East End Elementary News
August 22, 2022
Dear East End Families,
Dear East End Families,
We continue to have a great opening! Thank you for your support! This edition of East End Elementary News highlights important details about upcoming events at East End including our Pup Tales program on Wednesday, August 31st, our School Improvement Council Elections this week, our PTO Spirit Wear order, and our new efforts to encourage on-time arrival to school along with other information to assist you. We are repeating some items from the past weeks for your review again this week, as needed. We will include a link to former editions of East End Elementary News in this week and future editions for your quick reference.
Our district is asking us to focus on student attendance this year. Please help us by having your child to school each day. Research has shown that for every day a child misses in school, there is a 2 1/2 days gap in learning. Our district is asking us to determine on August 31st all students who have missed two unexcused days in school. Students, who by this date, have missed two unexcused days in school are on the track of being considered chronically truant for the school year. Your help in working towards solid school attendance is greatly appreciated.
If you have questions about anything including in this week's edition, please do not hesitate to call the school.
As always, thank you for your support of East End Elementary.
Have a great week!
Tammy Day, principal
Hat Day - Friday, August 26, 2022
No Tardy Party Extra Recess
Published To East End Families Via E-mail On August 21, 2022
In an effort to encourage student arrival to school on time and also to reward students with no unexcused tardies each nine weeks, we will hold a “No Tardy Party Extra Recess” at the end of every nine weeks for each grade level. Excused tardies such as doctor appointments will not count. We are encouraging all students to arrive on time to school resulting in no tardies. All who have no tardies starting tomorrow, August 22nd through the end of the first nine weeks, on October 5th will be invited to a “No Tardy Party Extra Recess” with a treat. Again, excused tardies will not count for times such as a visit to the dentist. We hope all students can join us for this special recess! Let’s start tomorrow with “No Tardies.” The homeroom with the best record for no tardies will also receive an additional recognition from the administration. Tardies to school result in delays with instruction for your child and his or her teacher. Thanks for your help in arriving to school on time. It makes for a difficult start each day for the teacher when he/she has to repeat the start of the day for those arriving late. Thanks for your help with this! We’ll schedule a separate time for each grade level. We are eager to celebrate at the “No Tardy Party Recess” in early October after the nine weeks ends on October 5th. We have lots of tardies already accumulating at this early point in the year. We are starting fresh with everyone tomorrow. We hope all students will have no unexcused tardies for the rest of this nine weeks.
Thanks for your help with this!
Come to Pup Tales on Wednesday, August 31st at 11:00 a.m. - All Children Ages 2 and Up Who Have Not Started School Are Invited To Join Us
The QR Code in the flyer above along with this link has a video explaining our Pup Tales times with the preschoolers. Please watch this for more details.
https://watch.screencastify.com/v/J5929Rpl9S4idbJNZpIm
We are very excited about our first time with the Preschool Pages this year! Hope to see you there!
East End Spirit Wear Order
Donations Need For Our Art Program - See List Of Items
School Improvement Council Voting
Natalie Anders
Sharetta Bufford
Tonya Burgess Bovain
Kathy Carter
Donna Usery
Please use the ballot at this link to submit your votes for 2 of the parents nominated to serve as your representatives on the East End School Improvement Council. Voting ends on Friday, August 26th at 3:00 p.m. Please be sure to share you votes with us!
School Improvement Council Ballot:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJ5jol_ZNU0fmuj7ibT6G1dRtKTkFdSIUv6uSOfYLzRJPFLg/viewform
The information below was shared in the earlier editions of East End Elementary News. The nominations are closed. We share this information for you.
School Improvement Council Nomination Ballot 2022-2023 School
Each year schools across South Carolina hold an election for the School Improvement Council at the school. While there are other booster organizations in each school, such as our PTO-Leadership Team, the SIC is a group that is mandated by legislation to offer support, advice, and input to the school administration and instructional team about our work in ensuring that we are offering the best program possible for our students. Our SIC will meet on Friday mornings at 8:15 on the first school Friday of each month. If you are interested in serving or know of someone who might be interested, please let us know. We need you! It is time to elect at least two new parent representatives to join the SIC. We need you!
