The Paw Print
Saltville Elementary School * October 2022
Message from the Principal
Dear friends,
We have had a busy start to our new year! This is the first official school newsletter we have had time to send out. We started the year with quite a few COVID cases, but thankfully, the virus has slowed down as quickly as it started.
Over the last couple of years, attendance has been a problem due to the number of COVID cases and quarantining periods. I am sure you all have heard the term “learning loss” in the media lately. Unfortunately, we are seeing that learning loss here at SES with our students. Students have to be in school in order to learn. Every day a student misses causes learning loss. If a child is struggling in any area, just a few absences can be detrimental to his or her education. According to the state of Virginia, students who miss 18 or more days per year are considered chronically absent, even if the absence is a doctor’s excuse. Last year, more than 20% of our students at SES were chronically absent. If this trend continues, it could cause our school to lose funding from the state. Please help us ensure your child has every opportunity to succeed by prioritizing good attendance. Every student deserves a chance to learn!
To motivate students to attend on a regular basis, we will start offering some incentives for those who have good attendance. At the end of each nine week grading period, a celebration (ice cream parties, dance parties, extra recess or gym, etc.) will be planned for those students who have only missed one day or had perfect attendance. This will give those students who have been absent two or more days a chance to make up any work they may have missed. We will also have drawings every Friday for students who have had perfect attendance for that week. Prizes may include ice cream, tickets to purchase items in the pencil store, toys, etc.
Thank you!
Mrs. Frye
Congratulations to Our August and September Students of the Month!
August
Pre-K- Genesis Harris
K- Piper Cardwell
1st- Brooklyn Tolbert
2nd- Maggie Barrett
3rd- John Pauley
4th- Gracie Butler
5th- Madison Hayes
September
Pre-K- Ali Barker
K- Aiden Null
1st- Ayden Nunley
2nd- Connie Terry
3rd- Lanie Feeny
4th- Kiera Hayes
5th- Willow Doane & Lucy Reynolds (not pictured)
Homecoming Week, October 10-14
Monday - PJ Day
* Tuesday: 1970s Day--Wear tie-dye, peace signs, bell bottoms, etc.
Wednesday - Western Day
Thursday - Mismatch Day
Friday- Panther Pride Day - wear your blue and gray!
*This is also National School Lunch Week, and the theme is Peace, Love, and School Lunch. The cafeteria will be giving away small prizes every day for completing different games and puzzles. Each student who eats in the cafeteria this week will be entered into a daily drawing for a bigger prize! Students who dress up on Tuesday will receive a sucker.
Red Ribbon & Bullying Prevention Week, October 24-28
Red Ribbon Week encourages our entire community to adopt healthy, drug-free lifestyles, and brings together parents, schools, and businesses as we look for ways to keep kids and communities drug free. Each year, with the coordination of our guidance counselor, Mrs. Totten, SES students celebrate Red Ribbon Week with dress-up days and an awareness campaign.
*Celebrate Life; Live Drug Free*
*Reach Out*
Monday, October 24th
Drugs and Bullies Are a Nightmare:
Students wear pajamas and follow their dreams
Tuesday, October 25
Say ‘NO’ from Head to Toe:
Wear crazy socks and crazy hair
Wednesday, October 26th
Hats Off – Say NO to Being a Bully:
Wear a hat
Thursday, October 27th
Team Up Against Drugs & Bullies:
Wear Panther colors & gear
Friday, October 28th
Drugs Are Scary; Don’t Do Them:
Wear your Halloween costume
Important Dates
- October 7 (Fri.): Kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin patch
- October 11 (Tues.): End of first nine weeks
- October 14 (Fri.): First grade field trip to Stickley Farm
- October 20 (Th.): Two-hour early dismissal; parent conferences from 1:15-6:15
- October 21 (Fri.): NO SCHOOL--fall break
- October 28 (Fri.): Pre-K and kindergarten trick-or-treat in town; wear costumes to school. Students will not wear costumes on October 31.
- October 28: Farm to School Day--the cafeteria will be serving fresh hamburgers with beef from different local farmers.
Saltville Elementary’s Title I Schoolwide Plan and Parental Involvement Plan can be found on our schools website at: http://www.scsb.org/ses/