Red and White Times
October 2021
Montclair Elementary School
Email: parksas@pwcs.edu
Website: https://montclaires.pwcs.edu/
Location: 4920 Tallowwood Drive, Dumfries, VA, USA
Phone: 703-730-1072
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MontclairES/
Twitter: @montclair_elem
Be Kind--Be Respectful--Be Responsible--Be Safe
Thank you again for your continued support and flexibility as we move through this year. We are quickly approaching the end of the 1st quarter already!! I hope that your child is coming home excited about the day and has a LOT of things to tell you. Don't let them off the hook with the "How was your day?" "Good." conversation! :) A great way to get them talking is to ask more specific questions. Here are some new starters for this month:
- "What did you talk about during Circle Up today? (Circle up is like a class meeting for building community, problem solving, or learning a new calming strategy).
- What did you learn and play in PE this? Can you show me?
- Did you learn anything new about Hispanic Heritage Month from the News Show, your teacher, or Mrs. Provencio/Mrs. Davis in the Library?
I would encourage all families to take a close look at the Zones of Regulation chart and information below from our counselors. Many students may remember this from last year, but we are beginning to really focus on these emotions and the different zones throughout this month and beyond. You should have received your own copy of the Zones of Regulation to keep at home! Recognizing and learning about feelings and emotions is SO IMPORTANT, combined with strategies and tools to help work through different emotions. Please reach out to us if you would like more specific help or have questions!
Just a reminder--Please be KIND to Nurse Sutton!
We are doing our very best to limit the amount of close contacts that may have to quarantine if a child is out sick. Students are in "pods" throughout their day and teachers have assigned seats/seating charts for the majority of the day. I know it is a great challenge for your family if you get a call to pick up your child or that they may need to stay home in quarantine. Please know that we understand, but we have to follow our protocols from PWCS and the Health Dept as we work to keep everyone safe. The newest protocol is that students who are sent home with Covid-like symptoms have 24 hours to see a medical provider or provide a negative COVID test before we have to quarantine close contacts (to include sibling at Montclair and other PWC schools). If it's more than 24 hours or the child is not taken to the doctor, we must quarantine the close contacts until we have other results. Of course if we receive a positive Covid result, the close contacts are quarantined after that.
I have attached the link to the PWCS FAQ for Health and Mitigation during the Pandemic. Please reach out if you have further questions.
I've included a copy of the PWCS calendar here again as well.
❤️ Mrs. Parks
Home Alone-Supervision Guidelines
Before being left alone children need to be trained in self-care techniques such as knowledge of how to deal with: emergencies, conflicts with friends/siblings, handling loneliness/boredom, personal safety, simple first aid, and fear. They must know how to reach a responsible adult if needed.
Ages 0-8: May not be left unsupervised
Ages 9-11: No more than 1.5 hours alone – days only
Ages 12-15: May be left alone all day
Ages 16-17: May be left alone all night or over the weekend
Babysitting Guidelines:
Ages 12-13: May babysit children up to 4 hours
Ages 14-15: May babysit over 4 hours – not overnight or over weekends
Ages 16-17: May babysit children overnight or over the weekend
Chorus Sign Up EXTENDED
Impact Aid Surveys to be distributed soon
Communication
We also communicate frequently through email by sending our school information and teacher weekly newsletters. If you are NOT receiving emails, please contact us. We appreciate the partnership and communication is essential for a successful year!
Seesaw
Seesaw will also be a communication tool we use to share schoolwide info with you. Please sign up soon if you haven't.
Here is a short video that introduces families to Seesaw. Seesaw Family Intro
How to Connect:
Download 'Seesaw Family' from the App Store or Google Play Store. Don’t have a smartphone? Sign up on a computer at app.seesaw.me.
Tap 'Create Family Account' and scan the QR code on the handout that you received from your child's teacher. Make sure it says your child's name at the top. They may have sent you an online invite. Check your email.
Create your account to see your child's journal! Make sure to allow notifications to get real-time updates about new posts.
Seesaw and Siblings
Please check your inbox or texts from your child's teacher to get the Seesaw invite so you can connect to all of your children. If you need your invite again, please reach out to your child's teacher.
Student Twitter
Book Fair Info
The Fall Book Fair is Coming to Montclair!
Shop for quality books while supporting our school library!
Stock up on great gifts for the holidays!
All students will visit the book fair during their library encore time between November 15th - November 22nd. Students who have money (cash or check made out to Montclair ES) will be able to shop at that time. Class shopping days will be as follows:
Monday, November 15th - Ultsch, Sanders, Schaub, Lusquinos
Tuesday, November 16th - Open Shopping – any students who bring money can come down to the book fair during the school day with teacher permission.
