Elsie Rogers Express
Back to School 2016
Welcome Back to School
Evening Schedule
5:00 - 5:30 - Mix and Mingle
5:30 - 6:00 Grades 1 & 2 Parent Information Session
6:00 - 6:30 Grades 1 & 2 AND Grades 3-5 Parent Information Session
6:30 - 7:00 Grades 3-5 Parent Information Session
7:00 - 7:30 Mix and Mingle
First Student Day & Kindergarten Orientation
Wednesday, August 24 is the first day of classes for students in grades 1-5. It is a FULL day of school. Students should either bring a lunch from home or have money to deposit into their lunch accounts. When children arrive they will report directly to their homeroom classroom. If you are not able to attend the Parent Information Night on Monday, August 22 to learn of your child’s homeroom class we will have adults readily available to assist your child! School begins promptly at 8:40 am. Students will be dismissed at 3:05 pm.
Kindergarten students and parents are invited to an orientation on Wednesday, August 24 beginning at 9:15 am. During this orientation students will participate in some fun classroom activities while parents learn the ins and outs of Kindergarten.
The first full day of school for Kindergarten students will be Thursday, August 25.
PTO - Get on Board!
PTO needs your help!
We have great things planned for your kids and the school, but we need the manpower to make it work. We all know the saying, “It takes a village...” and that is so true in this case. Please take a moment to sign up at the Back to School Night. There are so many ways to lend a hand.
We look forward to meeting you!
Board Members:
President: Stacey Noetzel
Vice President: Deana Wilson
Secretary: Alison Noakes
Co-Treasurers: Sarah Olsen & Jeremy Noetzel
Additional Members:
Event Coordinator: Esther Ollar
Fundraiser Coordinator: Rebekah Wells
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Each morning buses begin to arrive at approximately 8:15 am. They will pull up to the front curb in no specific order. Students who arrive on the earliest buses must remain seated on the bus until they are greeted by staff members. Students who will be eating breakfast will be allowed to enter the building at 8:20 am.
If your child is a car rider, please do not drop them off before 8:25 unless they are eating breakfast. Staff members will greet students at the end of the front sidewalk upon arrival. All students should exit their vehicles on the right side. In the event that your child arrives after 8:40 am, parents MUST park in the visitor’s lot and escort their child inside the building to the front office and sign him/her in for late arrival.
If your child is a walker, he/she must have a current permission slip on file in the office. Walkers should not arrive before 8:25 am.
Students riding the buses are dismissed at 3:05 pm. Students who are car riders and walkers must wait inside the school until the buses have left before they can exit the building. This is done for safety reasons. Parents arriving to pick up their child, should, upon entering the school property, make an immediate right turn into the staff parking lot, north of the building. Proceed through the lot to the back exit and then form a line along the driveway. Once buses are gone we will ask that the line pull all the way up to the staff member on duty at the front of the school. Please make sure your cell phones are turned off and remain in your car. We will bring your child(ren) to you. If you decide to come inside the building for your child at any time, please park your car in the visitor lot and come directly to the office and sign your child out. Please check out the additional information regarding dismissal procedures in your Back-To- School envelope.
Special Times
Office Hours: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
School Day: 8:40 - 3:05
Please be considerate of your student's learning time and the learning time of all students! Tardiness disrupts the flow of the learning environment. School starts promptly at 8:40. Children need to be in their seats and ready to go! Please also do your best to schedule student appointments outside of the school day!
K/1 Recess: 11:00 - 11:20
K/1 Lunch: 11:25 - 11:55
2/3 Recess: 11:40 - 12:00
2/3 Lunch: 12:05 - 12:30
4/5 Recess: 12:15 - 12:35
4/5 Lunch: 12:40 -1:05
We invite all parents/grandparents to experience lunch with their children. If your child has an adult guest visit them, please be reminded that he/she can chose ONE friend to join them at the guest table. Also, let it be noted that fast food is NOT permitted in the cafeteria. We invite guests to purchase a school lunch or pack a lunch from home.
Contact Information
What to Wear?
