Elementary School Newsletter
PREMIER CHARTER SCHOOL
5279 Fyler Ave., St. Louis, MO 63139
p: 314.645.9600 www.premiercharterschool.org
"I will believe and achieve!"
PRINCIPAL'S POST
Dearest PCS Families,
This week was an exciting one at PCS as for our entire region! Yep, you guessed it... it was all because of the eclipse! The students and staff alike were mesmerized by the show happening in the sky. Everyone did great and it was a wonderful way to bring the entire school together! If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out the video on our school's FaceBook page! It is pretty awesome!
There are a few changes happening this year that I want to highlight to make sure everyone is in the know.
PCS is moving to quarters...
Since the opening of PCS, we have always run on a trimester schedule. This year we will be adopting the quarter format schedule. This will allow us to break the school year into more manageable time frames for learning and assessing student progress. With this, you will receive student report cards at the end of each quarter. Conferences will occur at the end of quarter one in October and at the end of quarter three in March. Report cards only (no conferences) will be sent home with students at the end of quarter two and quarter four.
Specials at PCS...
Below you will find a few words from Julie Leftridge about exciting changes to the specials at PCS! We believe that these changes will enhance your child's academic experience and create more possibilities for them to grow in creative ways...
Exciting things are happening in PE and the Arts at PCS! 2017-18 is going to be another great year where our team of specialists will be helping the students at PCS activate their bodies and minds through sports, movement and creative
expression in Art and Music!
We are happy to welcome two new team members to the Arts Department: Ms. Danielle Nilsen will be our new Art teacher and Ms. Jenny Moniz will be teaching a new class we are offering our students this year: Art and Music Explorations!
Students will continue to receive classic music instruction with a focus on instrumental and vocal music foundations but in addition to that, they will get a chance experience the Arts through a fusion of music, art and movement that we think they will love!
Ms. Moniz and Nilsen will be joining our wonderful returning Music and Art Teachers Ms. Berakiah Boone and Ms. Charlotte Peretz and our fantastic PE Department consisting of Ms. Kathy Brann, Mr. Leroy Valandra, Ms. Klara Mijatovic and Ms. Joanie Ryback.
Look for more information to be coming home to introduce you to our new specialist teachers and to keep you informed on the great things happening in specials!
~Julie Leftridge
Drop off and pick up...
I am including the reminders once again for drop off and pick up. Please read through below and remember to always follow the rules of the road when on the streets!! We are out there to help but also need your help in following the procedures and bigger laws put in place. We ask that everyone follow the procedures to ensure the safety of all. Thanks.
· the parking lot is a one way only - heading north (towards the old hospital)
· there is no double parking in the street at any time or for any reason
· please do not drop students off in the middle of Sublette or the bike lane - cars need to be pulled over to the curb
· NEW THIS YEAR!!!! If dropping on Sublette - North (above) of the stop sign is for parking (leaving car); South (below) of the stop sign is for drop off only (no leaving car) - Dr. Schrimpf, Mr. Strickler, and Mrs. Leesman are all out there to assist in drop off and help find open spaces along the curb
· if dropping in parking lot, students must exit to the school side of the right lane - various staff members will be there to help students out of car; if in left lane students may exit to Sublette side and then walk up to middle cross walk to cross. There is NO crossing in middle of lanes for students or adults.
· in the parking lot, please pull as far up as possible to the middle crosswalk, filling in any open space to the car in front of you. Staff in lot will assist students to sidewalk and direct them to their building.
· there is no parking around the curve by the elementary building in the morning - two lane traffic begins there
· if you do want to park in the lot at drop off, the best and easiest spots are in the upper lot across from the Middle School Building, not the few open spots by the Kindergarten or Elementary Building
· please slow down while in parking lot and do not use your cell phone - we want to ensure the safety of all
· for arrival, doors open to the building at 8:10; any students arriving before then without an adult staying with them will be asked to go to before care
· for dismissal, doors to the building open at 3:25; please do not enter the building before then as we have classes returning to their rooms at 3:15/3:20 and need to keep the corridors clear. We will open doors following announcements for pick up.
Update from Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)...
Schools in the state of Missouri are governed by DESE, which entails many aspect of school functioning, such as state testing (MAP), teacher certification and periodically mandates that schools perform certain trainings or to assist in passing on important information to the public. Recent state law has been written that requires schools to become more knowledgeable on the traumas that some of today’s children experience. At PCS, we have been aware of this unfortunate development and have worked to make sure that we are out in front of the issue by bolstering our counseling department and through teacher professional development. For more information on this recent Missouri Senate bill, please copy and paste the following link into your browser:
www.motraumaschools.com
Student Groups and Clubs at PCS...
Many weeks I will include opportunities of groups and clubs that students are welcome to join. Be sure to check them out when they come out as all the students really enjoy these opportunities. Today, we highlight "Let Me Run". Check out the attached letter to learn more about this club and how to sign up!
Around town...
TONIGHT!!!! Jungle Boogie at the Zoo
Hear the Retro Boogie Band from 5-8 p.m.
Zoo exhibits are open until 7 p.m.
TONIGHT!!! The Arch celebrates the National Park Service Birthday today with Free Admission until 6 p.m. tonight
THIS WEEKEND!!! Festival of Nations at Tower Grove Park
Ethnic Food, Music, Dance and Exhibits
9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday
COMING THIS FALL!!! St. Louis Jewish Book Festival
See the attached flier for information for this upcoming festival and the highlighted book and author!
Give a LIKE to PCS's Facebook Page...
Our Facebook page is a great way to see all the awesome things happening at PCS!
Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend! Please reach out if you have any questions or comments as we get this year started. My office is located in the Elementary Main Office area.
Dana Leesman, PCS Elementary Principal
e:
p: 645.9600 x408
REMINDERS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
PCG Update:
· PCS uniform shirts and sweatshirts are on sale now. These orders are due no later than August 31. (Order form attached)
· The Tom Evans fundraiser will start Monday, August 28. The students will participate in a kick off assembly Monday morning so please be on the lookout for the fundraising packet to be coming home with your child.
SFE:
SFE is the food service provider for PCS. Please see the attached note from them for more information on their services.
Box Tops for Education: We will continue to collect Box Tops this year... so start collecting! Box tops can be given to your child's teacher or placed in the collection container in the Elementary office.
IC Parent Portal Page: Please contact your child's teacher if you need your log in information for the Parent Portal Page. Great way to stay up to date on grades, account balances, etc!
Amazon Smile Program: Our school has linked up with the Amazon Smile Program in which we get a percentage of an order placed that is "smile eligible" (it will say on the item by the price if it is or not). The easiest way to do this is to type "Amazon Smile" into the search bar on Amazon.com. It will then automatically link you to the Smile program. Then type in "St. Louis Charter School" (and look for St. Louis Charter Schools) to select us to be correctly linked with in order for the purchase percentage to go to us!
Lost & Found: We are hoping to keep this small this year! Please make sure to mark your child's lunch box, jackets, coats, sweatshirts, etc with their name so any lost items can be returned to them! We will be cleaning out lost and found on a monthly basis this year.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
8.28.17: Tom Evans Fundraiser kicks-off
8.29.17: PCS Family Night at JJ Twig's 11am-close
9.4.17: No School - Labor Day
9.22.17: 1/2 Day of School - Noon Dismissal - Teacher Professional Development Day
DID YOU KNOW?
Don't know what to do with the eclipse glasses? Donate them to a great cause! Check out the article on how the glasses can help others in different countries get to experience a future eclipse! http://m.kmov.com/article.html#!/116862/96bdecea465f9cd042c8963a0527ac06