We have some amazing members who have moved to middle school with their children. So, we need to elect new members to serve in their place. Our roster of parents remaining on SIC include:
Kelli Bray
Artis Buford
Joy Gibson
Chad McMahan
Valerie Chisom
Ginny McJunkin
Merry Lebo
D. Shannon McKinney, Chairperson
Ashley Keating
Erin Nutz
Breann Szmurlo
Please nominate parents, guardians, grandparents or community members to serve. Our meetings will either be via Webex or socially distanced this year, as procedures allow. We are looking forward to a wonderful year with the EEE SIC. Please share your nominations by Monday, August 15th. The elections will take place the following week. In advance, thanks for your nominations. Please send your nominations to TammyDay@pickens.k12.sc or return this ballot by your child to the EEE Office by Monday, August 15th. You can nominate yourself or another parent you feel will be a great representative for our SIC. We hope you will consider joining us! It is a great way to support our school and also give input about what we do! (Parents, grandparents, guardians and community members are all welcome to be a part of our School Improvement Council!)
Nominee’s Name_____________________________________________________________
E-mail_____________________________________________________________
Phone_____________________________________________________________
Address__________________________________________________________________You can nominate someone else or nominate yourself. Our SIC has been a vital force in helping to guide our school.
East End's Misson and Beliefs
Mission
Excelling in Academics
Encouraging Character
Embracing the Community
Seeking Success for all Students
Beliefs
Students are our first priority and are given equitable educational opportunities.
Education is the shared responsibility of parent, child, and teacher.
Learning and education must be life-long in order to prepare students for a successful future.
All people can learn and contribute to society in a unique and valuable way.
Cultural diversity promotes full development of the individual and society.
Technology Fee for K5 - 5th Graders
The technology fee this year for students is $25.00 per student that can be paid on MySchoolBucks.com. Under the East End access, choose School Store. Under this school store, you will find the place to access paying the Technology Fee. Students in K5 and 1st grade will be issued a tablet and students in 2nd - 5th grade will be issued a Chromebook. Electronic devices will be issued to the students after the technology fee has been paid. Below is information copied from the SDPC Website about Tech It Home.
Tech It Home Overview
This year all students will be issued a device. Students will do their work and access many of their textbooks through the devices this year. In order for your child to receive their device, the following must be done.
1. Required: Parents and students read the Tech It Home Handbook and view the Tech it Home Parent Guide
2. Recommended: Students read the Tech it Home Handbook and Tech it Home Student Guide
3. Required: Pay the yearly $25 fee. This applies to students in traditional SDPC classes and Pickens County Virtual Academy.
COVID Information - Reporting Student Positives for COVID
What if my student is Positive for COVID-19?
A Positive COVID-19 test for a STUDENT must be reported on the Google Form as detailed below.
Any SDPC student that has tested positive for COVID will need to enter their information on the SDPC Student COVID Reporting Form.
· Please answer all the questions about your student's COVID circumstance.
· Please, do not send your student to school until you have heard from someone at the school. (this will be during work hours)
· Once the positive test result is reported, someone from the school will be back in touch with you with your student’s return to work date.
SDPC Student COVID Reporting QR Code
Join Us Each Month For Our EEE PTO Meetings
Upcoming Dates
Friday, August 26, 2022 - Hat Spirit Day
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. - Pup Tales - (Preschool Pages Program at East End for all children ages 2 and up who have yet to enroll in school. Hope to see you there. Please RSVP to Kyle Stelling, Reading Coach, at 397-1761 or KyleStelling@pickens.k12.sc.us
Friday, September 2, 2022 - Stuffed Animal Spirit Day
Friday, September 2nd at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Monday, September 5th - School Closed - Labor Day Holiday
Tuesday, September 6th - School Holiday
Wednesday, September 7th - Professional Development Day for Faculty - No School for Students
Thursday, September 8th - Students Return To School After Labor Day Extended Holiday and PD Day for Teacher
Tuesday, September 20th at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria
Tuesday, September 20th - Open House 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 20th at 5:30 p.m. - Volunteer Training In Cafeteria
Friday, October 7th at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Monday, October 11th - School Holiday
Tuesday, October 11th - School Holiday
Thursday, October 13th - Parent Conference Afternoon 3:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 18th at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting In Cafeteria
Wednesday, October 19th - School Pictures Made
Friday, November 4th at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Tuesday, November 7th - Election Day - School Closed
Tuesday, November 15th at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria
Monday, November 21st - Friday, November 25th - School Closed - Thanksgiving Holidays
Thursday, December 1st - Make-Up Picture Day for School Pictures
