It's hard to believe that it's already March! We are over halfway through the school year. We are really starting to see students progress. Check out how your child is doing when their Interim progress reports will be emailed out on the 8th of March. Keep reading each night, practicing heart words (many are formerly known as sight words) to keep your child growing. Number recognition and math facts will also really help math skills flourish. We appreciate anything you can do at home to help your child to be successful! If you have any questions about what you can do specifically to help your child, reach out to your teacher.

This month we are celebrating Literacy month. Check out what we are doing below. We are also celebrating:

Music in our School's Month

VSBA Equailty in Education

Women's History Month

Youth Art Month

Please help us by making sure that your child is in school and on time every day. Our school accreditation is dependent on our school attendance rate. Currently, we are still having an issue keeping our attendance rate down. We really need your help! If your child is running a fever or vomiting, please keep them home. Be sure to log into ParentVUE to report the absence. Otherwise, please have your child in school.

Note: Vacations are not excused absences. Notes for absences must be turned in within 4 days of the absence. I strongly recommend reporting it in ParentVue so you do not have to worry about if it was turned in.

Our Chronic Absenteeism rate is currently: 23% (it has improved!! Keep coming to school and it will continue to go down!!)

This means that more than 23% of our students have missed 10% of the school year to date. If your child has missed more than 10% already, please help us but ensuring they are in school. The more days they are in, reduces this number greatly. In the event your child is out for any reason, please reach out to the teacher to see if there are things they can work on (assuming they are well enough to work on it). If they are not well enough, please help them complete and return the items.

Our Tardy Rate is 136 students out of 565 who are tardy more than 5x. ( This has increased since last month)

Please know that our school day begins at 7:35 am. That means we are beginning instruction. If your child is late regularly, they are missing instructions. Please do all you can to help your child be in the building, ready to go before 7:35. Tardies also include early dismissal. School ends at 2:04.

• This month:

• Wednesday, March 8

• Read my shirt day- you can wear jeans

• Interim Reports Emailed

• Friday, March 10

• Book Character Dress Up day: Dress up as your favorite book character and bring the book!

• Wednesday, March 15

• Read my shirt day- you can wear jeans

• Friday, March 17

• Shamrocking Reading Day- Wear green and read, read, read!

• Wednesday, March 22

• Read my shirt day- you can wear jeans

• Friday, March 24

• Flashlight reading day (bring flashlight)

• Glow day! Get your glow on! Wear things that glow (light colors, neon, glow sticks light-up items, and all things that glow. If you have a black light, consider bringing it into class with parent permission.)

• Monday, March 27-

• Our future is so bright we gotta wear shades

• Tuesday, March 28-

• Dress to Impress

• Wednesday, March 29

• Tiny Tigers Dream Big- wear PJ’s

• Thursday, March 30

• Celebrate Education wear a college, high school or Portlock shirt

• Literacy Night: 5:30-7:30- Join us in the fun and come see if you can figure out who our final masked reader.

• Friday, March 31

• Career Day- Join us in the fun! Contact Mrs. Halleck if you are interested in presenting for us!

• Dress for your future career.

Virginia Department of Education definition on bullying. Bullying means any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma. "Bullying" includes cyber bullying. "Bullying" does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument, or peer conflict.

If you haven't joined our fabulous PTA, please consider joining! Click here to join.

• School begins at 7:35. Doors will open at 7:15 to begin drop-off. Please be sure that your child has their bookbag/lunchbox ready as you approach the drop-off location. This will make the line faster to ensure we get everyone in the building in time for school to begin. Once you have come to a complete stop, your child may exit the car on the passenger's side of the car.
• School ends at 2:04. We are actively preparing for the dismissal process at 1:50.
• Please be sure that your child and the teacher know how your child gets home every day.
• For the safety of our students, no transportation changes after 1:30. This is a Chesapeake Public Schools guideline this year.
• Kindergarteners: PLEASE have bus tags daily!
• Please do not line up outside for parent drop-off before 7 so that staff can get in the parking lot for the day.
• Please do not line up for Tiny Tiger pick-up prior to 1:30.
• Absences: Please be sure to log into ParentVUE to submit absence notes, you can send in a note or email Porttiger@cpschools.com within 4 days of absence. This is important because the absences automatically go unexcused without a note and an excused reason (illness, doctor). 5 unexcused absences lead to the beginning phases of truancy.
• Thank you so much for your assistance in helping our school day run smoothly!
  

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR KINDERGARTEN PARENTS: Your child will have a bus tag which will be placed on their backpack. The person picking the Kindergartener up from the bus stop MUST have the matching tag. Bus drivers do not have the ability to verify parent contacts so the card is the only way that they can verify the person is allowed to have that child. If no one has the card or can quickly get the card, the student will be returned to school for pick up and verification. This is a CPS policy and the driver MUST follow the policy. The policy is for your child's safety!

Here is some useful information regarding the newest approach to literacy instruction.