Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School
October 2022 Family Newsletter
News and Notes
Mrs. Melody Dunn started as our Assistant Principal on 9/19! Welcome Mrs. Dunn!
Mrs. Sara Shafer will be starting as our new full time nurse on October 5. We thank Laura Trump for her work since the school year started and to our substitute nurses Mrs. Gerry Skokowski and Mrs. Regina Daily.
Ms. Amanda Spaar started as a Math Intervention Tutor at LPES on 9/26.
We have hired some additional duty aids, but are still in need of 2 more. If you are interested, please apply at https://www.applitrack.com/pgsd/onlineapp/. You can also send me an email if you have any questions. The hours are 10:45 AM-2:15 PM.
Mrs. Rebecca Slothower is transitioning to the middle school as a Reading Specialist. We thank Rebecca for all of her hard work and dedication to the staff and student of LPES over her many years of service. We wish her all the best at PGMS!
Mrs. Alison Stiles will be transitioning from the fifth grade classroom to fill the role of reading specialist vacated by Mrs. Slothower's move to the Middle School. We are in the process of identifying a replacement for Mrs. Stiles in the classroom.
Mrs. Jackie Fulmer will begin at LPES on Monday, October 3! Welcome Mrs. Fulmer. Thank You to Mr. Evan Mitchell for filling in while we were waiting for Mrs. Fulmer to join us!
We also want to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to Ms. Hilary Hartman, our building sub. Ms. Hartman has been a tremendous asset to LPES and we are so happy to have her in the building with us every day.
Reminders for Parents:
As we move into October it is a good time for some general reminders for our families.
This is a reminder that beginning Monday, October 3, breakfast will be available at no cost for all students.
Car Line :
AM
1. Please keep the line moving! If you need to exit your vehicle to support your student, help with an instrument, etc. please pull all the way forward or park in the parking area. This practice interferes with the flow of the traffic and creates dangerous conditions for staff and students.
2. Please proceed slowly through car line and refrain from darting around other cars. Please remain calm and patient so we can get all students to class safely and keep our staff safe.
3. Please be respectful to the staff supervising car line. Their responsibility is to keep the students safe.
PM
1. Please refrain from lining up in PM car line prior to 2:45 PM.
2. All cars need to enter at the entrance from Buchert Rd. closest to the Keim street intersection. Please do not enter into the bus lane.
Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation. We want to ensure the ongoing safety of everyone!
If you have not already done so, please complete the first day packet for your son or daughter as soon as possible. It is imperative that we have updated contact information and emergency contact information for your son or daughter.
PBIS Bus Challenge!
Since the start of the school year, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of referrals we are receiving for inappropriate bus behavior. We met with and reviewed the bus expectations with all students during the week of August 29 and have provided many reminders through the morning announcements. Mrs. Koehler has also ridden a number of buses to support the drivers and to address the inappropriate behavior. Some of the behaviors of concern are but not limited to:
1. Not staying in the seat while the bus is moving.
2. Hitting, kicking, pushing etc. while the bus is moving.
3. Cursing and highly inappropriate language.
4. Refusal to comply with driver directives to be safe.
5. Yelling and screaming.
In order to address these concerns, the building PBIS team will be starting a building wide bus challenge on October 3. The purpose of the challenge is to encourage students to follow the bus expectations. All buses and vans are represented on a bulletin board near the main office. Each week, depending on the number of bus referrals, a bus/van can move 1-5 "miles" on the bulletin board. The goal is to move the bus "20 miles" at which time that bus/van will get a bus wide reward. You can help by reviewing the bus expectations with your children at home and encouraging them to be safe on the bus! *
* WE recognize that not all students ride a bus/van and that many of our students are making good choices on the bus every day! Students in Parent Pickup will be given additional opportunities to earn Golden Tickets daily and our bus drivers have been given individual tickets that can be used to recognize students that are following the bus expectations.
Picture Day is Thursday, October 6! Paperwork was sent home last week! All students will have their photos taken even if a package is not purchased. The photos are used for the yearbook and class photos.
Trunk or Treat is Saturday, October 22 with a rain date of Sunday, October 23 from 12:00-2:00 PM. The time was changed due to the Pottstown Halloween Parade which is scheduled for Saturday night. This is a Drive Thru event. Please see below for the details!
Our October PTA Meeting will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, October 5.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/7434874929?pwd=NlIva3RuRXZQUUdEVFZtU3JvT2ZOdz09
Meeting ID: 743 487 4929
Passcode: 2fAdQy
Looking Ahead
Dates to Remember
October 2022:
5- PTA 6:30 PM Zoom
6- Picture Day
7- Pottsgrove Spirit Day
10-14- Book Fair- details forthcoming
12- Early Dismissal 12:45 PM
14- LPES Pink Out!
22- Trunk or Treat 12:00-2:00 PM
23- Trunk or Treat Rain Date 12:00-2:00 PM
November 2022:
2- PTA 6:30 PM- Library
8- In Service Day- No School for Students
12-22- Parent/Teacher Conferences 12-8 PM
23-25- Thanksgiving Break
December 2022:
2- PTA Craft/Vendor Fair 6:30-8:30 PM
12- Combined 4/5 Chorus/Band/Orchestra Concert 7:00 PM PGMS
23- Early Dismissal 12:45 PM
26-January 2- Winter Break