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NEU Field Club Family Newsletter
SEPTEMBER 2023
A message from Mrs. Griger
Hello, NEU Field Club Families!
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! We are excited to begin this year of learning and growing.
We hope you all had the summer you wanted, whether you went on a vacation, enjoyed stay-cation, or spent time with family. We hope you enjoyed the time to rejuvenate and gear up for another great year at Field Club Elementary.
Monhtly Communication
For those new to Field Club, welcome! We use SMORE for our monthly family newsletter for big communication pieces to keep you informed of upcoming events, celebrations, testing information, attendance information and so much more.
Classroom and School Story Communication
In addition, we use a free app called Class DoJo to keep you informed of classroom happenings, as well as all-school events. If you need assistance with Class DoJo, please schedule an appointment in the office. We hope you will spend a few minutes each month reviewing this important communication.
As we continue to improve our practices and ensure we are preparing the best learning environments for our students, we have updated some practices. One to take note of is our changes to Field Club's dismissal plan. Please take a moment to review those updates below in addition to all other information shared.
If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Office hours are 8:00am-4:30PM.
Let's keep learning and growing, NEU Field Club!
As always, reach out with any questions or concerns.
With NEU Pride,
Mrs. Griger
School Hours
8:50 a.m. – 4:05 p.m. .. student hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ... office hours
8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. ..... free breakfast is served for all students
8:50 a.m. ...................... school starts
Please come to school on time every day
4:05 p.m...... departure time
UPCOMING EVENTS AT FIELD CLUB
Field Club Carnival 2023-2024
Class DoJo
If you need assistance with Class DoJo, please schedule an appointment in the office.
Introducing New Staff Members
In Kindergarten we welcome Mrs. Berthold and Miss Barraza. Mrs. Berthold is originally from Utah and is joining us as a first year teacher. Miss Barraza, from Scottsbluff, NE is also a first year teacher.
In First Grade we welcome Miss Hunzeker. Miss Hunzeker attended Morningside University in Sioux City, IA and is a first year teacher.
In Third Grade we welcome Mrs. McCandless and Miss Diaz. Mrs. McCandless has had many educational experiences and we're happy to have her join the Field Club family. Miss Diaz had the experience of being Mrs. Mehser's long term substitute last year so we're happy to bring her on full time this year.
In Fifth Grade we welcome Ms. Morrow and Ms. Ahlf. Ms. Morrow started her teaching career in Texas and Ms. Ahlf was a long time para at Field Club and in the Spring, graduated from the para to teacher program.
In addition to our new classroom teachers, we also want to welcome the following:
Miss Reeves - our School Psychologist Intern who is new to the district. We also welcome Mrs. Main who has joined our Special Instruction (resource) team and comes to us from Catlin Elementary. And finally, we welcome our new Strings teacher Mrs. Koster who is coming to us from Texas.
Student Handbooks
In addition to viewing the handbook/code of conduct on the student iPads, you may also access the 2023-2024 Field Club Student Handbook in this newsletter (below). You may also find it on our website at: https://www.ops.org/domain/2453 (Spanish versions are currently in production).
This newsletter allows us to confirm that a copy has been shared with all families.
Arrival and Dismissal Updates
We want to thank you all for your patience with our new arrival and dismissal procedures.
Doors open at: 08:30AM
Students must be in classrooms by 08:50AM
Dismissal time is: 4:05 PM.
Arrival
At arrival, parents/guardians are asked to say goodbye to students at the building doors. We are building student confidence and independence and have many staff members that can guide students through the breakfast line and to the appropriate classroom. We also want to ensure we maintain a safe and secure learning environment for all all of our students. If a parent/guardian has to enter the building during arrival time, they will be asked to head to the office to sign in.
Flow of traffic:
We have found that this year's traffic flow is working quite well in minimizing the amount of traffic on 36th street which was our goal. We will continue to adjust as needed. See the map below for student pick up locations by grade level.
Early Checkout
If a student needs to be picked up from school early, they must be signed out prior to 3:45. At 3:45, we begin preparing for dismissal and the office becomes quite busy. If you arrive to pick up your student between 3:45-4:05 we ask that you wait until all students are dismissed via the normal school dismissal process.
