SIES Weekly Newsletter

August 29th: Open House from 6-7 pm (1st and 2nd Grade)

September 2nd: Labor Day--NO SCHOOL

September 5th: Open House from 5:15-5:50 pm (SAIL)

September 5th: Open House from 6-7 pm (3rd-5th Grade)

September 6th: Spirit First Friday with Pelican's Snoballs

September 6th: Principal Coffee Chat from 7:30-8:30 am

September 9th: SIES Spirit Night @ Santi's

September 12th: SIES Volunteer Training @ 7:45 am

September 13th: Coastal Kick-Off Sandcastle Day

September 19th: SIES Volunteer Training @ 7:45 am

September 20th: Family Data Conferences--NO SCHOOL

Bus Stop Change: Starting September 4th, the East Cooper Montessori School Bus Stop will move to Oyster Point Shopping Center (Old Bi-Lo, near West Marine.) This stop is Bus 509 in the AM and Bus 513 in the PM. Times will remain the same.

Bus Driver Updates: We still have substitute drivers for the following routes: 509, 252, and 267. On days that 267 does not have a driver, we will continue splitting them between buses 253 and 509.

Mr. Damion Update: As many of you know, Mr. Damion, the driver of bus 252, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer last spring. He has recently had surgery and is home recovering. Many people have reached out asking how they can help. If you'd like to send him a card or email, his address is:

Damion Taste

308 Old Stone Court

Moncks Corner, SC 29461

damiontaste@gmail.com

Open House for First and Second Grade Classes will take place TONIGHT (8/29) from 6-7 pm. This is a parent only event, so please plan accordingly. Doors will open at 5:50 pm. During Open House, parents will meet with their child's teacher to learn more about the curriculum, classroom policies and procedures, and receive other important information.

The Gifted and Talented (SAIL) Open House and the Open House for Grades 3-5 will take place next Thursday, September 5th. The SAIL Open House will take place from 5:15-5:50 pm, followed by Open House for Grades 3-5 from 6-7pm.

Ms. Lane, our Music Teacher, would like to invite any interested third through fifth grade students to join the SIES chorus. The first practice will be this Tuesday, September 3rd at 7 am. If you are interested, please show up on time. You will receive more information about chorus during this first session. Thank you, and we can't wait to make some joyful noise on Tuesday! If you have any questions concerning Chorus at SIES, please contact Ms. Lane (amelia_lane@charleston.k12.sc.us).

Our first Spirit First Friday will be Friday, September 6th. Show your school pride by wearing your SIES gear! Don't have an SIES shirt? No worries! Dress in shades of blue and white to show your spirit.

We will also have Pelican's Snoballs available for purchase on the 6th! Woohoo! Students will get to enjoy a shaved ice treat during recess. Pelican's 16 original flavors will be available, as well as sugar free and dye free options. Please see the flyer below for more details. Teachers will collect CASH ONLY on September 6th.

Our first Principal Coffee Chat will take place on Friday, September 6th from 7:30-8:30 am. Drop the kids off and come grab a cup of coffee with Ms. King! An RSVP form will be sent out next week. We hope to see you there!

Ready for some new SIES Spirit Wear? Well, you are in luck! Our PTA has been working diligently to get spirit items ready for sale. On Monday or Tuesday (9/2 or 9/3), our Spirit Store will go live. A preview of available items is below. When the store becomes active, Mrs. Ferguson will send out the link to all families. Get ready to shop, and show your Skimmer pride!!

Take a night off from preparing a meal and washing dishes! Join us on Monday, September 9th at Santi's Mexican Restaurant (1471 Ben Sawyer Blvd.) from 4-8 pm for Spirit Night! Dine in or take out....the choice is yours. A portion of the sales will be donated back to the SIES PTA, so be sure to tell them you are there for SIES Spirit Night!

Our 2024 Sandcastle Day theme is Shipwrecked. Our inspiration for this theme is the newly released third book in The Islanders series, Shipwrecked. Written by Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May, The Islanders: Shipwrecked includes themes of friendship, problem solving, and hard work.

