First Week Update -9/7/22
September 7th, 2022
Open House- September 7th
Wednesday, September 7th from 5:30-7:00pm
In order to minimize congestion in the building we will run three, 30 minute sessions by last name. These short sessions should be used for families to get to know teachers and get acquainted with the classrooms.
Please see the schedule below for your Open House times:
Students with a last name beginning with A-G
5:30-6:00
Students with a last name beginning with H- P
6:00-6:30
Students with a last name beginning with Q - Z
6:30-7:00
Families that have children with different last names can come at any timeslot that is convenient for them. Additionally, if the time slot that correlates with your last name doesn't work with your schedule, feel free to come at a different timeslot. Dividing our families in 3 groups will allow for less congestion, and better conversations during your visit.
Dismissal Pick Up Sign
As we get to know new cars and our new families this school year, it will be helpful to have a piece of paper with your child's name, child's teacher, and child's grade level in big lettering that you can place on the passenger side dashboard of your vehicle during dismissal. This will help us to identify our students that need to be picked up quicker
Reporting absences via Parent Connect.
Parents now have a choice to report student absences directly on Parent Square. From the app, click the 3 lines in the top right corner, click report absence, enter info and 'submit'
From a PC, click the 'report absence' link from the top line of your students homepage, enter information, and 'submit'.
Birthday Celebration Ideas
We would love to celebrate your child's birthday at school with their Friends! We understand that birthdays are a big deal and bring a lot of excitement. However, there are a few guidelines we ask families to follow when bringing items for their child's birthday. Please communicate with your child's teacher if you plan to bring goodies for their classmates. This will help to ensure teachers are aware and can also share if there are any allergies or unique circumstances within that classroom. If you plan to bring items, we ask that items be prepackaged so they can easily be sent home with their friends. Acceptable items are pre-packaged treats, pre-packaged snacks, goodie bags with items such as pencils, little trinkets, little toys, or anything else that can be easily passed out and sent home. While many classrooms do specific celebrations with birthday students throughout the day, any type of item/goodie would be distributed at the very end of the day to help ensure those items make it home.
Dismissal Reminders
A big thank you also goes out to all of you for your help with our super busy parking lot today. Here are a few reminders as we move forward:
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Arrival
Students can arrive and enter Weiss Elementary School at 8:43 AM. Students may not arrive prior to 8:43 AM, to ensure a safe parking lot and available staff supervision. Upon arrival at the Weiss campus, families will pull into our drive-up loop in the front of the building. Parents will stay in their vehicles as students exit their cars. Students may enter our building through their classroom exterior doors at 8:43. If you enter our drop-off loop after arrival time, please have your child go through the main office. You will know to have your child enter through the main doors if there is no longer staff outside and classroom exterior doors are closed. This will also help minimize disruptions of morning routines in the classroom. Lastly, if you are using our drop-off loop, please pull as far forward as possible. There are usually at least 3 staff members outside waving cars down to utilize as much sidewalk as possible. This helps to create an efficient and safe drop-off line for everyone. When it is time to stop and you are next to the sidewalk, please stay in your vehicle but ensure your child exits the vehicle promptly from the passenger side door. We understand that sometimes family members need to get out of the vehicle to help their child with something for an array of reasons. If this is the case, families are welcome to park in our parking lot, use the proper crosswalk by the main entrance, and walk their children to the classroom’s exterior door. If you choose this route, please stay in the drop-off line until you can turn left into the parking lot (DO NOT bypass the cars in the drop-off line. This would make a hazard to oncoming traffic).
Dismissal
At the end of the school day, students will exit from the same door they used at arrival. All students will enter their vehicles along the front of the building. This is to ensure we do not have students walking in or across the parking lot. It is imperative that families do not arrive prior to their dismissal time. If families are arriving early, this process will not work as efficiently. If you arrive before your scheduled block, you will be asked to exit the pick-up loop, park in the lot, and get back into the pick-up line during your designated time. If you need to pick up your child early, just contact the office by 3:00 pm to ensure we can communicate this change to the classroom teacher.
**If you have multiple children in the building, they will be dismissed at the oldest child's dismissal time.
Dismissal Times (by grade level) for FULL DAYS:
Kindergarten/1st Grade/Mrs. Roberts Class: 3:40pm
Second/Third Grade: 3:45 pm
Fourth/Fifth: 3:48 pm
Dismissal Times (by grade level) for HALF-DAYS:
Kindergarten/1st Grade/Mrs. Roberts Class: 11:55am
Second/Third Grade: 12:00 pm
Fourth/Fifth: 12:05 pm
Back to School Updates : ASAP
We have many students who have not completed their Back to School Updates! This is a critically important step for the beginning of the year. This is the information we need to assign your child a technology device and take their picture. If you have not completed this for EACH child. Please use the steps below:
Important Reminder-Please take a few minutes to complete this important process.
