Warren Elementary
August 2023
School News
From Mrs. Wilkins
Warren families,
We are so looking forward to this school year!
If you are unable to see your child's /children's classroom assignment on this e-mail please notify Mrs. Hornby (Warren's amazing Administrative Assistant) at 406.324.1600.
We are hosting two Open House events this school year. Please plan on attending one of the Open House events. Angel Fund school supplies and clothes will be available in the gym during both Open House events. We are requesting $1.00- $3.00 donation per student. This money will be used for classroom supplies and/or snacks. If you are able to donate $1.00- $3.00 please bring to your child's teachers with your child's supplies.
Open House dates (please choose one or the other):
August 23- 12:00 - 3:30 - time slot sign up included within the email this newsletter was sent
August 29- 5:00- 6:00
A reminder all visitors must enter the building through entry 1. All other doors will be locked for safety purposes.
Please take time to review the below information. Do not hesitate to reach out with questions.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilkins
324.1576 (office) / 406.465.9097 (cell)
School Supplies List
Kindergarten Story Time
Please choose one of the following story times for you and your new kindergartener to come meet Mrs. Marshall and see your new library!
Monday August 28th at 5:30
Friday September 1st at 8:30, 12:00 or 2:45
Lewis and Clark Public Library Bookmobile Returning to Warren School!
Lewis and Clark Library Bookmobile
The bookmobile maintains a year around schedule and is an all ages library. Visiting the bookmobile is like stepping into any of our library buildings with items available for checkout, free Wi-Fi, a computer station, account access, programs for patrons, library cards, and staff are available for questions at the Public Services desk.
The bookmobile will visit Warren School biweekly starting Thursday, Sept. 7th from 3-4 pm. It will also be making a Leisure Village visit on the same days from 2-3 pm.
Warren's school wide-theme: What Do You Do With an Idea?
Important Information:
Security: You are always welcome at Warren but please remember you must sign in and be buzzed through the security doors at the front entry (entry 1 is located on the south side of the building) and sign in at the front office.
Attendance: The school day begins at 8:30 a.m., and ends at 3:15 p.m. Please be aware the District policy is if a student arrives between 8:30- 9:00am they will be marked tardy; between 9 am- noon they will be absent in the morning; and if they check out before 2:45 pm they will be marked absent for the afternoon. If your child will be absent for a full day or any portion of the day, please call the main office. If we cannot verify a child's absence, then you will receive an automated phone call letting you know your child has an unverified absence. There is a sign in/ out sheet if you bring your child late or take them out early. A parent/ guardian must be present when signing their child into the building. An attendance meeting or discussion will occur after 7 absences.
Monday's Early Out: Every Monday the school day ends at 2:30 pm. The busses run at that time. If you child does not ride the bus please make note of the early out and plan accordingly.
Parking: Please remember that our playground opens at 7:45am. We do not have adult supervision on the playground prior to this time, so please plan accordingly if you need to arrange transportation. If you bring your child to school or pick them up after school, please stress to your child the importance of being careful! All student pick-up and drop off needs to occur in the EAST parking lot (large parking lot). Please park your car and walk down to the pickup site to pickup your child/ren. We know it can be faster to pull into the lot and park by the curb, unfortunately this practice only leads to other cars having no way in or out of the lot. We greatly appreciate all parents following the traffic flow that has been established for the drop off/ pick up area. If all do their part we can have 300+ students dismissed and off campus in 9 minutes. The small south parking lot (by the office) is a teacher parking lot and handicapped access only. There is no adult supervision in the south lots before or after school. Students will not be permitted to walk to the south parking lots for pick-up.
Lunch: If you believe you may qualify for free/ reduced lunch then please make sure you apply (link below). You can pay your child's/ children's accounts through mealtime.com
Medications: The School District Medication Policy is available upon request. If a student is unable to complete a school day without a medication (prescription or non-prescription), parents should contact the school nurse. Medication will not be administered in school without proper authorization from the student’s physician. Self-administration by students is not allowed. Under no circumstances shall school personnel administer any medication without proper authorization. A parent has the option of coming to school to administer medication to their child.
