News From Fort Zeller Elementary
August/September 2023
Principal's Message
Greetings to our Fort Zeller Families,
I hope this email finds all of you doing well, after a summer of much relaxation and rejuvenation. I can't believe our new school year is here. Our teachers and staff have worked hard in preparation for the arrival of our little ones. We are looking forward to a fabulous year that cultivates a safe, fun, and positive learning environment for our young learners. We can't forget about our amazing and generous PTO who works with us to plan informative workshops and engaging events for our students and families.
This monthly newsletter has the essential information and dates for the month of September, so I thank you in advance for your time in reviewing it.
All the Best,
Jodi Houck
Important Information
1. We will be conducting several safety drills in the next three weeks. Thank you in advance for your help in reiterating the importance of these drills to our students at home.
2. Please be sure to complete all the forms on Power School by September 5. There is a link further down in this newsletter.
3. Prior to the first day of school, make sure you login into Bus Planner to verify your child's bus number, time of pick-up, and time of drop-off. There needs to be an adult at the bus stop at drop-off to greet your child or he/she will be brought back to school and you will need to pick them up there.
4. I urge you to join your child's Schoology Course when your child's teacher provides you with the code so you can be in communication with his/her teacher. Please don't hesitate to call the teacher if you need help.
5. If you are dropping off or picking up our students, please follow the traffic pattern provided in this newsletter. To assure the safety of our little ones, all vehicles must yield to our school buses, in addition to following the traffic pattern when pulling out. Also, please avoid stopping in the circle to talk to other parents, as this causes congestion during drop-off and pick-up times. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation.
6. As in past practice, please complete a 'Transportation Waiver' form if you are planning to pick up your child on a daily basis for the entire school year. Additionally, please provide your child's teacher with a note if there are changes to your child's transportation mode at the end of the school day.
LOOKNG AHEAD
Aug. 21:
- School Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Aug. 23:
- Kindergarten Meet the Teacher & Bus Ride Night @ Fort Zeller from 5:00-7:00 pm
Aug. 24:
- ELCO Family Night @ Middle School from 5:30-7:30 pm
Aug. 27:
- Fort Zeller Chalk the Walk from 3:00-4:00 pm
Aug. 28 (Day 1):
- First Day of School!!!
Aug. 29 (Day 2):
- Fire Drill
Aug. 30 (Day 3):
- Medical Emergency Drill - Students remain in classrooms.
Aug. 31 (Day 4):
- PBIS Assembly
Sept. 1 - 4: Happy Labor Day - No school
Sept: 5 (Day 1):
- School Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Sept: 6 (Day 2):
- Administrative Lockdown Drill
- PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm (Fort Zeller Library)
Sept.11 (Day 1):
- Severe Weather Drill (Instructional)
Sept. 12 (Day 2):
- Interior Threat Drill (Instructional)
Sept. 13 (Day 3):
- Picture Day
- First & Second Grade Open House 5:00-6:30 pm
Sept. 14 (Day 4):
- Exterior Threat Drill - students will remain in classrooms
Sept. 15 (Day 1)
- Holly Serio Assembly @ 2:00 pm
Sept. 18 (Day 2)
- School Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Sept. 27 (Day 1):
- Two-hour late start - modified kindergarten schedule is followed
Sept. 29 (Day 3):
- PBIS Assembly
Cafeteria and Lunches
Important NOTICE!
If you feel that your family will qualify for free and reduced meals, please submit an application.
There are three ways to complete a 2023-2024 Free and Reduced Application;
- Apply online at schoolcafe.com (Preferred and most efficient method)
- Paper Application Free and Reduced Application (Printable) Available
- Apply on Compass https://www.compass.state.ps.us
For SchoolCafe.com, you will need to create a user ID and Password and then add your child(rens) information. You will need their 7 digit ID number for the online application.
Cafeteria Cash and Check Deposits - We are asking our families to have all cash and check deposits in an envelope with the students name printed, cash amount, teacher name, and the student's ID Number. We are trying to eliminate the handling of cash at the registers. All cash deposits will be placed in the student's account and no change will be given. Please send only what you want deposited at that time. We will have extra envelopes available at the registers for the students to fill out if an envelope is forgotten.
2023-2024 Elementary Cafeteria Prices
Breakfast - Free
Lunch - $2.80
Extra Milk - $0.60
16 oz Water Bottle - $0.50
Ice Cream - $1.00 (Fridays starting mid-September)
Snacks - $0.75
Reduced Lunch - Free
Welcome to Our New Staff
Reading Interventionist - Laura Leonard
Second Grade Teacher - Ashley Withrow
Kindergarten STS - Krista Krause
Paraeducator - Jaycee Schott
Paraeducator - Kiri Arndt
Social Media #ELCOexcellence
ELCO School District is growing our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels. Click on the icons and follow along!
Why:
Celebrate our students.
Keep parents, students, alumni, and the community in the loop of what is happening in our district.
Promote the great things happening such as athletics, activities, and other events.
Build an ongoing conversation about the positive impact our district is making in the lives of our students!
What do I need to do?
