Reading Elementary Rockets Report

Sunday, September 23, 2018

RES PRINCIPAL'S BLOG - ROCKETS REPORT - Sun., Sept. 23, 2018

Dear Reading Elementary "Rockets" Families & Community Members:

Kudos and heartfelt thanks to:

Abby Rowlee for the amazing photos of Reading Runners!
Volunteers and parents helping with Reading Runners!
All of you who have your lunch and afterschool accounts paid for September.

Other Items of Interest:

Highlight on the Handbook - The WCUD Family/Student Handbook is full of important information and all principals will be highlighting information in our communications to families. The family district handbook can be found on our website and hard copies can be obtained from RES. Over the next few weeks, we are focusing on attendance.

Appointments During School

Early Dismissal

Students must be signed out in the office when being picked up early. Similarly, if a student returns during the day after an appointment, the student must be signed back in before returning to class. No student will be placed into the charge of anyone not approved by the parent(s) and/or legal guardian. It is helpful to let both the school office and your child’s teacher know that you will pick him/her up early so that homework and/or other information may be shared prior to departure. This procedure is done for the protection of the students so the school knows the whereabouts of all students during school hours.

Late Arrival

Students are expected to arrive by their school’s start time. Attendance, notices for the day and lunch counts are all done the first 10 minutes of the day. Arriving at school late disrupts the day for your child as well as for the class. The principal will contact you if a pattern of tardiness develops and will discuss solutions to this issue with you.

All students arriving at school after our scheduled start will report to the office. A tardy slip will be written and the student will give it to the teacher in the classroom. We realize that there are legitimate reasons for being tardy, i.e. doctor and dental appointments, family emergencies, etc. Contacting the front office ahead of time regarding a legitimate reason for late arrival may result in an excused tardy.

Back to School Open House - Wed., Sept. 26, 5:30 - 6:30 PM. We changed our date as the high school scheduled it the same night as ours. This evening is not for parent conferences, it's just a brief presentation by your child's teacher. Parent conferences will occur in November.

The PTO will have a table and are looking for volunteers. Please see the PTO e-mail about potluck details.

There will be a table for information from the Girl Scouts available in the library. Please stop by and see the new updated RES library!

Classroom Donations Needed - Gr. 5/6 is in need of the following items:

#18 Clear Soda or Seltzer 2 Liter Bottles with Caps - please rinse clean.

Thank you. Ms. Collins

Picture Day - Wed., Oct. 3 is the annual picture day. Forms were sent home Friday - please check your child's backpack. Please send the completed forms back into school. Order online before Picture day with your picture ID at mylifetouch.com. Reading Elementary School's Picture ID: VJ178089Q0.

Coming Soon -

Profile of a Graduate Community Dinner - The entire district will be hosting "Profile of a Graduate Community Meetings" which are an important step to constructing a unified district strategic plan. Your voice and ideas are important and valued. Please mark your calendars for Thurs., Oct. 11. We hope to have a good community turnout. If you can't make it that night, please attend one of the others scheduled throughout the district!

Afterschool Program - We welcome Mr. Chuck Vanderstreet and Mr. Bill Rauscher working as program aides in the program. Mrs. Maxham also helps us out two days a week. We have a fantastic program, but we're still looking for teachers and volunteers! Last week, Reading's chef, Paitra Martin, baked with our students in the program. Kip Dixon, the PE Teacher from WES and Killington, is the guest teacher on Mondays for PE Power! He helps out with Reading Runners and then runs outdoor games with the students! If it is rainy outside, we've been doing "Go Noodle" with the students. It is an online program that helps burn some of that energy off or to help us calm down.

Invoice statements will be sent home this week to students participating in the afterschool program. Thank you to all who have sent in their checks bi-weekly!

PE Message - Happy Almost Fun-Day Monday friends and families! Hope everyone got out and enjoyed the fall-like weather this weekend. Finally comfortable temps! Great sleeping weather! I will be checking in with our children to see what outdoor activities they were involved in this weekend. This weeks P.E. plan is to start challenging/cooperative relay race activities. There will also be aerobic, flexibility, strengthening and hand-eye coordination exercises. We have a lot to do in a short period of time! Please stop in and say hello at our Back to School night on Wed. See you soon! Mr.(Coach) Drost

OTHER WAYS TO HELP READING SCHOOL

Sign up your Price Chopper account so RES gets points!
Offer to teach a course in the After School program - share your skills!
Turn in Box Tops for school! Each label is worth 10 cents!

