Lower School
Welcome to our New School Year
Welcome to the 2014-2015 School Year
Dear Families,
I hope you are enjoying these final weeks of summer with friends and family. Our talented faculty members are busy preparing our beautiful campus and we are eager for the return of students' laughter, energy and curiosity. The advent of a new school year is full of excitement and possibility. New friendships and milestones as well as an enriching, challenging educational journey await your children.
It is wonderful that we will be beginning the 2014-2015 school year with the appointment of two additional teaching positions. We are very pleased to welcome our newest faculty team members, Ms. Jennifer Peters (Science Specialist) and Deacon Lauren McCombs (Pre K/K Religion) to the LS Division. We are also delighted to welcome back Ms. Brianna McClain (K Teaching Assistant). I am also happy to confirm that Ms. Lewis will be teaching our KA class and Ms. Hickey will be teaching Pre K alongside Ms. Torres. We are also thrilled to welcome Mr. Noah Marsh, as our new administration assistant in the Front Office.
I am very proud to announce the opening of our brand new Science Lab for our Lower School students. The LS Science Lab will be a magical place for our students to tinker, to manipulate things, watch things that move and things that change. The Science classroom will offer even more opportunities for hands on investigation and scientific inquiry than has been possible before. Our Science Lab has been designed in partnership with Pivot Interior Designs and promises to be a wonderful environment which will enhance the overall science experience for our students.
We are also excited for our students to use our new library space which has moved to the former technology room. This luxurious space will continue to nurture our students love of reading. The newly designed space is more vibrant, more interactive and more child centered than before and will promote high quality formal and informal learning. Our students will be delighted to read in the loft space and to have improved access to our extensive collection of literature. We are very grateful for the money that was raised during the Spring Social event which has directly funded these classroom renovations.
Please also note that we have been completing many other facilities’ projects on the campus over the summer. The classrooms have all been painted and new furniture adorns the walls of many rooms.
As you prepare for the start of school, please mark your calendar with the important dates for the Back-to-School events listed below. I have also included some additional notes on the procedures and routines of the first few days.
I look forward to welcoming new and returning families as we celebrate the launch of the 2014-2015 school year!
Warmly,
Victoria
I hope you are enjoying these final weeks of summer with friends and family. Our talented faculty members are busy preparing our beautiful campus and we are eager for the return of students' laughter, energy and curiosity. The advent of a new school year is full of excitement and possibility. New friendships and milestones as well as an enriching, challenging educational journey await your children.
It is wonderful that we will be beginning the 2014-2015 school year with the appointment of two additional teaching positions. We are very pleased to welcome our newest faculty team members, Ms. Jennifer Peters (Science Specialist) and Deacon Lauren McCombs (Pre K/K Religion) to the LS Division. We are also delighted to welcome back Ms. Brianna McClain (K Teaching Assistant). I am also happy to confirm that Ms. Lewis will be teaching our KA class and Ms. Hickey will be teaching Pre K alongside Ms. Torres. We are also thrilled to welcome Mr. Noah Marsh, as our new administration assistant in the Front Office.
I am very proud to announce the opening of our brand new Science Lab for our Lower School students. The LS Science Lab will be a magical place for our students to tinker, to manipulate things, watch things that move and things that change. The Science classroom will offer even more opportunities for hands on investigation and scientific inquiry than has been possible before. Our Science Lab has been designed in partnership with Pivot Interior Designs and promises to be a wonderful environment which will enhance the overall science experience for our students.
We are also excited for our students to use our new library space which has moved to the former technology room. This luxurious space will continue to nurture our students love of reading. The newly designed space is more vibrant, more interactive and more child centered than before and will promote high quality formal and informal learning. Our students will be delighted to read in the loft space and to have improved access to our extensive collection of literature. We are very grateful for the money that was raised during the Spring Social event which has directly funded these classroom renovations.
