July 15, 2013

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Welcome to the 2013-14 school year! We are excited that you and your child will be part of the Hammer school community. Our staff is fully committed to helping every student thrive and succeed.

Hammer Montessori School shares the campus with the Ernesto Galarza School community. Our two communities work together to provide an enriched educational environment.

Below you will find lots of valuable information. We’re sure these details will be helpful as you and your child prepare for the start of school.

Remember, the first day of school is Wednesday, August 14. We look forward to seeing you then.

Lynn Belmonte

Principal

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1610 Bird Avenue • San Jose, CA 95125 (408) 535-6671 www.sjusd.org/hammer

SCHOOL OFFICE

The school office will reopen on Monday, August 5th. Office hours are 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.

SCHOOL WEBSITE

Visit the school website at www.sjusd.org/hammer to have immediate access to school information.

CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS

Classroom assignments will be posted on the office windows on Saturday, August 10th, at 9:00 am. Please be aware that class lists are tentative, as enrollment changes daily. No moves will be made until after the first two weeks of school.

ENROLLMENT & ATTENDANCE

In order to effectively plan grouping and staffing, we must have an accurate enrollment count.

• Please notify the school office if your child will NOT be attending school on the first day. Students who have been absent the first three days of school will be dropped, unless the school has been contacted by the parent.

• If your child will be attending another school, please call the SJUSD Enrollment Center at 535-6412 (or the school office after August 5th), so that your child can be dropped.

HMF WELCOME BRUNCH

The Hammer Montessori Foundation (HMF) is hosting a Welcome Brunch for Hammer families on Saturday, August 10th, 9:00-11am, at the school. This will be a great chance to learn about different organizations at Hammer and find out how to get involved and connected with other Hammer families. For more information visit the HMF web site www.hammerfoundation.org

or Facebook page.

STUDENTS TO ENTER BUILDING AT 8:55am

The doors of the main building will open at 8:55am. Students will enter the building at that time and line up at their classroom door. Our goal is to have students in their seats by the time the bell rings, so that instruction starts promptly at 9:05am. Please support this goal by ensuring that your child is on campus no later than 9:00am. (During the first week of school, parents may walk their children into the building. After that, students should come in unaccompanied.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL & DAILY SCHEDULE

The first day of school is Wednesday, August 14, 2013. Campus supervision begins at 8:35am---students may not be dropped off prior to that time. A copy of the Daily Schedule is included with this mailing, but the basic schedule is as follows:

Kindergarten: 9:05am-2:58pm

1st, 2nd & 3rd Grades: 9:05am-3:08pm

4th & 5th Grades: 9:05am-3:14pm

Students in grades k-3 are dismissed at 1:35 pm on Early Out Tuesdays. 4th & 5th grades are dismissed at 1:42pm on Early out Tuesdays

The first early out Tuesday will be August 20.

FIRST PRINCIPAL’S COFFEE

The first Principal’s Coffee will be on Friday, August 16 at 9:15am in room 106. We will discuss plans for the new school year, activities and events to become involved with and answer questions. The Hammer Montessori Foundation will provide information on all that they do and offer volunteer opportunities.

KINDERGARTEN & K/1st EARLY-OUT DAYS

Certain days have been designated throughout SJUSD as “early dismissal” days for all students in straight kinder classes and K/1st combination classes. These students will be released at 12:58pm on the following days: August 14-23, November 4-8, and March 13-14. (Please note that buses will run at the regular time on these days. If your child normally rides the bus, you are encouraged to pick-up your child at 12:58pm. Bus riders who are not picked up early will be supervised until the regular bus departure time.)

EARLY OUT CONFERENCE DAYS:

Students in grades 1-5 will be released 120 minutes early for parent/teacher conferences on the following days: November 4-8 and March 13-14. The times will be 1:08 pm for grades1-3 and 1:14 pm for grades 4-5.

TARDIES AND ABSENCES

Please help your child be in school on time each day. That means he/she must be in class when the bell rings. Any child who is late---even one minute late---will be marked tardy. If your child will be absent, please call the school office by 10:00 am to report the absence (feel free to leave a message if you call before the office opens). Since we only receive state ADA money when students are actually in school---and because we know the value of consistent school attendance---we ask that you schedule family vacations during school breaks. In addition, whenever possible, please schedule appointments before school, after school, or on non-school days. The 2013-14 Instructional Calendar is enclosed for your reference.