Please be sure that you send your child to school appropriately dressed. Students should be dressed in clean, comfortable and conservative clothing. This ensures that students are able to participate in all activities that occur during the school day and that the learning environment is not disrupted. Please note that halter tops, spaghetti strap shirts, tank tops etc. are not acceptable forms of clothing. Shorts and skirts need to be at a finger tip length. Pants should not sag below the waistline. Torn jeans and t-shirts that advertise or glorify drugs, alcohol, or violence are not to be worn. Finally, no flip flops, high heels, or sandals that do not securely fasten on the foot are permitted. If a child should arrive at school inappropriately dressed he/she will be sent to the office to call home for proper clothing.
Be sure to label all clothing to avoid loss or confusion with other’s belongings. This is especially important during the winter months! For more information on this topic, please reference your child's student planner.
On Line Option for Making Fee Payments
phmschools.org/PayFeesOnline
Did you know you can make fee payments online?!? The new P-H-M Web Store saves you time when you pay your School Fees, Kids Club and Early Learning Academy fees online. We’ve switched from Certified Payments and partnered with RevTrak making it easier for our parents to do online payments.
Experience the benefits of P-H-M’s new Web Store … you’ll now be able to:
Create ONE account to manage and pay multiple fees in ONE transaction
Pay with a credit card, debit card or electronic check through our secure website
Receive email confirmation of each transaction
Register & pay online for P-H-M Community Education classes, camps & special events using your existing account
*RevTrak is still in the process of setting up P-H-M student accounts. Please wait until closer to the first day of school, Wed., August 24, to create a login and pay your fees.
Picture Perfect
Just a reminder - the Consent to Publish (photographing of your children) form that needs to be signed is NOT in the back to school packets. It is in the Student Handbook - on the back side of the parent signature page stating parents read the handbook.
That means as parents you need to sign BOTH sides of the page - once for the handbook and once for the Consent to Publish. Please make sure you do this promptly and return it to your child's homeroom teacher. We love taking photos of your peeps and sharing!!
Managing Your Child's Meal Accounts
phmschools.org/PayMealsOnline
Manage your child’s school meal accounts online. SchoolCafé is P-H-M’s new online payment system for school cafeteria meals. SchoolCafé replaces MySchoolBucks, the meal payment service used in the past. If you had a balance left in your child’s MySchoolBucks account, it will be transferred to your new SchoolCafé account.
Benefits of using SchoolCafé :
Easy to enroll
See what your child ate & spent
Pay online using credit or debit cards
View your child’s cafeteria balance
Set up automatic payments
Get low balance email reminders
Visit phmschools.org/PayMealsOnline today to learn more about SchoolCafé.
*SchoolCafé is still in the process of setting up the P-H-M accounts. Please wait until closer to the first day of school, Wed., August 24, to create your new SchoolCafé account.
Are you eligible for the the Free/Reduced Meal and Textbook benefits? There are two ways to apply and find out:
Apply online at inonlineapps.primeroedge.com
Fill out and return the paper form included in your “Back to School” packet
*If you are filling out a paper form, please make sure to fill in only one form per household, even if the children are in different schools.
Eligible students will receive the regular lunch for the free or reduced price. At the high school this includes all $2.10 meals only. Ala-carte items are not included.
Questions about the application process, please contact Stacey Rach in the P-H-M Food Service Department at srach@phm.k12.in.us or (574) 254-2814. More information is also available at phmschools.org/FoodNutrition.
Up and Coming Events
August 22: Parent Information Night/Ice Cream Social (5:00 PM-7:30 PM)
August 24: First Full Day for Students/Kindergarten Orientation 9:15 AM
August 25: First Full Day for Kindergarten Students
September 2 : School Spirit Order Forms Due
September 5: Labor Day Recess—No School
September 16: 2nd Grade Grandparents Luncheon
October 10: - PTO Fundraiser to Begin
October 14: PTO Strike and Spares Family Night (4:30 - 9:30)
October 24-27 : School Wide Book Fair
October 25-26 : Parent Teacher Conferences
October 27 : PTO School Wide Monster Mash Dance (6:00 PM-7:30 PM)
October 28 & 31 : No School (Fall Break)
November 10: 3rd Grade Musical