CONCORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
May 25, 2018 Edition
Upcoming Events
5/25/18 - No School - Teacher in-Service
5/28/18 - No School - Memorial Day Holiday
6/1/18 - Field Day
6/6/18 - Extended K Celebration in LGI 11:30 to 12:30
6/12/18 - End of 3rd Trimester
6/13/18 - PM Kindergarten Last Day and Progress Report Released
6/14/18 - Last Day of School for Students
Field Day June 1st
Parents/Guardians are invited to join us for Field Day during the times below!
When: Friday June 1st. Raindate is June 4th
Kindergarten - 9 to 10:15
First Grade - 10:15 to 11:30
Second Grade - 1:30 to 2:45
Where: Field in front of Concord
Click here for the Parent Letter that was sent home.
Also click here for the Mr. King’s Field Day home page.
We are looking forward to a great day thanks to our PE teachers, staff, volunteers, and HSA.
Dress Code Reminders
Since we finally are experiencing some warmer weather, we would like to take this opportunity to remind parents of Garnet Valley’s school dress code policies.
Students are not permitted to wear bare back or midriff clothing, see through shirts, low cut tops and/or dresses, thin strapped tops or dresses (i.e. spaghetti straps), tube tops, halter tops or muscle shirts.
Proper footwear is also required to help keep our active students free from injuries. Flip-Flops, sandals with open backs, including Crocs, are not appropriate for school.
These policies will be enforced at the elementary schools. Children dressed inappropriately will be sent to the nurse for a clothing change.
NEW EVENT TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR!
Dear Parents & Guardians,
We are excited to announce a new event to start the next school year! On August 29th, all three elementary schools will be hosting an Open House in the afternoon so that students and their families can visit the school and meet their teachers before school officially starts. The schedule has been developed with families in multiple schools and siblings in mind. It will be split into two sessions to accommodate the parking needed for this new event. We look forward to starting the school year with our students, families, and all teachers!
The schedule for the Open House on August 29th will be:
Bethel Springs Elementary
12PM-1PM - Students with last names from N-Z
2PM-3PM - Students with last names from A-M
Concord Elementary
12PM-1PM - Students with last names from A-M
2PM-3PM - Students with last names from N-Z
Garnet Valley Elementary
12PM-1PM - Students with last names from A-M
2PM-3PM - Students with last names from N-Z
Concord and Garnet Valley Elementary Schools are on the same schedule so that families may visit both schools in proximity during their assigned times. The Bethel Springs times are assigned opposite of Concord to accommodate families who will need to drive between schools. The time between sessions is to give families a chance to conclude their visits and depart before the next group arrives.
The new Open House will take the place of our previous Sneak a Peek events. We have seen changes in Sneak a Peek in recent years with class lists now being posted online and school supplies being delivered to classrooms. An LEA Committee of parents, teachers, and administrators worked through the Sneak a Peek Survey data to create this new event. Other transition activities like the opening schedule for kindergarten, transition activities for students going from Concord to Bethel Springs after kindergarten and Concord to GVES after second grade, transition camp for GVES third grade, and new family orientations will all continue. We will also continue with traditional Back to School Nights in the fall. Our Home & School Associations will run their usual activities from Sneak a Peek during the Open House times.
We realize that creating a new summer event can create difficulties for families who already have vacations planned or cannot change work commitments. For this reason, we will also be offering tours on Thursday, August 23rd, from 5:00-7:00PM. This day and time would have been one of the traditional Sneak a Peek times. The building principals will host these tours. Please call your school’s office to set up a tour. These tours will be offered this year with the intention of having the Open House on the Wednesday before Labor Day weekend being the only activity in the summer of 2019.
We had 400 people participate in our survey and many offered comments and suggestions as well. Our committee reviewed all of this information and used it to create this exciting new event. While every request could never be honored, we did our best to enhance the opening of school with our priority being finding a way to have all teachers included in the Open House to welcome everyone back for another school year. Thank you.
HSA News
OUR HSA BOARD IS IN NEED OF A CO-TREASURER AND CO-SECRETARY!! The HSA Board is a GREAT way to get involved and meet new friends. Please consider joining us- we’ll teach you everything you need to know! You can sign up on the link below, or send us an email at concordhsa@gmail.com
We are happy to answer any questions you may have!
Please consider volunteering for at least one committee next year- your time is so valuable to us and even just ONE hour makes a BIG difference! In an effort to "go green", eliminate paperwork and streamline our volunteer process, we invite you to take a few minutes to fill out our 2018-2019 Online Volunteer Form.
We know next school year seems so far away, but there is a lot of planning that takes place behind the scenes to make things run smoothly and we appreciate your quick response. CONCORD HSA HAS GONE GREEN and there will NOT be a paper volunteer form sent out this year, so please make sure to sign-up HERE:
bit.ly/2HLCaqF
Thank you in advance for your participation!
We are pleased to offer a “Pre-Ordered School Supply Kit” program through SchoolKidz. These kits are available for incoming Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders. Orders MUST be placed online by June 15th.Kits will be delivered to the students classroom for the first day of school. To order your kit visit http://www.shopttkits.com and enter School Account #26399. For additional information and the school supply list visit http://bit.ly/2Is10vf
BACKPACKS are on sale NOW for 2018-2019! Visit our webpage for more info on how to order:
https://www.garnetvalleyschools.com/Page/15311
Attention 2nd Grade Parents / Guardians!!
