Eaton Family Newsletter

Dear Eaton Families,

Happy Fall Break! We will enjoy our Fall Intersession Break from September 18th through October 6th. Students return to school on October 9th. We wish all of our Eaton Olympians a safe and fun Fall break!

Rescheduled Fall Picture Day

Picture Day has been rescheduled for October 10th.

BOY Paperwork

All parents/guardians of NHCS students in grades 1-5 are required to complete the beginning-of-year paperwork using the Scribbles online system. The online system allows parents/guardians the ability to complete this process from their laptop, cell phone, or desktop computer. If the parent/guardian has moved, please update the address on the beginning-of-year paperwork and upload the new proof of residence. Students attending Eaton will need to select their zone/district school in order to complete the application, it will then be transferred to Eaton for processing. The beginning of year paperwork will close October 1st, 2023.

Click HERE for step-by-step instructions.

SAVE THE DATE: Fall Festival

Fall Festival will be on Friday, October 20th from 5-7pm and we are SO excited! This year, students and their younger siblings are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes if they choose. Please keep in mind that for safety reasons, we ask that no masks or props (weapons, fairy wands, sports balls, etc) be brought to the event. Children will need both hands free to play the games and no sharp objects will be allowed on the inflatable obstacle courses.

50/50 Raffle tickets for purchase will go home with students on Monday, October 9th.

Wristband order forms for purchase will go home with students on Monday October 16th.

We will need lots of volunteers to help make Fall Festival a fun and successful event for our students and families. A sign-up sheet will be shared closer to the event. Volunteer shifts are for 30 minute blocks of time.

We would love help from YOU! Please contact Gina Trent at glcabrales@hotmail.com if you are interested in any of the following:

Trunk or Treat. If you are interested in hosting a trunk or treat vehicle, we would love to have you! Use all your creativity to decorate your trunk for trick or treating - the PTA will provide the candy! Please plan to have an adult member of your family handing out candy for the duration of Fall Festival. If you would like to volunteer for this opportunity, please let us know by Friday, October 13th.
Spooky House. We would LOVE to have a spooky house experience for our Olympians! If decorating for Halloween is your jam, this would be a fun undertaking for you or with another family to host. Remember that we have elementary age school kiddos, so we don't want it too spooky Set up of the spooky house take place only on Friday, October 20th. Please reach out if you have questions. The PTA will be able to provide some supplies for this depending on your spooky house vision. If you would like to volunteer for this opportunity, please let us know by Friday, October 13th.
Finally, if you own a business or work for a business that would be interested in being a sponsor to our Fall Festival, please let us know! Sponsorships are $100. Your sponsorship donation will get you free business promotion via social media and signage around the school for parents to see! The donation will also help sponsor the refurbishment of Fall Festival games and prizes for the children. This is a great way to advertise your business and this sponsorship is also tax deductible. We love to support our Eaton families! Deadline for sponsorships is Wednesday, October 11th. This deadline will ensure we have enough time to get your business' sign made and will allow for advertising the week leading up to our Fall Festival. If you want to include your business logo, brand, etc, we'll need a picture in high resolution JPEG or Vector format.

SECU Art Display

We are excited to announce our collaboration with the State Employees Credit Union this year to exhibit student artwork. Feel welcome to visit the bank and look at your child's artwork! SECU always appreciates visitors and would love to have you there. Students, please be on the lookout for a note from Mrs. Parson regarding your artwork being displayed. She will notify those whose pieces have been selected. Artwork can be seen at the State Employees Credit Union, 2721 Northchase Pkwy SE, Wilmington, 28405

Student Device/Cell Phone Use at School

Eaton school policy states that student personal devices (cell phone, smartwatch, ipad. etc.) must remain off and in bookbags during the day and while on the bus.

Absence Notes

If your child is absent please send a note explaining the absence when they return to school. You are also welcome to email the teacher and copy our data manager @ lyndsie.hutson@nhcs.net. Absences without documentation will be coded as unexcused. Please reference the attendance document shared at the bottom of the newsletter for information on excused and unexcused absences.

Tardies

If you are coming to school from a medical appointment please remember to bring in your doctor's note in order to excuse the tardy. Although you may select Doctor/ Dentist Appointment in our check in system, without a note it will be marked as an unexcused tardy.

Due to the changes in school start and end times this year, students must be in class for 198 minutes a day in order to be counted Present. Late arrivals will need to be checked in by 10:58 am and present through school dismissal in order to be counted present. For early check outs students must be present from 7:40 am until 10:58 am to be counted present. If a student checks out and returns our system will calculate the time.

If you have any questions regarding attendance you may contact our Data Manager or School Social Worker.

Transportation Changes/Early Pick Up

All transportation changes (different than how your child normally goes home) must be submitted in writing.

If you need to pick up your child early from school, you must do so by 1:45pm. Please know that you will need your drivers license to sign your child out of school.

Car Drop Off/Pick Up Reminders

Traffic onto campus is at it's peak at 7:30am.There is very little to no back-up at 7:10am through 7:25am. We encourage our students to arrive to campus at 7:10am.

Please pull all the way up to the mailbox when unloading children. We ask that you do not leave large gaps in our car line. These steps will help us unload or load students quickly and efficiently.

We ask that parents do not exit their vehicles in the car line. If your child needs assistance we are happy to help. We also ask that parents not park and walk students to the front sidewalk unless you are checking your child in. Walking across our drop off line slows it down and creates an unsafe practice.

We kindly ask that our families follow all traffic laws and show kindness to others during drop off and pick up times. Parents enter our campus from three directions. We are fortunate that we have a traffic light to assist with traffic. Although NC law does allow us to turn right on red, we ask that you are mindful of those who are turning left on a green arrow or coming across at the green light on Netherlands Dr.

