North Star News - Family Edition
NOVEMBER 2023
Dear North Star Families:
As the autumn leaves gracefully fall and the air turns crisp, we welcome you to the November edition of the North Star news! This month, we embark on a journey of reflection, togetherness, and the heartwarming theme of gratitude.
November is a time when we come together as a school community to nurture a culture of gratitude. Through stories, inspiring classroom projects, and creative activities we encourage our students to appreciate the beauty of gratitude in their lives.
As Thanksgiving approaches, North Elementary School is preparing for a special celebration. We will be highlighting the importance of giving thanks and the many ways in which our students, families and staff can get involved to spread warmth and kindness.
November is a month that reminds us to count our blessings, share our thanks, and celebrate the gift of education. The pages of this newsletter are a reflection of the gratitude we feel for our incredible North Elementary School family.
We hope you find this November edition of the North Star News both inspiring and thought-provoking. Together, we can make this a month filled with the warmth of gratitude and unity.
With heartfelt thanks,
Candy Llewellyn, Ed.D.
Principal
💡 Reminders /Info
IMPORTANT DATES 📆
Tuesday, November 7 --> Student holiday/Teacher PD day
Tuesday, November 7 --> Mrs. Watkins returns!! 🤩
Thanksgiving Break --> November 18-26* (this is new!)
Thursday, November 30 --> Colonial Pride Day - Wear your RED, WHITE, & BLUE
Saturday, December 2 --> NES Santa Breakfast (8:00AM - 11:00AM)
CAR RIDERS
Please make sure that you have your car tag if you are picking your child up in the afternoon. We ask that you stay inside of your vehicle. Children should enter the vehicle on the passenger side (closest to the sidewalk) to avoid them being in the way of oncoming cars. If you need to get out of your vehicle to assist your child, we ask that you park and do so in order to keep the lines moving.
We ask that if you must pick your child up early that you do so BEFORE 2:30 p.m. After 2:30 p.m. it is challenging to get the children up early with all of the other dismissal things going on. If you arrive after 2:30 p.m. you may be asked to wait until normal dismissal.
School Hours
ATTENDANCE
Please make every effort to have your child at school on time every day. Obviously, if they are not well, we encourage you to keep them home. Being at school on time and not leaving early is just as important as coming to school every day!
NES HOUSE NEWS
We have had several house meetings so far this year! Students are excited to learn about their houses and to see other house members from different grades. We have just gone live with the House app. Families can download the app from the app store on your mobile device (RCA House Points app).
The app will allow our staff to award points to specific houses and to specific students. Students and families can see the total house points and will be able to see when their student has been awarded points. This is still in the early stages but we do have total points for each house in the app already!
Please be aware that each student in grades 3-5 were given a house handbook and were required to return a signed form before participating in the house events. If your student has not returned this form they will not be eligible.
PTO Shirt Sale has been extended through November 3!!
THANKSGIVING WEEK
The School Board voted to extend our Thanksgiving break. We will be off the entire week of Thanksgiving --> November 20-24.
Absence Notes & Excuses
It is important for students to be in school every day. However, if your child is ill, please keep them home. We do require a doctor or parent note following any absence - even if you called the school office. We want all of our Stars to be successful and in order for that to happen we need them at school each and every day. If possible, please do not schedule vacations during the school year.
Remember if a child misses more than 2 days of school per month (even for excused absences) that equates to 18-20 days over the course of the school year - making them chronically absent.
Tardies
Please be mindful that our school day begins at 8:30 a.m. and students who arrive after 8:30 a.m. are considered tardy.
If you drop your child off after 8:30 a.m. --> You must park and walk your child in to sign them in. This is a change from the way we have done this in the past.
NES Rules
1- Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
2 - Be honest.
3 - Be respectful to others.
Please review these rules with your child. We discuss these on a daily basis to make sure students understand what our expectations are.
School Meals
Breakfast and lunch will be served daily to all students at no cost.
School menus can be found HERE.
If your child will be bringing his/her lunch to school, please help them so they are able to open juice boxes or other containers they bring in their lunch. We have adults on hand to help but if the students can open things themselves, it makes lunch go smoother!
***IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT LUNCHES***
Parents - PLEASE do not bring food to share with students at lunch. We have many students who have allergies and for the safety of ALL students it is imperative that you do not bring food to share when you visit for lunch.
If you bring cupcakes for a birthday, they must be store bought and the teacher should be the one to distribute them.
If you have any questions about this procedure, please do not hesitate to call the Nurse Kelly or Dr. Llewellyn.
Dress Code
Please remind students that they are not permitted to wear hats, hoods, or any head covering of any kind in the building or on the school bus.
Counselor's Corner with Ms. Cherry
Character Trait of the Month:
We are looking forward to focusing on Gratitude this month! One way to think about Gratitude is “choosing to appreciate the people and things in our lives.” Practicing Gratitude can increase our well-being and even our happiness! Gratitude is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Well. Across grade levels, students will be developing skills like emotion regulation, positive self-talk, and stress-management.
North House System:
We have started our North House System where we are building a culture of excellence through authentic connection and a sense of belonging. The system provides a consistent and purposeful school-wide positive behavior support system designed to increase student achievement academically, socially, and emotionally for our 3rd -5th grade students. Our motto is, “We are stronger together.” North House System handbooks have been sent home and we ask that you sign the handbook agreement and return it to school as soon as possible .
Anti-Bullying Note: Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance where the behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. In order to help us prevent bullying here at North Elementary we would love it if you could talk to your student about what bullying is and how to
stand up to it safely. Please let your student know bullying is unacceptable at North Elementary.
Encourage your student to speak to a trusted adult if they are being bullied or see others being bullied when it FIRST happens.