Springton Manor Elementary News

It's finally here! The first day of school is this Monday, August 26th. We are so excited for our students to arrive.

Our custodian team and office staff have worked to ensure everything is ready. Teachers have been busy getting things set up and ready to go. All we are waiting for are our Mustangs!

By now, you should have received an email with your child's school bus information.

All parents and guardians will receive an email from our Pick-up Patrol Website with a live link. This link is live for 48 hours. You can use this link to register an account. This site is where you will indicate your child's dismissal plan. If your child is planning to ride the bus home everyday, just indicate that they are a bus rider and please include the bus number. If you have any questions, you can call our office during office hours at 610-942-8950. You can use this website to make any changes to your child's dismissal plan or let us know about early dismissals.

Don't forget, we ask parents to pre-order lunch for their child. Please use the links below to see information on our breakfast and lunch programs.

Thank you to everyone who came out for our Back to School Nights! It was so much fun to see our students and families again. Thanks to our HSA volunteers, Strider made an appearance and was a huge hit. We hope your child is feeling more confident and comfortable about starting school next week.

I will be out of town, attending my brother's wedding this week and through weekend. I will be responding to email as quickly as I can when I return. Our office is open from 8-4 today and tomorrow. Please call our office if you have an urgent need at 610-942-8950.

Enjoy this last summer weekend and we simply can't wait to see all our students back at school on Monday, August 26th!

Warmly,

Robyn Spear

Principal

Springton Manor Elementary School

August 20 - AM K and 1-2 Back to School Night

August 21 - PM K and 3-5 Back to School Night

August 26 - First day of School for Students

September 2 - No School - Labor Day

September 5 - Back To School Playground Party - 6-7:30 PM on the SM Playground

As we embark on another exciting school year, we would like to take this opportunity to remind our parents and guardians of our expectations for dressing for school and electronics from home. These expectations are in place to ensure a safe, respectful, and focused learning environment for all students.

Dressing for School:

• Students are expected to wear clothing that is appropriate for a school setting. This includes avoiding attire with offensive language or images, and ensuring that clothing is comfortable for the school environments.
• Footwear should be safe and suitable for school activities. Flip-flops and high heels are discouraged. Students should wear sneakers on gym days.

Electronics:

• Students will have their assigned district device to bring to and from school each day. Students must take their district device home each day to be charged - thank you for your help with this!
• Students are allowed to bring electronic devices (like phones) to school; however, these should be turned off and stored away in their backpack during class time.
• We ask that students refrain from wearing smart watches in school. They can be a distraction to students during instruction. Students may keep their smart watches in their backpack if they prefer.
• The school is not responsible for lost or damaged electronic devices. We recommend that valuable items be left at home.

Thank you for your adherence to these requests and expectations. We know how important it is to team up with our families to ensure our students have a safe and focused learning environment.

Last year, DASD announced we would be moving towards a standards based grading approach at all elementary schools. This year, I am happy to say, we will be in full implementation of this model. A letter was sent to parents last year. In case you missed it, I have attached it below.

In anticipation of this change, our district leadership team and our grade level leaders have been working hard to prepare a framework that supports kids and teachers.

Our district will maintain clear and consistent grading practices. The purpose of grades is to communicate student performance. The grade represents what a student knows and is able to do and is based on PA State Standards.

We have four indicators for grade level standards and our proficiency scale is a range of 1-4 :

1-Limited progress

2-Approaching

3-Meets

4-Exceeds

While teachers will share more in the coming weeks, our goal is to keep communication lines open; sharing how your child is progressing towards standards throughout each trimester. Please see the attached letter and click on the link within email to learn more.

DASD Elementary Assessment and Grading

Supply Lists

Our recommended student supply list is now available on our website for you to view. Click here to go directly to the page.

Infinite Campus

Families with new students to Springton Manor will receive an email prompting you to create an account for your child in Infinite Campus. This account will give you access to teacher assignments as well as transportation information, attendance records, and grades throughout the school year.

All other families can use their usual login information to open Infinite Campus. Please call the office if you have any questions.

Homeroom Teacher Announcement

On August 15th, families will be able to access and view your child's homeroom teacher through Infinite Campus. Our teachers worked hard in May to place students in a positive classroom environment for all! All assignments are final.

Your child's teachers will be reaching out to you following August 15th to introduce themselves and provide you with more classroom specific information. Click here to see more information from DASD on this topic.

Back to School Nights

All students and families are invited to attend our Back to School Nights this August.

August 20 - AM K and Grades 1-2 from 6-7 PM

August 21 - PM K and Grades 3-5 from 6-7PM

This event is a great time for students and families to meet their teachers, see their classrooms and walk about the school! Our teachers and staff will be there to say hi and help our kids feel excited about their first day back at school. This is an open-house style event so families can come and go as they need to!

