Shipley's Choice Elementary School
Family Newsletter
Dr. Burke's Message
It is hard to believe that we are closing in on the end of the first marking period all ready! The air is crisp, the days are short, and students are deep into their learning. Thank you to all of the families who made the time to meet with their children's teachers a few weeks ago. This is an important tool in maintaining home-school communication. The school has been using multiple venues to communicate with you. Information about upcoming school events are posted on our school website (www.shipleyschoiceschool.org). In addition, each grade level has published its own Google Site with links to resources, homework, information about curriculum, field trips, and more. Each grade level's site is linked on our school website. Bookmark this site so you can access it easily!
I also wanted to thank John Calvert, Alana Merino, and the 75+ parents and 10 teachers who volunteered their time to make this year's Fall Festival a fun and memorable experience for our students. It was a wonderful day--the inclusion of live music was brilliant, and enjoyed by all. The Chick-fil-a truck was an absolute hit. This is what PTA is all about--Parents and Teachers joining together to do positive things for children! Finally, thank you to the Cub Scouts who embraced the "leave no trace" philosophy and did clean up. There really was no trace of the event when we opened school on Monday.
For the latest information about Shipley’s Choice, bookmark the school website (www.shipleyschoiceschool.org), which houses lots of information about the school, including the Family Handbook, schedules, a school-wide calendar, and more. Also, our school frequently shares pictures and video clips of amazing things that are happening each day at school on Twitter. Follow us to check it out: @ShipChoiceAACPS.
Special Friends Day: November 8, 2019
We will once again be offering a Google Form on our school website for visitors to RSVP. This helps save time at check-in. If you have not visited school this year, you may stop at the school office from 9AM-3PM daily to have your ID pre-scanned.
American Education Week
Please join us for American Education Week! While American Education Week begins on November 18, 2019, we are inviting parents to visit on Monday, November 11th to take advantage of many parents having off for the federal holiday.
Come in and visit classrooms to see the amazing learning that is happening! We are offering two options for families to visit. Select the day and time that fits your schedule. Please remember to bring your ID on the day of the visitation. Use the Google Form on our school website to ease the check-in process.
Visitation days and times will be Monday, 11/11/19 from 9:45-11:00 AM and from 1:45-3:00 PM.
Please note that younger siblings may not attend due to space and safety concerns. This includes infants. Thank you!
See you during our visitation!
In Case You Missed It...
Online Payments
My Payments Plus
Bring IDs!
Change in Dismissal
Don't forget these if you need to change your child's dismissal arrangements!
- Send a note when changing dismissal arrangements.
- To make a change during the student day, call by 2:30 PM and follow up with an email. (The call ensures we get the message and the email puts it in writing for liability purposes.)
Car Loop
Thank you to all who follow these guidelines to ensure that the cars move along! To make the car loop move quickly and safely, please follow these guidelines:
- Pull up as far as you can.
- Stay in your car!
- Do not leave your car unattended or running in the car loop!
- Wait until all students have been lined up--don't pull them out of line before they get to the car loop.
Dogs on School Property
You may have noticed this sign on school property. We love dogs, but many, many students have allergies or strong fear/anxiety from dogs. Please do not bring dogs on school property.
Please note that laws in Anne Arundel County require that dogs be leashed in public and owners must clean up after their dogs.
Students may not be unattended on school property before 8:45 AM!
Arrival & Dismissal
Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe during arrival and dismissal!
ARRIVAL
- The doors open at 8:45 AM and instruction begins for students at 9:00 AM.
- Students may not arrive before 8:45AM. There is no supervision prior to that time.
- Only bus riders enter through the lobby.
- All other students enter through the doors by the kindergarten entrance.
- Walkers assemble on the blacktop behind school and enter when directed by the teacher on duty.
- Car riders exit their cars and may enter the building directly.
DISMISSAL
- Keep dismissal changes to a minimum. They are confusing!
- Students who are walkers must leave school property at dismissal. Do not arrange to meet your child anywhere on school property except the WALKER door.
- We STRONGLY DISCOURAGE meeting your children at an off-school location, like a path to a neighborhood. If you are delayed, your child will not know and no one at school will know that they possibly needs assistance.
- Students may never walk in the parking lot alone. Do not tell your child to meet you in the parking lot.
- Pick students up in the designated location. If you are walking, the pick up is on the blacktop at the back of the school, not near the car loop.
