver’s license available for scanning in the RAPTOR system on their shopping day. Parents will park and enter through the main entrance. Parking is available at the PC Parking Lot & Administration. Please do not park along the hill connecting the PC to MAE.

Parents wishing to take their child home after shopping will need to provide a written note and have their child give the note to their classroom teacher at the beginning of the school day.

Thank you to all our First Grade Families who made this year’s Thanksgiving Feast a success. We served almost 400 school Thanksgiving lunches over the 3 days of the event. We can’t thank you enough for your support and participation.

We believe outdoor recess is an important and valuable part of our students’ day. Fresh air, exercise and time spent outside afford students a break from the structure of the classroom. As we approach the winter season, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. Students will go out to the playground when the temperature is 32 degrees or warmer.

When visiting the PC for school events, parking is available at the Primary Center Parking Lot and Administration. Please do not park on the grass or along the hill connecting the PC & MAE. We appreciate your understanding.

Any student having to be picked up for an emergency early dismissal or needing to be a car rider for the day of and did not have a note for their teacher, please call the office to let the school know. Our teachers are busy teaching and instructing and may not see their email until the end of the working day. Please call the office and we will relay the message to the classroom teacher.

Students missing school due to a vacation must obtain a vacation form from the school office. Students may not miss more than 10 school days. Students are not to be excused for more than two vacations/educational trips within a single year. Vacation forms must be submitted to the Primary Center office at least 2 weeks prior to departure. If the proper application is not completed, the absence will be considered an unexcused absence. Vacation form link attached.

Parents please be reminded that if your child is absent for any reason, you are required to provide a written excuse for the absence. On the excuse, please provide your child’s first and last name, date of absence, classroom teacher’s name and reason for the absence.

If you need to pick up your child during the instructional day, please write a note to your child’s teacher letting them know the day and time you will be picking your child up. All AM Kindergarten students need to have an early dismissal no later than 11:00 AM and Grade 1 and PM Kindergarten students may have an early dismissal no later than 3:00 PM.

Just a reminder that there are no birthday treats of any kind permitted in the Mars Area Primary Center. If you would like to distribute birthday invitations to students in your child’s class, an invitation needs to be provided for ALL students in the class.

The month of November was a busy one to celebrate all of the achievements of our Positive Planets! Students participated in a school-wide "Glow Day" celebration on November 1 for filling up the Principal's Clubs in Kindergarten and First Grade and finished the month with our Pie in the Face Assembly. We are so appreciative of our PC families for helping us to raise $1, 718. 21 to go towards our PBIS program during our Pie in the Face Fundraiser. The following classes raised the most money and was able to pie our staff members who volunteered during our assembly held on November 27:

AM Kindergarten: Mr. Richards ($76.00)

PM Kindergarten: Mrs. King ($90.00)

First Grade: Mrs. Rhea ($201.00)

Thank you again for all of your support!

In order to continue to provide positive reinforcement prizes, we would love your help! An Amazon "Wish List" has been created to support the PC students in being "Positive Planets." We will also accept any donations of items you have at your home that you would be willing to donate for prizes. Donations can be dropped off in the main office. Help us reward our students for doing a fantastic job at school. Thank you!

I would like to wish all the Primary Center Staff, Students and Families a very merry holiday. Best wishes for the New Year!

~Mrs. Semler