BREAKFAST & LUNCH & MENU FOR NEXT WEEK:

Happening this Week:

Mon., Sept. 24 -

PE - Students should wear tennis shoes!
Reading Runners 2:30 - 4 PM

Tues., Sept. 25 -

Library/Tech - please bring back library books!
5:30 - 6 PM - Reading Afterschool Advisory Committee - RES Library

Wed., Sept. 26 -

Art
Back to School Open House - 5:30 - 6:30 PM

Thurs., Sept. 27 -

Music & Band

Fri., Sept. 28 -

Spanish

Mark Your Calendar/Upcoming Events:

Wed., Oct. 3 - Picture Day
Sat., Oct. 6 - Open House Spring Brook Farm 10-3
Mon., Oct. 8 - NO SCHOOL
Tues., Oct. 9 -

"Web of Life" Field Trip - Gr. 6 begins all week
PTO Meeting - 5:30 PM

Thurs., Oct. 11 - Profile of a Graduate Dinner & Presentation

Dinner - 5:30 - 6
Presentation 6 - 7:15 PM
Childcare provided
Community members and families are welcome.

Sat., Oct. 13 - Fire Prevention Fair - see above
Sun., Oct. 14 - Leaf Peeper's Breakfast

Thoughts to Ponder:

LIFE AT READING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

Eggplants planted by the Kindergarten class and harvested by the 1st graders!

Kindergarten planted eggplant!!!

Learning in the Outdoor classroom!

Sunday, September 16, 2018

RES PRINCIPAL'S BLOG - ROCKETS REPORT - Sun., Sept. 16, 2018

Dear Reading Elementary "Rockets" Families & Community Members:

We have such admiration for parents in this day and age - so much to do and in spite of the "conveniences" of today, there's never enough time! I'm glad the RES after school program has assisted many in a little less rushing. The students and staff of the "RAP" program are learning lots and having fun!

Kudos and heartfelt thanks to:

All of you who went online and paid for your meals in advance.
Those of you who turned in all your paperwork.
Jessica Seman for volunteering to help last Wed. with Reading Runners!

Other Items of Interest:

Reading After School Program - Payment is only needed a week in advance, even though you sign up for other days within the session. Reading Runners will be run through the After school program. Please complete the form and return.

We have over 20 students signed up for the RES licensed after school program, which is almost half of our student population! In order to keep safe staffing ratios, we ask that if parents need to add a student to a day they weren't scheduled for, they do so 24 hr. in advance by contacting Mrs. Knight.

Highlight on the Handbook - The WCUD Family/Student Handbook is full of important information and all principals will be highlighting information in our communications to families. Monday will be the 13th day of school! Just a reminder that the district handbook can be found on our website and hard copies can be obtained from RES. Over the next few weeks, we are focusing on attendance.

Extended Absence

WCSU has several scheduled school vacations throughout the year including a week off in February and April. Please consider, before you plan a trip, that missing school for several days in a row can become a source of anxiety for students, create gaps in their learning, and makes it difficult to assess their skills and assign grades. Attempting to complete work on a trip without attending the accompanying lessons or having a teacher available for guidance creates stress during what should be an enjoyable family time. Much of the work we do in school cannot be sent with students. Students return and face the stress of being behind on assignments and having missed lessons that are essential for understanding what is happening in class when they return. Teachers work very hard to support students who have been absent, but there is limited time to catch up. There is simply no substitute for being in school.

It is the expectation of the WCSU School Districts that all students will be in attendance for all scheduled school days unless the child is ill or there is an unexpected emergency. If a family chooses to go on vacation during the school year, homework will not be provided ahead of time. A folder of class work will be saved for the student to complete when he/she returns to school. Extended vacations have a detrimental effect on a child’s educational program and negatively impact the environment for the other students in the class.

We request that families inform the principal two weeks in advance of the planned vacation. If your child is going to be out of school for an extended length of time (over 3 days), it is necessary for the parents to contact both the child’s teacher and either the principal or administrative assistant. This pertains to vacations, special camps, illness, injuries, hospitalization, etc. Any student who is absent for vacation purposes will be marked with an unexcused absence if prior notice is not received. The student will be given a reasonable period of time after returning to complete all make-up work and tests/quizzes.

Message from our PE Teacher, Mr. Drost - Hello Friends &Families, FUN-DAY MONDAY is coming. Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and the summer like weather! I am anxious to hear from students what type of exercise they got over the weekend? Monday will be an outdoors day and we will continue to revisit some cooperative challenge activities.Please remember your sneakers on Mondays!! Thank You everyone!

Picture Day - Wed., Oct. 3 is the annual picture day. Forms will be coming home this week so you can plan ahead. Please send the completed forms back into school.