November Events
November
3 Daylight Savings Time Ends
7 Chick-fil-A Fundraiser (PTA)
7, 8 2 hour early dismissal; end of marking period
8 Beginning of second marking period
8 Special Friends Day @ 9:30AM
11 Veterans Day
11 Classroom Visitations for American Education Week
12 PTA Meeting at 6:30PM
15 Vision & Hearing Tests Grades K, 1, 4
18-22 American Education Week
19 Ledo's Pizza Fundraiser (PTA)
20 Report Cards distributed
22 Turkey Trot @ 2:30PM
25 Vision & Hearing Rechecks
27-29 Thanksgiving Break; schools closed
28 Thanksgiving Day
December--looking ahead
5 2 hour early dismissal; wear ORANGE for Unity!
9 Holiday Shop
18 Winter Concert (Band, Strings, Chorus)
Confidentiality
School Information
School Website: ShipleysChoiceSchool.org
Twitter: @ShipChoiceAACPS
Blackboard Connect: phone calls, emails, & text messages
Google Sites: grade or teacher-created Google Sites linked on school website
Note that Facebook or Instagram are not official communication tools of Shipley's Choice Elementary School. If you find information on these sites, please verify on the school website or by calling the office.
Video & Security
Shipley's Choice Elementary is equipped with a video camera system. It covers selected interior and exterior public portions of the building and grounds. lt is NOT monitored constantly, but it is monitored during emergency situations. During certain events, when the safety or security of students may be in question, authorized personnel from local, state, or federal police or fire emergency units may be given access to view images projected on the camera system. lf you have any questions, you should call the Supervisor of School Security at 4tO-222-5083.
Volunteer Information
In addition, volunteers must have either a Background Check or Fingerprinting. Visit https://www.aacps.org/Page/2179 for more details.
While volunteering at school, remember that all information that you observe during school is confidential. This includes information about students, teachers, and school.
Fall Fest
Thank you to all of our volunteers, PTA committee members, faculty, performers and sponsors for making the SCES Fall Festival a huge success!
Congratulations to Ms. Wright's first grade class for donating the most baked goods for bake sale and cake walk. They enjoyed their popsicle party on Monday October 27.
Yearbook
Shipley's Choice Elementary School uses SmugMug to store all parent uploaded pictures for the Yearbook staff to use when designing pages. We cannot produce our wonderful yearbook without your uploads. After all events, please upload any pictures you may have taken to our SmugMug site (Password is shipleys). Most events have their own folder and links will be posted in the Shark Bytes for easier reference.
Click to upload your Fall Fest photos
https://shipleyschoiceyearbook.smugmug.com/upload/mzLvFC/fallfest2019
Click to upload your Halloween Parade photos
https://shipleyschoiceyearbook.smugmug.com/upload/s8rS8W/parade2019
Holiday Shop
The Annual Penguin Patch Holiday Shop will be held on December 9 from 3:30-8:30 PM in the school gymnasium. The Holiday Shop provides an opportunity for students to participate in the spirit of giving as they shop for their families (mom, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). Volunteer elves will be available to help the students navigate the shop and manage their budgets. Fifth grade students will also be selling a craft at the Holiday Shop to support their service project, the Special Olympics of Maryland.
In an effort to minimize parent wait times during student shopping, we will offer 20-minute shopping sessions from 3:30-6:30 PM. A total of 30 students will be able to shop during each session. Shopping session sign-ups will be available on the SCES PTA website at the end of November. The Holiday Shop will be “open shopping” to students from 6:30-8:30 PM.
Items will be priced between $0.25 - $12.00, with most items averaging between $2.00 - $5.00. Money envelopes (with gift lists to help your child plan and budget for each person) will be distributed to each student prior to the Holiday Shop event. Parents are encouraged to send their children with cash or check (made payable to SCES PTA) and a reusable shopping bag.
Volunteer elf positions will include shop set-up/decorating, helping students with budget management, cashiers, and shop break-down. It takes a village of elves to make this holiday spirit event a success. Please consider volunteering your time for this fun event. Sign-ups will be available soon via the SCES PTA website.
BYOBag: In a continued effort to live up to our Model Green School status, we are asking students to BRING THEIR OWN BAG to reduce single use plastic bags in circulation. All students who bring their own bags will be entered into a raffle for fun prizes during each shopping session. We will also collect clean, unused plastic bags to be recycled properly (collection bins are located at almost every grocery store).
