We are rounding the final corner so fast! . This year is flying. Keep reading each night, practicing heart words (many are formerly known as sight words) to keep your child growing. Number recognition and math facts will also really help math skills flourish. We appreciate anything you can do at home to help your child to be successful! If you have any questions about what you can do specifically to help your child, reach out to your teacher.

May is the Month of...

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Better Hearing and Speech Month

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.

And do not forget Teacher and Staff Appreciation week May 8-12 (this includes all of our amazing teachers, TA's and support staff). This week also recognizes Nurse appreciation and Custodial Appreciation week.

We are currently collecting boxes of unopened cereal for fun activities during the last full week of May and will conclude with a Cereal Domino Rally on May 26th. See the video of another school that did it below. If you have some cereal boxes to donate, we would greatly appreciate it. All boxes will be donated to a local food bank upon completion of the activities.

Please help us by making sure that your child is in school and on time every day. Our school accreditation is dependent on our school attendance rate. Currently, we are still having an issue keeping our attendance rate down. We really need your help! If your child is running a fever or vomiting, please keep them home. Be sure to log into ParentVUE to report the absence. Otherwise, please have your child in school.

Note: Vacations are not excused absences. Notes for absences must be turned in within 4 days of the absence. I strongly recommend reporting it in ParentVue so you do not have to worry about if it was turned in.

Our Chronic Absenteeism rate is currently: 17% (it has improved!! Keep coming to school and it will continue to go down!!)

This means that more than 19% of our students have missed 10% of the school year to date. If your child has missed more than 10% already, please help us but ensuring they are in school. The more days they are in, reduces this number greatly. In the event your child is out for any reason, please reach out to the teacher to see if there are things they can work on (assuming they are well enough to work on it). If they are not well enough, please help them complete and return the items.

Our Tardy Rate is an average of 25 students each day

Please know that our school day begins at 7:35 am. That means we are beginning instruction. If your child is late regularly, they are missing instructions. Please do all you can to help your child be in the building, ready to go before 7:35. Tardies also include early dismissal. School ends at 2:04.

This month

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Teacher Appreciation Week May 8-12

Better Hearing and Speech Month

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

• Monday, May 1-: Level 3 lockdown Drill

• Wednesday, May 3- Teacher Workday- No School- Elementary Only

• Monday, May 8

• Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!!

• Wednesday, May 10

• National School Nurse Day

• Thursday, May 11

• Firedrill

• Thursday, May 18

• Interim Reports emailed home

• Friday, May 19

• Hawaiian Luau School Flip Day- Wear Tropical attire that is appropriate for school

• Thursday, May 25

• Brusso’s Birthday

• Friday, May 26

• Cereal Domino Rally

• Monday, May 29

• No School- Memorial Day

Virginia Department of Education definition on bullying. Bullying means any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma. "Bullying" includes cyber bullying. "Bullying" does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument, or peer conflict.

If you haven't joined our fabulous PTA, please consider joining! Click here to join.

• School begins at 7:35. Doors will open at 7:15 to begin drop-off. Please be sure that your child has their bookbag/lunchbox ready as you approach the drop-off location. This will make the line faster to ensure we get everyone in the building in time for school to begin. Once you have come to a complete stop, your child may exit the car on the passenger's side of the car.
• School ends at 2:04. We are actively preparing for the dismissal process at 1:50.
• Please be sure that your child and the teacher know how your child gets home every day.
• For the safety of our students, no transportation changes after 1:30. This is a Chesapeake Public Schools guideline this year.
• Kindergarteners: PLEASE have bus tags daily!
• Please do not line up outside for parent drop-off before 7 so that staff can get in the parking lot for the day.
• Please do not line up for Tiny Tiger pick-up prior to 1:30.
• Absences: Please be sure to log into ParentVUE to submit absence notes, you can send in a note or email Porttiger@cpschools.com within 4 days of absence. This is important because the absences automatically go unexcused without a note and an excused reason (illness, doctor). 5 unexcused absences lead to the beginning phases of truancy.
• Thank you so much for your assistance in helping our school day run smoothly!
  

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR KINDERGARTEN PARENTS: Your child will have a bus tag which will be placed on their backpack. The person picking the Kindergartener up from the bus stop MUST have the matching tag. Bus drivers do not have the ability to verify parent contacts so the card is the only way that they can verify the person is allowed to have that child. If no one has the card or can quickly get the card, the student will be returned to school for pick up and verification. This is a CPS policy and the driver MUST follow the policy. The policy is for your child's safety!

Here is some useful information regarding the newest approach to literacy instruction.