CES Weekly Update!
February, 14th 2020
Principal's Message
Thank you for another great week! Although it was a short week, it was filled with a lot of energy! On Wednesday we celebrated our students of the month for flexibility and our 100th day of school! Wednesday night was filled with a ton of excitement as our online kindergarten registration went live! Our new and returning parents anxiously waited for the clock to hit 7:00 so that they could select their preference for AM or PM kindergarten. Do you remember that process?! Our week concluded yesterday and was filled with parties and activities as our little ones celebrated Valentine's day.
Many thanks to all of you who helped us with the festivities. We are so grateful! We wish you safe travels if you are getting away on this long weekend. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything at all. Have a great weekend!
Dr. Adam Penning (pennina@garnetvalley.org)
Mrs. Ashley Leach (leacha@garnetvalley.org)
Recess Weekly
Editor: Sofia N.
Reporters: Lauryn P. Lacy A. Becca M. Gianna D.
Playground Games
Today on the playground, lots of kids are playing tag. Tag is a game where you can run and tap someone and then they will be “it.” It is a fun game because you can go running around and try to hide, but it is hard because everyone is so fast. Be careful you don’t get tagged because then you are “it.”
Hopscotch is a fun game! You use a rock or a beanbag to toss on to the hopscotch board. Then you hop to the number your rock or beanbag landed on. It only goes to ten so you don’t have to hop too far! Once you get to your number, you pick up your rock and give it to the next person
Floor Is Lava! This is a game where the floor is lava and you can not stand on it. You can stand anywhere but the floor. You can stand on any part of the playground equipment or the rockwall. Playing Floor Is Lava is so FUN because it is really tricky!
Indoor Recess
Board Games:
The kids are playing lots of board games, like Connect 4, Sorry, and Jenga. Kids like Connect 4 because it is a very fun game. You have two players; one player has red pieces and one has yellow pieces. The goal of the game is to Connect four of the same colored pieces! Jenga is fun too because you have at least 5 players and you have wooden blocks stacked and you try to pull one out without knocking the tower over. Sorry is awesome because you can play with up to 4 friends. You pick up a card from the Sorry deck and move your pieces based on what the card says. The first to get all their pieces to their home WINS!
Legos:
Legos are amazing because you can get really creative with them. You can build whatever you imagine. The limit is your imagination! We thought of building Disney World with our Legos. It was very hard because we had no directions. We just imagined what our Disney World would look like and we built it! It had water rides and one was called Splash Mountain! You sit in a boat and go over a hill.
Weekend Weather
Heading into this weekend, you can expect some rain, some sun, and some clouds
Friday: Low 27o and a High of 56o - rain showers likely
Saturday: Low 26o and a High of 41o - mostly sunny
Sunday: Low 38o and a High of 48o - partly cloudy
Paper Towel Rolls!
Important Dates
- 2/17 President's Day (No School)
- 2/20 School Assembly
- 2/27 CES HSA Parent Night
A note from the School Counselors
2/14/20
A note from the School Counselors:
Hello and Happy Valentines Day! At Concord, we are here to support and provide services to ALL students. Some students might need an occasional check-in or regularly scheduled 1:1 time with the counselor. This can occur through student, teacher, or parent request. For “little deal” problems, we will work it out amongst the students and problem solve here at school. For bigger, or regularly occurring conflicts, we will communicate home to ensure there is full support and understanding throughout the child’s day. We are here to provide problem solving skills with any child; therefore, if a student reports a problem, and would like to work it out with a peer, we will plan a time to talk all together and develop a solution!
When working out a conflict:
All students get an opportunity to talk and be heard
Students share their “I statement”: “I feel ___ when...” or “I felt ___ because…”
All students share one thing that they can work on going forward
Have a wonderful weekend!
Erin W-Y
610-579-6182
Michele Ventura
610-579-6157
HSA Update
Oasis Family Fun Night
Join your pals for a night of friends, family, and fun!
