The Eagle Express
February 11th, 2018
From Your Plank South Leadership Team
Plank South Families,
We hope you all have a wonderful week before our February Break next week. A few very important updates & reminders in our final week:
- Last chance to sign up for the Science Fair is tomorrow (Monday, February 12th)! See below for details & links.
- Sign-ups for March Conferences is coming up soon. Your teacher will be sending out the link to sign-up for conferences after school on Friday, February 16th.
- Kindergarten Orientation & Registration is a really important time as we welcome new students and families to Plank South! If possible, we're hoping you can help with two things:
- Spread the word for families to come to Kindergarten Orientation (2/27 @ 6:30) and if they miss orientation to still register during the week!
- Consider volunteering to help register our new families. Go to this link to sign-up!
For the Calendar!
- Monday, 2/12: Science Fair Entries Due
- Tuesday, 2/13: 2nd and 3rd Grade Chess Club 3:20pm – 4:20pm
- Wednesday, 2/14: 4th and 5th Grade Chess Club 3:20pm – 4:20pm
- Friday, 2/16: Box Tops & Tyson A+ Labels Due
- 2/19 – 2/23: February Break
- Monday, 2/26: 5th Grade Parent Meeting, Spry Middle School, 6:30 – 7:30pm
- Tuesday, 2/27: 2nd and 3rd Grade Chess Club 3:20pm – 4:20pm
- Wednesday, 2/28: 4th and 5th Grade Chess Club 3:20pm – 4:20pm
- Tuesday, 2/27: Kindergarten Orientation 6:30 – 7:30pm
- Wednesday-Friday, 2/28 – 3/2: Kindergarten Registration
- Wednesday, 2/28: 4th and 5th Grade Chess Club 3:20pm – 4:20pm
- Tuesday, 3/6: PTSA Meeting 9:30 – 10:30am
- Thursday, 3/22: Plank South Science Fair 7:00pm
- Saturday, 3/24: YMCA Family Night SAVE THE DATE
Warm Regards,
Your Plank South Leadership Team
Scott Wilcox & Jen Sullivan
Global School Play Day
One thing you might have missed last week was that Plank South participated in Global School Play Day on Wednesday, February 7th. You can go to this link to learn more, but here are some of the big ideas behind Global School Play Day which really apply to play at home, as well.
Don't organize anything for your child.
Don't tell them how to play with the toys/games.
Don't interfere with your child unless you see something that would physically hurt a child (this does not include something that may be physically uncomfortable for a child.)
No toys that require batteries or electricity.
There are some very important guidelines to be mindful of any time our kids are playing. Collectively our job is to teach our children to be independent and to develop critical cognitive as well as social and emotional skills. Unstructured play and kids being able to make their own play without looking to adults (or electronic devices) is a critical part of child development and these guidelines are great to keep in mind!
Black History Month
Science Fair Deadline Extended!
The Science Fair Deadline was extended!! Be sure to get in your entry form by next Monday, February 12th!!! Titles to projects and parent/guardian e-mail addresses must be included on the entry form to be accepted. Late entries cannot be accepted, as planning and procurement are crucial to the Science Fair’s success. All projects must be dropped off the night before unless prior arrangements have been made.
If you're wondering why this is a great experience for your child, be sure to check out the two-minute video below (created by P.S. alum and current 7th grader Landers Sanchez) to hear what kids have to say about the experience!!
Here is the link for sign up form
Here is the link for general info
Projects will be judged after school from 3:30PM – 4:45PM. In order to be eligible for judging, all projects must remain in place until the night viewing. Please arrange transportation for your child at 4:45PM on March 22nd. Family and friends are invited back from 7pm – 8pm for viewing of projects. (Please note that doors will be locked until 7:00PM in order to distribute trophies and certificates.) As you leave Thursday evening, all project materials must be taken home with you.
From our Fabulous PTSA!!!
Kindergarten Orientation and Registration: 2/27 – 3/2
Do you remember when your child(ren) started Kindergarten? I remember it very well with my own children. I especially remember feeling overwhelmed and nervous, not only about my children being in a new environment but in ensuring I had all the requirements fulfilled…as a new “Kindergarten parent-to-be” it seemed like so much!
Every year, the Plank South PTSA supports our school by volunteering to help with Kindergarten Orientation and Kindergarten Registration. I still remember how grateful I was to the parent who helped me with the registration of my two new Kindergartners, 4 years ago!