Families picking up students by car are asked to keep traffic moving along Hickory and 35th Streets. Staff members will be available and ready to help students safely get into their cars. Please do not park or exit your vehicle while in the pick up line. We will make sure your students get to their car. This will help create a safe and efficient dismissal plan.
Here Comes the Bus: A School Bus Tracking App for Families
GPS school bus tracking technology is available to all parents and guardians of district students who ride Student Transportation of America buses with bus stops. This free service provides families with the ability to track the location of their students’ buses in real-time, either on a computer or a mobile device. Participation is optional. Tracking of short buses is not available.
Tracking Features:
- Shows the real-time location of your child’s bus on a map
- Gives scheduled and actual arrival times at home and school for bus routes
- Provides push and email notifications when the bus is near
Sign Up Instructions for Parents/Guardians:
Download the "Here Comes the Bus" app or visit herecomesthebus.com
- Click the "Sign Up" button.
- Enter school code 73916 and click "Next" followed by "Confirm."
- Complete the "User Profile" box.
- Under "My Students" click "Add." Enter your child's last name (up to 14 characters including a hyphen or a space) and student ID number.
- Once you confirm your information, you're ready to begin.
ATTENDANCE - STRIVE FOR 95
Strive for 95 is Omaha Public Schools' attendance approach to ensuring students and families are aware of the importance and impact of daily attendance. This means that students should NOT miss more than 9 days in the year. Being ready to learn affects a student's academic success and connection to school from kindergarten through high school. EVERY MINUTE COUNTS!
- If your student is going to be absent, please communicate that with the office every day of the absence. 531-299-1380
- If your student has an appointment, please be sure they are only absent for the necessary amount of time need to attend the appointment. Please be sure to bring a Doctor's note to the office so we can account for the missed minutes.
District Calendar
Make sure you stay up to date with important calendar events.
Click here for all district calendars: CLICK HERE
To view the Field Club calendar click here: PARENT INFO PAGE
Additionally, we use the Class DoJo app as our primary means of communication. Do you want to know more? Check with your student's teacher to connect after downloading the FREE app.
JOB/WORK OPPORTUNITIES
Student iPads
Some of the reasons for iPads remaining at school include:
1. Improve home routines and procedures (without iPad distractions)
2. Health - Students receive plenty of screen time throughout the day and on the weekends. iPads at school do not become a hinderance to a good night of sleep.
3. Attendance and attentiveness - When students are on devices for the better part of the evening (or all night), it affects student attentiveness and attendance because they are too tired to focus or to come to school.
4. No need to worry about charing the iPad every night. Students will place iPads on classroom chargers before leaving each day to be ready for the next.
As the weather turns colder and the white stuff begins to fly, routines and procedures with iPads will change. We will keep you posted.
In addition to procedural changes, please note the iPad agreement button below. If you are interested in paying the annual insurance (highly recommended), please visit the office.
PARENTS, PARENTS, PARENTS!
Parent University
Please join us at 9:15AM on the first Friday of each month for in person conversation about technology, school/community events, and general education topics. We value you your input for topics as well. Have an idea or want to talk about a specific topic? Please email Principal Griger at mary.griger@ops.org. We look forward to having you join us for coffee, pastries, and conversation. Friday, September 1 will be our first Parent University.
Parent Portal - Infinite Campus
Infinite Campus is used by Omaha Public Schools to safely and securely store student information and data. Information like parent contact information, grades, attendance are all stored here. Parents can log in to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to access this information. For specific questions about Infinite Campus Parent Portal, please contact the Field Club Office.
Parent Teacher Oganization
PTO Meetings for 2023-2024 will be held on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 4:30PM
Are you interested in becoming an active supporter of the school environment? Are you interested in working more closely with the teachers at Field Club?
Being a member of the PTO allows parents and teachers the opportunity to work together to enhance and improve the educational experience. Whether it's through fund-raising efforts, volunteering time, or skills, every member can help our school become more successful than it already is.
If you're interested in joining our Parent Teacher Organization, please reach out to Principal Mary Griger via the office phone at: 531-299-1380, or via email: jeffrey.rotherham@ops.org
Tuesday, September 5 at 4:30PM is the first PTO meeting.
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NEU Field Club Elementary
Email: mary.griger@ops.org
Website: fieldclub.ops.org
Location: 3512 Walnut Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 531-299-1380
Facebook: facebook.com/OPSFieldClubElementary
Twitter: @OPSFieldClub