CAFETERIA BREAKFAST & LUNCH

Breakfast and lunch are available in the school cafeteria on a fee basis. SJUSD Food Services will mail to all families an application for free/reduced priced meals. If you qualify, please complete the application and return it as directed in the mailing. Please note that a new application must be completed each year, and that the number of free/reduced price meals the school serves determines whether or not we receive Title I Funding. Your application is important!

The cafeteria doors open for breakfast at 8:30am. The regular price of breakfast is $1.75 per day, and the reduced price is 30 cents. For lunch, the regular price is $2.75 per day, and the reduced price is 40 cents. Of course, if you prefer, your child may bring lunch from home.

One way to handle payment is to deposit money into your child’s school meal account through the district’s easy and secure online prepayment service. From the SJUSD website www.sjusd.org, click on “Student Nutrition Services” and then click on “Lunch Accounts Online Prepayment Program.” If you are unable to make a lunch payment online, advance payments can be taken directly to the cafeteria server. Make checks payable to SJUSD Food Services; and put your child’s name, teacher’s name and number of meals purchased on the check.

DISTRICT NUTRITION POLICY

SJUSD has a Nutrition Policy aimed at addressing the long-range health and eating habits of students. It states “all foods and beverages served, sold or distributed on elementary school campuses from one hour before the morning opening of school until one hour after the last period, have been approved by Student Nutrition Services and are compliant with State laws and regulations.” A good measurement is to keep any classroom snack under 150 calories. The policy also states “Home-baked or prepared food is not allowed on campus at any time except for individual consumption.” At Back-to-School Night, teachers will provide guidelines that will both address the nutritional policy and allow students to celebrate special occasions. The complete Nutrition Policy is available on the SJUSD webpage at www.sjusd.org

PARENT PARTICIPATION

There is a vital need for your involvement in the school, both in the classroom and on committees. There is absolutely no better way to show your child that you value education than by allowing him/her to see you giving of your time and talents. Please make it a personal goal to be an active part of the Hammer community this year.

TRAFFIC MONITORS & YARD SUPERVISORS

Volunteers are needed to help monitor traffic safety around the school during the first few weeks of school---at least until parents become accustomed to the routine. We also need parents to help with yard duty supervision during lunch recess one or more days per week. If you can help, please call the school right away and leave a message for the principals---we need you!!!

BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT

Hammer Montessori will hold its Back-to-School Night on Tuesday, August 27 at 6:00pm. . Plan now to attend so that you can meet your child’s teacher and learn about the specific grade level program. This event is intended for adults only.

STUDENT AND CLASSROOM SUPPLIES

The needs of each classroom may be very specific. Each teacher will provide a wish list of materials at Back to School Night. Please rest assured that all students will be provided with the necessary materials in the classrooms. If you would like to provide additional support, you can assist with fulfilling some of the items on your teacher’s wish list.

UNIFORMS

Both Hammer and Galarza Schools wear the same uniforms. Please see our web site for more detailed uniform information.

HAMMER MONTESSORI FOUNDATION

The Hammer Foundation is a key building block of the school community that raises funds to bridge the gap between public funding and the true cost of a well-rounded education.Donation information will be sent home with your child early in the year. Take a moment to read through this information to better understand how this tremendous organization serves to enhance your child’s education, and find out what you can do to help.

1610 Bird Avenue • San Jose, CA 95125 (408) 535-6671 www.sjusd.org/hammer

DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP REMINDERS

Traffic will be HEAVY on the first day of school.

Please be patient, and allow a little extra time

for drop-off and pick-up.

If you are planning to come in with your child on the first day, please consider walking from home or parking a short distance from the school---in order to avoid all the traffic.

If you plan to drop-off/pick-up your child without getting out of your car, you are encouraged to use the valet drop-off/pick-up area in the front parking lot.

*SPANISH TRANSLATION PROVIDED UPON REQUEST*

1610 Bird Avenue • San Jose, CA 95125 (408) 535-6671 www.sjusd.org/hammer