October 2017 Newsletter…a Message from your Principal
Dear New Lane Parents and Guardians:
Our 2017-2018 school year is off to a wonderful start thanks to the combined efforts of our teachers, support staff, secretaries, custodians, and, of course, you, our parents. It has been great meeting and getting to know all the wonderful parents of this great school. Please be sure to check out our school webpage:
frequently as well as our twitter page: On these pages you will find many updates from our school.
Below you will find some helpful information, along with important upcoming dates.
1. NHS HOMECOMING CELEBRATIONS
Newfield High School will be hosting their Homecoming celebration on Saturday, October 14th. All are welcome to attend. The Homecoming Parade route begins from Hawkins Path Elementary School at 11am and endsat Newfield High School. We hope to see you there for the celebration!
2. SCHOOL PHOTOS
School photos are scheduled for Monday, October 16th and Tuesday, October 17th. You will receive more information as to when your child’s class will be scheduled for photos.
3. TRICK OR TREAT STREET
Centereach High School will be hosting this year’s Trick or Treat Street on Tuesday, October 31st from 4:00-6:00pm. All elementary school students and their parents are welcome to attend. The admission fee is a can of non-perishable food, which will be donated toward their Thanksgiving Food Drive.
4. EARLY RELEASE/ WALKERS/ PICK-UPS
Parents picking up their child prior to our dismissal time is considered an early release. Students will need to be signed out from the Main Entrance prior to 2:30pm, the start of our dismissal process. Students whose parents have registered them as “Pick-ups” will be released at approximately 3:00pm and walkers will be released at 3:10pm. Please remember that you should be prepared at all times to show photo identification. We will not accept any dismissalchanges over the telephone. Please refer to the newsletter that was sent home in September for a more detailed explanation of our dismissal procedures. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
5. ARRIVAL DROP-OFF/DISMISSAL PICK-UP
When dropping students off in the morning, cars should ONLYenter the New Lane side around the small bus circle. At NO time should cars be parked and left unattended in this area. If you plan on walking your child to the building, you MUST park your car in the main parking lot. Students should be dropped off curbside and cars continue to flow around the small lot. Please do not release your child on the street side as this poses many safety concerns. During the school day, cars should not be parked in either of our two bus circles at anytime.
Please use the walkway from the main parking lot to the building during “off peak” timesONLY. This would be the time during the day when buses are not present in the bus lane. Please DO NOT use the walkway during bus arrival and dismissal and/or when buses are parked there. At no time should ANY ONE walk between buses. These precautions are in place to ensure that ALL visitors, students, parents, and staff remain safe while on campus. Thank you in advance for your full cooperation and attention to this protocol.
6. PLAYGROUND SAFETY
We want every student to enjoy the use of our outdoor facilities, therefore, we must keep safety paramount. Therefore, in order to minimize accidents on the climbing equipment, students are required to wear appropriate footwear. Sandals, slippery party shoes, untied shoelaces,and especially flip flops, all present problems on the equipment. Flip flops should be avoided at all times to wear to school as they pose unsafe conditions on stairs and hallways as well. Students who wish to use this equipment must wear sneakers or other appropriate rubber-soled shoes. Backless shoes of any kind are not permitted on the equipment. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.
7. FIRE DRILLS
Our September fire drills were quite orderly and efficient. Students exited the building quickly, quietly, and calmly! Our staff and students consistently have an excellent response to the alarms, whether announced prior to the drill or not. We will have several drillsin October. From here on in, they will not be pre-announced.
8. DISTRICT EARLY DISMISSAL
In the event of an early dismissal either building or district-wide, you will be notified through our Connect Ed automated telephone system. Please realize that these are courtesy calls. We CANNOT guarantee that everyone will be notified by phone in the event of an early dismissal. This is due to the timeliness of the dismissal arrangements, and availability of phone lines in the areas being called. Please refer to the Middle Country district calendarfor more important information.
During extreme weather conditions, please listen to the radio: WALK–97.5 FM or WBLI–106.1 FM. These stations, along with News 12, will provide the most up-to-date listing of school closings and information.
You may also check the District’s websiteat Additionally, please review your Early Dismissal plan with your child so that he or she will know where to go if we have an early school closing.
9. EARLY DISMISSAL PLAN
All parents must complete and return the Early Dismissal Plan form that was distributed in the summer packet. It is importantfor your child to have explicit instructions on what to do in the event that you are not home. Be sure that your child’s teacher is aware of where your child should go. Your Early Dismissal Plan is on file in our Main Office and in your child’s classroom. If you have not yet completed the form, please do so and send it in as soon as possible.
If an early dismissal is required, all after school activities are cancelled. In the case of inclement weather, after care is only available to those students who are already enrolled with SCYA.
10. CITIZEN OF THE MONTH
Please be aware of our Citizen of the Month focus for each month. We are pleased that our longstanding program supports the District Character Education. Thanks to the PTA for supporting us with folders and bumper magnets!
Approximate Announcement Dates
Monthly Focus Grades 1 - 5
September Respect October 3
OctoberResponsibility November 14
November Citizenship December 5
DecemberCooperation January 9
January Caring February 6
February Honesty March6
MarchPerseverance April10
AprilFairness May 1
May Self-discipline June 5
June Courage June 21 (no PTA meeting)
In addition to our in-school recognition, all Citizen of the Month recipients are invited to the monthly PTA meeting for a special congratulatory celebration. Please check the monthly calendar for dates of PTA meetings each month. These meetings begin at 7pm in the New Lane library. (Please enter through the loading dock entrance in the back of the building.)
11. CAUGHT DOING GOOD
At New Lane, we are always focusing on students who are doing the “right thing”. Our
school-wide program, Caught Doing Good, is in place where faculty and staff recognize thestudents who may be lending a helping hand, being kind to their peers, helping to keep our building safe and clean, etc. Students receive a letter of recognition and small tokens of appreciation. Please encourage your child to come to school with a positive attitude and ready to exhibit good citizenship every day. Who knows, he or she may be our next Caught Doing Good recipient!
12. LOST AND FOUND
Our lost and found bins are growing by leaps and bounds. If your child is missing anything, please have them look in the lost and found bins located in the cafeteria and outside the gym. It would be a great help if all of their belongings were labeled with their name.
13. MEAL CHARGE POLICY
Please make referenceto the Middle Country CSD Meal Charge Policy located on our website. This policy is strictly enforced and adhered to on a daily basis. Please be aware that accounts with outstanding balances will not be serviced until the balance is up to date. The Food Services eBoard provides extensive monthly information regarding meals, menu, etc. For your convenience, the district has made available Online Meal Accounts at mySchoolBucks.comfor parents who choose to maintain their child’s lunch account in this manner. This is a wonderful way to monitor your child’s account and keep it updated.
14. IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
Nurses’ Office631-285-8920
Attendance Office 631-285-8910
Please call to report your child’s absence using the attendance office phone numberonly. An absence note is required upon their first day returning to school.
15. PTA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Our PTA is an essential component to the New Lane team. Not only does the PTA advocate foryour children, but they also provide many opportunities to welcome families and the community into the school environment through Family Fun Nights, fundraising for Arts-in Education programs and other assemblies, etc. The PTA membership drive is on! We are off to a great start with an overwhelming response to participation thusfar. We are so thankful for the continued support of our New Lane parents and community! Please support our PTA by returning your membership today!
Please know that my door is always open and that I can be reached on the phone whenever you need something. We always want to make sure that your children are as happy as possible. Have a great October!
Yours truly,
Dr. Brian Doelger
Principal