South
St. Marys Street Elementary School
The
Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 2
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
…a message from the
principal
Dear Students and
Parents,
My thanks to all of you
for your help in getting the school year off to a great start. Your response to our call for getting all
of the ‘beginning of year’ paperwork returned really helps us to ensure
efficiency on our part in all aspects of our school operation. We have changed over to a new data
system - PowerSchool, and are making all of the necessary changes and
adjustments here. Again, your
cooperation has really helped.
In the event you have not completed the paperwork sent home in the Communication Packet last week, please take the time today and get it returned tomorrow.
Our annual “Meet the Teacher” night is scheduled for next Thursday, September 11th, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. In addition to meeting your child’s teachers, our PTO will have a table there for membership sign-ups, the local girl scouts and cub scouts will have tables where children can sign-up, and a special drawing will be held at each grade level just for visiting our special subject teachers. Please plan to attend! Note- we’re hoping for 100% of our school families to join our – there is no cost involved in membership, and a whole lot of benefit for our school with everyone being involved!
Our school did extremely well last year in our PSSA’s. Individual results will be given to parents of our fourth and fifth grade students next week at Meet the Teacher Night, and this is in an easy to read and understand format. A summary of our school performance will be shared with all of you at a later date. Our success is due largely in part to our dedicated instructional and support staff working hard from day one, using the data from our various assessments (DIBELS, 4Sight, and our Local Math Anchors) to drive our instruction and our tutoring services, and our good attendance rates. We commit to staying on the path of good instructional practice to ensure that we continue to rise to meet the new challenges of No Child Left Behind. In addition to our solid academic program, I am also very proud of the fact that we provide our students with a safe, structured, orderly, and positive learning environment, where we enable them to have a little fun and build good memories along the way as well!
Again, I welcome you to the new school year. Let’s commit to working together to make this another great year at South St. Marys Street Elementary School for the students we so proudly serve.
Sincerely,
Robert
J. Grumley, Principal
Words for the Week:
has already secured his own.”
~
Confucius
As we get this 2008-09 school year off to a start, there are many people to whom I want to express my gratitude. Please know that the students, teachers, and staff join me in appreciating the efforts and the teamwork of so many in our school family.
·
Our
teachers and staff – for their many hours of their vacation
time in coming in during August in getting their classrooms set up and so
attractively decorated. Most people
have no idea of the hours that teachers spend in their classrooms in August.
·
Muccio
Transportation Services – and Mrs.
Ginger Williams, Transportation Director, for their work in creating
efficient bus schedules
·
Belva
Jasper and our District Food Service Department
and our cafeteria staff for their work in ensuring a smooth operating cafeteria
for breakfast and lunch. * Please
remember to get your applications in for free and reduced breakfast and lunches
– one application per family (hard copy returned to school with your oldest
child) or done electronically
·
Our District
Tech Department for their support and help in our transition to using
PowerSchool, for their installation of new computers in Lab B, and for their
installation of projectors and screens in 20 of our classrooms.
·
Mrs.
Vollmer and Mrs.
South-Aaron, in helping with all aspects of our program, data teaming with
grade levels, and in their work with parents, families, and agencies that we
work with throughout the year.
·
Mrs.
Dahl, our school nurse, for efficiently handling all
of the returned medical information forms and for her taking care of all of our
kids with such TLC.
·
Aramark
and our school custodial staff for
all of their work over summer in making our facility look so good – inside and
out!
·
Our
PTO for always coming through with such good
programs, plans, and support for our school.
You are awesome! Special thanks
to our PTO Officers and Advisory Board Members, past and present, for your
dedication to our school and the organization.
·
Our Secretarial
Staff – Mrs. Bush, Mrs. Surra, and
our summer worker Amanda for
efficiently handling all of the beginning of the school year paperwork and for
their work over the summer.
·
Helen
Dunkle – for creating such a beautiful “Olympic Quilt”
for our PTO’s 5th Annual Olympics.
The quilt is proudly displayed in the lobby. Note – Helen has also volunteered many hours
over the summer in our copy room.
·
Our
PTO for their help with new student and kindergarten
orientations – the shirts for all of our new students are greatly appreciated,
and the “Class of 2021” colored shirts are a tremendous help in ‘tracking’ the
kids.
·
Our
parents, grandparents, and friends of public education
who help us by collecting BoxTops for
Education, Campbell’s Soup Labels,
Aluminum Flip Tops (for the
Shriners), and our Tyson A+ Labels. Each child has received a new set of
headphones and all third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms are now equipped
with a full set of calculators for the students to use. These were purchased with BoxTops for
Education funds. * Special thanks to Tammy and Jim Tettis for volunteering their
time to run the BoxTops program, and to Dara
Benjamin and Missy Aloi for counting all of the Campbell’s Soup Labels.
·
Our local “United Way” for creating the ‘Success
by Six’ backpacks for each of our kindergarten students (as well as all
other kindergarten students in all Elk County Schools). Each child in kindergarten received a
backpack containing school supplies and several books - really good stuff for the students and
their parents! Thanks to Mr. Jason Bauer and Mrs. Julia Reitz for coming to school
to make the presentations at kindergarten orientation.
·
Our Crossing
Guard, Mrs. Pontious, for her year-round care in crossing our students
safely across South St. Marys Street each morning and afternoon.
·
Our parents
for allowing their children to ‘establish routines’ from the start by having
them ride the busses to and from school.
Your help in making sure your children are familiar with their bus stops
greatly helps.
·
…and
last but not least, our kids, for being the best kids in the world! They
are our purpose for doing all that we do, all year long, year in and year out,
as we build good futures for them!
I sincerely regret anyone I may have overlooked as I write this Newsletter today.
Please remember:
· Children are not to be dropped off at school before 8:00.
· The parent ‘drop-off’ location is at the south entrance to the school, upstairs outside the Kelly Gym entrance, not in front of the building, which is reserved for busses. Please note the busses only sign!
·
Although
we have drinking fountains in the school
with cold water, children are
permitted to bring water bottles with them. Knowing that hydration is important, we
provide our children with frequent opportunities to get drinks.
==========================================================Our PTO will
sponsor it’s first fundraiser of the school year, Marianna’s Hoagies and
Pizza’s, from September 12th to September 26th, with
delivery on Wednesday, October 8th. Parents of Second and Third Grade
Students are asked to please support and participate in this sale, which
benefits all children in our school.
Details are being sent home with them next Tuesday, September 9th.
======================================================================
The first PTO Newsletter of the year is being sent home today.