Thalia Parent Newsletter
#FutureFocused
10/1/18
Dr. Wilkerson
UPCOMING EVENTS
10/1 - PTA Board meeting 5:30 in the library (all welcome)
10/2 - Grade 5 gifted screening
10/4 - Math Night 5-7 @ Food Lion Birchwood Shopping Center
10/5 - SCA sponsored Paint Night benefits United Way 5:30 - 7:30
10/8 - Virtual Learning Day (No school for students)
10/9 - Progress Reports Issued
10/12 - Mustache Day
10/23 - 1st grade gifted screening
10/25 - PTA sponsored Trunk or Treat 6:30
10/29 - Red Ribbon Week - Hat Day
10/30 - Super Citizen 9:00
10/30 - Red Ribbon Week - Sweats Day
10/31 - Red Ribbon Week - Super Hero Day
10/31 - Innovation Day
SAFETY REMINDERS
Also, when visiting our school during the school day, please do not park in front of the building where you are blocking spaces, especially our handicapped spots. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
VBCPS partners with Securly to improve student safety online
As part of the division’s commitment to safe and effective use of technology, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) is excited to announce the addition of Securly Parent Portal, a web-filtering tool offering parental controls and reports on division-issued devices.
After a successful field-test at several schools, VBCPS will now offer all parents the option to use Securly to monitor how their children are using their school-issued devices. Parents will be able to view online activity outside of the classroom, such as sites browsed, social media use and activity, and items searched.
Parents must sign up to receive weekly Securly emails that will include detailed information about their children’s internet activity on school-issued devices. Parents will also have the ability to customize what their children can do and see on their devices while at home and, specifically, allow or deny access to specific sites and categories.
Additionally, the software also contains a cyberbullying and self-harm detection feature.
Through web filters and cyberbullying/self-harm detection across social media, Securly enables the division to maintain a safer 1:1 environment for students. This school year the division became 1:1, meaning each student in grades one through 12 will have their device provided for them at school. Whenever Securly detects a possible sign of distress, administrators and parents are notified, allowing for a quick and suitable solution.
To further increase good digital citizenship, the division educates students throughout the year about appropriate online behavior when interacting with others on social networking websites and other forms of electronic communications.
Some of you may have already received an email from Securly.com providing instructions on how to sign up or opt out of weekly emails that include a preview of your child’s online activity. If you have not yet received an email, Securly will be sending out emails again next week to ensure all parents are given the opportunity to sign up.
To receive access to your child’s full online activity history you can enter the free Parent Portal. If you do not wish to receive the weekly email from Securly, simply click unsubscribe in the bottom left corner of the Securly email. Parents already enrolled in Securly do not need to enroll again.
To enter the Parent Portal, click on the "go to my parent portal" link, or the “sign up” link at the bottom of your weekly email. You will be asked to check two boxes and then click “Yes, please set up my account.” Once you do this, you will receive an email with login and password information. After you set up your account, you can enter the Parent Portal any time by going to www.securly.com and clicking on “login.”
The Parent Portal contains three categories on the left from which you can choose:
- Activity (shows a real-time audit trail of your child's online activity)
- Flagged (shows posts made on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ that have been flagged by Securly)
- Settings (allows you to control content on the device at home only)
For more on the Parent Portal, visit these helpful video links:
- Parent Portal Walk Through - https://vimeo.com/211007933
- Parent Portal Summary - https://vimeo.com/217679962
Parents with multiple children will enroll once and will receive one weekly email per child.
Securly now offers an app for IOS and Android devices located in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Access the free SecurlyHOME app and activate your account through the VBSchools app or by requesting the SecurlyHome link.
To request the link it only takes a couple of steps:
- In the enrollment email, tap the white button labeled ‘Send me a link’ to get started. The link will be sent to the email address registered with your child’s school.
- Select the link to open the SecurlyHOME App. Your account is ready to go! You will start receiving weekly email updates about your child’s online activity.
SecurlyHOME lets you access your account information from anywhere, in real-time.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION & SUPPORT (PBIS)
Absences and Transportation Changes
A Message from the PTA President
Greetings Thalia Families!
Thank you to all that have joined the PTA thus far! We are very proud to report 100% Teacher/Staff participation! We continue to welcome our Thalia families to join! Individual Memberships are $10 and Family Memberships are $15.
Our Fall Box Tops Collections campaign continues now through October 17th! Box Tops can be found on various food products and household cleaning items. Just cut, clip, and send in with your student to give to their teacher! It is as simple as that! Each Box Top is worth 10 cents for our school and they add up quickly! The three classes that collect the most Boxt ops will be acknowledged with an ice cream treat during their scheduled lunch by the PTA!
The PTA is excited to be hosting our 2nd Annual Trunk or Treat on Thursday, October 25th from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in the school parking lot! We have already received almost 200 RSVPs of students and families that plan to attend! However, we could REALLY use more people to volunteer to decorate a vehicle for this free event! Each person attending the event will get the chance to vote on what vehicle they think is decorated the best and the top four cars will be awarded with a trophy! We look forward to seeing all the Trick or Treaters and the creativity of our decorated cars!
Have you ordered Thalia Spiritwear? The PTA is currently selling both shortt-sleeved crew neck t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts in both royal blue and dark gray. Students and staff are encouraged to wear their Thalia Spirit Wear on Fridays! Order forms came home last week in your child's weekly communication folder and are also available via the school website or in the front office. Orders will be taken now through October 4th. Orders will be fulfilled and dispersed by Halloween! Don't miss out!
Mark your calendars! One of our most anticipated events of each school year is fast approaching -- Breakfast with Grandparents! This year, the two dates reserved for this event are Tuesday, November 20th and Wednesday, November 21st. Invitations to reserve seats for this event will be coming home the week of October 8th. This event usually fills to capacity QUICKLY so please send in your RSVP in a timely manner. SPACE IS LIMITED!
Please remember, if you have not done so already, to follow the PTA on our Facebook page at Thalia Elementary PTA. As always, thank you for all of your support and we look forward to seeing you around the building and at upcoming events!
Sincerely,
Megan Sweeney
PTA President
Dr. Crystal Wilkerson, Proud Thalia Principal
Email: crystal.wilkerson@vbschools.com
Website: http://www.thaliaes.vbschools.com
Location: 421 Thalia Road, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Phone: 757-648-3880
Twitter: @crystal_wilky