CES Weekly Update!
October 25, 2019
Principal's Message
Thank you for another great week! We look forward to seeing all of you who signed up for Bingo this evening! We had another fun week of learning. Some of our kindergartners worked with candy corn during fun numeracy activities, while some of our second-grade classes worked on a variety of STEAM activities in our Collaboration and Innovation lab! For all of you who are celebrating Diwali, we hope you have a great celebration! Speaking of celebrations, we cannot wait to celebrate Halloween next week!
What will Mrs. Leach and Dr. Penning be?! Look below at some of our student ideas! We hope you have a great weekend.
Dr. Adam Penning
Mrs. Ashley Leach
Halloween Update and Schedule
We will be celebrating Halloween in our classrooms on
Thursday, October 31st.
Kindergarten please bring your costume in a bag.
First and second-grade students please come to school dressed in their costumes and change after the parade/party. You may want to put the costume over the regular clothes, if possible. We will have the parade and party in the morning that day.
It is best if a simple version of the costume is worn, i.e., no make-up or pieces that would be difficult for a child to take off independently.
Please send in a bag labeled with your child’s name and the teacher’s name for him/her to bring their costume home.
Please do not send costume props that are replicas of weapons (swords, knives, guns) as they are not permissible in the school setting.
We would also appreciate your help in ensuring that gruesome costumes such as very scary masks, swirling blood etc. are not sent to school.
Due to limited space, the children parade inside the school for each other. Parents (with the exception of homeroom parents and classroom photographers) do not attend.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.
We look forward to a great Halloween party!!!!!
Happy Diwali!
WHAT IS DIWALI?
The celebration of Diwali begins this coming weekend. Diwali, or Deepavali, is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row(avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness.
Hindus interpret the Diwali story based upon where they live:
- In northern India they celebrate the story of King Rama's return to Ayodhya after he defeated Ravana by lighting rows of clay lamps.
- Southern India celebrates it as the day that Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura.
- In western India the festival marks the day that Lord Vishnu, the Preserver (one of the main gods of the Hindu trinity) sent the demon King Bali to rule the nether world.
In all interpretations, one common thread rings true—the festival marks the victory of good over evil.
Open House Parent Survey
GVSD Elementary families,
Thank you for joining us this summer for our August Open House. Last school year you provided feedback about your experience and we would like to continue gathering that input. We will use your input to improve this experience for your family and children to get to know our schools, staff, and programming. Please click here to share your thoughts.
Elementary Principals
This week's Concord Bedtime Story
Enjoy the story friends!
Important Dates
- 10/25 CES HSA Family Fun Night
- 10/31 Halloween Parties
*** Calendar Change***
American Education week will be:
Wednesday, November 13th - Kindergarten
Thursday, November 14th - 1st Grade
Friday, November 15th - 2nd Grad
Full Clubs
- Baton club
- Cooking and Kindness.
Roux, our therapy dog, is back!
Dear Concord Families,
We are excited that our CES Therapy Dog Program will continue this year! On Fridays, therapy dog Roux will be in the building. He will attend friendship groups, support students individually, visit classrooms by teacher request, and will be available for struggling readers. Any student that visits the guidance office during the time that Roux is “working” is welcome to say hello! However, if you prefer that your child not interact with Roux throughout this year, that is completely okay. We ask that you complete the form below:
HSA Update
KidStuff/SaveAround Coupon Book Sale has ended. No further sales will be processed at this time. If you still have a coupon book at home that has not been paid for, please return it back to school with your student or send $25 cash/check to school so that our HSA does not incur fees from the Coupon Book Company!
---------------------------------------
The Yankee Candle Fundraiser has ended. No further paper sales will be processed at this time. You can still shop online at www.yankeecandlefundraising.com and your items will be shipped directly to home! Just make sure to use the CES group number (99190630)! Thank you for your support for the CES HSA! We appreciate you!
---------------------------------------
Thank you so much to everyone who submitted a poster for our Book Fair. They are fabulous! A winner will be selected at random next week! The Scholastic Bookfair is coming soon! Join us on an Arctic Adventure. Books can be purchased during specified class shopping times, online, or at our Brrrrreakfast and Books events. Book Fair Student Shopping: 11/12 & 11/13 full days with 11/14 until noon. Parents can utilize a digital payment option by setting up an eWallet account. See the flyers that were sent home for more information. Brrrrrrreakfast & Books Family Event: Nov. 13th - K & 1st , Nov. 14th - K & 2nd – 7:45-8:30am. Families are invited to visit the Book Fair and grab breakfast before school! The cafeteria will provide a breakfast of muffins (blueberry or chocolate chip), apple slices, and milk or juice for $2 per person. You can pay in cash at the event. So we can prepare, please RSVP online with how many breakfasts you would like at https://bit.ly/2N3X3gw by Friday, November 1st. More information about online fair shopping coming soon!
---------------------------------------
Library sign-ups will be done electronically through Sign Up Genius. A link to the grade specific sign up is below. It will also be sent out via an e alert to parents/guardians. All library sign ups are now unlimited sign up slots per year for volunteer readers coming in. AM kindergarten http://bit.ly/CESLibraryAMKind2019 PM kindergarten http://bit.ly/CESLibraryPMKind2019 First Grade http://bit.ly/CESLibrary1st2019 Second Grade http://bit.ly/CESLibrary2nd2019 For additional details on library volunteer duties, please visit http://cransk.wixsite.com/ceslibrary/library-volunteers Please note you must have your clearances to volunteer in the library.
