The Gator Guide
Gulph Elementary School - March 27, 2023
- From Mr. Dickerson -
Hello Gulph Families!
Thanks for checking out our first Gator Guide newsletter! Moving forward, I will use this site to regularly update you with important dates, school policy info, and exciting happenings at Gulph Elementary School and our district!
Ramadan Mubarak to all of our Gulph families who observe Ramadan! Ramadan is a month that exemplifies the Islamic values of gratitude, strengthening bonds of kinship, spirituality, and maximizing acts of charity. We recognized this special month by doing a virtual read-aloud with our Elementary Instructional Coach, Mrs. Overly. Be sure to read more about it in the "Classroom Highlights" section below!
I'd like to thank the parent volunteers of our Gulph PTC! This past Friday we kicked off our Scholastic Book Fair and next month we'll have our first-ever Family Bingo Night in the gymnasium. It's never too late to get involved with the PTC. Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 13th in the cafeteria and we hope you'll consider joining us. More information about upcoming events and our PTC below!
I hope you find this newsletter helpful and informative. If you need any additional clarification or have questions, please reach out to me at cdickerson@umasd.org.
Enjoy the upcoming Spring Break with your family,
Chris
Christopher Dickerson
Principal
Gulph Elementary School
- Save the Date -
At-a-Glance
March 30 | Family Book Fair Night, 5-7 PM, Cafeteria
March 30 | BMX Bike Stunt Show (Student-Only Assembly)
April 3-10 | Spring Break - Schools ClosedApril 14 | Family Bingo Night, 6-8 PM, Gymnasium
Click Here for our full-year calendar
Late Arrival to School
Children should leave home in time to arrive at school no later than 8:50 AM for attendance, lunch count, and school business. The instructional day begins promptly at 9:00 AM. Doors will not be open, and there is no supervision for students before 8:40 AM. If a child is late because of an emergency or other situation,he/she must bring a note explaining the lateness to the school office before going to the classroom. This note should be signed by a parent or guardian.
Early or Alternate Dismissal
Parents should try to avoid disrupting their children’s school day. If at all possible, do not make medical or dental appointments during school hours.
If it is necessary for a child to leave school early, he/she must bring a signed note or email to our attendance clerk, Ms. Johnson (bajohnson@umasd.org) and the classroom teacher explaining the reason. If you are not able to pick up your child personally, your note must state the name of the person authorized to do so. As a further precaution, all persons picking up children are required to come to the school office.
If you are changing your child's dismissal method for the day (i.e. from bus rider to car rider), please send a written note or email to Ms. Johnson and the classroom teacher. We will not change a student's dismissal routine without written confirmation from the parent/guardian.
Feel free to use the alternate dismissal form linked below.
Absence From School
If a student will not be in school on a particular day, the parent or guardian must call or email (bajohnson@umasd.org) the elementary school office between 8:00 AM and 8:40 AM to report the absence. You may leave a message on the school’s voice mail (610-592-2020). An automated call from our office will still be made to report the student's absence.
When a student returns after an absence, he/she must either bring a signed excuse note or send an email to Ms. Johnson (bajohnson@umasd.org) explaining the reason for the absence within three (3) days. If a note is not presented within this period, the absence will be automatically recorded as unlawful.
According to state law, all absences are unexcused except those caused by illness of the student, quarantine, death in the immediate family, impassable roads, or exceptionally urgent reasons that directly affect the student. If a student must be absent for any reason other than illness, contact the school office.
- What's Happening at Gulph -
Chompy Returns!
PBIS @ Home
We would like to introduce our new family version of PBIS you can use at home!
What is PBIS?
PBIS is an evidence-based approach to developing a positive school culture. PBIS is built on the premise that behavioral expectations must be: positively stated, clearly defined, taught directly, and systematically reinforced.
The PBIS framework supports students by explicitly teaching them expected behaviors and then provides reinforcement for these behaviors when they occur.
Home & School Partnership in PBIS Students are most successful when strong partnerships are formed between their home and school.
CLICK HERE to download our PBIS at Home resources!
Alpha Club's Gulph Madness
The Alpha Club is sponsoring "Gulph Madness". We are collecting canned goods/dry goods to support the Upper Merion Community Cupboard. Each grade is competing to see who can bring in the most goods. The winning grade will receive a prize! Please help support the Alpha Club in this venture by sending in canned goods for the Cupboard!
Scholastic Book Fair at Gulph!
The Scholastic Book Fair will be running until March 31, 2023. Each child at Gulph will have the opportunity to shop with their class for some new, fun, and exciting books.
We will have a Family Night on Thursday, March 30, 2023, from 5 pm until 7 pm, where students and their families are invited to come shop together.
Click Here for a link to our Scholastic website, E-Wallet (this can be used if you’d like to add money to an account for your student), and a Sign Up Genius if you’d like to volunteer to help.
*Please note: In order to volunteer you will need to have valid clearances on file with the school district. If you have any questions please reach out to Mary Bailer mbailer@umasd.org.
Thank you for all of your support in making our Scholastic Book Fair a success! Happy Reading!
BMX Bike Stunt Show! Student Assembly This Week!
Family Bingo Night at Gulph Elementary!
Gulph Elementary PTC is hosting a family Bingo evening in the gymnasium on Friday, April 14, 2023.
We will be providing a fun night for our families to come together and play Bingo, participate in our fundraising raffle, and enjoy socializing with friends. Doors open at 5:30 PM and Bingo runs from 6:00 - 8:00 PM.
We are encouraging everyone to pre-register before 3/31 and as an incentive, all that register in advance of 3/31 will be eligible for a separate raffle prize.
To pre-register, look for the paper form that will come home with your child today & send it along with payment into school OR use the link https://gulph-elementary-ptc-bingo-night.cheddarup.com and you can submit it online (additional fees may apply for credit card transactions).
We hope to see you there!
- Classroom Highlights -
Ms. Bradigan's Kindergarten Class
Mrs. Dworecki's 1st Grade Class
Music with Mrs. Langer
Kindergarteners are beginning Melody Bells in music and learning about high and low sounds.
Second Graders have begun the recorder and are earning their belts!
Enrichment with Mrs. Forcine
First Grade Excel researched, wrote reports and created life-size penguins from around the world.
STEM with Mrs. McDannell
[Left] Gulph Gators in grades first through fourth are currently working on the Cup Stacking Challenge. Students may only hold the string attached to a rubber band to move and stack the cups. Teamwork and communication are key in this challenge. Try this challenge at home!
[Right] It's March Madness in STEM! Students programmed the Dash robot to play "Dash-ketball."
[Bottom] Kindergarten students collaborated with a partner to build a bridge out of Keva Planks that a "boat" could fit under.
Virtual Read-Aloud with Mrs. Overly
The Spring Break Writing Challenge from Mrs. Hunter
- District News and Events -
- Useful Links -
- Gulph Contact Information -
Gulph Elementary School
Contact Information:
Principal | Mr. Christopher Dickerson (cdickerson@umasd.org)Admin. Asst. | Ms. Madeline Gussoni (mgussoni@umasd.org)
Attendance | Ms. Barbara Johnson (bajohnson@umasd.org)
School Counselor | Mrs. Missi Besz (mbesz@umasd.org)
Email: cdickerson@umasd.org
Website: umasd.org/gulph
Location: 650 South Henderson Road, King of Prussia, PA, USA
Phone: 610-592-2020
Twitter: @gulphedugator