Emergencies: Should a student become ill or injured during school, the parents will be notified. If the parent cannot be contacted, the person(s) indicated on the student’s Emergency Information Card will be notified. Please contact the school office to update any contact information.
Dressing for School: When dressing your child for school, remember that they will be doing such things as painting, sitting on the floor, using the bathroom, and playing outdoors every day. Clothing should be comfortable, washable and easy to manage for your child. Tennis shoes are recommended. Heavy boots, sandals, clogs, and shoes with slippery soles can make our activities difficult and even hazardous. Your child should be able to take care of his/her own clothing (including zippers, buttons, tying laces, etc.). With some clothing, this may mean practice at home. Clothing with alcohol, tobacco or drug advertisements or statements are not allowed. PLEASE LABEL all coats, sweaters, hats, boots, mittens, and backpacks with your child’s name. Please send a change of clothing in the backpacks every day. Bathroom accidents as well as spills are common as students adjust to a new school routine.
Cold Weather/ Unhealthy Air: Our students go outside to play in all kinds of weather. All students are outside before school, after school, and during recess times whenever the temperature (with or without the wind chill) is above zero degrees. Students do not go outside when the air quality is in the unhealthy range (https://gis.mtdeq.us/portal/apps/experiencebuilder/experience/?id=000f42b119c44c7f9c3b4336470c721e) Exceptions are only granted with a note from a doctor. Please make sure your child is dressed for the colder temperatures each day.
Birthdays: Children may celebrate their birthdays in school. Cupcakes, cookies, or other treats may be sent as a special treat. Due to the large amount of students with food allergies, please check with your child’s teacher prior to sending birthday treats. Balloons are not permitted as we have students with latex allergies.
Angel Fund: Angel Fund will continue to provide grants this year. Angel Fund is an incredible organization in the Helena community that allows families who qualify for Free/Reduced meals to purchase up to $150 worth of school clothes for their child(ren) at stores like Walmart, TJ Maxx, Target, and Old Navy. Angel Fund Grant applications will be available in October. In order to qualify for Angel Fund, families must qualify for Free / Reduced Meals and have satisfactory attendance. If you have not yet submitted your application for Free / Reduced meals, you may do so at www.mymealtime.com/apps. If you do not have your student's ID number, please call the office at (406) 324-1600, and Mrs. Hornby can provide that for you. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Ozburn at COzburn@helenaschools.org
Breakfast and Lunch Program
Students are welcome to bring a sack lunch / drink.
Breakfast: The cost is $2.00 per day. The students who want to get a breakfast will come inside from the playground starting at 7:50 AM and ending at 8:25 AM. Students can order a Second Chance Breakfast from their teachers during morning attendance if they missed the first breakfast served by the school. The cost for the Second Chance Breakfast is also $2.00. This breakfast is delivered to the classroom to be eaten during the designated classroom morning snack time.
Lunch: The cost is $2.90 per day. The students get to sit down in the cafeteria with a hot tray lunch during their scheduled lunch times. Milk is included with the hot lunch.
Milk: The cost is .60 cents a day. Milk can be purchased to go with their sack lunch. Milk will not be allowed to be charged to accounts with an overdrawn balance of $10.00 or more.
Students that are eligible for free meals may have charges on their meal account. Charges may occur if children have purchased more than one meal and/or for a la carte items (such a milk).
We encourage families to go onto the helenaschools.org webpage and fill out a free/reduced lunch application. If you qualify, your student can receive breakfast and lunch daily for no cost or reduced cost. Lunch account status is confidential.
To pay for your child’s breakfast / lunch: Each child has their own food account. It is the same food account that will follow them through high school. There are two ways to add money to their account. 1) cash or check can be brought to the school office 2) parents can create an account on mealtime.com where you can pay by debit/credit card. You will need your child’s student ID for this option. You can obtain this by contacting the school office. Either way you pay, the money will be added to your child’s personal meal account. As your child purchases milk, breakfast or lunch I will deduct the appropriate amount from their account.
