Reading Elementary Rockets Report: PRINCIPAL'S BLOG

Dear Reading Elementary "Rockets" Parents & Community Members,

It's hard to believe that 15 years ago, our world as we know it changed. It's a reminder to be grateful for life and freedom and for our students to be growing up in Reading, Vermont!

It's that time of year where it's beginning to be chilly in the mornings, though it's much warmer by the afternoon. Please try and dress your child in "layers" so that as the temperatures increase they can still stay cool.

We are revising our Dress Code to be more current and it is addressed in the Student-Parent Handbook coming out this week. The basic guideline is that no clothing should be a "distraction" to learning - so no inappropriate sayings or pictures is a big no no.

Thank you to those who have sent in the survey from last week. If you haven't already done so, please send them back as soon as possible. They will be sent home in your student's folders tomorrow. Thanks!

Other Items of Interest:

Medications - A reminder from Nurse Chick, for safety sake, NO medications, over the counter or prescription can be transported on the bus. Please deliver these to school in person.

Not Feeling Well? - If your child is not feeling well in the morning, AND they don't have a fever, then feel free to send them to school. But please HELP by calling and letting US know, but try and avoid telling your child that they can call and you will come and get them. Instead, please tell them to tell their teacher if they are not feeling well later in the day. If your child tells a staff member they don't feel well, we take it seriously, but our standard procedure is to check for a temperature, if there isn't one, then we make sure they've drank water, rest in the nurses' office for 5 min. and then send them back to class. Sometimes students come to school tired from a late night the night before and it's hard to focus so they want to come and sleep in the nurse's office. Sometimes students develop avoidance of certain subjects, and one way to do that is to "be ill" when it's time for a certain subject to be taught. We weed through all possibilities while making sure that if a student IS ill, that the parent is notified immediately and proper steps are taken to treat them. Thanks for your help with this!

PLEASE Keep Us Informed - Life is often crazy busy. If something unusual is going on in your family - goldfish died, car accident, grandma fell, etc. please let your child's teacher or Teacher Libbet know. If the staff are aware of reasons that your child is having rough day, it makes it easier for your child's teacher to help your student focus and learn. We're not nosy, we just want to be able to put supports in place to help you and your child get the most from their daily educational experience. Life happens and we're here to help.

Late=Tardy? - If a student arrives after 7:55 AM, the student is marked as "tardy" in the attendance records. A certain number of tardies equals an absence. We know how busy mornings are for families, so thanks to all those who arrive on time! A calm start to a child's day helps anchor learning!

Morning Meetings - We will be having our weekly "big" morning meeting THIS Wednesday at 7:45 AM and we hope you can join us for that.

PTO Meeting - Please join the PTO this MON., Sept. 19, at 7 PM for the Reading School PTO, and see how you can help! (Correction.)

Picture Day - Picture Day has been changed to Wed., Oct. 19, so that ALL students are here that day. We have been assured that photos will be sent back to the school promptly so that pictures can be distributed during the holidays!

2016-17 Student-Parent Handbook - This will be published on the website THIS week and the new website link will be sent home in the Blog. In order to promote "sustainability" and save trees, we are not providing copies for each family. If you would like a hard copy of the handbook, please call and request one. Otherwise, they will be on-line as a reference THIS week.

Safety Drills - This Wed. we will be having a Lockdown Drill. If there is ever a serious concern, we will send you a BLACKBOARD message on your phone and your e-mail. If you arrive to the school during a drill, please allow us to complete it.

Terrific Opportunity for Boys. The Lebanon Ballet School (Lebanon, NH) has established a Boys' Scholarship Program that will provide one full academic year of tuition-free ballet training for boys, ages 6 to 18. No previous dance experience is required. From the LBS website: "This program offers an extraordinary opportunity for boys to be introduced to the athleticism and art of ballet. Ballet training has the added benefit of enhancing athletic skills, flexibility, and strength. Boys, ages 8 and up, will also be eligible for performance opportunities with City Center Ballet. As a first year program, boys will be integrated into the existing classes. If enough boys enroll, separate boys classes will be added and taught by professional male teachers." If your son or any boy you know is interested in ballet, contact Linda Copp, Director, at linda@lebanonballetschool.com.

