News from the Nest
Principal Weekly Newsletter ~ Week of September 5, 2022
A Message from Mrs. Lucas
Dear Fern Drive Families,
This week our Scholastic Book Fair will be held in our school library. Thanks to our wonderful PTA volunteers, we will be able to have the Book Fair open before and after school Tuesday - Friday for 30 minutes. Students are welcome to bring money to shop in the Book Fair. I would encourage you not to send a large amount of money with your child if you plan to have them shop without you. You are welcome to enter the Fern Drive gate near the library to shop with your child during Book Fair hours. Thank you for supporting our Book Fair and helping to build your child's love for reading!
Thank you for taking time to read this weekly newsletter. Please let me know if there is information you'd like to see included here.
Have a nice and hopefully cool holiday weekend!
Mrs. Lucas
Go Falcons!
Upcoming Events and Calendar
- September 5th ~ Labor Day Holiday, No School
- September 5th - 9th ~ Book Fair in the library
- September 19th-23 ~ PARENT CONFERENCE WEEK
- September 26th ~ School Picture Day
~ SPIRIT DAYS ~
Every Wednesday is College Colors Day!
Every Friday is Green Day ~ wear our school spirit wear and/or green and white!
Parent Information/Education Nights
Character Trait of the Month ~ Responsibility
As parents, here are some things you can do to help your child continue to learn responsibility:
- Assign age appropriate chores at home
- Have students pick out their outfit the night before for the morning
- Have students share you their completed homework and pack their backpack at night
- Have students pack their snack or lunch the night before, if they're bringing one
- Have students participate in an act of giving, such as taking out an elderly neighbor's trash cans, cleaning a grandparents house, etc
Have a discussion with your child about how they can demonstrate responsibility and then be sure to acknowledge it when you see them being responsible.
Fern Drive PTA
Support your school spirit and fly high with 2022-23 Fern Drive Falcon Spirit Wear!
https://fern-drive.myshopify.com/
Pre-order ends Mon 9/5!
Please make sure to include Student's name + Teacher's name in the "Company" field during Checkout. Spirit wear will be delivered to your child's class in early Oct.
Use the QR code below to join our PTA: Membership is $10 and students classes are participating in a membership drive to be the winning primary or upper grade class by percentage of memberships in their class. Classes with the greatest membership will earn recess playground balls for their ball cart. Use the QR code below to easily join our PTA.
Getting involved: together is always better and benefits our kids! If you would like to volunteer for any of our PTA events, please reach out to one of our amazing Fern Drive PTA Board Members.
Fern Drive Foundation
Hello Falcons!
The Fern Drive Foundation for Education and Techknowledgey is thrilled to welcome you to the 2022-2023 school year! The Fern Drive Foundation is a volunteer organization made up of parents, teachers, and staff. Our foundation is dedicated to the successful education of our Falcon students. Last year with the help of Apex Leadership we helped raise over 21,000 dollars to help toward our school’s technology fund.
Fern Drive Foundation for Education and Techknowledgy helps create numerous forms of fundraising to give our Falcons the very best education technology available.
Welcome back Falcons, we’re so excited to learn with you. Keep an eye out for our upcoming meetings!
School Spirit Days
School Breakfast and Lunch
School Attendance and Absences
Here is a link to FSD guidelines as to when students should remain at home.
If your student is sick or needs to miss school, parents or guardians must call the school attendance line within 24 hours to report the absence. Any absences not cleared within five school days will become a truancy in the student's permanent record. Any time your child is seen at the doctor's office, please bring a doctor's note clearing the office.
Thank you for ensuring your child is in school every day they are well. Having your child at school daily, on time, sets that routine and foundation that school is a priority and an expectation, setting children up for a successful and positive school career. We are a team at Fern Drive. Please keep open lines of communication with your child's teacher, the office and Mrs. Lucas. Together, we can help our students be their best and reach their full potential!
Arrival and Dismissal Protocols and Rules
Falcons, our number one priority during arrival and dismissal times is SAFETY.
As a PBIS Platinum Award winning school, we all have a place in modeling and following our school expectations. We appreciate the role our parents play. Please follow the following rules and procedures to ensure our entire Falcon community is safe:
- Drive SLOWLY when on the surrounding streets and in our parking lot
- Please be free from cell phone distraction and keep your eyes on the road and sidewalks
- Follow the directions the staff have given to students regarding entering and exiting campus and where to walk and/or cross the street or parking lot
- If you park on the neighborhood side of Fern Drive, you MUST exit your car and walk across to meet your student. They will not be permitted to cross without an adult.
- Students in cars may ONLY exit their car when it has come to a complete stop and along the sidewalk in front of school. Students are NOT permitted to exit their car in the drive through lane; just the drop off/pick up lane.
- Students should have all belongings ready to go when parents pull up to drop off
- Cars entering the parking lot MUST exit on Pico Street. NO U-TURNS are permitted in our lot and cars are NOT permitted to enter via Pico Street.
- Parents must park in unmarked spots only. Parents are not permitted to park in the staff lot or the stalls marked for persons with disabilities, unless they have a placard. Please note that we do have families that have this placard and use these spots daily.
- Starting week 2 of school, we will be a closed campus meaning that only students and staff will be permitted through the gates before and after school Monday-Thursday. As has been our tradition, we will continue with our weekly Friday Assembly at 8:30 am on our upper grade blacktop. We will invite parents to join us for this assembly and then we ask that you leave immediately after the assembly ends.
- ALL TK and K parents MUST walk their students DAILY to the kindergarten gate at arrival for school. At the 2:30 pm dismissal, parents will MUST meet their student at the classroom door for pick up. *See the email from your teacher for addition clarification/instructions.
- Students in grades 1-6 can enter the campus through our Main Breezeway gate or the Fern Drive gate. Students going to The Lab before and after school will use the gate nearest The Lab (outside the MPR).
- Teachers will be teaching their students where to enter and exit the campus and sharing more specific information with you too.
Thank you for helping to create and maintain our safe, inclusive and caring school community by respecting and modeling for our students how to follow these very important rules and protocols. Go Falcons!
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