The 2024-2025 school year is off to a great start! Students have completed their beginning of year assessments and are setting goals for themselves. The first grading period is quickly coming to an end. It ends on October 30th and report cards will be sent home on November 7th. During the month of October students have been learning with it means to be a Self-Directed Learner. This is all about setting academic, attendance and behavior goals for yourself and making plans to achieve them.

As a staff, we often discuss factors that improve student achievement and factors which are barriers. One barrier that we see in students is the fear of trying and the fear of failure. Students who are allowed to learn from their mistakes often become more willing to take risks in their learning which can lead to greater achievement. Giving your child more responsibility and chances to overcome failure is a gift to their future. Please see the list of ideas below to help build student responsibility and self-esteem.

IDEAS FOR BUILDING RESPONSIBILE, WELL-ROUNDED STUDENTS:

• Give your child the responsibility for their school work, supplies and backpacks.
• Encourage them to participate in making their lunches from home and packing their snacks.
• Allow them to take the natural consequence for forgetting an assignment or library book.
• Encourage them to be their own advocate; i.e. talk to the teacher when they are struggling in class or the bus driver when their may be conflict on the bus.
• Give them time to work on homework independently and make it their responsibility to ask for help.
• Encourage and support them to find a balance between school work and extra curricular activities.
• Encourage healthy living habits, such as adequate sleep, healthy eating, personal hygiene and limiting time on devices.

Please feel free to call or email us to discuss any concerns you might have throughout the school year. We are looking forward to working with you and your family. GO BULLDOGS!!!

Jennifer Tallant, Principal

Shameka Jones, Assistant Principal

Brooke Sumner, Assistant Principal

October 21-25 Red Ribbon Week

October 22nd- Fall pictures

October 23rd- Early Release (Dismissal will begin at 12:00pm)

October 25th- PBIS Event: Glow Party

October 30th- 1st Nine Weeks Ends

October 31st- No School (teacher workday)

November 1st- No School (teacher workday)

November 4th- 1st Grade Vision Screening

November 6th- 3rd Grade Vision Screening

November 7th- Report Cards Go Home

November 11th- No school (Veteran's Day)

November 14th- Kindergarten & 1st Grade Awards Assemblies

November 15th- 2nd & 3rd Grade Awards Assemblies

November 27th-29th- No school (Thanksgiving Holiday)

Phone calls and letters concerning student absences are generated automatically through Infinite Campus. If you believe there is an error in your child's attendance record or if you have more questions about our attendance policy, please reach out to the school. If the number of student absences is equal to or greater than 10% of the scheduled school days meetings will be set up with the principal and the truancy officer.

Arrival

• Any students arriving after 7:40 must be accompanied to the office and signed in by an adult.
• If dropping your child off in the car rider line, please wait until you reach staff members to open your car door. Do not allow students to get out of the car before the drop off zone

Dismissal

• Changes in transportation cannot be made over the phone. Any transportation change request must be submitted three days in advance. Once the change is approved by the transportation department, a staff member will contact families.
• All cars picking up students in the car rider line must have a car rider sign in the windshield. If the adult does not have a sign, they must go into the office, show a photo id, and be listed as an approved pick-up person on the student's information card.
• Students who are consistently picked up past 2:50pm will receive a verbal warning. On the second offense, without notification, the administration will hold a conference with the parents to discuss other modes of transportation. Parent for other adults on the emergency contact list must present identification when picking up late students.
  

Early Pick-up (ID & times)

• Early check-out is only accepted in case of emergency or doctor’s appointment. Students must be picked up prior to 1:30 pm. On Early Release days students must be picked up prior to 11:00 am. If a student has 5 early check-outs a conference with the parents and administration will be held to discuss how it is impacting the students academic performance, possibly how the hours can be made up.

Absences

• On the first day immediately following an absence, the student will present to his/her teacher a written explanation of that absence. The written explanation should contain the following:

1. Student’s name
2. Date(s) of absence
3. Reason(s) for excused absence: Illness, injury, or death of a family member.
4. Signature of parent
   
   

• The written explanations will allow us to determine if the absences are excused or unexcused. If no written explanation/email is received within three days, the absence will be considered unexcused. Written explanations/notes will be given to the teacher and then kept in the front office. Unexcused letters will be issued to parents once a child accumulates 3, 6, or 10 unexcused absences. If you receive this letter and have questions about it please contact your child’s teacher.
• We are happy to provide make-up work to all students who have had absences. All work should be completed within five days or sooner after returning to school. If a child is absent for an extended period of time, we will gladly send work home at your request.