Back to School Parent Newsletter
Dr. Malinda McKillip, Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Please allow me to take this opportunity to welcome you and your family to the 2019-2020 school year. As principal, I am proud to share that French Creek offers students a rigorous curriculum, with high academic standards, in a warm and welcoming learning environment. Decisions at French Creek are always made in the best interest of children. The staff has been working very hard this summer to prepare for a wonderful new school year with many exciting student activities to complement quality instructional programs. We look forward to welcoming all of our students back to school on Monday, August 26th!
Please accept my apologies in advance for the length of this newsletter, but it is very important to me that families have all of the information necessary for a very successful school year. I also hope parents will reference this information as needed throughout the school year. Please think of it as one stop shopping! : )
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. I look forward to serving our very special school community throughout the upcoming school year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Malinda McKillip
Staffing Updates
- Congratulations to Mrs. Meredith Gallo who has accepted a full time position at East Vincent in Grade 2.
- Best wishes to Mrs. Fazioli as she begins her tenure as a Librarian with the North Penn School District.
- Best wishes to Mrs. Samantha Iyoob. Mrs. Iyoob has accepted a secretarial position in the Phoenixville School District.
- Best wishes to Mrs. Sheri Ballezzi as she moves to the high school.
- Best wishes to Mrs. Sharon Dotterer and Mrs. Diane Albright as they transition to the middle school.
- Many thanks to Mrs. Christa Jones for returning to Grade 4 for the upcoming school year.
- Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Danielle Ponto as our new French Creek Librarian/Media Specialist. Mrs. Ponto is joining us from East Coventry.
- Please welcome back Mrs. Amy Stone in 1st grade.
- Please welcome Miss Katie Leahy as the newest member of our second grade team.
- Please welcome Mrs. Alyssa Cross as a shared elementary Art teacher across our schools.
- Please welcome Mrs. Laura Bourdreau as our Monday and Friday building substitute for the upcoming school year.
2019-2020 Teacher Assignments
New Family Orientation
Our annual New Family Orientation has been planned for Monday, August 19th at 9:30 AM. This event is intended for all new French Creek families or for any incoming Kindergarten family who did not attend Kindergarten Round Up last May. We will begin with a tour of the building followed by a general information session. We will conclude with questions and answers.
If you plan to attend, please click here to RSVP as soon as possible.
Annual Information Update
Below are important instructions to guide you on how to update your child's annual information in Skyward. Thank you in advance for updating your emergency contact information and completing the updates at your earliest convenience.
To complete the Annual Information Update Process:
- Login to Skyward
- Click the Annual Information Update tab on the left
- Select a child
- Fill out the forms on the page
- When finished all steps, click Submit Annual Information Update (If the submit button is greyed out, you must go back and complete all sections.)
After the student’s Annual Information Update has been submitted successfully, you will receive an email confirming your Annual Information Update has been submitted. You will need to complete this process for each child. Can’t remember your Skyward Login information? Click the “Forgot Login/Password” link on the Skyward login screen. Only the primary guardian will have access to complete the full Annual Information Update; however, all parents will be able to update their individual contact information via the Annual Information Update tab. If you have any difficulties, please contact the school office for assistance.
Student Supply List
2019-2020 District Calendar
Attendance
Student Travel
Please note OJR Board Policy limits non-school sponsored travel to 5 school days per year. Please refer to the French Creek website and click on the “Student Travel Form” link under “QuickLinks”. Please note student travel cannot be approved during the first or last 10 days of school or during PSSA testing.
First Day of School Assembly
We will once again begin the year together as a school community. This is a great way to celebrate the start of another exciting year. All students in 1st through 6th grades will report to the multi-purpose room after exiting the bus or upon arrival to school. Teachers and staff will provide students with assistance. Please let your children know that they should report immediately to the multi-purpose room on the first day of school. Kindergarten students will be escorted directly to their classrooms. Don't forget to encourage your child to wear red and white on the first day of school as we will be celebrating our French Creek school spirit!
Bussing and Transportation
2019-2020 bus assignments will be posted in Skyward Family Access on Friday, August 16th. If you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s bus schedule, please contact the OJR Transportation Department at 610-469-5187. Please note that the OJR Transportation Department does not allow younger students to exit the bus without an older sibling or parent visibly present at the bus stop. Please help by making sure your child is properly received when they exit the bus each afternoon. If a parent or older sibling is not present to receive a little one, the bus driver will return the child to school.
*It is important to note that buses may not be running exactly on schedule the first few days of school. However if there are any significant delays during the school year, the Transportation Department will send out an email FYI to parents with a revised arrival time.
Bus Passes
Please note that bus passes to ride a different bus to or from school, other than the bus assigned to your child, will only be issued for true emergency situations. There will be no bus passes issued the first 3 weeks of school.
Drop Off Procedures
With the start of the school year quickly approaching, I would like to take this opportunity to remind families about student drop off and pick up procedures. Please remember that we begin welcoming students at 8:15 AM. Students should not be dropped off and left unsupervised prior to 8:15 AM.
When dropping off students in the morning, parents should enter the front drive and immediately bear right proceeding through the visitor lot and then turn sharply to the left in order to pull up along-side of the curb at Door #12. (This is the door closest to kindergarten and the visitor lot.) Students must exit on the passenger side of the car and then walk directly onto the sidewalk. Parents should not park in the visitor lot and allow students to cross in front of cars or walk through the parking lot without an adult present. Parents must refrain from pulling out in front of other cars without properly moving through the procession.