Monday, March 16, 2020 6-8pm
$12 for 1 child, $24 for 2 children, $30 for 3 or more children in the same household
100% of ticket sales go to Concord HSA. Register at http://bit.ly/CESfun316.
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Save the date! On Friday, March 27, 2020 7:30-11:30pm, Concord Elementary Home and School Association is hosting our Annual Auction Fundraiser at Penn Oaks Golf Club. This year’s theme is Around the World. The proceeds from the auction will go directly to the renovation of the Concord Elementary School Library. If you are interested in helping to plan the auction, please email concordhsa@gmail.com.
Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/Concordauction2020.
If you own a local Garnet Valley business and would be interested in either supplying a donation or sponsorship, please contact concordhsa@gmail.com. You could donate a signature item, tickets or a gift card/certificate. During the event, we feature both a silent and live portion and your donated items will be prominently displayed at our auction. Additionally, your business will be recognized in our program and on our website. Or you could sponsor the Concord Elementary School Home & School Association Annual Auction. This offers you an opportunity to showcase your support of the school community and receive public recognition in the program, on social media AND on the night of the event — reaching our 200+ attendees and up to 750 school families.
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ADDITIONAL SLOTS ARE AVAILABLE!!
Return to your child’s library sign up to choose more slots for this year.
AM kindergarten
http://bit.ly/CESLibraryAMKind2019
PM kindergarten
http://bit.ly/CESLibraryPMKind2019
First Grade
http://bit.ly/CESLibrary1st2019
Second Grade
http://bit.ly/CESLibrary2nd2019
For additional details on library volunteer duties, please visit
http://cransk.wixsite.com/ceslibrary/library-volunteers
Please note you must have your clearances to volunteer in the library
Winter Mural Club
Baton Club and Drawing Club are both now filled.
Save the Date
Nurse's Update
Just a friendly reminder, students should not carry any medications throughout the school day. This includes over the counter or homeopathic remedies.
Please also have a plan in place in case your child becomes ill and needs to be dismissed from school. If your place of employment is greater than 30 minutes away please ask a friend or a family member to be available. Thank you.
Hearts to Home partners with our families to provide holiday meals and gifts for people in need. Please reach out to Mrs. Sareyka if you or someone you know in the community could benefit from some assistance during the holidays, or at any time of the year.
#concordcares
Roux, our therapy dog, is back!
Dear Concord Families,
We are excited that our CES Therapy Dog Program will continue this year! On Fridays, therapy dog Roux will be in the building. He will attend friendship groups, support students individually, visit classrooms by teacher request, and will be available for struggling readers. Any student that visits the guidance office during the time that Roux is “working” is welcome to say hello! However, if you prefer that your child not interact with Roux throughout this year, that is completely okay. We ask that you complete the form below:
Parent Education
Transportation Information
InfoFinder-i provides online access to assist in finding your child’s bus number, pick-up/drop-off locations and times.
InfoFinder-i allows you to:
- Find your child’s designated bus stop;
- Find the estimated pick-up/drop-off times for your child’s bus stop;
- Locate which school your child would attend if you are planning to move.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to check InfoFinder-i periodically between August 15th and the start of school as pick-up and drop-off times may be slightly altered due to daily enrollment changes.
Please click here to access the site.
School Day Times for 2019-2020
Arrival Times
8:25AM - Car line drop off begins, breakfast begins8:40AM - Students report to homerooms (was 8:45 last year)
8:50AM - Car line ends
8:55AM - Students not in homeroom will be marked absent
Dismissal Times
2:50 - Office pick up ends
3:05 - Announcements start, students dismissed to car line, buses begin being called
3:15 - Dismissal ends
SCHOOL LUNCH INFORMATION
Children need healthy meals to learn. Garnet Valley SD offers healthy meals every school day. Costs are as follows: Breakfast at all schools is $1.70; lunch is $2.75 in the Elementary Schools, $2.95 at the Middle School and $3.10 at the HS. Your child(ren) may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is .30 for breakfast and .40 for lunch. You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application.
