Greetings!

We are well on our way through the second quarter and we've got some wonderful and very busy weeks ahead of us. The support the community provided through the Jog-a-thon will provide our students with many opportunities to expand learning beyond the classroom. Many thanks to everyone who was integral in putting this fundraiser together.

This month, the PTA and Aurora Elementary are working in conjunction to put together before and after-school activities. Our staff will supervise these activities with students and PTA will provide the supplies and volunteer support. The before/after school activities will run for 5 weeks and some will be held only once per week and others will be twice per week. The cost will be a small fee to help run these programs and there will be a cap on the number of students that will be able to participate depending on the activity. Please see the information in this newsletter for more information.

If you have any questions or would like to give feedback, my office is always open. You can reach me by calling the front office at 907-742-0300 (please leave a message if I cannot answer your call right away) or by emailing me at jones_margaret@asdk12.org.

Thank you,

Margaret Jones

Principal, Aurora Elementary

November 24th & 245th - Thanksgiving Holiday - No School

November 28th & 29th MAP testing for all students in grades 3-6. Please make sure your children are well rested and at school on time. Make-ups will be held through the 9th of December.

December 9th & 12th - FastBridge assessments for K-6.

December 13th - Band and Orchestra Winter Concert 9:20 - 10:00 AM in the GYM/MPR.

December 15th - 6:30 PM Winter Concert - Come and celebrate with us during our Winter Concert. Aurora Elementary Choir will be performing songs.

December 16th - Aurora Elementary Choir performances at various locations around town and at JBER. Please contact Mr. Drake at drake_kyle@asdk12.org.

December 17th - Breakfast with Santa - more details to come!

December 21st - End of Second Quarter - Last day of school for students before Winter Break.

December 22nd - Last day for teachers.

December 22nd - January 8th Winter Break

Anchored 4 Life meet every 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 8:00 AM. Contact Amy Hollon at hollon_amy@asdk12.org or Liz Larson at larson_elizabeth@asdk12.org.

Battle of the Books meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:45 - 4:45. Contact Michelle Eicher at eicher_michelle@asdk12.org or Theresa Pajot at pajot_theresa@asdk12.org

Ping Pong for grades 4-6 begins November 21st. If you haven't turned in your permission slip yet, please do so. This activity will be from 8:05 to 9:05 either Monday OR Wednesday. For more information, please contact Mr. Dahl at dahl_eric@asdk12.org.

iReady Learning Path for grades K-2 begins November 21st from 3:45 to 4:45 on Mondays AND Wednesdays. For more information, please contact Ms. Bragg at bragg_amy@asdk12.org

• All afternoon activities will start at 3:45 and will end at 4:45 with pick-up no later than 5:00 PM. Morning activities will start at 8:05 and end at 9:05 with no early drop-off due to supervision.
• If the student is picked up late 2 times, the student will be withdrawn from the activity and no refund will be given.
• All students in the activities must be a student of Aurora Elementary and be in good standing.
• ASD and Aurora Elementary's behavior expectations will be followed at all times and a student who violates our behavior expectations may be withdrawn from the program. No refunds.
• The program will run for 5 weeks and may run for either one or two days per week, which would be program dependent.
• Fees for the program will be determined based on the cost of supplies, the number of sessions (5 or 10), and if there is a student cap.
• Parent Volunteers for each activity will be needed to help - especially for the outdoor activities.
• Programs may be capped for a certain number of students. The student cap for each activity will be determined by space available, length of the program, and cost to run the activity.

For more information on these activities or if you would like to supervise/volunteer for an activity, please contact Aurora Elementary PTA at AuroraElementaryPTA@gmail.com.

Please make sure your child has:

Winter Jacket

Gloves

Snow Boots

Snow Pants

Warm Hat (not required if the jacket has a hood.)

Please make sure to label your child's gear with their name (first name and last initial) and preferably their grade. We have a large amount of gear in our lost and found - if your child is missing any gear, please come in and check our lost and found. A great way to keep gloves with your child is to braid long strands of yarn, feed the braid through the arms of their jacket, and attach the gloves to the braided yarn. Now when your child takes off their gloves they will hang from the sleeves instead of dropping to the ground.

Recess expectations include:

• There is no play fighting. Students are to keep their hands to themselves and they are not to wrestle or ask others to play fight.
• Students need to sit on the swings, no twisting, swinging upside down, or jumping off.
• Students need to slide down the slide, feet first and not climb up.
• Students are not allowed to climb over the railings or jump off the play structure.
• Students must follow the directions of the noon duties at all times.

Now that snow is on the ground, we have been instructing students on the use of our sledding hill. Expectations include:

• Climb up the hill on the sides.
• Slide down on your bottom, feet forward (not on your knees).
• When you get to the bottom, move out of the way quickly so others can slide down.

Bus Safety expectations include:

• Stay seated in your assigned seat at all times.
• No moving while the bus is in motion.
• Keep your backpack and/or instrument in your lap.
• No eating on the bus.
• Do not throw items on the bus.
• Windows stay closed unless the driver gives permission for them to be down.
• Keep the noise level down so the driver is aware when there is an issue and especially at railroad crossings.
• Get off at your regular stop.
• Report all safety concerns immediately to the bus driver.

• Cafeteria Manager - 5.5 hours

If you are interested or know someone who is, please go to ASD's Talent Management Page.