If you need to speak with your child's teacher about a specific questions or concern, please email your teacher directly so that they can schedule some time to speak with you.

School Attendance

Regular school attendance is critical to your child's success in school. We also know that there are times when students cannot come to school. We ask families to refrain from scheduling vacations when possible because that disruption is difficult for our students in their learning.

If your child is going to be absent from school, please send an excuse note to our attendance email at sm_attendance@dasd.org. You should include:

• Your child's Name
• Your child's Grade
• Your child's teacher's Name
• The reason for the absence
• A contact number that we can reach out at in case we have a question.

Running Late?

Arriving to school on time is critical for students to start their day off right! It helps students establish regular routines, get settled in the classroom and begin instruction comfortably. If your child arrives to school later than 9:00 they will be marked late. When dropping off your child after 9:00, an adult must walk the student to the office and sign them in.

Planning a Trip?

When students go away on an extended trip during the school year, it can really impact their learning. We also know that some trips cannot be avoided. We ask all families that when possible, please try to plan your trips over breaks so that our students can continue their learning without interruption.

If you're planning a vacation, these days must be approved by the school prior to the time off. You can submit a request for vacation approval using the document. You should complete the trip request form and send it to our attendance email at sm_attendance@dasd.org.

Please note that if your trip will result in your child missing 10 or more school days, your child will be withdrawn from school and re-enrolled when they return from their trip. Students will remain in the same classroom and their schedule and teacher will remain the same.

Trip Request Form

Leaving Early?

If you need to pick your child up from school early, please let us know by adding completing the section in our Pick-Up Patrol Website. The first week of school, families will receive an email prompting you to create an account in our Pick-Up Patrol Website. Here you can indicate when you need to pick your child up early or you know you will be arriving late to school. This is also where you note if your child's regular dismissal plan (Bus Rider or Parent Pick-Up).

Click here to view more information about our attendance policies and procedures and to access a trip request form.

If your child is out of school for more than 2 days consecutively, please provide a doctor's note. It is always helpful to provide a doctor's note anytime that you can.

Pick Up Patrol

SM uses the Pick Up Patrol Website to manage all early dismissals and dismissal changes. We will be emailing parents a link to set up your account and input your child(ren)'s dismissal plan for the year. As you need to change their dismissal plan, you simply upload it into the website and our office staff and teachers will all know!

Birthday Celebrations

We love birthdays at SM but we do ask that only non-food items are sent in on birthdays. Families should not send in treats, cakes, or cupcakes for birthdays. If you would like, you may send in small non-food items such as bookmarks or fidget toys, that are small and easy for kids to take home. We love when families donate a favorite book to the classroom in honor of a child's birthday!

Backpack Page on the SM Website

The backpack section of the SM website contains lots of useful information for parents and families. Simply go to sm.dasd.org, click on "Resources" and choose the "Backpack" tab. Click here to go directly to the Backpack tab. Below is a list of the items in the Backpack tab.

• School Day (start and end times)
• Student Academic Handbooks
• Find out who to contact when you need help.
• Pick Up Patrol
• School Menus
• Student Code of Conduct
• Summer Learning
• Supply Lists
• Technology
• Transportation
• Volunteering

The HSA is already busy planning back to school events, fall festivities and fundraising opportunities. Our goal this year is to continue to support our Mustang students and teachers with resources, educational programs and most importantly FUN! The HSA Board meets bimonthly in the SM Library at 6:30pm. Our first meeting is September 9th. We encourage parents to get involved in our meetings, planning sessions and events to ensure success. Last year with your support the HSA was able to financially support assemblies, field trips and educational programs, in addition to hosting numerous events throughout the year.

We have so many fun events planned for the 2024/2025 school year! We are excited to kick off the school year with our annual Playground Party on Thursday, September 5th from 6pm-7:30pm on the SM Playground! Kona Water Ice will be onsite, in addition to our very own Nicole Caruso who will serving her famous all beef hot dogs for you to purchase. Join fellow Mustangs, reconnect with old friends and say hello to your teachers past and present. We hope you will join us.

Looking forward to another memorable year with our Mustangs!

SM HSA Board

Susan Richie, President

Ashely Murray, Vice President

Lisa Bosken, Secretary

Tina Van Zyl, Treasurer

Jennifer Bartine, Assistant Treasurer

Each year, each family needs to confirm their information for your child in our system. Please take a few moments to complete this.

Confirmation of Student Information:

Parents or guardians should visit the Parent Portal to update your information with the district (click More > Online Registration > 23-24 Current School Year Existing Student Registration). Ensuring that we have accurate demographic, health and contact information for your child directly impacts our ability to best serve our students and is an essential piece to ensuring student safety.

Please complete on either a computer or tablet as it does not function best on a mobile phone before your child returns for school this year.

All parents for students attending SM next year will need to complete this process.

Parents who just registered their child for the first time for next year (23-24 school year) do not need to update their contact information.

