Elms Monthly Parent Newsletter

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! I hope you and your family had a well-rested summer vacation. The entire Elms family is excited to start the second week of school with your children. I believe in fostering a team spirit so with your input, involvement, and presence at Elms, we will continue to strive for excellence and make Elms a great place to be!

I am equally excited to welcome and invite parents and families into our building this school year. Our doors are always open to parent involvement and volunteers. If you would like to volunteer this school year, see the volunteer procedures below. We do ask for your patience when you visit Elms and adhere to our simple visitor screening process. Safety is our number one priority so we will continue to ask visitors to present appropriate identification prior to picking up a child or entering the school. Also, our office staff will greet you at the door for simple business transactions pertaining to dropping off or picking up the following items:

· Pertinent documents

· Back packs

· Lunch containers

· Clothing or personal items

· Etc……

As a courtesy to our teachers and other staff, we ask that you please be sure they are expecting your visit, prior to your arrival. This will be asked before you are allowed to visit them, as they are busy teaching.

Enclosed, you will find a welcome back letter with teacher assignment, letter from your child's teachers, and our pick-up drop-off, bus procedures. Please know that much time, thought, and effort has gone into creating balanced classrooms, and those decisions have been solidified at this time.

Also, any changes or updates that need to be made regarding the information pertaining to your child, should be made in your ParentVue account.

School-Wide open house for grades 1st - 6th will be held on August 19th from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. This will be an opportunity for you and your child to meet the teachers. Welcome back to school letters are being mailed on August 15th. The letter will have your child's teacher's name listed.

I hope you can join us for open house and we will see you on the 19th!

The school day begins at 9:00 a.m., and students are dismissed at 3:51 p.m. The first bell rings at 8:55 a.m. to signal that students may enter the school and proceed to classrooms. Buses begin unloading at that time. Students that are eating breakfast will be allowed to enter the building at 8:45 a.m. Classroom instruction begins at 9:00 a.m. It is important for all students to be in their classroom on time to begin instruction. Students who enter the classroom after that time may be marked tardy.

Regular School Day: 9:00 a.m.— 3:51 p.m.

Half Day: 9:00 a.m. — 12:15 p.m.

Early Release Day: 9:00 a.m. — 2:05 p.m

• Please be aware that school buses may and often do run approximately 30 to 60 minutes behind schedule during the first week or so of school!

• Approximately one week before school starts, school bus route information will be available by clicking on the school bus at flushingschools.org and entering your address and student ID number (listed on your student's Profile Sheet).

Lunch and Breakfast (Important Update)

• School Lunch and Breakfast will be FREE for the 2024-2025 school year.
• It is essential for families to fill out and return an "Educational Benefits Form" that will be handed out at our Open House or the first day of school. This is to ensure Elms gets the proper funding for this program.

This information is detailed in the welcome back letter. Keep in mind that at the beginning of the school year, things are always hectic and a little chaotic. Please be patient, follow the procedures, and always keep safety in mind. We are one of two elementary schools in Flushing that do not allow walkers. All of our students are either bussed or transported by a parent. With a large majority our families picking up and dropping off, arrival and dismissal take a little bit of time. Please follow the procedures for our students' safety and make things go as smoothly as possible.

Silent reading of choice books is an amazing opportunity to develop and strengthen the reading skills of students. We encourage silent reading throughout the day as time permits. In addition to the books that students check out during Library, students will have the opportunity to select and read books from our classroom library. Teachers work hard to provide classroom libraries that contain engaging and age appropriate titles. If you have questions about our classroom library, please reach out to me or your child's teacher. If you would prefer to send in books from home, instead of your child choosing a book from our classroom library, please talk to your child's teacher about that decision. Please also know that you will need to send in new books for your child to read as needed.

VISION:

• To provide a caring, safe, and orderly school community that promotes positive citizenship
• To provide a relevant, meaningful, and engaging educational experience for all students
• To support individuals in attaining their greatest potential
• To strive for continuous improvement