GRAND AVENUE NEWSLETTER
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
Grand Avenue Elementary
Attendance - 608/643-1991
Email: contact@saukprairieschools.org
Website: www.saukprairieschools.org
Location: 225 Grand Ave., Prairie du Sac, WI 53578
Phone: (608) 643-1900
MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL TRAUTSCH
Welcome Back! I hope everyone had a great summer break. We are looking forward to having all of you join us for another fantastic school year.
If you haven’t been to Grand Avenue in the past three months, you will be surprised to see our “new” building. Grand Avenue has always been a very clean, well-cared for school, but it received some cosmetic upgrades this summer. We have replaced the carpet and tiles in many locations in our school. We added a lot of color to our walls through a variety of different paint, and through the generous donations of our parent-group organization, we replaced our playground equipment. All of these changes give our school a very fresh, new feeling.
Our staff has been very busy this summer preparing for your child’s return. Our teaching staff have attended a wide variety of professional development opportunities that our school district offered while our custodial staff and administrative assistants have done an exceptional job of preparing our school for the beginning of our school year.
Just a few reminders:
-Start Time/End Time: We are beginning our school day each day with the first bell ringing at 8:00 and the second bell ringing at 8:05 while our end time is 3:05 for most bus riders and 3:10 for everyone else.
-Drop off time: Please do not drop your child off any earlier than 7:30. We do not have any supervision of students until that time.
-Drop off location: Just a reminder that when dropping off your child and/or picking them up, please do so on Grand Avenue. We reserve the parking lot for the school buses to drop off and pick up students. Also, when dropping off on Grand Avenue, please pull ahead as far as possible. This will allow us to best use the space we have in front of our building.
-Absences: We understand that there will be times where your son or daughter needs to leave school for an appointment. It helps immensely with our paperwork if you could bring in a note from the clinic, dentist, etc… in which you child was seen. It gives us more flexibility in contacting you regarding your child’s attendance when we have documentation of those appointments.
Finally, we look forward to having another great school year. Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns. The best way for us to help your child is by forming a strong partnership with each and every one of you.
Look forward to seeing everyone at our Back to School Night on Wednesday, August 31.
Craig
Main Entrance
Hallway in Front of Computer Lab & Library
4th Grade Hallway
Main Hallway Ceiling & New Lighting
Library
Library Window Seat
INJURY/ACCIDENT FORMS
GRAND AVENUE BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
Time: 2:30 - 4:00 pm
The 3rd grade classrooms will be doing a presentation beginning at 3:00 pm in their classrooms. You can stop in any time, but if you would like to hear the overall information presented by the teachers, stop in at 3:00 pm.
The 4th and 5th grade classrooms would love just for their students and parents to drop in with their school supplies, meet all of you, for the student to find their desk and locker and meet other students that are in their classroom.
If you have medication forms and medications to drop off for your child, office staff will be here to assist you with signing in those items.
See you on the 31st!
SCHOOL PERFORMANCE REPORT AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
If you are interested in receiving a paper copy of the School Performance Report, please call the District Office at 643-5984. A paper copy of the report will be sent to you after May 1st. The School Performance Report is also available on our website. You can also view statistics at anytime at the new Department of Public Instruction webpage, http://wisedash.dpi.wi.gov/Dashboard/portalHome.jsp.
AFTERSCHOOL TRANSPORTATION
If your child will have a change regarding someone picking them up, they are biking or walking home, the information can be sent in on a separate note or put in their assignment notebook. We do not need the dismissal change/bus request form filled out for these changes.
If you have questions, please contact the office. Thank you.
SKYWARD FAMILY ACCESS
Efunds for Schools is Now Mobile!
Open the link below on your mobile device and pay for lunch, fees and purchase any additional items Sauk Prairie School District has available on any mobile device. Registered EFS users can log in using existing account information. New Users select Create an Account from the mobile site to register. Please see the district website for a flyer and a guide located under Family Resources/Fees & Payments to assist you in setting up the application.
Link to add the application: https://payments.efundsforschools.com/v3/districts/55177/
NURSE'S DESK
Food Allergies
Pam Frey, RN School Nurse
Food allergies are becoming a more frequent health concern in our classrooms. As a result, parents notify teachers of their child’s allergies, and the teachers use that information to provide a safe snack list to be followed for the year in their classroom. We ask parents who received a safe snack list at the beginning of the year to monitor the shared snacks they are sending to their child’s classroom. If you are unsure, please contact your child’s teacher.
We also realize that many times children may want to share lunches and snacks in places other than just the classroom. For this reason, we are asking parents to talk with their children about the safety of this “sharing”. Please let your child know that some children could get very ill if they eat food that they are allergic to, and they may not even be aware that a certain ingredient that they are allergic to is in food accepted from a friend or acquaintance.
This same message may also be good to repeat when you are supervising a field trip as a chaperone. Remember, it takes a community to raise a child. Thank you for your help in this matter!
