Thursday, October 13, 2022 Volume 17 Issue 5
October is shaping up to be a busy month!
We started with School Pictures, then 5th Grade Camp, this week, the Move-a-Thon is postponed to next week, and now we are fast approaching the time when we celebrate a special Thurgood Marshall tradition: Book-o-Ween!
To make this holiday inclusive to all, our focus is on reading and not on Halloween. We celebrate by asking students and staff to come to school dressed as their favorite book character on Monday, October 31. You might want to start talking to your child now about their favorite books and what character they would like to be. We do ask that students stick to costumes that are not violent and do not include weapons. Full face masks are not allowed at school so that students have full visibility. Many of our students make their own costumes out of construction paper or cardboard – there is no need for anything fancy or expensive. If you need help coming up with some ideas, you need only google “book-themed costumes.” Here is a link to some: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/g22127013/book-character-costumes/
I want to be sure that everyone is aware that Parent Teacher Conferences are happening in November on Monday, Nov. 21 and Tues. Nov. 22. Most years we have held a third day of conferences on the Saturday before Thanksgiving; this year, our staff voted to hold two long days to accommodate family work schedules, so we will have time slots available on those two days from 8 AM to 7:15 PM. There will be no school on Nov. 23-25 in recognition of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Your child’s teacher will be in touch with you to schedule a meeting time. Please be sure to save some time on one of these days to meet with your child’s teacher.
School Dismissal
In the last week, I have seen an increase in changes to children’s pick-up happening at the end of the school day. For example, a child thinks they are riding the bus home, but a parent shows up to pick them up instead. These changes at the end of the school day result in confusion and upset on the part of both adults and children. This can be avoided by making your pick-up plan well in advance and letting your child’s teacher know how they will be leaving school at the end of the day. Our teachers try hard to make sure that they know the plan for each student. We have students who ride a bus, a van, get picked up by a car, stay for an enrichment class, or have a sibling or parent walk them home. There are a lot of moving pieces to this. When plans change with little notice or change daily, it is extremely hard for school staff to track them. Although there may be an occasional emergency situation, you can help us make dismissal calm and smooth by making a plan for the week and sticking to it.
Thanks for your help with this!
Updated 2022-23 School Year Calendar Approved.
The updated school year dates have been agreed upon by Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and Seattle Education Association (SEA). Five days must be added to make up the delayed start of the school year. The five make up days are Feb. 2, June 27, 28, 29, and 30. Additional information can be found here: https://www.seattleschools.org/news/school-calendar/