Friday, December 2nd at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Monday, December 5th - Friday, December 9th - African Drumming Artist In Residence, Susan Natale, For 5th Grade
Tuesday, December 13th at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria
Monday, December 19th - Friday, December 30th - School Closed - Christmas Holidays
Monday, January 2nd - Professional Development Day - No School For Students
Friday, January 6th at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Monday, January 16th - Martin Luther King Holiday - School Closed
Tuesday, January 17th at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria
Friday, February 3rd at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Monday, February 13th and Tuesday, February 14th - Digital Learning Make-Up Days
Tuesday, February 21st at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria
Friday, March 3rd at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Monday, March 13th and Tuesday, March 14th - School Holiday
Wednesday, March 14th - Professional Development Day - No School For Students
Tuesday, March 21st at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria
Tuesday, April 4th - Spring Pictures Made
Friday, April 21st at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Friday, April 7th - Digital Learning Make-Up Day
Monday, April 10th - Friday, April 14th - Spring Break Holidays
Tuesday, April 18th at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria
Friday, May 5th at 8:15 a.m. - School Improvement Council in Mrs. Byars' GT Classroom
Tuesday, May 16th at 8:30 a.m. - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria
Thursday, May 25th - Half-Day
Friday, May 26th - Half Day - Last Day of School
Friday, May 26th - Last Day of 2022-2023 School Year
Neon Spirit Day
Calendar for 2022-2023 School Year
Volunteer Training At Meet The Teacher - Be Sure to Train Early To Be Able To Volunteer
Free and Reduced Lunch Applications - Be Sure To Apply Prior to School Beginning
Free and Reduced LUNCH Applications for 2022-2023 - Please Be Sure To Apply So Your Child Will Be Prepared for Free or Reduced Lunch When School Begins
Over the past two years, SDPC has been able to provide free meals to our students due to the USDA waivers associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This federally funded free school meal program is no longer available beginning the 2022-2023 school year.
If your student qualifies for free or reduced meals, they can still receive them next year, but you MUST TAKE ACTION to make it happen.
To learn more about eligibility and the free and reduced program, visit: www.sdpcnutrition.com
To apply now, visit: https://bit.ly/3afH7Yd
If you have any questions, please contact our Student Nutrition department : (864)397-1167 or
After The Bell - Afterschool Program For K5 - 5th Grade
Dear East End Parents,
We will offer a late stay at East End called “After the Bell” each afternoon from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. that is available for students K5 – 5th grade for parents who wish to sign-up your child for this opportunity. Students can attend from 2:30– 4:00 each day they are in attendance at school.
Mrs. Kimberly Morgan has agreed to serve as our After the Bell Director. She will be great! She has prior experience at Christ Church and Montesorri in Greenville. She will be our fulltime substitutes at East End. In addition to being our full-time floating sub, she will also lead our After the Bell Program. When you come to East End for your individual “Meet the Teacher” times on July 28th, there will be sign-up forms available for you with your child’s teacher. Cost is $5.00 per day or $25.00 per week. Payment for each week should be received ahead of the week and paid through MySchoolBucks. We will not be able to take checks or cash for this participation. Payment must be made prior to attending each week.
Registration forms will be available with your child’s teacher during your “Meet the Teacher” times. Students must be picked-up no later than 4:00 p.m. daily as district procedures only allow for a Homework Center through 4:00 p.m. daily.
Once you complete your registration, we will share the information about payment with MySchoolBucks as well as pick-up information for each afternoon.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call the school. We are looking forward to a great year and are thankful that we can offer this After the Bell later stay program for families who may need this service.
See everyone soon!
Tammy Day, principal
After the Bell Letter https://5il.co/1epqt
After the Bell Enrollment Form https://5il.co/1epqu
(Copies of both forms are available in the school office and will also be available at Meet the Teacher. Students must be registered prior to the first day of attendance in order to participate. Payment to MySchoolBucks must also take place prior to the first day of attendance. Thank you!)
Arrival And Dismissal Information
We are very excited about our opening day with students on Tuesday, August 2nd! It is difficult to place in words how thrilled we are to be opening our doors to our precious students. We hope the time in the upcoming “Meet the Teacher” appointments on July 28th will be very helpful. Lots of information has been shared via apptegy messages to each of you and we will continue to keep you informed.
Our doors will open at 7:30 a.m. each morning to welcome all our students back to school on August 2nd. Arrival is between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Students will go directly to their classrooms as soon as they arrive. Faculty members are on duty to assist with unloading as well as walking students to their classrooms, as needed.
