Welcome to the GES Week In Review (WIR).

The WIR will be sent out weekly during the school year. In the WIR you will find upcoming dates and information relevant to your child here at GES. Please review regularly to stay abreast of the exciting things happening at Gilbertsville Elementary School.

January 2-Welcome Back!

January 10 Unity Store in lobby

January 17 Early Dismissal Professional Learning Day

January 20 Martin Luther King Day-School Closed-No Classes/Offices Open

Attention parents/guardians of students in grades 2, 4, and 5! On the evening of Wednesday, January 29, we will be offering a Parent Preview Night for the following upcoming student lessons:

Grade 2: Keeping Touches Safe

Grade 4: Our Immune System and HIV/AIDS Prevention

Grade 5: Human Growth and Development - Our Changing Bodies

Please mark your calendars! Additional details, including times and locations, will be shared next week.

No "Snow days" are built into the 2024-2025 district calendar.

Flexible Instruction Days (FIDs) allow us to minimize the impact of emergency closures on student learning and the need for make-up days at the end of the school year. Kids can get their schoolwork done AND still get out there and play in the snow! Our families can better plan for early summer vacations! And more!

Yearbook sales are now open. You can order your child's yearbook by clicking on the link below, setting up a treering account, and placing your order. Don't miss out on capturing your child's 2024-2025 memories.

As we enter the winter months, some reminders to keep your child(ren) healthy during this cold & flu season.

Wash Your Hands! Teach your children the importance of covering their mouth and nose when they cough or sneeze, to keep germs from spreading, and frequent handwashing with soap and water!

Indoors or outdoors, get active! Kids should get regular, moderate exercise to boost their immune systems. Studies have shown that being active can help reduce cold and flu episodes.

Get plenty of sleep! Children need between 9 and 14 hours of sleep a day depending on their age. Sleep deprivation can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of getting sick.

Eat a well-balanced diet! Provide meals with plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to help boost children’s immune systems. Look for foods rich in vitamin C and vitamin D, and avoid foods high in additives, preservatives, and sugars.

Avoid germy sharing! Sharing is good for kids, but many commonly shared items can be breeding grounds for germs. Teach children to never share straws and cups, caps and scarves, or anything that comes in contact with their mouths and faces.

Wipe and Clean Surfaces! Most studies have shown that the flu virus can live and potentially infect a person for up to 48 hours after landing on a surface. Germs often grow on multiple surfaces, such as doorknobs, toys, or countertops. Regularly sanitize often-touched surfaces using anti-bacterial cleaners.

Keep Your Children Home When They Are Sick! Does your child have a fever (100° F or higher)? Do they have a questionable rash? Are they acting unusual today? If the answer is “yes,” it is probably best to contact your pediatrician and consider keeping your child home from school. Make sure they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medications before returning to school.

Other Reminders!

· Please send your child to school with weather appropriate outdoor gear. Students will be outside for recess as long as the weather will allow!

· Please send your child to school each day with a refillable water bottle. Water filling stations are available in the student hallways.

· Please encourage your children to apply chapstick and lotion at home to prevent dry, cracked, and irritated skin. They may bring their own chapstick to school.

· 3rd Graders - If you have not already done so, please submit the Family Dental Form.

· Kindergarten Students/Newly Enrolled Students - If you have not already done so, please submit all state required Immunization Forms, Private Physical Exam Forms and Family Dental Forms.

If you have any questions, please contact the health room nurse.

Many thanks,

Mrs. Tricia McShane | Certified School Nurse
Boyertown Area School District
Gilbertsville Elementary
36 Congo Road| Gilbertsville, PA, 19525
Phone: (610) 473-5039| Fax: (610) 369-7686

We are excited to announce that our annual basket raffle will be held on March 14th with over 300 fantastic baskets up for grabs! This event is one of GES's top fundraisers, and we couldn't do it without the support and generosity of our amazing community.

Each classroom contributes by creating a themed basket, and our goal is to have all the baskets ready by the end of January. To make it easy, we've placed bins in the front vestibule to collect donated items. For gift cards, please hand them directly to your classroom teacher.

We would love for you to get involved and donate to your classroom basket. Your contributions make a big difference and help ensure the success of this fun event.

Please see below for the Sign Up Genius Links:

Click on the We Video link below to see this week's Where Are They Now GES Graduate Highlight.

We need you! Are you a GES grad? Do you know a GES grad? I am looking for your stories to help motivate our students about the possibilities for their future. If you are interested in contributing to our Where Are They Now announcements, please email Mrs. Petri at spetri@boyertownasd.org. Thank you!