Please also note that we have been completing many other facilities’ projects on the campus over the summer. The classrooms have all been painted and new furniture adorns the walls of many rooms.
As you prepare for the start of school, please mark your calendar with the important dates for the Back-to-School events listed below. I have also included some additional notes on the procedures and routines of the first few days.
I look forward to welcoming new and returning families as we celebrate the launch of the 2014-2015 school year!
Warmly,
Victoria
Lower School Head
Back to School
August/September Events
- 08/27 First Day of School
- 09/01 Labor Day – No School
- 09/04 School Pictures with LifeTouch
- 09/04 Back to School Night Pre K-5
- 09/15 ERB Parent Coffee with Lower School Head
- 09/19 PAB Dad's Spaghetti Dinner
- 09/22 ERB Writing Assessment Gr 3-8
- 09/29 PAB Banana Seed Book Fair
First Day of School
Where to Go:
- Pre K and Kindergarten students will meet inside their classrooms.
- 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade students will meet on the large blacktop playground by the LS play structure.
- 4th & 5th grade students will meet in their classrooms.
Parents are invited to the classroom on the first day and we hope you will join us for the First Day of School Welcome Chapel event at 8:15am and enjoy coffee afterwards.
What to Bring:
- All teachers encourage parents to send well-rested children to school! Start those bedtime routines a bit earlier during the weeks and days leading up to school.
- Students should be in full dress for the first day of school chapel.
- A full size back-pack labeled with your child's name. Many students favor the Zuca backpack.
- A snack in a separate container to eat at the morning recess.
- Lunch - either sign up for Hot Lunch in advance or send along a packed lunch (and maybe a note or smiley face!). Hot Lunch begins on the first day of school.
- There is no need to purchase a classroom supply pack. All classroom supplies will be provided by the grade level teachers.
- LS students will be in their grade level classrooms ALL day on the first day of school. No enrichment classes are scheduled for the first day, so there is no need to worry about PE shoes.
School Start and End Times
Before School Supervision During the School Year
Morning Care is available free of charge in Mrs. Gwynne’s class room (RM 22) from 7:30am onwards. For safety, please do not drop off your child prior to this time. LS Playground supervision will be provided for all students beginning at 8:00 a.m.
After School Yellow Brick Road
Morning Care is available free of charge in Mrs. Gwynne’s class room (RM 22) from 7:30am onwards. For safety, please do not drop off your child prior to this time. LS Playground supervision will be provided for all students beginning at 8:00 a.m.
After School Yellow Brick Road
- Students in First through Fifth Grade will be assembled by class* in front of the portable building containing the Development Office and Spanish classrooms. Pre K and Kindergarten students can be collected directly from their classrooms. Lower School Students with Middle School siblings will be escorted to the older sibling to wait for pick-up.
- Parents are encouraged to park their vehicle in the lot then go to their student for pick-up.
- Parents using the Yellow Brick Road (YBR) area for pick-up are asked to pull their vehicle as far forward in the line of traffic as space permits. Parents will be asked to pull forward if space is available regardless of where the student is assembled. This will enable us to maximize our limited YBR space. Students will be escorted to the parent's vehicle.
- Parents should remain in their vehicle if using the YBR for pick- up. A student being picked up at YBR needs to be able to quickly and unassisted place his/her backpack/roller bag into the waiting vehicle. If a child needs assistance with this process, the parent should park in the lot to assist the student.
- Crossing guards will be stationed at each end of the YBR traffic. Families are required to cross from the campus to the parking lot at these two locations only.
- Faculty and staff will be on hand to help keep traffic moving safely and efficiently. Parents are asked to respect requests made by faculty.
Hot Lunch Program
Hot lunch starts the first day of school. Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School has a Hot Lunch service provided by Taste Nutrition which supplies an incredible number of nutritious and delicious choices for lunch on a daily basis. The August/September menus will be available very soon.
Bagel Lunch will commence on Monday, August 8th .
Bagel Lunch will commence on Monday, August 8th .