Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School
October Family Newsletter October 12, 2020
Reminders for LPES Families
We have signed on with Kinsa this year to provide our families with access to information and free thermometers to assist in monitoring the health of your family. This is entirely voluntary, please see the flyer below for details.
Attendance: Parents are reminded that we do log attendance every day. Even on Wednesdays! In order to be counted as present, students are expected to turn in all assigned work for each day. We also strongly encourage all students to participate in all live Zoom sessions with their teachers. We do understand that there may be times when attending a live Zoom session may not be possible, and we encourage you to connect with your son or daughter's teacher to discuss the barriers to students attending the live sessions. It is also important to note that attendance in a Zoom session with no work completed does not count as being present. Students must complete the work to be counted as present. While Wednesdays are basically asynchronous, teachers may still schedule times to meet with students to check in or provide extra help. There may also be related service (speech, OT) sessions on Wednesday as well as instrument lessons.
Draft Reopening Plan: As you are aware, we are in the process of planning and preparing for students to return to in person instruction in a hybrid model on or around November 30, 2020. We are working with the District Leadership to ensure we have the procedures and protocols in place to keep our students and staff safe. As we finalize the plan for LPES, we will be communicating with you via a newsletter with a live Town Hall Follow Up to gather your feedback and answer your questions. This will include the health and safety measures as well as an overview of what instruction will look like in the hybrid setting. Thank you to the many parents that completed the parent intent survey. We are reviewing the data presently and will be reaching out to those families that did not complete the survey in the coming weeks.
Encore: As a reminder, based on parent feedback from last spring, we are approaching Encore differently this year. Students will have one Encore every day for a period of 30 days. Students will be switching to their Day 2 Encore on Tuesday, October 13. We will be making some adjustments as we go into the next Cycle based on parent feedback we have received during the first round of Encore classes. Encore teachers and homeroom teachers will be working together to share the links for the new Encore to students and families.
Zoom Etiquette Reminder: We understand that many of our students are doing their school work and attending Zoom sessions in high traffic areas of their homes. We respectfully ask our families to be mindful of background conversations or other sources of noise that may contain inappropriate language. We want all of our students and teachers to be able to focus on teaching and learning. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.
Coat Drive: Pottsgrove Helping Hands, a group of amazing Pottsgrove parents, will be holding a coat drive for Pottsgrove families on Saturday, October 24 from 12-2 PM at LPES. We will have new and gently used coats as well as hats and gloves for families in need as we head into the colder weather. Details can be found on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PGhelpinghands/
Walktober Challenge: The Wellness Team challenges you to walk or run a marathon in the month of October. A marathon is 26.2 miles!
Student Requirements:
● Complete the attached “Marathon Kids Mileage Log” whenever you walk or run.
● For safety reasons, when walking or running outside, be with an adult. (The adult can track your miles.)
● You can walk or run your miles on a treadmill.
● The 26.2 miles must be submitted by Monday, November 2, 2020.
● When submitting the log, it must be signed by a parent/guardian.
● There will be prizes awarded at the end!
If you have any questions, please contact Amy Miller at amiller@pgsd.org.
I want to thank you and continue to encourage you and the children for your efforts at home. It is hard to believe that we have been in school for 6 weeks already. I know there are still challenges, frustrations and bumps in the road. As I visit Zoom classrooms I am impressed with how well the children are doing. Please keep up the great work! Mr. Dargan, our counselors, the teachers and I are all here to support you and the students. I appreciate those that have already reached out and I encourage you not to hesitate if you need support. I know this has been said a lot, but we really are all in this together.
Looking Ahead
Dates to Remember
October 2020:
12- Act 80 Day- Noon Dismissal for Students
13- Encore Cycle 2 Begins
13- Grade 3 Book Fair 6-8 PM- Portico
13- School Board Meeting 7:30 PM
14- Grade 4 Book Fair 6-8 PM- Portico
15- Grade 5 Book Fair 6-8 PM- Portico
16- Book Fair 6-8 PM- Portico
24- Helping Hands Coat Drive 12-2 PM
24- Trunk or Treat 5-7 PM
November 2020:
3- In Service Day- Election Day
Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School
Email: tkoehler@pgsd.org
Website: www.pgsd.org
Location: 1329 Buchert Road, Pottstown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-323-7510