Are our school emails going to your junk? This has happened in the past and mainly impacts Gmail accounts. We are so sorry this is happening! It is important that you receive our email messages and we want to help!

Please use the link below to see some steps you can take to resolve this.

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1366858?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&hl=en

If you notice this continues, please put in a ticket with our technology department so that they can reach out to you directly to resolve this. This link will take you to the DASD webpage where you can submit a tech ticket.

We continue to work to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for breakfast and lunch at Springton Manor Elementary School! At the bottom of this section is a link to information on our food services. Please take a look at this information if your child plans on buying breakfast or lunch this year!

Breakfast

Students will be able to purchase breakfast when they arrive to school each day. Breakfast will again be free for students when purchasing a full breakfast. When students choose just one item, they will be charged. See the website (linked below) for updated prices and menus)

Lunch

Students will eat lunch at their scheduled time. If your child is buying lunch, we encourage parents to pre - order their lunch using the link on our food services webpage (see link below). Students can also order their lunch that day if they forgot to pre-order.

Snack

Students will have the opportunity to purchase a snack at the end of their lunch period. We tell students that they can only purchase a snack if their parents has given them permission. Please talk to your child about whether they are allowed to purchase a snack before you start the school year.

If your child has a food allergy and requires a separate spot to sit, please connect with the teacher at the start of the school year so that we can plan accordingly. If you need to update your child's health records, please reach out to our new school nurse, Mrs. Jill Yeager, at jyeager@dasd.org after August 22nd.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding breakfast, lunch, or snack, please reach out to your child's teacher at the start of the school year.

DASD is working to phase in the use of the Chromebook instead of iPad. This year, kindergarten, first grade and fifth grade will have Chromebooks. All other grades will keep their iPads.

If your child has an iPad, please take some time before school starts to clear the pictures. Often students will take cute and fun pictures throughout the summer. Once they bring their device back to school, we will be updating them automatically. If there are too many pictures saved, this halts the update and our technicians will need to clear their pictures. Please take some time to save the pictures to your personal device or delete them so that their device is ready for the update.

All DASD students are required to pay technology fees. Click here to see the DASD technology website with information on technology fees and more. All fees are already in your child's SchoolPay account and can be paid anytime.

We wish the best to Ms. Courtney Wise and Ms. Angie Butler who have decided to take on a new role outside of DASD. We also wish the best to Mrs. Vanessa Lathrop who has joined the Math Specialist Team at Bradford Heights this school year.

Mrs. Chelsea LaRose will be out this year for Sabbatical but we are looking forward to her return next year. Mrs. Rebecca Davis will be out on Maternity Leave and will return to her classroom in November.

Grade Level Teachers 24-25

Kindergarten:

• Mrs. McGuckin
• New Teacher

First Grade:

• Mrs. Katie Miller
• Mrs. Chambers
• Mrs. Harper
• Mrs. Wales

Second Grade:

• Mrs. Peterson
• Mrs. Whiteley
• Mrs. Kennedy
• Mrs. Britton
• Mrs. Shenot (Mrs. Hueber got married this summer)

Third Grade:

• Ms. Donohoe (ELA) and Mrs. Young (Math/SS/Sci)
• Ms. Petchel (ELA) and Mrs. Tutterice (Math/SS/Sci)

Fourth Grade:

• Ms. Leigh Ann Thompson (ELA) and Ms. Scullin (Math/SS/Sci)
• Ms. Gottlieb (NEW) (ELA) and Ms. Piznar (Math/SS/Sci)
• Mrs. Hood - All Subjects

Fifth Grade:

• Ms. Fiorillo (ELA) and Mrs. Curtis (Math/Sci)
• Mrs. Renee Miller (ELA) and Mrs. Davis (Math/SS)

Encore Teachers

• Mrs. Callaway - Librarian
• Mrs. Buckman - Art
• Mrs. Force - Music
• Mrs. Greco - PE/Health
• Mr. Greenberg - PE/Health

Special Education

• Mrs. Concannon- Learning Support
• Mrs. Fiorella- Learning Support (NEW)
• Ms. Jackle - Learning Support (NEW)
• Mrs. Erlwein - Emotional Support (NEW)
• Ms. Stanziale - Autistic Support
• Mrs. Logan - Autistic Support (NEW)

Lit Specialists

• Mrs. Heistand
• Mrs. Knoedel

Student Supports

• Ms. Andraos - School Counselor
• Mrs. Sirico - Prevention Specialist

We are so excited to welcome our new teachers to SM!

Our SM team cannot wait to work with our students this year. We are so excited to join forces with our families to best support our kids in their learning. Teachers return to classrooms on August 20th. They are looking forward to meeting you all at our Back to School Events!

Email: rspear@dasd.org
Website: https://sm.dasd.org/
Location: 400 Fairview Road, Glenmoore, PA, USA
Phone: 610-942-8950