Young Dolphins DIVE Into Learning

Develop Differentiated & Diverse Learning Experiences

Inspire Excellence

Value Community

Engage and Energize Productive Student Learners

______

August 10, 2016

Dear Young Families,

The start of the school year is almost here. We look forward to having Young students and families back in the building. Please find below several back to school reminders.

Teacher assignments will be available for parents to view on Friday, August 12 after 4:00 pm at the following link. https://hacipe.sungardk12saas.com/HomeAccess Kindergarten and students new to the district need to create an account in the Home Access Center in order to see their child’s teacher assignment. Directions are attached. Families who have not completed the registration process will not be assigned to a classroom until registration has been completed. If you need assistance getting into the Home Access Center please contact the school office before Friday, 8/12 for help at 375-3800.

Student Arrival/Dismissal Form

·  Attached is the Young Student Arrival/Dismissal Form. All students are required to have a Student Arrival/Dismissal Form completed by their parent. Classroom teachers and office staff use this document to know how your child will come to school and most importantly leave at the end of each school day. Please make sure to complete this form and turn it in to the classroom teacher at Meet & Greet or on the first day of school. http://young.ipsd.org/News.aspx?id=85527

School Communication: Please make sure that your email address and phone numbers are up to date and current. School communication is sent out on a weekly basis via email. In addition, please take some time to review the school website. The school website is updated on a weekly basis. Important school information is placed on the school website to help communicate upcoming events and activities. The school website can be found at http://young.ipsd.org/.

Please do not hesitate to contact the school with any questions that you may have at 630-375-3800.

Sincerely,

Ms. Morgan

Principal, Young Elementary

August 18—Teacher Meet & Greet & PTA Ice Cream Social

2:15 pm - 3:00 pm
During the Meet and Greet, students and their parents will have the opportunity to meet the teacher, visit the classroom, and drop off school supplies and the Arrival/Dismissal Form. (If you ordered a tool box, it will be available in your child’s classroom.) The Arrival/Dismissal Form is used to communicate the details of your child’s arrival and dismissal routines to the classroom teacher. It is important that you inform the classroom teacher and the office with details of your child’s arrival and dismissal routines. Please note that unless we hear directly from a parent we will follow the dismissal information that is noted on the arrival/dismissal form.
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Following Meet and Greet, the PTA will host a Back to School Ice Cream Social with Young staff and families on the playground.
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm: PTA Ice Cream Social continues
Young School Spirit Wear will be available for purchase from the PTA. Please note that only cash & checks will be accepted.


Monday, August 22--School Supply Drop Off Night

Families who are unable to attend the August 18 Meet and Greet will have a chance to come to the school on Monday, August 22 from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm for School Supply Drop-off. Parents and children can visit the classroom and drop off student’s school supplies before the first day of school. Ms. Morgan and the office staff will be present and available for questions. Please note that, classroom teachers will not be present on this night.

______

School Hours

School Hours (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)

8:50: 1st Bell Rings (students may enter the building)

9:05: School Begins

3:35: School Ends

Please remember that students need to be in their seat in the classroom by 9:05 am to be counted as arriving at school on time.

Wednesday School Hours

9:00: 1st Bell Rings (students may enter the building)

9:15 School Begins

3:35 School Ends

On Wednesdays, Young staff members do provide student supervision at 8:50 am for parents who have the need. Students are to enter the main office doors if supervision is needed before 9:00 am on Wednesday. Students will head to the gym to read while waiting for the bell to ring at 9:00.

v  PD Wednesdays

On Wednesdays, busses will pick up bus riders 10 minutes later and all children will enter the building at 9:00 am. The school provides student supervision at 8:50 am for parents who might not have flexibility in their Wednesday morning schedule. If your children are arriving at 8:50 am on PD Wednesday, please have them enter the building through main office doors.

______

Student Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Traffic and Pedestrian Safety

Thank you for helping maintain a safe and sound environment for our students through the review of the arrival and dismissal reminders listed below. Following drop-off and pick-up procedures will help ensure a safe entrance and exit for all Young students.

The Car Pick-Up and Drop-Off Zone is the safest way to pick-up and drop-off your student before and after school. The drop off line is a "Kiss and Ride". This means the students exit the car on the curb side while parents stay in the car. When a parent gets out of a car to open a door, it slows down the entire process. When a student exits on the opposite side of the sidewalk, it creates an unsafe situation. Students should be dressed for the weather, and ready to exit the vehicle.

•Please follow staff directions. Our staff are working very hard to ensure that Young children are arriving and departing from school in the safest manner possible.
•Please pull your car all the way forward before stopping to let your child out. (In Rainy or Snowy Weather, we ask that parents continue to pull their cars forward to help unload children as quickly and safely as possible.) The entire semi-circle is used to unload and load vehicles. We load the circle with vehicles, exit students, and then allow cars to leave. Also, please do not back up in the car pick-up line.
•Please do not park along the circle drive and leave your vehicle unattended. Remain in the vehicle at all times. If you should have a question, staff is equipped with radios and can relay information to the office staff.

If you park across the street from the school, please have your child utilize the crosswalk and our crossing guard at Liberty and Asbury. In the past, parents have received warnings from the local police about jaywalking. If you choose not to use the safest route of crossing Asbury at the crosswalk, you must walk your child back and forth across Asbury Dr. Your child will not be allowed to cross Asbury unless you physically escort them.

