CES Weekly Update!
December 20, 2019
Principal's Message
We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season filled with love and laughter. Thank you all for your help with our festive week! Our parades, sing-alongs, and parties were huge successes!
Although completely unnecessary, thank you for showering us with so many gifts, cards, treats, and donations. We are so grateful!
We look forward to seeing you in 2020!
Dr. Adam Penning
Mrs. Ashley Leach
Progress Reports Now Available
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Today we are releasing our first trimester progress report. You should have received an email with an attachment. If not, you can also access the report by following these steps:
Log in to Alma at https://ces.getalma.com/home
Click on your child on the far left side
Click on the report cards tab at the top of the screen
With the closing of the first trimester, we wanted to again provide you with additional information about your child’s progress report.
Our GVSD elementary school progress report is anchored in a standards based reporting principle where students’ progress towards standards is indicated along with reporting on the Qualities of a Learner. You can read more about the progress report
Here.
Description of Proficiency Levels
The district has developed progress reports for all elementary grades, K to 5. Student progress on each Quality of a Learner and academic indicator is reported using a 4-point rubric. This rubric is a departure from previously used state reporting language and intended to be more student-centered. The rubric was designed so that grades do not indicate the end of the learning progress. The student score on the rubric informs the student and parent/guardian of where the student currently is on a learning continuum. When a student achieves a 3, he or she has met the grade level expectation at this time. Furthermore, your child’s Fountas and Pinnell reading level will be indicated on the progress report. You can see the reading level continuum here:
For the first trimester progress report, you will likely see many 2’s. This is totally appropriate for this time of year.
Additionally, for Kindergarten you will see many areas that are “not assessed”. Please note that all areas are being taught throughout the school year. At this point in time only a few of the kindergarten areas are ready for formal grades. As Kindergarteners progress through the year there will be other formal assessments administered to determine your child’s academic grades.
Please know that ‘4’s are rare to receive, even at the end of the school year. For a child to reach that level, he/she should be significantly above the standard expectations.
Nurse's Update
Just a friendly reminder, students should not carry any medications throughout the school day. This includes over the counter or homeopathic remedies.
Hearts to Home partners with our families to provide holiday meals and gifts for people in need. Please reach out to Mrs. Sareyka if you or someone you know in the community could benefit from some assistance during the holidays, or at any time of the year.
#concordcares
Important Dates
- 12/23-1/2 Winter Recess - No school for students.
- 1/7 Jump for Jill Assembly
- 1/9 CES HSA Meeting 9:15 am
- 1/14 - Student of the Month Assembly
Roux, our therapy dog, is back!
Dear Concord Families,
We are excited that our CES Therapy Dog Program will continue this year! On Fridays, therapy dog Roux will be in the building. He will attend friendship groups, support students individually, visit classrooms by teacher request, and will be available for struggling readers. Any student that visits the guidance office during the time that Roux is “working” is welcome to say hello! However, if you prefer that your child not interact with Roux throughout this year, that is completely okay. We ask that you complete the form below:
HSA Update
Weekly Updates for Week of 12.20.19
Add your updates by TUESDAY evening. Updates will be submitted to Ashley by Elizabeth on Wednesday for Friday’s email
Thank you so much to all of our volunteers for their help so far this school year. We appreciate all of the countless hours that have gone into helping run our events this year. We could not do all that we do without you. Please enjoy the winter break with your students and we look forward to seeing you again in the new year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our next HSA Meeting will be January 9th at 9:30am. This meeting will include a visit to our music department to see the new items purchased by the HSA grant program. Come join us and see how your gifts and donations benefit Concord Elementary. Following the HSA meeting, HomeRoom Parents will meet to discuss classroom baskets for the auction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The First and Second Grade classes will be participating in Concord Elementary School’s Martin Luther King Week of Service during the week of January 13th. They will be using part of their recess time during the week to make blessing bags for the City Team Ministries Shelter in Chester. This is an excellent opportunity for the children to get hands on experience helping others in need.
The HSA is also looking for larger donations for the blessing bags (i.e. 470 hats, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, tissues). If you know of an individual or company that would be willing to provide a large donation (with or without company logo) for the blessing bags or have any questions, please contact Lien Vo-Jones at Lvojones@yahoo.com.
If you are interested in volunteering to assist the students during this event, please sign up on this SignUp Genius, http://bit.ly/MLK2019vol. Please note you must have your volunteer clearances to volunteer for this event.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save the date! On Friday, March 27, 2020, Concord Elementary Home and School Association is hosting our Annual Auction Fundraiser at Penn Oaks Golf Club. This year’s theme is Around the World. Stay tuned for additional details.
The New Realities of Parenting
Transportation Information
InfoFinder-i provides online access to assist in finding your child’s bus number, pick-up/drop-off locations and times.