One big change with our arrival this year in adding the new 3K and 4K classes is offering the parents of the students the opportunity of pulling to the left of the arrival line and parking in the parking lot to unload your child and walking them to the crosswalk to be assisted by the faculty member on duty in crossing towards the front entrance. If students are not able to unbuckle their seatbelts by themselves, we ask that parents in 3K and 4K pull to park and walk your child to the crosswalk. This will keep our arrival line flowing and also allow for the safe arrival of our newest students in K3 and K4. All parents are welcome to walk their children in on the first day of school, but we ask that you unload in the arrival line for K5 – 5th grade and K3 and K4 parents walk their child to the front entrance. We have faculty as well as safety patrols and bulldog buddies who will assist all of our students getting to the classroom. After the first day of school, we ask that students go to the rooms on their own with the support of faculty members on duty as well as safety patrols and bulldog buddies. For safety reasons that require all visitors to check-in at the office, we are adding extra assistance in the hallways to allow all parents the opportunity of accompanying your children to their classrooms for the first day only.
2:30 p.m. – School bus riders will be dismissed by buses at one bus at a time in our bus loop
2:33 p.m. – Day care vans and buses will pick-up our students.
2:33 p.m. – Gate students (K3,K4, K5,1st – 5th and preschool) will be called through our dismissal system (each student’s number will be displayed on the classroom PolyVision Board for the teachers and students to see as the parents arrive to the gate.) Students will not be sent to the gate area until an adult arrives with a car tag, shows the car tag to the East End faculty member on duty, and then the child will be dismissed to the gate area. Students in 3K, 4K, 5K, preschool and Mrs. Pitts Behnke’s class will be accompanied by an adult to the gate area. The gate area will remain an option for dismissal this year to help our families. However, it will only be an option from 2:33 – 2:38 p.m. daily. Anyone picked-up after 2:38 p.m. must go through the front dismissal loop for grades K5 -5th grade as well as for the preschool class and Mrs. Behnke’s class and the back bus loop for K3 and K4 dismissal loop.
Parents who use the gate option will park in the gravel lot, walk over to the gate area and hold their car tag number up for the faculty member on duty. Numbers will not be taken until we begin at 2:33 p.m. each day. Please remain in your cars in the gravel parking lot and walk over beginning at 2:33 p.m. Your cooperation with this is greatly appreciated!
2:35 p.m. – Students for front loop dismissal (grades K5 – 5th along with any remaining preschool students in Mrs. Brown’s class and Mrs. Behnke’s classroom.) Students in K5 – 5th grade along with Brown and Behnke will also be called to the dismissal area once the adult arrives in our front loop by displaying the car tag. We have a huge favor to this request. Please do not plan to arrive on the school campus until 2:30 p.m. Those parents who arrive early and pull throughout the front loop will cause for a huge delay with our calling the numbers. Parents may not walk-up for dismissal. Parents will be assigned a colored cone area to pull down to for their child. Students will receive a color cone assignment from the display on the PolyVision Board in the classroom. As students exit the building, they will go directly to the colored cone to meet their parents. So, it is important for all parents in the car loop to pull to the cone color given to them as they arrive. That is where you will meet your child in the car loop.
2:35 p.m. – Dismissal begins in the bus loop for K3 and K4. Parents/guardians are asked to enter off South C Street onto Woodland Circle and enter the bus loop for kindergarten dismissal. Students will also be called to this loop via the display of the car tag as cars arrive. Our biggest back log of traffic every year is for parents/guardians who use this dismissal loop and line-up to wait prior our buses and day cares arriving. Officer Cheeks will be assisting us as we ensure that the bus loop and Woodland Circle has no cars in line waiting until buses and day cares have picked-up. Parents using this loop are asked to not arrive until 2:35 p.m.to arrive at the school. This will allow our buses and day care vans to be loaded and enroute to their destinations without disruption and delays due to vehicles blocking them on Woodland Circle. All K3 and K4 students are dismissed only from the kindergarten loop. Older siblings and those who ride home with kindergarteners will dismiss from the kindergarten loop, as well. Parents who pick-up their children in the K3/K4bus loop will also receive a color designation for the poles in the dismissal loop to pull down to for meeting their children. Students will meet their parents or guardians at these colors. Siblings of K3 – K4 will dismiss to their sibling’s room in K3 and K4 at 2:30 to be paired with them in time for the dismissal. Older siblings will be dismissed from the back bus loop with their younger K3 or K4 sibling.