We will be following a 6-day cycle for school this year. Your child's special schedule will be based on the cycle days rather than days of the week. For your planning, the next 2 weeks of school cycle days are listed below.

January 2-Day 1

January 3-Day 2

Week of January 6

Monday-Day 3

Tuesday-Day 4

Wednesday-Day 5

Thursday-Day 6

Friday-Day 1

Snacks at lunch have been a huge success!

Our staff is requesting that if your child is going to purchase snacks to pay for the full week on one day. This helps with managing deposits to the bank. There is a minimum amount we can deposit at a time. We appreciate your help with this.

Please read the letter below explaining how this program works here at Gilbertsville. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for partnering in your child’s education.

Parent drop off in the morning:

• Parents must stay at their cars and may not walk their child to the building, You may assist your child getting out of their seat if needed but need to be conscious of the car line
• Be patient and stay in line. Parents should NOT go around other cars.
• Be cautious when exiting the drop off area, you will be merging with the busses.

Afternoon Dismissal/Parent Pick up:

• Please have yellow card in windows to help with speedy pick up.
• Do not use cell phone while in the parent pick up line. We want your attention on the students coming out of the building.
• If you are not a regular pick up parent/guardian, write a note including the name of the adult who is picking your child(ren) that day. This needs to be done daily as our pick up supervision changes some days.
• Please have your ID and be patient as we make sure all students are sent safely to their cars
• Please follow the car line one car behind the other do not pull up ahead or closer to the door
• Please do NOT go around other cars for safety reasons
• Be cautious when exiting the pick up area, you will be merging with the busses.
  

If you are planning to transport your child to school every school day, please complete the google form indicating the adults that you give permission to pick up your child after school. As we work through the first few weeks of school we ask for your patience as we all get used to our transportation procedures. Thank you in advance for that.

Click here to complete the Parent Pick Up Dismissal Form

(Only complete this form if your student will be picked up every school day. Otherwise, please send a note/email to the teacher on the days when your student will be picked up.)

Click here for a pdf version of Parent Drop-off and Pick-Up Maps and Procedures

LINK to 2024-2025 Student Handbook

Boyertown Area School District has developed a district-wide Student Handbook. The handbook is comprised of four areas:

1. Information that applies to all students
2. Additional information for our elementary schools
3. Additional information for our middle schools
4. Additional information for our high school

The book has a Table of Contents with hyperlinks that allow you to easily navigate to topics and sections throughout the document. It contains links to our forms, website, and the Board of School Directors’ policies.

Our student handbook is a working document and, therefore, subject to ongoing changes in information, personnel, processes, board policies, and more. We will update this page with the updated information if we need to add or change content.

Please contact your building principal with any questions or concerns regarding the Student Handbook.

If you are sending your child to school with a cell phone or smart watch, please review the expectation outlined in our district handbook related to students having these items in school. If your child has a smart watch, please put it on school mode during school hours. If your child is using their smart watch for anything other then telling time during the school day, they may lose the privilege to wear it during school hours.

Excerpt from District Handbook:

Cellular Telephones and Other Devices Cellular telephones and other devices must be: (1) turned off; (2) kept in the student’s book bag upon arrival at school and remain there until dismissal unless the device is approved for student use by an administrator. Repeat offenders must have the parent/guardian retrieve the phone and may be subject to disciplinary measures. The Boyertown Area School District is not responsible for lost or stolen cellular telephones at school.

Food Service Newsletter

Reporting an absence: If your child is not feeling well and cannot attend school, please email attendance at AttendanceGES@boyertownasd.org, or use the link below to inform the school that your child will not be present due to an illness, or appointment. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvtpG7SKITdNqliElSWvB9u4el72hJiIntaN9LFeyTuq8TnQ/viewform

Educational Trip: Parents/Guardians must complete an Educational Trip Form 2 days prior to your child's absence. **Please note that failure to submit a trip form prior to departure will result in trip days being counted as an unlawful absence.

BASD hosts an online Community Bulletin Board. The electronic bulletin board features district and community activities, events, clubs, resources, and more. The board is updated regularly and is an excellent source of information regarding things happening throughout our community and beyond. Be sure to check it out regularly!

Canva is also used in the creation of this newsletter.

Any additional applicable copyright information for items used throughout the newsletter will be provided on a use-by-use basis.

Gilbertsville Elementary
36 Congo Road
Gilbertsville, PA 19525
(610) 369-7485