Wednesday, November 17th – Schuck, Sisson, Zizzo, Loudy, Caulder, Wertz
Thursday, November 18th - Bogar, Cunningham, Jordan, Pfleegor, Brockwell, Albritton
Friday, November 19th – Farrell, Gaynor, Llaneza, Hain, Dillard, Beneke
Monday, November 22nd - Lee, Wittman, Tuller, Shpil, Sprung
Want to shop with your child? Join us for Book Fair Night!:
Wednesday, November 17th - 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Hope to see you there! Any questions can be directed to Mrs. Provencio at provenll@pwcs.edu. Thank you 😊
Health and Safety
Montclair Families,
As we move into our second full month of school, I want to thank you for your continued support and patience as we work to keep every student and staff member safe and healthy during this pandemic. Thank you for keeping your child home when they are sick, even for minor symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no way to know for certain if your child has a virus, strep, flu or covid-19 without being tested and/or evaluated by a physician. As a working parent, I do understand the inconvenience of being out of work to care for your child or taking time to seek medical care. However, that day or two off from work or school is better than the alternative of being home for 10 to 14 days due to isolation or quarantine. The more we work together to keep everyone healthy, the less time we miss from work and school.
I encourage you to take time to view the Virginia Department of Health Algorithm for evaluating a child with Covid-19 symptoms or exposure. When I make the decision to send a child home from school, I base that decision on this algorithm.
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2020/08/Evaluating-Symptoms-in-a-Child.pdf
If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully,
Cindi Sutton, BSN, RN, NCSN
Volunteers and Lunch Room Visitation
This also means no visitors in the lunch room. We will not be allowing outside food for birthday celebrations at this time. If you would like to send something in to celebrate a birthday, we encourage a book or game donation for the class, treat bags with school supplies, stickers, pencils, etc.
5th Grade Information
5th Grade Parents:
Please watch your email. The middle schools have started sending out information on specialty middle school program. If you are looking at one of these programs for your child, please refer to the website and know that applications are due by Feb 1, 2022.
In March/April and the end of the school year the middle schools will start sending out information for your regular zoned middle school on course selection and orientation. Once I receive information, I will email or send it home by student. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please contact me.
Support for All
In addition, we are here to support families if they have any questions regarding any needs or resources. Please check out our website for the latest in food, counseling resources and other pertinent information.
Resource Links - Montclair Elementary School (pwcs.edu)
Also, contact us directly with any questions or concerns:
Grades K, 2, 5 Mrs. McDonald at: mcdonaaj@pwcs.edu
Grades 1, 3, 4 Mrs. Smith at smithkw@pwcs.edu.
Social Emotional Learning for the Month of October
PTCO News
Spirit Wear
Exciting news to announce this week..Spirit Wear is now ready to order!! Visit the online store here to order your spirit wear. The store will be open until October 17th with orders arriving approximately 2 weeks later. All items are made to order so we are unable to fill any requests after this date, so order today! Please make sure to review your purchases and read the garment description (we offer adult and youth sizes) as all orders are final. You will have the option at checkout to have your order mailed to your home for a fee or delivered to your student at school.
Spirit Night
MOD Pizza is donating back to Montclair PTCO - you can help by eating!
On Sunday, October 17th MOD Pizza, 13800 Smoketown Rd., will donate 20% of Takeout, Delivery & Pick up orders to Montclair PTCO. Please help us by RSVPing to save the date and inviting a friend (or 2) to eat with you! RSVP & details here: https://grouprai.se/s201775. You must present the paper flyer (sent home) or electronic flyer for Montclair to receive credit. All are welcome to participate, not just Montclair families. Spread the word and flyer to neighbors, friends, and family.
Enrichment Matters Club Opportunity
Montclair PTCO is partnering with Enrichment Matters to bring virtual club experiences to our students. Please note the important dates and use the link below to learn about the program and to register. A schedule of classes was also sent home with your student.
Registration: Oct 12 - Oct 18
Program: 4 weeks Oct 25 - Nov 19 (classes will run Veteran's Day)
Website: https://www.enrichmentmatters.com/virtualenrichment
If you have any questions or comments please reach out to us via email at montclairesptco@gmail.com or message us through Facebook.
Staff Appreciation
Use this form to share a shout out to a staff member for a job well done. Shout outs will be shared with Mrs. Parks and the staff. A little appreciation goes a long way!!
Photo Gallery
Our Facebook page is Montclair Elementary School-PWCS or follow us on Twitter @Montclair_elem and our hashtag #montypride. Student Twitter is @tweets_by_monty. WE are also on Instagram! pwcs_montclaires.