Our goal is to finish the front loop dismissal and the kindergarten dismissal by 2:45 p.m. daily. We cannot do this without your cooperation. If you have any questions, please call the school. Our faculty will be working hard each day to make this work. Your cooperation in arriving at the times noted for your child’s dismissal will be greatly appreciated. We anticipate a delay on the first days of school as our families learn the routines. In advance, thank you for your cooperation. We are doing all of these measures to protect your child.
Please refer to the maps and diagrams about arrival and dismissal. We are looking forward to an amazing year. Our faculty is so very excited to welcome everyone back to our first day of school. Please remember that the first few days of school result in delays with arrivals and dismissal as everyone learns the new procedures.
We know that dismissal on the first day of school is always longer than what becomes our regular routine. However, with the help of everyone, we know our procedures will ensure the safety and well-being of all our precious students. We appreciate your cooperation.
The two areas of change for parents who are accustomed to our former arrival and dismissal procedures will note that K3 and K4 parents will park to help their child unload from their car seats to walk them to the front crosswalk and K5 students will dismiss from the front dismissal loop starting this year due to the volume of students added to our back bus loop dismissal. We are thrilled for the new programs. These changes will help to ensure the safety of all and help to keep our lines moving with a smooth flow of traffic for everyone. Please note the first few days will be tough. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!
If you have any questions, please call the school at 397-1700. We will be glad to assist. We are looking forward to an awesome year! It is my hope that this information will assist each of you with arrival and dismissal.
See you at Meet the Teacher on July 28th. See everyone on the first day of school on Tuesday, August 2nd!
EEE Traffic Model 22/23 https://5il.co/1epq6
Traffic Flow Map https://5il.co/1epq7
EEE Morning Traffic Loop Diagram https://5il.co/1epq8
EEE Morning Traffic Loop Diagram 2 https://5il.co/1epqa
Sign-Up For Bus Transportation
Information about Bus Riders
Need Bus Transportation during 2022-2023? Register Here!
If your student plans to use the bus this year, please fill out the 2022-2023 Student Transportation Form at the link below. This will help transportation plan for routes prior to the beginning of school.
· 2022-2023 Student Transportation Form - https://bit.ly/3afH7Yd
Please send individual questions regarding bus transportation to aaronboyles@pickens.k12.sc.us or monicacox@pickens.k12.sc.us
Accidental Insurance Option For Parents To Purchase
Additional Accident Insurance that can be purchased by the parent.
The K&K Voluntary Policy is a parent-paid policy which can be purchased to help supplement medical expenses in addition to the primary insurance and the district policy. This is a very inexpensive way to provide some additional benefits for someone that does not have any insurance or for a parent that has a child that plays sports or participates in activities that could lend itself to additional risk. Please see the 2022 K&K Voluntary Student Accident Insurance Flyer for more information and how to enroll.
Additional Accident Insurance Information: https://5il.co/1epjr
Claim Form For Additional Accident Insurance If Purchased: https://5il.co/1epjs
Life Skill Leaders of the Week for August 8th - 12th
Life Skill Leaders of the Week for August 15th - 19th
Update Your Child's Information In Registration Gateway
If you have not updated your child's information in Registration Gateway, please be sure to do so this week. We need current information on all our students and depend on your help in updating the Registration Gateway.
Please click here to access the Back-to-School Gateway. (or cut/paste this URL: https://update.pickens.k12.sc.us/login )
You can also access the Back-to-School Gateway from the SDPC website by clicking on the "Enroll" button at the top and going to the “Online Registration” link. Then select the Back-to-School Gateway page.
We are looking forward to a wonderful year! Hope you can join us for Volunteer Training on July 28th at either 1:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. Thanks for your help in updating your child’s information in Registration Gateway. An e-mail was sent from the district to each of you with your child’s log in information for updating Registration Gateway. If you need assistance in help, please call the school at 397-1700. Mrs. Joy Gibson, data entry clerk, can assistLink to August 15th Edition of East End Elementary News
The Silva Family Donates To East End
Celebrating Our Amazing East Enders!
Check out the East End Facebook Page for Updates And Information
Be sure to check out the East End Facebook page both now and over the summer for updates and information about EEE. You can locate the East End Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/East-End-Elementary-School-516098308484782
All About East End
Email: TammyDay@pickens.k12.sc.us
Website: eee.pickens.k12.sc.us
Location: 505 East 2nd Avenue, Easley, SC, USA
Phone: (864) 397-1700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/East-End-Elementary-School-516098308484782