From the Principal's Pen
March 24, 2019
Tardiness at School
We thank all of our families who follow school procedures on a regular basis. It truly helps the day run smoothly and also helps to build good responsibility and character in our students.
We have enormous numbers of tardy students daily and this is disruptive to the learning process! Being late on a regular basis is unacceptable. Please make sure your child arrives on time and is picked up promptly in the afternoon.
School Hours:
Arrival 8:00 a.m. - 8:10 a.m.
Dismissal: 2:45 p.m.
Drop off:
• Please note that there is supervision in the cafeteria from 7:30-8:00 for early drop-off. All arrivals should enter through the front door and students should report directly to the cafeteria. Students should walk themselves to the cafeteria.
• A staff member will be available from 7:30 -8:15 am at the front entrance to ensure students arrive and leave the building safely. After 8:15 am and 3:00 pm all visitors will have to use the video intercom system to enter the building.
• Students who arrive at 8:00 a.m. or after should walk directly to their classroom.
• Students arriving to classrooms after 8:15 are tardy.
WHY PUNCTUALITY IS IMPORTANT
Being on time:
Gets the student’s day off to a good start and puts them in a positive frame of mind. Children settle well and have a better sense of belonging when they begin the day with their classroom community.
Is respectful to the teacher and to the classmates.
Leads to an understanding that school is important and education is valuable.
Helps develop a sense of responsibility and is an indicator of good character.
Leads to a good attendance record and sets positive patterns for the future.
Leads to better achievement.
WHY LATENESS HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON CHILDREN’S LEARNING
Being late:
Gets the student’s day off to a bad start.
May lead the student to feel disorganized all day! The student may have missed out on vital instructions, information and bits of news at the start of the day.
Can cause students to fall behind.
Disrupts the lesson for everyone.
Creates a bad habit that can be hard to break in the workplace and lead to poor employment.
Research shows that children with poor attendance are at a disadvantage later in life. They often:
Find it harder to make and maintain friendships.
Are less likely to gain good qualifications.
Earn lower wages.
Have a higher chance of being unemployed.
Have low self-esteem.
Poor attendance and punctuality, even at the earliest age, can affect achievement in later life. Establishing good habits from the start helps children to settle more quickly into new settings and routines.
TIPS FOR GETTING TO SCHOOL ON TIME
Establish a good bedtime routine.
Ensure that your child always get a good night’s sleep and therefore awakes rested the next morning.
Provide a schedule and have children organize their materials the night before (e.g. books, instrument, sneakers, clothes).
Make sure children do their homework the night before, there may not be time to complete it in the morning.
Aim to always be at school 15 minutes before the start of the school day (aim for 7:45 am). If the unexpected happens you can still get to school on time.
In the elementary years, it is the parent’s responsibility to get their child to school on time. Thank you to all of our families that support their child’s education by encouraging good attendance and punctuality!
Nurse's Notes
When to keep your child home following illness:
There have been several cases of flu and strep in the school and although not considered rampant, it is important to follow appropriate guidelines before returning to school.
Your child may return to school when:
Temperature is normal for 24 hours after stopping Tylenol or Ibuprofen
Diarrhea and/or vomiting has stopped for 24 hours
Children diagnosed with strep may return 24 hours after antibiotics have started
PLEASE NOTE: Children diagnosed with flu must stay home 5 days. This is a district-wide policy.
As always, please contact the nurse's office with any questions or concerns.
A Greenwich Public Schools Social Emotional Learning Event
On Monday, March 25, 2019 GPS will be celebrating the Be Honest- Honor the Code event. Please have your child wear blue in honor of this event.
This is a common initiative across grade levels to promote responsibility and the importance of having values, rules, and principles to guide our life.
Students will take this opportunity to:
1. Learn how to be personally and socially responsible.
2. Learn about the importance of having values, rules, and principles that guide their life.
3. Identify their own values and principles (their own “Code of Honor”).
Teachers will use lessons developed by the district SEL committee with their students to promote the event. Below we included a few follow-up questions for parents and caregivers.
Questions for caregivers:
1. What does it mean to have values, rules, and principles? Why are they important?
2. What is your Code of Honor?
3. What are the things you value most and what can we do as a family to help you with them?
How to Instill Good Values in Children
SAVE THE DATE!
The Annual Julian Curtiss Art Show
Wednesday, April 10th and Thursday, April 11th
Opening reception - Wednesday, April 10th at 6:00 pm
Pieces from ALL students at Julian Curtiss will be displayed!
World Language Open House
Second Trimester Report Cards
The second trimester of the 2018-2019 school year ended on March 8th. Report Cards with comments will be going home on or about March 29th. Please note that second trimester conferences are not automatically scheduled. The teachers provide written comments to help you understand your child’s learning and progress but if you wish to meet with your child’s teacher please feel free to send them a request through email. Thank you!
The JC Weekly Show
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Mrs. Trish McGuire - Principal
Email: trish_mcguire@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: www.greenwichschools.org/jcs
Location: 180 East Elm Street, Greenwich, CT, USA
Phone: (203) 869-1896
Twitter: @jcsprincipal