If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
If you believe your family may qualify for the Free & Reduced Lunch Program, please apply as soon as possible at http://www.mymealtime.com/apps.
You’ll find instructions and additional information on our website at helenaschools.org/departments/food-services/
When you apply for this benefit, you not only help your family. You also help your school receive more funding for important student services like textbooks and math and literacy programs. That’s because our district’s federal Title I funding is based on the number of students who qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch.
If you’re concerned about covering your child’s meal costs, please apply as soon as possible. With questions, please contact Sharon Jensen at 406-324-2042. By signing up, you feed your family and support your school!
School Hours
Monday- 8:30- 2:30
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday- 8:30- 3:15
*Warren playground coverage does not start until 7:45. Playground coverage ends at 3:30 Students cannot be dropped off prior to 7:45 and picked up later than 3:30*
PAX @ Warren
These first few weeks students will be creating classroom and school-wide PAX visions. Students will be asked, "What should we see, how do we want to feel, what should we hear, and how do we act at Warren school?"
Transportation
Bus registrations are now open for the 2023-24 school year! A new registration must be submitted for each of your student/s every fall through the Edulog parent portal app or in-person at our district Transportation Office. Here is all the information you need to get started.
Important Warren Dates:
August-
August 23- Open House 12:00- 3:30
August 29- Warren Open House 5:00-6:00
August 30- First Day of School
August 31- Warren PTO meeting (6:00- 7:00)~ library
September-
September 11- Warren Picture Day
September 11-15- Komac @ Starbase
September 18- 22- Klemp @ Starbase
September 18- Warren Fabulous Firsts @ 2:00~ gym
October-
October 24- Parent Teacher Conferences and book fair
October 26- Parent Teacher Conferences and book fair
November-
November 7- Wellness Screening (7-9 am)
November 9- Warren PTO meeting (6-7)
December-
December 20- Warren Winter Performance~ HMS
January-
January 10- 5th grade ski trip
January 11- Warren PTO meeting (6-7)
February-
February 6- Parent Teacher Conferences
February 6- 100th Day of school
February 8- Parent Teacher Conferences
March-
March 7- Warren PTO meeting (6-7)
April-
May-
May 9- Warren PTO meeting (6-7)
May 20- Kindergarten Round-Up
May 29- Warren BBQ
May 31- Field Day
June-
June 6- Last day of School
Helena School District Wellness Newsletter-- Exciting Snack Challenge!
Parenting Classes
Florence Crittenton provides two fabulous parenting classes to the community. All classes are held at Helena College, University of Montana, 1115 N Roberts, Helena, MT 59601. For more information on upcoming classes or to enroll please call Jen Burckhard at 406 442 6950 x207 or email jenb@florencecrittenton.org. Circle of Security® At times all parents feel lost or without a clue about what our child might need from us. Imagine what it might feel like if you were able to make sense of what your child was really asking from you. The Circle of Security® Parenting™ program is based on decades of research about how secure parent-child relationships can be supported and strengthened. Using the COSP™ model developed by the Circle of Security originators, our trained Facilitators work with parents and care-givers to help them to: · Understand their child’s emotional world by learning to read emotional needs · Support their child’s ability to successfully manage emotions · Enhance the development of their child's self esteem · Honor the innate wisdom and desire for their child to be secure Classes run: Thursdays August 31st to October 26th, 2023 at 5 - 6.30pm at Helena College, 1115 N Roberts, Helena. Facilitated by Stacey Abrahamson Love & Logic All Ages The Love and Logic approach to parenting is built around the science of caring and respectful relationships. An authentic, loving connection between parents and their children forms the foundation of good behavior and healthy decision-making. Sounds easy enough but never before in history have parents been faced with so many challenges! The Love & Logic approach provides a variety of simple and effective strategies for parenting children from birth to adulthood. Whether you’re embarking for the first time with your new baby or navigating the turbulent teens with your child, our strategies and techniques will help you create calm and loving solutions. Classes run: Thursdays November 2nd to December 14th, 2023, 5pm to 6.30pm at Helena College, 1115 N Roberts, Helena. Facilitated by Stacey Abrahamson