Students have been busy in both Coastal Labs exploring engineering techniques to create shelters and rafts. On Sandcastle Day, students will receive a box of materials on the beach to construct a shelter, raft, and SOS message. Students will ONLY be allowed to use the materials they are provided....so no extra shovels or buckets from home! Classes will work together to submit items for judging. Our judges will use a rubric, which has been reviewed with classes in Coastal Lab, to determine a winner for each grade level. Additionally, students in grades 3-5 will attend a special presentation with author Angela May. We will then conclude our day with an awards ceremony.

Parents are invited to join us on the beach to watch the structure building. There is no need to check into the school....simply meet us on the beach directly behind the school. Please review the grade level times below:

• CD/Kindergarten: 7:50-8:20 am
• First and Second Grades: 8:30-9:00 am
• Fifth Grade: 9:15-10:00
• Fourth Grade: 10:15-11:00
• Third Grade: 11:15-12:00

Here are a few protocols for that day:

• Leave all pets at home.
• All classes will return to school via the boardwalk. Parents will not be allowed to walk back with classes or exit the beach via the boardwalk until all classes have exited the beach.
• Children should not be checked out early. If, for some reason, you need to check your child out early, you must go to the front office and follow normal procedures.

If you haven't joined our two parent groups at SIES, please take a moment to do so.

1. PTA: Our PTA supports the social and emotional well being of all of our students, faculty/staff, and families by providing lunches, family activities like Movie Night and the Sweetheart Dance, organizing Spirit Wear, and so much more!
2. FRIENDS of SIES: Our FRIENDS group provides direct financial support to pay for opportunities that would not otherwise be financed by Charleston County School District (ex: Technology Teacher, Spanish Teacher, Interventionists, Green Heart, Wet Lab Tanks, etc).

More information about each group is included below!

FRIENDS has already launched the "Give to Grow" campaign for the year. Our school goal is 100% family participation, so donate today to earn your two FRIENDS of SIES stickers!

Important Points:

1) You only need to donate ONCE. Your ONE donation will count for all of your children.

2) You must list EACH CHILD (first and last name) in the "Special Instructions" box. Otherwise, it is an anonymous donation.

Our amazing PTA has organized a wonderful Family Night at The Charleston Battery Game on October 5th. If interested, be sure to purchase your tickets by September 28th to receive the 20% discount!

Here are a few additional details for the event.

Match Timeline:

1:30 pm: Parking Lots Open
2:30 pm: Gates Open + Private Space Open
3:15 pm - 3:20 pm: Pre-Match Group Experiences Check-In
3:20 pm: Watch Player Warm Up Begins
3:50 pm: High-Five Tunnel Begins (Kids Only)
3:57 pm: Pre-Match Experiences END
4:00 pm: Match Begins
~6:00 pm: Match Ends
~6:05 pm: Youth Autograph Session Begins

Parking, Security, and Clear Bag Policies:
Parking details can be found here.

***Clear Bag Policy*** Diaper/Medical Bags allowed - to be tagged, No Strollers or Umbrellas permitted.

FAQS:
Please read the A to Z guide for all match day details here.

Food Truck Line Up: (subject to change)

Home Team BBQ

Coastal Crust Wood-fired Pizza

Travelin' Tom's Coffee of Charleston Harbor
Cachita’s Kitchen
Tamashii by The Misfit Chef
The Wedge CHS
Crave Kitchen & Cocktails
Trippy Dogs
Nautical Bowls
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Ben & Jerry's
T&T Kettle Korn

Matchday Experiences + Activities: (all included free with group admission)

· Pre-match/Halftime Welcome Message over the PA system to Welcome SIES Families

· Pre-Match Concert featuring a local DJ starting at 2:30pm

· Best in Class F&B Options from top local vendors

· FREE Kids Activities on our youth soccer pitch (inside the stadium)

· FREE Kids Face Painting & Coloring Booth presented by Color World

· Ages 4 and under are free admission and do not need a ticket

· On-Field Group Experiences:

• Warm-Ups Watchers
• High-Five Tunnel
• Post-match Autographs

On-Field Experiences: included with match ticket. Ages 5-18 (see below)

· Warm-Ups Watchers: Watch pre-game warmups from the sideline. All teams are welcome to

join! 500 kids maximum.

· High-Five Tunnel: Warm-up watchers shift to line up for player walkout and give them high-

fives as they enter the field. 500 kids maximum.

· Post-Match Autographs: All kids are welcomed onto the field behind the west sideline field

boards for post-match autographs. All fans as welcome to join! No maximum.