Visit www.schoolcafe.com for an online free and reduced application or use the link below.
Raptor Information
The Raptor system is used to enhance our ability to monitor who enters our buildings by screening visitors, contractors, and volunteers. Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit.
Please adhere to the following regulations:
1. Enter the building at the main office door.
2. Go directly to the office, sign in through Raptor and inform the school secretary of your
destination.
3. PLEASE DO NOT GO to any area of the building without receiving permission from the office.
4. Do not attempt to go to a classroom to pick up a child. Students who are being dismissed early
will be sent to the office.
5. Return the visitor badge at the conclusion of your visit to sign out.
Volunteer Clearance Information
Legislation in Pennsylvania requires community members and parents to obtain clearances in order to volunteer in our schools. If you have previously submitted your clearances to the Human Resources office, they are good for five (5) years from the date of the clearance.
Governor Wolf has waived the fees associated with the Pennsylvania State Police—Criminal Background Check and the Child Abuse History Clearance. Since the FBI clearance is a federal program, those costs still remain; however, the district has decided to permit individuals who have resided in Pennsylvania continuously for ten years or more to sign a certification form that saves the volunteer the expense of the fee, ensures compliance with the law, and allows the district to maximize student safety.
ELEMENTARY HANDBOOK & GVSD PROCEDURAL MANUAL
Voluntary Elementary Foreign Language Studies
Would you like your child to
learn SPANISH?
VEFLS (Voluntary Elementary Foreign Language Studies) will once again be offering Spanish classes which will begin the 3rd week of October at Concord Elementary School for KINDERGARTEN thru GRADE 2 for the 2019-2020 school year. Classes will be held 1x/week for a total of 20 classes. All classes begin at 8:05 AM and dismissal is at 8:45 AM. (SPECIAL NOTE: YMCA morning care kids can be brought down to classes!) Students then proceed directly to their homerooms. All classes are held in the Cafeteria. (Parents need to walk up and buzz their children INTO the building to ensure they get inside safely. You may momentarily park your car right out front in circle.)
Classes begin in October and usually end around April. We follow the school calendar so when there is a day off of school, we do not hold classes. Also, NO classes will be held the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Furthermore, if school is cancelled or delayed due to weather conditions, then classes will NOT be held. Make-up classes will be added on to the end of the year so that your child will receive the full 20 weeks of instruction.
The classes offer a fun and exciting way for your child to learn a foreign language. Games, activities, and music are used to keep the children engaged. To create an atmosphere conducive to learning, students will be expected to exhibit proper classroom behavior. (Should the need arise, disciplinary problems will be brought to the attention of the parents by the Director. VEFLS reserves the right to remove any student whose behavior becomes a detriment to the program. TUITION WILL NOT BE REFUNDED).
Class Choices
SPANISH for Kindergarten: Mondays (begins Oct.14)
SPANISH for Grades 1&2: Tuesdays OR Fridays (begins Oct.15 OR Oct.18)
Questions: KELLY GARDLER, Director/Spanish Instructor @ KGardler@Yahoo.com OR 610-717-2755
To enroll your child, simply fill out the bottom portion of this form and mail with payment ASAP. (Enrollment is on a first-come, first served basis.)
The cost of the program is $240 FOR THE YEAR. (*EARLY registration/before Aug 31 is $230, and *LATE registration/after Sept 30 is $250.) All materials are included and will be provided by the teacher.
Please make checks payable to: V.E.F.L.S., and mail along with bottom of this form to:
V.E.F.L.S., c/o Kelly Gardler, 22 Rockland Manor Rd., Garnet Valley, PA 19060
NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS
The new address for our school's website is https://ces.garnetvalleyschools.com/.
Concord Elementary School
Website: garnetvalleyschools.com
Location: 114 Station Road, Glen Mills, PA, United States
Phone: 610-579-6100
Facebook: facebook.com/ConcordElementarySchool-GVSD
Twitter: @ConcordGV