We have noticed in the afternoon that some parents are parking under the tree instead of pulling up to the vehicle ahead of them. This creates large gaps in our line, and makes our line longer. We ask that you please do not leave large gaps in our line. When you pull onto campus we ask that you follow the line of cars and do skip other cars unless you are coming into our building. Thank you for showing kindness to others.

Visitors/Volunteers

All visitors and volunteers must sign in and out at the front desk when coming on campus (both inside the building and on school grounds)
Parent lunch visitors must sit at the designated tables by the windows, and may only eat with their child (students may not bring friends to sit with them and their parents at lunch)
If someone other than the parent/guardian wishes to eat lunch with a student we must have permission in writing from the parent/guardian

All volunteers must complete these steps each school year:

Review Volunteer Orientation Presentation
Read the Volunteer Handbook
Complete the Volunteer Assessment with 80% or Higher (You may retake the assessment if needed)
Email Mrs. Allen, crissie.allen@nhcs.net, so she can verify completion and add you to our volunteer list

Level 2 volunteers must complete the steps above, and complete a Background Check application. Background checks are good for three years from the date they are cleared.

Room Parents must be Level 2 volunteers. Any parent who wishes to attend a field trip during the school year must be a Level 2 volunteer. Please plan ahead, as it can take up to two weeks for background checks to process.

Battle of the Books

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”― Dr. Seuss

Does your 4th or 5th grade child love to read? If so, they may want to participate in The Battle of the Books! We will have the first informational session for students on October 12th from 2:30- 3:15 in the Media Center. Students will practice after school on Thursdays starting in November. Please complete the attached form to give permission for your child to attend. We will have a battle at Eaton with all participants. We will then choose 6 students to compete in the New Hanover Battle that will take place during school on March 7th. Please click link for the Battle of the Books Permission Form Click Here

Please click the link for this year’s books: Click Here

Students are not required to read all the books before the first meeting.
If you have any questions, please contact:

Meredith Mitchell meredith.mitchell@nhcs.net

Kellie Shanahan kellie.shanahan@nhcs.net

Science Fair Information

Calling all scientists in grades 3-5! We have an exciting opportunity for you!! We are beginning to think ahead to the Science Fair which will take place on December 8, 2023. A great science fair project takes time and planning. The more time you spend in the beginning stages connecting with your “inner scientist” the more you will enjoy what you investigate because it will be something you are interested in learning about. In the end, your project will be awesome because your experiment is something you had fun discovering. Please complete the Science experiment/STEM application by November 3, 2023 to participate in the fair. This project will be done completely at home. If you need more information or help in completing your project, please review this slide show. For more information email kellie.shanahan@nhcs.net.

Media Center/ I.T. News

This year, NHCS will again use a program called Neptune Navigate to teach students about digital citizenship. The lessons for this online program will be facilitated by the media specialist Ms. Mitchell during students' I.T. classes. They will begin these lessons later in the school year. Please see the parent letter for more information, including a link to the district implementation plan for the 23-24 school year.

Updates from Transportation

2023-2024 De-Assignment Procedures:

In an effort to reduce late arrivals and departures to and from schools, students who do not meet ridership eligibility will be permanently de-assigned from Transportation. Students will have an opportunity to be reassigned in the Spring and the 24/25 School Year. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis when students inform Transportation of temporary situations such as illness, sports and club participation. Transportation eligibility includes:

students riding at least 3 times a week
parents following Pre K, K-2, and special education "meet at the stop" rules
students following safety protocols

Volunteer Information

All volunteers, both Levels 1 and 2, must complete volunteer training each school year.

All field trip chaperones must become a Level II volunteer, which requires a background check through NHCS. Background checks are good for three years. You can log into your account to check your expiration date, or contact Mrs. Allen. The NHCS background check system is linked below. Level 2 volunteers must also complete the orientation and assessment each year.

All volunteers must be at least 18 years old.

Level I

Parents, family, or community members volunteering to assist students in a supervised setting are not required to undergo a background check if they are continually supervised by school personnel during the school day.

Level II

Parents, family, or community members volunteering to assist students in an unsupervised setting away from school personnel are deemed Level II Volunteers. We also ask that all chaperones become Level II volunteers, as well as those interested in assisting in our media center and cafeteria at Eaton Elementary. An applicant designated a Level II Volunteer must complete the online application and the criminal background check. Applications must be completed at least two weeks prior to the time you wish to begin volunteering. The cost of background checks are $22.50.

Steps to Take to Become A Volunteer:

Review Volunteer Orientation Presentation
Read the Volunteer Handbook
Complete the Volunteer Assessment with 80% or Higher (You may retake the assessment if needed)
Level 2 Volunteers must also complete a Background Check application and pay $22.50
Email Mrs. Allen to let her know you completed the steps to become a volunteer

Eaton Volunteer Coordinator: Mrs. Allen, Assistant Principal

crissie.allen@nhcs.net

Updates from the PTA

Important Dates:

October 11 — PTA Spirit Night at Jersey Mike’s in Porters Neck (4 pm – close)
October 20- Fall Festival (5pm – 7 pm)
October 25 — PTA Spirit Night at Papa Murphy’s (12 pm – 8 pm)

Spirit Wear Order Forms

We are so excited to have several options for our Fall Spirit Wear! Please fill out this link to order and pay for spirit wear for the whole family! Be sure to check out our fun new items like our Eaton jibbetz! The deadline for these orders is September 24. Students will receive their orders when we return from Fall Break! Please reach out to Lara Pike at laragpike@gmail.com with any questions!

Please consider joining the PTA:

https://eatonwilm.memberhub.com/store

Eaton's PTA Website:

https://www.eatonpta.com/

Please see the September PTA Newsletter, attached below.