We are nearing the end of the school year and are very excited for our 2nd grade send off celebration which will take place during the school day on Friday June 8th.
If you need another copy of the child survey or send-off information letter, please visit our webpage and click on HSA, 2nd Grade Send-Off to download and print at home or click on this link:
https://www.garnetvalleyschools.com/Page/15310
PLEASE SEND IN PARENT LETTERS BY JUNE 1st!!
If you need a replacement field day shirt, we have limited quantities for sale for $5 each. Please contact us at concordhsa@gmail.com
Volunteers Needed for Butterfly Garden
We are also looking for families who would be willing to adopt the garden for a week during the summer to water and weed.
If interested, Please contact Kristen Crans at cransk@garnetvalley.org to see how you can help!
Thanks for sharing your green thumb with us!
Garnet Valley CTC Quick Tip #38 2017-2018
Did you know? Post-Proms keep teens safer!
Car crashes are still the top cause of death among youths, and alcohol abuse is the most cited reason for them. But the National Commission on Drunk Driving reports that their incidence is now half of what it was before 1982 -- and the sharpest decline is among high school students. Is it because of Post-Prom and similar teen safety interventions?
When they [teens] see their parents banding together for an event that benefits their welfare and that of the other kids in the community, it has a big impact on their esteem that could play a major role in the paths they choose to follow." …says Ivan Scheier, PhD, a retired University of Colorado professor of psychology who has written 12 books on volunteerism and founded the National Information Center on Volunteerism.
"There have been no formal federal studies to measure the effectiveness of programs like post-prom parties that try to keep kids from abusing alcohol, and I'm not sure they could be done because these events are everywhere and usually done by that specific community," says Jim Wright, spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "But the anecdotal evidence suggests that when done right -- like the post-prom parties that last until morning -- there are no crashes in many of those communities on prom night." By Sid Kirchheimer WebMD Feature. Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario
Call to action… Support Post-Prom! Take the opportunity this Friday night, 5/25/18, to walk through between the hours of 7 and 9 pm at Garnet Valley High School. Bringing younger students allows you to use this as an opportunity to talk about making wise decisions. The efforts of our senior parents and the support of our local businesses, community and Garnet Valley School District has kept our teens safe year after year!
https://www.promises.com/articles/alcoholabuse/prom-night-teen-drinking-facts/
Community Notes, News, and Learning Opportunities
E-School Learning
eSchool @GarnetValley provides multiple pathways for more learning. The goal of Garnet Valley School District is to offer all students multiple opportunities to reach their academic goals through quality programs and instruction.
Click here to download the 2018 Summer eSchool Catalog.pdfAttendance Procedure Update
New Student Absence Reporting System starting Monday May 21, 2018.
Garnet Valley is moving to a more efficient student absence reporting system called SafeArrival. This system makes it easy for parents/guardians to report their child's absence, reduces the time it takes to verify student attendance and will allow our staff to respond to unexplained student absences more efficiently.
SafeArrival gives parents 3 options to report an absence: by phone, by using an App, or logging into the website (directions for each option are included in this website). The SafeArrival reporting system will be active starting Monday, May 21, 2018, giving the district the last few weeks of school to troubleshoot and address any potential issues.This system will be available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week. Future absences can also be reported in advance. Parents/Guardians who report their child's absences using the SafeArrival website/app will NOT receive a call from our automated attendance system. Additionally, Parents/Guardians who report their child's absences using the SafeArrival website/app will NOT be required to send in an additional absence note as the reporting system will count as the note*.
SafeArrival uses our student information system (ALMA) to verify all accounts so it is important that parents/guardians use the same email address on file in ALMA when creating their SafeArrival account. Please contact our technology support at techsupport@garnetvalley.org if you need help updating your email address in ALMA.
Transportation Procedural Changes for Next Year
Changes are being made for elementary busing for next year to increase student safety. A notification of these changes went out via email this week so that parents/guardians are aware of the changes in planning for next school year. The complete information is on our website.
Reminders from the Office
Attendance
You will receive an automated call alerting you if your child has been marked absent at school. Please provide a signed and dated note within three days of your child’s return to school stating the reason for the absence.
Drop-off, Pickup and Dismissal Reminders
Students arriving after 8:50 AM must be walked to the main office and signed in by a guardian. All changes in dismissal must be accompanied by a note from a guardian as well. If your student attends the YMCA, you must also notify the YMCA of any changes.
Please do not use the Bus Loop during the following times:
8:20 - 8:50 AM
11:15 - 11:40 AM
12:15 - 12:40 PM
2:45 - 3:20 PM
Modified Kindergarten Schedule for 2 Hour Delay
The following schedule for Kindergarten will be in effect when there is a 2 hour delay:
AM Kindergarten - 10:40 to 12:30
PM Kindergarten - 1:20 to 3:10
AM buses will pick-up students 2 hours after their regular times. Midday transportation will be provided but run 1 hour later than usual.
E-Alert Reminders
Please make sure your email address is up to date in your Alma account to receive our weekly E-Alerts. You may log in and update your email address and any phone numbers with your parent log in. For questions about E-Alerts or Schoolwires, please contact schoolweb@garnetvalley.org. For questions regarding Alma please contact the main office.
Concord Elementary School
Website: garnetvalleyschools.com
Location: 114 Station Road, Glen Mills, PA, United States
Phone: 610-579-6100
Facebook: facebook.com/ConcordElementarySchool-GVSD
Twitter: @ConcordGV