Dear PJS Families,
I hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day Weekend. We are ready for the start of a terrific 2017-2018 school year together! Please read below for updates and reminders.
Don't forget that Back to School Night is Wednesday, September 13th at 7pm. Also, our All School Gathering has been moved to Fridays at 9am for those parents who would like to attend.
See you soon,
Silvana
UPDATES:
Important September Dates:
- Wednesday, September 6th 10-11am Early Childhood Program (ECP) Orientation
- Wednesday, September 6th K-5 Begins
- Thursday, September 7th ECP Begins
- Please join us for Back-To-School night on Wednesday, September 13th from 7:00-8:30pm.
- Our first Friday Focus will be on September 15th. Dismissal is at noon.
- Our Back to School Party is Saturday, September 16th from 2:00 - 4:00pm
- Please note that school will be closed on Thursday, September 21st for Rosh Hashanah
Faculty & Staff
PJS Alumni, Christina Zeppenfeld will be joining us part-time in the Afternoon and After School programs this year. In the past Christina was involved with PJS in various capacities. Most recently, Christina was a beloved camp counselor of the preschool campers in Reimagine Summer at PJS this year. She is also the daughter of Christine Zeppenfeld, our Learning Through Landscapes teacher. Christina is currently completing her Bachelors degree. We are so happy that Christina is back and we know that parents & students who know Christina will be as well.
Rotating Schedule K-5 Update
Beginning the first day of school, K-5 afternoons will be run on a rotating 6 day schedule cycle (A Day - F Day). This allows us to have specials on non focus Fridays. It also means that we will not miss specials due to holidays or snow days. Overall, this schedule allows more classroom time as well as more time for collaboration between grade level and specialists teachers. The first day of school will be an ‘A’ day. After we reach an ‘F’ day the next day in the cycle is an ‘A’ day. Each day that we have afternoon classes will follow the A-F cycle. The classroom teachers will have the rotating schedule posted in their classroom. It will also be posted on the PJS Family Calendar.
Communications & Seesaw
At PJS, teachers currently communicate with parents through our classroom website, A Window to Our World (www.awindowtoourworld.weebly.com). Grade-level classroom blogs have already been set to push out posts directly to parent email accounts, so parents will be notified via email when a new post has been made.
We will continue to communicate in this way through the first month of school; however, after the first conference on October 6th, PJS will be shifting to a communication platform called Seesaw that will replace the classroom blogs.
In addition to sending classwide announcements and private messages, the Seesaw platform (www.web.seesaw.me/learn-more/) can be used to do the following:
- Create and organize digital portfolios that travel with students from year to year
- Share student learning with families in “real time” and provide parents with the opportunity to provide encouragement
- Encourage deeper learning and reflection by capturing the learning process, not just the final product. Students can use seesaw’s built-in audio recording, drawing, and caption tools to explain their thinking and reflect on learning.
- Provide an authentic audience of peers, parents, and even other classrooms around the globe to encourage high quality work and real feedback.
To learn more about Seesaw’s commitment to student safety and privacy, see Seesaw Privacy Principles (www.web.seesaw.me/privacy)
Photographer on 1st days of School
Luis Duran, parent of new student Marco, will be at the red doors with me during the first few days of school. Luis is a professional photographer and he has graciously offered his expertise by taking photos of PJS students as they walk into our schoolhouse. The photos will be displayed on our school nautilus mural, showcasing our school community. Please join me in welcoming the Duran family and thanking Luis for volunteering his time already.
PJS Parent Handbook
By the end of this week, Jennie Bartell will distribute the PJS Parent Handbook. The reminders below are short excerpts from the Handbook. We will need you to carefully read the 2017-2018 PJS Parent Handbook and sign the necessary form that acknowledge you read it. Thanks!
After School Enrichment, Instrumental Classes, and Vacation Program
These will all be announced once school begins this week. Stay tuned!
REMINDERS:
Back to School Information
If you have not done so already, please submit all necessary forms to Jennie Bartell as soon as possible to the front office. Thanks for your cooperation.
Daily Schedules
The arrivals and departures of students are events that deserve and require the utmost vigilance for reasons of safety, security and traffic. Therefore if you want to speak to a teacher, please make an appointment and refrain from conversations at drop-off and pick- up. Teachers are supervising students at these times.
When arriving at school, parents are asked to stop and check in at the front desk before going to a classroom. We also ask that parents respect the classroom schedules and make appointments when they want to speak with teachers. Appointments can be made by contacting the front desk or emailing the teacher.
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL
7:30 am: “Early Birds,”
Children who must arrive before 8:00 am. They may enter the building only with permission from the designated attendant who will stay with them until 8:00 am. Parents may never leave their child outside before “Early Bird” admittance. A fee of $5.00 will be billed for children arriving between 7:30-7:45am.
Grades K & 1st
Arrival 8:00-8:10 am
Dismissal 2:50 pm
Grade 2nd – 5th
Arrival 8:00-8:10 am
Dismissal 3:00 pm
8:00- 8:10am Kindergarten – Grade 5
Teachers greet arriving cars at the sidewalk in front of the main entrance. A teacher will open the car door, help the child out of the car and escort the child to the building. STUDENTS ARRIVING AFTER 8:10AM WILL NEED TO BE SIGNED IN AT THE FRONT DESK BY AN ADULT. (Any child K-5 arriving to class after 8:20am is considered “TARDY”)
Dismissal times are staggered in order to ease traffic and ensure safety:
*Toddlers & Preschool Classes/Early Childhood Program (ECP)
Arrival 8:15-9 am (Please arrive before 9am)
Dismissal 12:00 pm
*Early Childhood Afternoon Program
Arrival 12:00 pm
Dismissal 2:45 pm
*ECP students must be escorted by guardian to/from the classroom/ preschool playground.