We are excited to continue the annual process called “Back to School Updates” (formerly called ReEnrollment). This is an IMPORTANT AND REQUIRED process that will not only help us ensure that we have up to date contact and emergency contact information for all of our GSD students, but it also adds efficiency to the collection of necessary annual permissions and forms.
PLEASE NOTE: Once student schedules and teacher placement are released to families in late August, only those families who have completed Back to School Updates will be able to view student schedules and teacher placements inside MiStar Parent Portal.
Back to School Updates are completed inside of the Parent Portal of Mi-Star, and only needs to be done once for each child/student. If you do not know your login information for MiStar Parent Portal, please follow the directions on this page: GSD Parent Portal PIN and Password Directions. You can easily access Back to School Updates on a computer or in the MiStar Q Parent Connection mobile app.
If completing Back to School Updates on a COMPUTER:
Log in to Parent Portal
Click on “Back to School Updates” in the top right corner
Go through each step/screen to complete the process
If completing Back to School Updates on the Q Parent Connection Mobile App:
Launch the “Q Parent Connections” app
Follow the steps to “Connect to School District”
Tap the three lines on the top right corner of the screen
Tap Back to School Updates
Go through each step/screen to complete the process
Please read the statements presented on each screen in the Back to School Updates process. Where requested, provide the appropriate permission status by selecting from choices in drop-down menus or acknowledging receipt/review of documents presented.
At the bottom of each step, mark each section complete, then select submit to continue to the next step.
Thank you for your continued support of Gibraltar School District, see you very soon!
Student Medication and Medical Plans
If your child needs medication to be administered at school or requires a medical plan, please call Mrs. Hunter, our school secretary at (734) 379-7060, and set up an appointment with her as soon as possible. We want to make sure we are ready, to take care of your child, on the very first day of school, September 6th. In your call with her she will reference paperwork that needs to be completed by your child’s physician. Weiss' nursing services documents can be found AT THIS LINK .
Fall Picture Day
Mark you calendars and schedule your haircuts because our fall picture day is scheduled for Tuesday, September 20th, 2022.
School Lunch and Breakfast Information
For the last two years, the USDA offered school districts waivers to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, those waivers have now expired. This means that starting this school year, school lunch programs across the nation will return to normal, pre-pandemic operations.
We understand this change may cause you to worry. However, there are important steps that eligible families can take now to be sure your student receives the meals they need for the 2022-2023 school year.
If your student qualifies for free or reduced meals, they can still receive them this fall through the national school lunch program, but you must take action to make it happen. Families are highly encouraged to complete the free and reduced meal application. Applications may be submitted online, or found on the Food Service page of the Gibraltar School District website or in your school’s main office.
Families must complete a new application every year and it can take up to 10 days to approve. Families must pay for meals until their application is approved. Completing an application is the only way to be considered for free or reduced meals this coming school year.
If you do not qualify for free or reduced meals, you may begin depositing money into student accounts at any time via MiStar Parent Portal. Upon logging in, click on the “Cafeteria” section, scroll down to the section labeled “Cafeteria”, and click on “Online Food Service Payments”.
For the 2022-2023 School Year, Breakfast and Lunch costs will be:
Breakfast
Full pay $1.50
Reduced price .30
Lunch
Full pay $2.50
Reduced price .40
For further assistance, please contact our Food Service Department at 734.379.7620. Additional information can be found at the links below:
FAQ about Free and Reduced Price School Meals
HOW TO APPLY FOR FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE SCHOOL MEALS
Household Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals
September Lunch Menu
Please find the September lunch menu attached below. Please note that every Tuesday is Pizza Day at Weiss.
Interested in being a Lunch Monitor?
We are looking for caring adults that would love to help our Wildcat students during lunchtime. Our lunch monitors typically work Monday-Friday for 1.5-2 hours in the middle of the school day (but the schedule can be adjusted based on availability) and get paid by the hour. If you would be interested or know someone else that might be interested in becoming a Lunch Monitor, please contact food service at 734-379-7619.
Upcoming Dates
September 7th- Weiss Open House from 5:30-7:00
September 19th-20th- Hearing Screening for K/1
September 20th- Picture Day
September 21st- Half day for students. PD for teachers in the PM
September 29th- Vision Screening for K/1
September 29th- Title 1 Parent Meeting 5:30pm-6:15pm
September 29th- Watchdog Parent Kickoff 6:30pm-7:30pm
October 13th and 14th- Parent Teacher Conferences
October 31st- Classroom Halloween Parties and Student Parade
November 4th- 1/2 day for students and end of the first quarter