InfoFinder-i allows you to:
- Find your child’s designated bus stop;
- Find the estimated pick-up/drop-off times for your child’s bus stop;
- Locate which school your child would attend if you are planning to move.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to check InfoFinder-i periodically between August 15th and the start of school as pick-up and drop-off times may be slightly altered due to daily enrollment changes.
Please click here to access the site.
School Day Times for 2019-2020
Arrival Times
8:25AM - Car line drop off begins, breakfast begins8:40AM - Students report to homerooms (was 8:45 last year)
8:50AM - Car line ends
8:55AM - Students not in homeroom will be marked absent
Dismissal Times
2:50 - Office pick up ends
3:05 - Announcements start, students dismissed to car line, buses begin being called
3:15 - Dismissal ends
SCHOOL LUNCH INFORMATION
Children need healthy meals to learn. Garnet Valley SD offers healthy meals every school day. Costs are as follows: Breakfast at all schools is $1.70; lunch is $2.75 in the Elementary Schools, $2.95 at the Middle School and $3.10 at the HS. Your child(ren) may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is .30 for breakfast and .40 for lunch. You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application.
Visit www.schoolcafe.com for an online free and reduced application or use the link below.
Raptor Information
The Raptor system is used to enhance our ability to monitor who enters our buildings by screening visitors, contractors, and volunteers. Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit.
Please adhere to the following regulations:
1. Enter the building at the main office door.
2. Go directly to the office, sign in through Raptor and inform the school secretary of your
destination.
3. PLEASE DO NOT GO to any area of the building without receiving permission from the office.
4. Do not attempt to go to a classroom to pick up a child. Students who are being dismissed early
will be sent to the office.
5. Return the visitor badge at the conclusion of your visit to sign out.
Volunteer Clearance Information
Legislation in Pennsylvania requires community members and parents to obtain clearances in order to volunteer in our schools. If you have previously submitted your clearances to the Human Resources office, they are good for five (5) years from the date of the clearance.
Governor Wolf has waived the fees associated with the Pennsylvania State Police—Criminal Background Check and the Child Abuse History Clearance. Since the FBI clearance is a federal program, those costs still remain; however, the district has decided to permit individuals who have resided in Pennsylvania continuously for ten years or more to sign a certification form that saves the volunteer the expense of the fee, ensures compliance with the law, and allows the district to maximize student safety.
ELEMENTARY HANDBOOK & GVSD PROCEDURAL MANUAL
Voluntary Elementary Foreign Language Studies
Would you like your child to
learn SPANISH?
VEFLS (Voluntary Elementary Foreign Language Studies) will once again be offering Spanish classes which will begin the 3rd week of October at Concord Elementary School for KINDERGARTEN thru GRADE 2 for the 2019-2020 school year. Classes will be held 1x/week for a total of 20 classes. All classes begin at 8:05 AM and dismissal is at 8:45 AM. (SPECIAL NOTE: YMCA morning care kids can be brought down to classes!) Students then proceed directly to their homerooms. All classes are held in the Cafeteria. (Parents need to walk up and buzz their children INTO the building to ensure they get inside safely. You may momentarily park your car right out front in circle.)
Classes begin in October and usually end around April. We follow the school calendar so when there is a day off of school, we do not hold classes. Also, NO classes will be held the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Furthermore, if school is cancelled or delayed due to weather conditions, then classes will NOT be held. Make-up classes will be added on to the end of the year so that your child will receive the full 20 weeks of instruction.
The classes offer a fun and exciting way for your child to learn a foreign language. Games, activities, and music are used to keep the children engaged. To create an atmosphere conducive to learning, students will be expected to exhibit proper classroom behavior. (Should the need arise, disciplinary problems will be brought to the attention of the parents by the Director. VEFLS reserves the right to remove any student whose behavior becomes a detriment to the program. TUITION WILL NOT BE REFUNDED).
Class Choices
SPANISH for Kindergarten: Mondays (begins Oct.14)
SPANISH for Grades 1&2: Tuesdays OR Fridays (begins Oct.15 OR Oct.18)
Questions: KELLY GARDLER, Director/Spanish Instructor @ KGardler@Yahoo.com OR 610-717-2755
To enroll your child, simply fill out the bottom portion of this form and mail with payment ASAP. (Enrollment is on a first-come, first served basis.)
The cost of the program is $240 FOR THE YEAR. (*EARLY registration/before Aug 31 is $230, and *LATE registration/after Sept 30 is $250.) All materials are included and will be provided by the teacher.
Please make checks payable to: V.E.F.L.S., and mail along with bottom of this form to:
V.E.F.L.S., c/o Kelly Gardler, 22 Rockland Manor Rd., Garnet Valley, PA 19060
NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS
The new address for our school's website is https://ces.garnetvalleyschools.com/.
Concord Elementary School
Website: garnetvalleyschools.com
Location: 114 Station Road, Glen Mills, PA, United States
Phone: 610-579-6100
Facebook: facebook.com/ConcordElementarySchool-GVSD
Twitter: @ConcordGV