Circle Protocol
Please enter the circle counter-clockwise slowly and pause in front of the main entrance. Drivers must remain in parked car until an PJS teacher arrives at front entrance between 8-8:10am. Children must exit a vehicle on the school side only. Children arriving prior to 8am and after 8:10am must be accompanied by an adult into the building.
For the safety of all, please DRIVE SLOWLY obey all signs and do not back up or pull out around vehicles in front of you. If you wish to enter the School, please park in the lot. Do not leave your car temporarily parked on the circle (this is a police/fire regulation). For the safety of our children, Do not use cell phones in the circle.
Grades K–5th: Children will wait outdoors with their class and teacher (weather permitting). Teachers will dismiss a student to his/her designated car or parent/guardian.
If a parent/guardian arrives after designated dismissal time, the child will be placed in the After School Program and charged a $30 drop-in fee.
After School Program
If your child is in after school enrichment, he/she will be delivered to the After School Program upon his/her class dismissal for the day. Your child will remain with the class throughout its scheduled time. When the class is over, the teacher will bring all members to the Commons seating area for dismissal. Those children who remain beyond enrichment dismissal time will be escorted to the After School Program and charged a $30 drop-in fee if applicable.
Friday Focus Days
On most first and third Fridays of every month, School will be dismissed as follows to allow for faculty meetings and professional development. Dismissal times:
11:50 am – Early Childhood Program
12:00 Noon – Grades K–5th
If a child cannot be picked up at the above dismissal times, they will be placed in After- School Program and charged a $30 drop-in fee if they are not enrolled in the Afternoon Program.
Drop-in Early Childhood (ECP) Afternoon Program
Children may be placed in the Early Childhood (ECP) Afternoon Program from 12:00 noon to 2:45pm. The Director of this program is Dina Kunkle. Drop-in arrangements are subject to availability of space. They must be made with the school office 24 hours prior to the drop-in date, if possible. Please contact Director of ECP Afternoon Program to make arrangements. The fee of $30 will be billed.
After School Enrichment Program
Children may be placed in the After School Program from 3:00-6:00 pm. The Director of this program is Allison Smith. If you wish your child to attend on a regular basis, please make arrangements with the school office ahead of time. If you wish to leave your child on a drop-in basis, notify the School Office at least 24 hours in advance to check availability of space. The fee for the After School drop-in service is $30 per day, which will be billed. Also $25 charge for every 15-minute period after 6:00pm will be charged for late pick-ups.
The Outreach & Enrichment Coordinator, Sharis Swartley, coordinates the After School Enrichment (Clubs) Program. Specific enrichment classes are organized around student interests and ages (Toddlers- Grade 5). These classes vary each trimester and may include Sports, Art, Technology, Language and Music classes. Our faculty and guest instructors will staff these classes.
Our 2/3rd Grade Teacher, Larry Anton, oversees the Homework Club* and the 5th Grade teacher, Stephen Kovacs, conducts SSAT Review.
*Forms with schedules and fees will be sent to all parents.
Food
Many children have allergies or dietary/health restrictions. Children must not share food during lunch/snack time because of such allergies and restrictions. Please check with your child(ren)’s teacher when bringing in food for the class.
PJS is a NUT/ PEANUT AWARE SCHOOLHOUSE, therefore in the Early Childhood Program students may not bring food containing nuts or peanuts to school whatsoever. In the Kindergarten through Grade 5 classes students may not bring food containing nuts or peanuts to class/school events or parties.
Parents are strongly encouraged to send their children to school with a nutritious snack and lunch each day, if not signed up for the Smart Lunch Program or Pizza Thursdays. A healthy diet, along with good sleep and adequate hydration positively impact a child’s well-being and academic performance. We ask that parents carefully consider healthy food choices that keep foods close to the “whole food” state (i.e. apples, oranges, carrots, etc). When selecting packaged foods, please choose foods that contain whole grains and are low in sugar and fat. Avoid processed foods that contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring and hydrogenated oil (trans fats). Water is the best beverage choice. We encourage all PJS families to teach our children to develop a healthy habit of reading food labels and increase mindfulness related to food consumption.
We encourage parents to embrace the School’s “waste free” lunch campaign by using reusable or recyclable containers, reducing the amount of non-biodegradable wrapping material and avoiding single-use drink bottles, boxes or pouches.
A snack will be provided for those students in the After School Program.
Dress Code
Appropriate school attire will allow children to play actively inside and outdoors. Provocative language, picture, or symbols on clothing are not appropriate. Hats are not to be worn inside the building. Faculty/Staff have the authority to address clothing issues on an individual basis. Early Childhood Program children are required to have a complete change of clothing in School at all times. All children are required to supplement their regular apparel with appropriate clothing and footwear according to the weather. Children in Grades K-5 remove outdoor shoes when inside and must have an extra pair of socks and indoor shoes to be left in School.