Kindergarten Orientation will be held at Plank South on Tuesday, February 27th from 6:30PM to 7:30PM. We are in need of volunteers to help with the tours of the school. Volunteers will be paired with staff members and assist with giving new families a tour of the building and help to answer any questions the kindergarten parents may have.
We are also in need of parents to help with the Registration process which will begin on the evening of February 27th and continue during the school day on February 28th through March 2nd.
If you can help our newest parents through this process, I can tell you from experience that they will be so grateful. Please sign up here to volunteer.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0f4aaca72ba3f58-kindergarten5
Thank you so much,
Michelle Lowe
PSTA Chair
Early Box Tops & Tyson A+ Labels – EARLY COLLECTION THIS FRIDAY
Due to the timing of the February break, we will be collecting Box Tops and Tyson A+ Labels EARLY. They will be collected this Friday, 2/16.
Don’t forget that the class collection the most Box Tops in January and February wins a box of games for their classroom! It’s would be a great box to have for those Spring, rainy-day recesses!
Please send them in with your student no later than Friday, 2/16.
Keep Sending in those Volunteer Forms…and THANK YOU to those who Have!
It has been heartening to see more Volunteer Forms come into the office during the past week. Thank you to those of you who have replied! We are grateful.
However, we are still looking for several volunteers for the many activities happening between now and the end of the school year. Please take a moment to review the volunteer flyer here.
Volunteering has many faces…you might be able to help behind the scenes (and right from your home or desk) with communications or marketing. You could be helpful in event setup or prep work. Or you might really enjoy volunteering at an event and interacting with Plank South’s amazing parents and students. We have a place for you!
If you have any questions at all about volunteering, please contact Michelle Lowe by email (michelleloweptsa@gmail.com) or phone/text (585.353.0766) to talk about volunteer opportunities.
PTSA Meeting Tuesday, March 6th at 9:30 AM
This is the first of the 3 remaining PTSA meetings this year! We will be in the Think Tank Room on Tuesday, March 6th at 9:30 AM with our 5th Grade Reps. We are coming into some very busy months and there’s a lot going on. We look forward to seeing you and catching up on all the latest!
Community Arts Day – SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, April 14th (flyer below)
Setting up your Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart Account
If you have questions about how to setup an online account for Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart, please consider: 1) Using last year’s account if you have the username/password (or reset password with e-mail address you used last year), 2) Using the form that was in the newsletter at the following link: https://www.smore.com/3fsa6-the-eagle-express
or 3) Just simply Google “Jump Rope for Heart”, open the site page, click on “Register Now”, Under “Find Your School” type “Plank Road South Elementary”, click Sign Up, and Log In with last year’s username and password, or choose “No, I’m New” and follow the instructions.
If you would like us to help your child set up their online account, please just send in a note with a clearly printed e-mail address you would like the account linked to, and we will send home the username and temporary password once it is set up.
Online accounts are the easiest and best way to help us save lives, and your children will not need to bring any checks or cash later when we hold our event on March 6 and 7. Online accounts have been used at our school for over 6 years and they have proven to be safe and most effective for saving lives. This year there is a free Mobile App as well and that makes it easy to help our effort on Facebook. There are many heart healthy messages for the whole family in this year’s program. Please consider joining our nation-leading lifesaving effort here at Plank South! Thank you! JRFH/HFH Committee
Girls on the Run
Save the Date! Kindergarten Registration Begins February 27
The first opportunity for parents to register their child(ren) for kindergarten is during Kindergarten Parent Orientation on Tuesday, February 27, at 6:30 p.m. at your student’s school. (Use the School Locator Tool found on the Central Registration webpages of the websterschools.org website to determine which school your student will attend.) This program is open to all parents with children entering kindergarten. Parents will have an opportunity to learn about the kindergarten program, meet staff, and tour the school.
Kindergarten registration packets and all related paperwork for the 2018-19 school year are now available on the district website and in all elementary schools. To download the packet, go to websterschools.org, click the Central Registration button, then the REGISTRATION – 2018-19 Kindergarten link located on the left side of the page. The packet and related paperwork are located at the bottom of the page under Downloads.
Parents who cannot attend Kindergarten Parent Orientation may take the completed paperwork and all necessary documents to their child(ren)’s school during Walk-in Registration Days, February 28-March 2, 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Staff will be available to review your paperwork as you wait.