Please remember to follow the traffic directions of our crossing guards. In addition, please remember to make a complete stop at the stop signs.

Parking: School buses use the front driveway for loading and unloading. Cars are not permitted in the circle drive between 8:45 am – 9:05 am and 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm due to bus drop-off and pick-up. This time will be adjusted for ten minutes later on Wednesday mornings due to the late arrival. Please obey all traffic control signs and curb markings. There is NO PARKING on the right hand side of the circle drive due tofire code.

Busses: Bus numbers and schedules change from year to year. Please be sure to check your child’s bus route for this school year. Bus route information will be available on the district website on August 16 at the following link. Bus Routes can be viewed at the following link. https://hacipe.sungardk12saas.com/HomeAccess

Please remember that students are only allowed to ride the bus to which they are assigned. If there is a reason a change needs to occur regarding your child’s bus route, please contact the school office. If your child does not qualify for a bus, please note they are not allowed to ride a bus to or from school for any reason.

No Dogs at Arrival and Dismissal: For the safety of our students, we ask that parents refrain from bringing dogs onto school property during arrival and dismissal time periods.

Walkers and Bike/Scooter Riders: It is important to note that students are only to cross at Liberty and Asbury or Crestview and Asbury at the crosswalk with the crossing guard. Students and younger sibling are to walk their bikes/scooters when they are on school grounds.

______

Hot Weather Procedures: The beginning of the school year is warm. Please dress your child in clothing that helps him/her stay cool. In the event of hot weather, we make every effort to make each child comfortable and maximize learning opportunities. Frequent drink breaks will be provided. Classroom fans are available. We will also provide cooling off periods in the air conditioned portions of the building. In addition, all school personnel are cautioned about the dangers of heat and are aware of recommendations for preventing heat stress.

Water Bottles: Students are permitted to bring water bottles to school every day. Students without water bottles will be allowed appropriate access to water fountains.

Snack Time: Snack time is provided daily. Parents are encouraged to provide students with a healthy snack each day.

Breakfast and Hot Lunch: Breakfast and hot lunch are available from Aramark, the district’s food service, on the first day of school. Students who order breakfast should go to the multipurpose room to pick up their breakfast and take it to their classroom. The cost of breakfast is $2.55. The cost of lunch is $2.55. Information about the hot lunch program can be found at the following website. http://www.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx/SchoolLunches

Monitoring of Lunch Account Balances: If parents register for a lunch account on mypaymentsplus, they can monitor their child’s lunch account balance at the following link. https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/

Lunch Schedule

3rdGrade
Recess:
11:00-11:15
Lunch:
11:15-11:35 / 5thGrade
Lunch:
11:40-12:00
Recess:
12:00-12:15 / 2ndGrade
Lunch:
12:05-12:25
Recess:
12:25-12:40 / 1stGrade
Lunch:
12:30-12:50
Recess:
12:50-1:05 / 4thGrade
Lunch:
12:55-1:15
Recess:
1:15-1:30 / Kindergarten
Lunch:
1:20-1:40
Recess:
1:40-1:55

Volunteering in the LMC: If you are interested in volunteering at school, the Library Media Center (LMC) is one of the ways to become involved. LMC Volunteers help students with locating books, checking out books, as well as shelving books. If you would like to volunteer, please email Mrs. Ranucci, LMC Director, at .

Volunteering at School: Parents can volunteer with the PTA in many ways. Contact Mrs. Hilda Rivera, PTA President, at , if you are interested in helping with the PTA. If you have an interest in helping out in your child’s classroom, email your child’s classroom teacher.

Behavioral Expectations: All students have the right to be treated with respect. In return, all students must respect the rights of others, maintain a positive attitude, and follow school rules. RESPECT is essential. Our School Values: Respect for Self; Respect for Others; and Respect for Property. If you or your child has concerns with teasing, bullying, or any other inappropriate comments or behavior please contact the classroom teacher or building administration (Ms. Morgan or Dr. Bell) so that we can immediately address the issue. Please know that we take these situations seriously. All students are valued members of our school community and should feel that the learning environment is safe and accepting.

______

Parent-Staff Communication

Please do not hesitate to contact the school staff via phone or email regarding any comment, question, or concern that you may have.

v  All teachers and administrators have an individual phone number with voice mail. Building staff check messages daily. Please note that teacher voicemail is not intended to address immediate needs or to share communication between parents and students. Parent messages that require immediate attention, such as a change in dismissal plans, should be directed to theYoung office at 375-3800.

v  If your message is informational in nature, or you have a question for the teacher, call the teacher’s number and leave a voicemail that includes your name, message and phone number, so he/she may respond as promptly as possible. Please note that teacher messages are not checked until after the students’ dismissal or possibly the next morning.

v  Young staff members can also be reached by e-mail. The e-mail address for any staff member is firstname_last . To check the spelling of a name, you can check our website: http://young.ipsd.org/Staff.aspx

Teacher email is checked on a daily basis. If a message requires immediate attention please contact the main office.

v  Meetings or conferences can be arranged with the teacher as needed. If you have a concern or question and you are in need of a face-to-face meeting, it is best to contact your child’s teacher directly via note, phone, or e-mail to schedule a conference. This allows you to establish a time to meet without interruption. It is important to schedule a time because our staff are engaged in meetings or assisting students immediately before or after school.