Good Neighbor Health Clinic & Red Logal Dental Clinic - Provide free medical and dental care to people who are uninsured or under-insured who live in the Upper Valley. For more information, please contact them at 802-295-1868 or stop by the office for one of their information cards.

Back to School Night - Is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6, 5:30 - 7 PM. More details to follow!

School Arrival Times - PLEASE do not arrive before 7:45 AM if your child is not eating school breakfast. IF this creates a dilemma for your family because of your work hours, please contact Mrs. Knight so we can work on solving it together.

MESSAGES FROM OUR TEACHERS -

From Mrs. Boyer-Shelden - Kindergarten

Rainbow Chaser Kindergarten is learning by exploring! We learn about each other when we communicate with our words and bodies in safe ways. Our class is using their senses to investigate the world around them. Just like our garden we start out as a seed that relies on our world to nourish us. Over time we will flourish and become the best that we can be. We are looking forward to many adventures in the year ahead.

From Mrs. Mayo/Grade 3/4:

The Stargazers are learning classroom expectations and practicing routines that will serve them throughout the year. We have started our narrative writing unit by writing down small moments from our everyday lives and expanding them with description and details. We are performing a class story we wrote together titled ‘Enjoying the Outdoor Classroom’ during All School Meeting, on Wednesday, September 14th. Feel free to join us and hear us read lines aloud!

From Mrs. Knight - Library/Media Specialist & Tech Integrationist Pre-K through 6 - This will be our first "Monday" of classes together. We will be starting on library skills and doing a tech survey to determine the skill sets of the older students. I am excited about working with your students and staff to support their media & tech learning!

MORE FROM OTHER TEACHERS NEXT WEEK!

OTHER WAYS TO HELP READING SCHOOL -

PRE-K - There are some things we could really use in the classroom; if anyone has these items we can have, it will enhance our play and learning and be very appreciated. Doll clothes, diaper bag(s), doll bed/cradle, doll strollers, baby blankets,, purses, or wallets.

PTO - AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers. If you'd like to help, please go to smile.amazon.com and choose "Reading Parent Teacher Organization Reading P T O" from the list of organizations. Every little bit helps our students!

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS - How Tools for Schools Works - Price Chopper
OUR SCHOOL CODE IS - 13970

1 - Register your AdvantEdge Card and designate a school at the Guest Services desk at your local Price Chopper, at your school, or online at pricechopper.com.

2 - The program runs until Saturday, March 25, 2017.

3 - All purchases using your AdvantEdge Card will be automatically credited to your selected school.

4 - Every dollar spent at Price Chopper earns you one point. Purchase Price Chopper or Central Market Classics brands and receive double points!

5 - Schools can redeem accumulated points for free supplies and equipment.

6 - Tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers to register their card and designate Reading Elementary! Thanks for your support!

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION - It's those adorable little coupons on certain food products, yet each one of those gives $.10 to our school. Those dimes really add up! To to make it easier, please consider downloading the app - check this out: BOX TOPS APP. Otherwise, please clip, collect and send them in! There is a collection jar in the front lobby! Please have your friends and neighbors collec them! Thanks for your support of RES!

VOLUNTEER - We love community members involved in our school! Perhaps you can help "count" box tops, read in a classroom, plant flowers, share one of your skills with a classroom, or any number of other things! Feel free to e-mail Cathy Knight - cknight@wcsu.net with questions or call Libbet at 802-484-7230.

LUNCH MENU FOR THIS WEEK: Have you submitted your free and reduced lunch application? Have you pre-paid your lunch account yet? If not, please send in your check for $55. to save $5.50 on your lunch account AND help keep our food costs down.

Mon., Sept. 12 - Korean Shredded Beef On Whole Grain Roll Pineapple, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes
Tues., Sept. 13 - Chicken Fingers Quinoa Oranges, Mixed Greens Baked Potato
Wed., Sept. 14 - Peanut Butter Apple Wraps (whole grain tortillas) (apples), Iceberg Lettuce, Avocados
Thurs., Sept. 15 - Hot Dogs in Whole Grain Bun, Watermelon, Spinach, Baked Beans
Fri., Sept. 16 - Whole Grain English Muffin Pizzas, Grapes, Caesar Salad