If you need access to a safe snack list, or have other questions, please contact me: Pam Frey, School Nurse pam.frey@saukprairieschools.org (608) 643-5509
GUIDANCE NEWS
Counselor Connection
Every year, many children start school with excitement of moving onto a new classroom, but for some children it can be a scary time. The beginning of the school year is a time marked with many new experiences. For example, a new teacher, new classmates, a new schedule/routine, a new school, new expectations, and possibly a new set of friends will need to be made.
During this adjustment time, children can display their feelings of being nervous, scared or worried by having physical symptoms, such as a stomachache, headache, irritability, crying and loss of sleep. However, some children will ask their parents, teacher, school counselor, or multiple adults in their lives for ideas about dealing with their feelings. In any case, it is important for those adults to listen to the child’s concerns. Even though the concerns may seem minimal to adults, any concern a child has is a big deal to the child at the time.
The counselor’s mailbox is available in all classrooms at Grand Avenue Elementary School and gives the students an opportunity to ask for help privately. If a student puts his/her name in the mailbox, the school counselor will meet with the student in a timely manner. The school counselor will listen to the student and teach him/her some problem solving techniques so he/she can use these skills in the future for other difficult situations. If these concerns are more serious than situational/developmental changes, she will contact the student’s guardians.
All classrooms will have guidance lessons in September: 3rd graders will review how to make and keep friends, 4th graders will practice cooperation skills, and 5th graders will learn assertiveness skills in decision making with peers.
In the past couple of years, we have added a “Ponder Parenting” section in the newsletter that asks a question or makes a statement about parenting from the book The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: A New Interpretation by William Martin. This section is meant for parents to reflect on their own parenting and ask some good questions about raising children. After reading this section, you are welcome to e-mail Miss Sadie your thoughts and have a discussion. We hope you enjoy it!
“Miss Sadie” (Sadie Sutter)
Grand Avenue School Counselor
(608) 643-1954
sadie.sutter@saukprairieschools.org
Ponder Parenting
If you expect to have perfect children you will be constantly disappointed and your children constantly frustrated. Your child’s behavior may displease you. It may be destructive. But it is what it is. It is up to you to understand it and use it for good for your child and for you.
(Martin, William; The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: A New Interpretation, 1999)
E-mail Miss Sadie if you have thoughts or questions about how to accomplish this task.
UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER
September 12, 2016 - District Office - 7:00 pm
September 26, 2016 - Tower Rock - 7:00 pm
PLC/Early Dismissal
Wednesday, September 21 - 1:30 & 1:35
Grand Avenue Events
Back to School Night/Supply Drop Off - Wednesday, August 31 - 2:30-4:00 pm
GSPIE Fundraiser Packets Sent Home - Wednesday, September 7
Picture Retake Day - Tuesday, September 20 - 7:30 am-9:30 am
LUNCH INFO
LUNCH INFORMATION
Lunch times at Grand Ave are: 3rd grade-11:15 am, 4th grade-11:40 am and 5th grade-12:00 pm. If there is a day that you would like to join your child for hot lunch, please phone the office by 9:00 am that day (643-1900) to reserve a hot lunch. You will need to stop at the office to pick up a visitor badge. The cost is $3.60 for a visitor lunch, which comes off your family account. Also, if you send in lunch money that is cash, in an envelope to be dropped off at the office, could you please make sure that the student’s name is either on the outside of the envelope or a note inside the envelope with the student’s name. Please click on link below to view this month's lunch menu.
Breakfast - Student - $1.60, Adult - $2.55
Lunch - Student - $2.50, Adult - $3.60
Milk - 35 cents
NEW FOOD SERVICE FEATURES
Food Service is excited to announce some NEW features in Family Access. You have the ability to access your child’s meal statement, key pad number and set an Ala Carte limit. When you are logged into Family Access, click on the Food Service tab. In the top right corner is the Meal Statement. To set an Ala Carte Limit, click on it and you can choose an amount to limit per day or do not allow Ala Carte Purchases. Please realize at the elementary level, students do not have the option to choose an ala carte option. So, if you want your child/children to be able to purchase just a milk, please do not block the ala carte option. If you have any questions please call Tammy at 643-5983.
GSPIE INFO
Below are some photos of the new playground equipment that GSPIE did major fundraising for over the last couple of years. It is very appreciated and thank you so much!
Cool Spiderweb
ATTENDANCE
If you call your child in with an illness, we would like you to please let us know the symptom/symptoms, i.e., a fever, sore throat, headache, cough, etc., that your child may have.
MEDICATIONS AT SCHOOL
For example, if your child suffers from migraine headaches, we will NOT be able to distribute medication to him/her without an AMA on file. The AMA form can be found on the District web site. In order for medications to be distributed, pills must be in a prescription bottle with proper labeling. Students may carry inhalers with them, however, an AMA form must be on file in the office.
If you have any questions regarding medication distribution, please contact Pam Frey, RN for the district at 643-5509.