Students arriving after 8:30 AM should be escorted directly to the main office by a parent. There is no parking permitted in the front of the building. This area is needed for our school buses. Please park in the visitor lot and accompany your child to the office for a proper sign-in.
Pick Up Procedures
Please note the school day ends at 3:10 PM. Parents picking up their children should plan to arrive between 3:00-3:05 and proceed to the designated pick-up area located in the rear of the multi-purpose room. Parents should park in the back of the building and enter through Door #8.
We must have a note if you are planning to pick-up your child at dismissal. In the case of an emergency, please call the office no later than 2:15 PM to have your child placed on the pick-up list. All students who are not on the pick-up list prior to 2:15 PM will ride the bus home.
Please make sure to send in a note with your child on Monday, August 26th if your son or daughter will be picked up from school at the end of the day, or if they should be placed on the "everyday pick up list". Last year many parents assumed that if their child was an every day pick up student the year prior that they would be automatically added to the list. We need a new note each year outlining your expectations at dismissal. Having this squared away early on will help expedite the dismissal process. Aside from everyday pick up, a note is also required anytime there will be a change in your child's regular dismissal routine.
We understand that many times you may be picking up children other than your own. Students will be instructed to sit with the child they are going home with to expedite the dismissal process. All students who are planning to go home with another student must have a note from a parent. (Please remember to always include your child’s first name, last name and teacher’s name on all notes.)
Students who are signed up for intramurals and/or other after school activities will only be permitted to ride the bus home if they have a note. If students are signed up for afterschool events, they are expected to stay at school until they are picked up by a parent.
We are asking parents who are new to the building to have a copy of their photo ID ready at parent pick-up for security purposes. Please do not linger and allow students, or younger siblings to run around the room or play on any of the equipment. This creates a safety concern. Also, please refrain from bringing pets into the building at everyday pick up.
Lastly, please be on time for parent pick up. We do not dismiss the rest of the building until every student is picked up by a parent and accounted for by staff.
Ongoing Home and School Communication
It is extremely important that there are open lines of communication between home and school. Please expect to receive emails from the school and your child’s teacher on a regular basis. It is also very important for you to become familiar with our French Creek website.
The 2019-2020 Elementary Parent/Student Handbook is available under the “Quick Links” section. Please review it carefully with your children prior to the first day of school.
Expectations for Student Behavior
Please take some time to remind your child about appropriate behavior in school. As a reminder our building rules include:
1) Keep our school a safe place by making good choices
2) Be respectful by using kind words and actions
3) Keep hands, feet and objects to oneself
4) Act calmly and quietly at school and on the bus
5) Follow directions the first time they are given
Email and Phone Correspondence
As a friendly reminder, please contact the main office during the day at 610-469-5104 with any time-sensitive messages. The office is open from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Calling, rather than emailing, ensures that your message is immediately received by the appropriate staff member. It is important to note that we are busy instructing students during the school day, and therefore, we are unable to check email regularly. However, all of your messages are important to us. Please expect a response within approximately 24 hours. As always, please reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
Stay Connected
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Food Service and SchoolPay
Meals will be served on the first day of school. SchoolPay is our district's electronic payment processing service. Please visit SchoolPay.com to make online payments for school related fees and registrations. As per District policy and consistent with prior years, account balances from the 2019-2020 school year will be carried forward to the new school year. Please direct SchoolPay questions to 888.88.MYPAY (phone) or email support@schoolpay.com. If you have an email on file with the school, an account has already been created on your behalf. Simply go to SchoolPay and click Find My Account and enter your email address. If you are in need of assistance with any food service concern, please contact the Food Service Office directly at 610-469-5701. Applications for free and reduced lunch are posted on the OJR website under the “Parent” tab.
Breakfast and lunch menus are available on the French Creek website.
Back to School Open House
Kindergarten parents are invited to visit on Thursday, August 22nd. AM parents should plan to attend from 5:30-6:30 PM and afternoon kindergarten parents from 6:30-7:30 PM.
Parents of students in Grades 1-3 are invited to visit on Tuesday, September 10th. Parents of students in Grades 4-6 are invited on Wednesday, September 11th. Teachers will once again offer three different information sessions for your convenience.
The same information will be presented during each session as follows:
6:30-6:55 PM
7:00-7:25 PM
7:30-7:55 PM
Parent Involvement and PTA
Parent involvement is essential to help promote our students’ learning. All parents, guardians, and teachers are welcome to become members of the PTA regardless of the amount of time you can give to support additional programs and activities. I encourage everyone to actively participate in our PTA and join us for meetings throughout the school year. Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, September 4th at 7:00 PM.
If you have not done so already, please take a moment to visit and join our PTA webpage. This site offers parents the opportunity to sign up for email notifications, receive information related to upcoming special events, student clubs, and family togetherness activities in one convenient location. The site also offers parents the option to make online payments for PTA membership and PTA sponsored after school clubs.
Volunteer Forms
Please be reminded that all volunteers, homeroom parents, and field trip chaperones must have proper clearances on file in the main office. Please visit the French Creek website to access the required forms and application under “Quick Links”.
Birthday Celebrations
The Owen R. Roberts School District does not allow food related treats to be distributed for birthday celebrations. If you would like to send in something special for your child’s birthday, please consider sending in a book for the class, pencils, stickers, etc. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.