---------------------------------------
If you would like to be on the “general help” list for the HSA and have not received any of our signups yet, please email concordhsa@gmail.com. There are many volunteer opportunities including but not limited to mileage club, picture day, book fair, holiday shop, MLK day, and ice cream social. We welcome you as a volunteer even if you can only volunteer once for half an hour -- Every little bit helps. Please note that most general help volunteer opportunities require clearances. For additional information on how to obtain your clearances, please visit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OB4pBP0NGMrwxTX_lQTl3SZ2OjRiAVRp3Qc3poNjvw0/ edit
Transportation Information
InfoFinder-i provides online access to assist in finding your child’s bus number, pick-up/drop-off locations and times.
InfoFinder-i allows you to:
- Find your child’s designated bus stop;
- Find the estimated pick-up/drop-off times for your child’s bus stop;
- Locate which school your child would attend if you are planning to move.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to check InfoFinder-i periodically between August 15th and the start of school as pick-up and drop-off times may be slightly altered due to daily enrollment changes.
Please click here to access the site.
School Day Times for 2019-2020
Arrival Times
8:25AM - Car line drop off begins, breakfast begins8:40AM - Students report to homerooms (was 8:45 last year)
8:50AM - Car line ends
8:55AM - Students not in homeroom will be marked absent
Dismissal Times
2:50 - Office pick up ends
3:05 - Announcements start, students dismissed to car line, buses begin being called
3:15 - Dismissal ends
SCHOOL LUNCH INFORMATION
Children need healthy meals to learn. Garnet Valley SD offers healthy meals every school day. Costs are as follows: Breakfast at all schools is $1.70; lunch is $2.75 in the Elementary Schools, $2.95 at the Middle School and $3.10 at the HS. Your child(ren) may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is .30 for breakfast and .40 for lunch. You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application.
Visit www.schoolcafe.com for an online free and reduced application or use the link below.
Raptor Information
The Raptor system is used to enhance our ability to monitor who enters our buildings by screening visitors, contractors, and volunteers. Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit.
Please adhere to the following regulations:
1. Enter the building at the main office door.
2. Go directly to the office, sign in through Raptor and inform the school secretary of your
destination.
3. PLEASE DO NOT GO to any area of the building without receiving permission from the office.
4. Do not attempt to go to a classroom to pick up a child. Students who are being dismissed early
will be sent to the office.
5. Return the visitor badge at the conclusion of your visit to sign out.
Volunteer Clearance Information
Legislation in Pennsylvania requires community members and parents to obtain clearances in order to volunteer in our schools. If you have previously submitted your clearances to the Human Resources office, they are good for five (5) years from the date of the clearance.
Governor Wolf has waived the fees associated with the Pennsylvania State Police—Criminal Background Check and the Child Abuse History Clearance. Since the FBI clearance is a federal program, those costs still remain; however, the district has decided to permit individuals who have resided in Pennsylvania continuously for ten years or more to sign a certification form that saves the volunteer the expense of the fee, ensures compliance with the law, and allows the district to maximize student safety.
ELEMENTARY HANDBOOK & GVSD PROCEDURAL MANUAL
Voluntary Elementary Foreign Language Studies
Would you like your child to
learn SPANISH?
VEFLS (Voluntary Elementary Foreign Language Studies) will once again be offering Spanish classes which will begin the 3rd week of October at Concord Elementary School for KINDERGARTEN thru GRADE 2 for the 2019-2020 school year. Classes will be held 1x/week for a total of 20 classes. All classes begin at 8:05 AM and dismissal is at 8:45 AM. (SPECIAL NOTE: YMCA morning care kids can be brought down to classes!) Students then proceed directly to their homerooms. All classes are held in the Cafeteria. (Parents need to walk up and buzz their children INTO the building to ensure they get inside safely. You may momentarily park your car right out front in circle.)
Classes begin in October and usually end around April. We follow the school calendar so when there is a day off of school, we do not hold classes. Also, NO classes will be held the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Furthermore, if school is cancelled or delayed due to weather conditions, then classes will NOT be held. Make-up classes will be added on to the end of the year so that your child will receive the full 20 weeks of instruction.
The classes offer a fun and exciting way for your child to learn a foreign language. Games, activities, and music are used to keep the children engaged. To create an atmosphere conducive to learning, students will be expected to exhibit proper classroom behavior. (Should the need arise, disciplinary problems will be brought to the attention of the parents by the Director. VEFLS reserves the right to remove any student whose behavior becomes a detriment to the program. TUITION WILL NOT BE REFUNDED).
Class Choices
SPANISH for Kindergarten: Mondays (begins Oct.14)
SPANISH for Grades 1&2: Tuesdays OR Fridays (begins Oct.15 OR Oct.18)
Questions: KELLY GARDLER, Director/Spanish Instructor @ KGardler@Yahoo.com OR 610-717-2755
To enroll your child, simply fill out the bottom portion of this form and mail with payment ASAP. (Enrollment is on a first-come, first served basis.)
The cost of the program is $240 FOR THE YEAR. (*EARLY registration/before Aug 31 is $230, and *LATE registration/after Sept 30 is $250.) All materials are included and will be provided by the teacher.
Please make checks payable to: V.E.F.L.S., and mail along with bottom of this form to:
V.E.F.L.S., c/o Kelly Gardler, 22 Rockland Manor Rd., Garnet Valley, PA 19060
NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS
The new address for our school's website is https://ces.garnetvalleyschools.com/.
Concord Elementary School
Website: garnetvalleyschools.com
Location: 114 Station Road, Glen Mills, PA, United States
Phone: 610-579-6100
Facebook: facebook.com/ConcordElementarySchool-GVSD
Twitter: @ConcordGV