If you have any questions, please contact the Holiday Shop co-chairs:
Frances Cimo
Nora Hogan
Alison Peters-Buzzerd
Running Club
For those in running club, the Turkey Trot will be held on Friday, November 22nd. Please mark your calendars. Many volunteers will be needed. Thanks in advance!
Nicole Wiseman
Clubs
This is a reminder that students may be dropped off for clubs in the front of school no earlier than 7:40 am. The parent volunteer gets there also at that time. To ensure the safety of your children, please wait until 7:40 am to drop them off. If you are using carpool to pick up other students, please be wary of this time. We appreciate your help with this. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Holly Willis at holly.willis@gmail.com.
Helping Hands
2019 Stride for SPAN (Severna Park Assistance Network)
The Helping Hands Committee is excited to support SPAN in Severna Park this upcoming holiday season. We are hoping to get a group from the neighborhood/school together to run in their Turkey Trot on Nov. 16th at Kinder Farm. If you would like to participate please click on the link below to register. Also, please email Bree Gramil (bpinsker@hotmail.com) or Jaime Hanafourde (jhanafourde@gmail.com) to let us know. We plan to coordinate the colors we all wear as well as pick a meeting spot the morning of the race. Hope to see you there!
Retail Rewards
The PTA is sponsoring some fun spirit events this school year in our community. Please join us for the following events coming up this fall. More details to come. Be sure to mark your calendar!
Chick-fil-A fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, November 7 all day!
Franklin’s Toys: Stay tuned (check the Shark Byte and PTA Website) for more information about our upcoming fundraiser in November with Franklin’s Toys.
Ledo Fundraisers: Thank you to everyone who has joined us at Ledo’s! Next one is November 19th. Fundraiser runs all day, and includes both dine-in and carry-out orders
.
Please contact shipleysretailrewards@gmail.com with any questions
Adult Social/Silent Auction: Shipley’s Speakeasy
Calling all Flappers, Dappers and Bidders! Roar into the 1920’s with the Shipley's Choice Elementary School PTA for our 2nd Annual Adult Social Fundraiser. We’ll be kicking it up for the kids at the Shipley’s Speakeasy: Swanky Auction Soiree on Saturday, March 14th at Kurtz’s Beach from 7pm-11pm.
We are currently seeking Sponsors, as well as Donations for giveaways and the Silent & Live Auction portions of our event. Items such as vacation homes, travel points, sports/event tickets, gift cards, merchandise, services, experiences or anything else your generous heart desires would be welcome and TAX DEDUCTIBLE, as allowable by law. If you or someone you know is interested in donating in any capacity to the Shipley’s Speakeasy, please reach out to Kelly Kohler and Rene Wells at sces2020auction@gmail.com. For Sponsorships only, please contact Natalie Henderson at nataliekhenderson@gmail.com.
Please visit our Auction page on the PTA Website and “Like” the Shipley’s Speakeasy Facebook page for more details and updates.
Beautification Committee
Beautification Committee Members Wanted! We are currently looking for volunteers to help maintain our flower beds around the school grounds. This is a great opportunity to make an impact and volunteer on your own schedule.
To join or get more information, please contact Courtney Capece at cmcapece@gmail.com. Thank you!
PTA Website
The SCES PTA Website is our primary source of communication. Join the PTA for full access and visit often to stay informed!
Did you know Membership Toolkit has a new app with fantastic features, such as access to Calendars, Parent Directory, Messages and more. It’s available in both the Apple Store and Google Play.
Have website questions? Contact Us at scesptaweb@gmail.com.
Helpful Information
Lonergan's Bus Service
- 410-923-4185
Transportation Office
- 410-222-2910
Crossing Guards
- 410-222-6866
Health Room
Patty Bellotte, Nurse
Rachael Penner, Health Asst.
- 410-222-3809
Board of Education
- 410-222-5000
Shipley's Choice Elementary School
Student Hours 9:00 AM-3:25 PM
Doors open 8:45 AM
To contact your child's teacher, find their email address on our website: http://shipleyschoiceschool.org/facultystaff/
Email: admin@shipleyschoiceschool.org
Website: ShipleysChoiceSchool.org
Location: 310 Governor Stone Parkway, Millersville, MD, USA
Phone: 410-222-3851
Twitter: @ShipChoiceAACPS