If you are on these social media channels – follow us!
Help promote these accounts to your family and friends.
If you aren’t on these platforms – that’s OK. The district will continue to provide communication through traditional channels.
Let's Celebrate Our Summer Readers!
If your child completed one of the Summer Reading Challenges, we would like to celebrate this accomplishment! We will have an ice cream party Friday, September 22nd. Also, your child will receive a free book.
In order to participate in this celebration, your child should turn in one of the following to their classroom teacher: Library certificate OR Summer Reading Calendars OR “Wild About Books” Mobile punch card and reading log. Please make sure your child’s first and last name is listed on their paperwork.
Please turn in paperwork by Friday, September 15th!
Brightbill Transportation Portal
As part of our continued effort to provide you with accurate, timely information regarding all aspects of your child’s transportation to and from school, the ELCO School District uses a student ID card swiping system and a GPS system on all of our buses. Your child will receive a new ID card within the first few days of school. This card must be used to swipe on and off the buses every day including any field trips and athletic trips.
Parents will maintain access to the portal throughout their child’s entire school career. Please keep this information for future reference. If you request a change during the school year, you must complete a transportation change form. The updated information should be viewable on the portal within two school days of being received by the transportation department.
Transportation Change Form: https://www.elcosd.org/Page/1025
To login into the Parent Portal
- Go To: https://elco.mybusplanner.com/ (also linked below)
- Click on: Parent Portal
- If you have not created an account please follow the instructions on how to create an account. You will need the following information in order to create an account, (a) Student ID, but you would need to enter their Lunch ID in the portal, (b) Student Birth Date (c) School, and (d) Grade
- Transportation tab–shows your child’s transportation information to school and from school. The route # is the bus number.
If you have any questions or if any changes need to be made, please contact Brightbill at (717)866-1420 or email Elisa Schubert at eschubert@brightbill.com or Charlene Kline at ckline@brightbill.com
Parent Drop-off and Pick-ups
1. Morning drop-off: We will not have staff members on the sidewalk until 8:30 am.
2. PM kindergarten students can be dropped off at the side circle.
3. Afternoon pick-up: We will begin at 3:30 for K-2 students, please be prepared to show your driver's license and sign your children out until our staff is familiarized with you.
Schoology
It is very important for you, as the parents and guardians, to receive essential information and notification of events; therefore, I urge you to please join the courses of your child's teacher.
Online Forms in Power School
Nurse's News
Don’t forget to return your Over The Counter (OTC) permission form or you can complete it online by logging in to your Power School account. All medications must be brought to school and given to our nurse by a parent or guardian.
Kindergarten Color Days
PTO
1. On September 6th, 2023, at 6:30, our PTO will host its first meeting in our library at Fort Zeller. Most meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of every month. We hope that you will consider joining our meetings and provide your valuable input to support our students and staff at Fort Zeller.
2. Race for Education Teaser - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exerJ1SafVM. Our annual Race for Education event at Fort Zeller will be held on October 6. This is a fun event and wonderful fundraiser that helps support all the wonderful things our PTO plans for our students.
3. Volunteering: If you have an interest in being a volunteer in your child's classroom or in our school, please use this link, https://forms.gle/o5NDXviL3K2V8MKh9, to complete the necessary paperwork on clearances. Don't hesitate to call our office at (610) 589-2575 if you need additional assistance.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
August
1 - Austin Gahres
2 - Wyatt Martens & Julian Sayer
3 - Aliza Price
4 - Jude Sanders & Kensleigh Good
6 - Mason Seachrist & Rylen Wanner
8 - Elias Akulov
10 - Connor Yohn & Castiel Bentley
13 - Grayson Stevenson
15 - Amari Turner
16 - Diana Buzey
17 - Donovan Gray
22 - Keziah Ensley
23 - Carson Halvin
24 - James Kieffer
27 - Davnid Speicher, Tristan Desantis & Suzanna Shumeiko
29 - Skylar Galzarano & Lillian Brennan
30 - Sofia Shcherbakov
31 - Dawson Stites & Oaklyn Sclesky
September
2 - Annabel Lee Cook & Ethan Grier
4 - Cole Nee
5 - Calvin Metzgar
6 - Adaline Brown
7 - Natalie Kelchner & Austin Irwin
9 - Leland Derr
10 - Kaylena Cipriani, Logan Witmer & Lucas Witmer
14 - Ezra Fittery
15 - Dax Bleecker
16 - Derek Ream
18 - Riley Halye
19 - Jameson Johnson
21 - Chevelle Williams
22 - Angelina Miseruk
24 - Julien Torres
25 - Saanvi Patel
26 - Raylin Gerhart & Taylor Keashon
27 - Kaiden Bowers
28 - Arriah Marks
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Contact us
Fort Zeller Elementary School
243 North Sheridan Road
Richland, PA 17087
Phone: (610) 589-2575
Fax: 610-589-5815
Email: jhouck@elcosd.org
Website: https://www.elcosd.org/Domain/211
Location: 243 North Sheridan Road Richland, PA 17087
Phone: (610) 589-2575
Twitter: @ElcoFort