Strathmore Elementary School
September 2018
Mrs. K. Bera Principal
- September 5 K Orientation 2:00
- September 5 New Student Orientation 2:45
- September 6 First Day of School
- September 10 & 11 No School Rosh Hashanah
- September 13 & 14 School Store
- September 17-24 Link It Reading & Math Testing grade 1-3
- September 19 No School Yom Kippur
- September 20 PTO Welcome Back Tea 10:15 AM & 7:00 PM
- Septmber 24 BOE Meeting 7:00 PM
- September 27 Back to School Night 7:00
- Sepetmber 28 School Pictures
K Orientation
Back to School Night
School Pictures
September 28, 2018
Parent Portal opens August 25, 2018
Beginning on Saturday, 8/25, parents will be able to login to the parent portal and view their child's teacher. If you have any problems using the parent portal, please contact our school's main office so our secretaries may assist you. While you're on the portal, please make sure to check and update all contact information (phone #s, email addresses) as well as approved persons to pick up your child from school and/or the bus as this info is key for your child's safety. Dont forget Class Assignments will be available on the parent portal on August 25, 2018.
Arrival/Dismissal Safety Procedures
ARRIVAL:
· Cars are not permitted to use the Church Street entrance.
· Students who are walkers may enter through the Front Door, Door 6 or Door 9 but not earlier than 9:10 am (including Safety Patrol).
· Cars may only enter school grounds using the Ingress entrance and should proceed through the loop slowly (teachers will be on duty to assist students). Cars should only exit back through Ingress. Students may only exit on the right hand side of the car. A teacher will assist students who need help but drivers must remain in their car. Students should walk along the blue line.
· Students are not permitted to walk through the parking lot unattended.
· There is no parking in the fire zone.
· All students who ride the bus will be dropped off at the Main Door of the building.
DISMISSAL:
· Cars are not permitted in the bus loop.
· Students will not be dismissed to waiting cars in the parking lot (please do not beep horns).
· Parents picking up students at Door 2, 6 or 7 may only enter off Ingress and go to the rear lot or along the curb next to the “A” wing. Lot will be closed after 3:20 pm. After buses arrive, parents may go through to Church Street and exit.
· Parents/guardians must park cars and wait at the assigned dismissal doors.
· Siblings may only be dismissed at the same younger sibling’s door.
· Kindergarten students will exit through Door #’s 3, 4 and 5
· Grade 1 students will exit through Door #2
· Grade 2 students will exit through Door #6
· Grade 3 students will exit through Door #7
· If you would like your child to be dismissed every day at Door 9, please complete and return the form which is found on the website.
Strathmore Welcomes New Staff!
Mrs. Ruscavage Elementary Assistant Principal
Mrs. Bradley Grade 2
Mrs. Brussel Grade 2
Mrs. Ford Special Education
Mrs. Merced Spanish Teacher
Ms. Sardoni Music Teacher
Mrs. Ninger Guidance
Mr. Banafato Instructional Assistant
Mrs. Hona Instructional Assistant
Mrs. Kruzik Instructional Assistant
Mrs. Pallito Instructional Assistant
Mr. Roberts Instructional Assistant
Reading programs grade 2 & 3
Last year, learners in grades K and 1 began using our new literacy program, Wilson Fundations. This program was great success for our youngest students and will continue in these grades for the new year. New for the 18-19 year, MARSD students in grades 2-3 will be getting their own updated literacy program, Literacy by Design. The LbD program is a research-based reading and writing program by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt which utilizes whole class, small group and independent reading instruction to meet the needs of all students.
Wilson Fundations continues in Kindergarten and Grade 1 this school year!
Wilson Fundations is a multisensory K-3 structured language program.
The systematic program emphasizes:
Phonemic awareness
Phonics/word study
High frequency word study
Reading fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension strategies
Handwriting
Spelling
The instructional principles that are the basis for all of Wilson’s programs help learners to gain literacy skills and provide a common framework for those who need further intervention to make progress.
For students in grades K-3
The Fundations curriculum provides multisensory lessons that benefit every student in the classroom, starting early to prevent reading and spelling failure.
How Can Parents Assist Their Child?
Parental involvement in developing literacy skills is encouraged—and is even built into Fundations. Fundations Home Support Packs make it easy for teachers to send updates to parents about the concepts students are currently learning and activities that should be done with children to reinforce instruction. Home Support Packs are available for each Level of Fundations, with English and Spanish options to facilitate communication with diverse home environments.
For every child, home activities that foster development of vocabulary and comprehension skills are important. When parents read aloud to their children and have discussions about the meaning of the text, children are exposed to more advanced concepts, even though they may not yet be able to read the material themselves. Listening to audiobooks is another great way to build comprehension and support classroom learning.
Encouraging children to speak up, express themselves, and think critically develops oral and mental skills that can later be translated into writing and composition abilities. Creativity and achievements in other areas should also be celebrated. Students who are struggling with reading or have been diagnosed with dyslexia may develop self-image issues and stop exerting effort into trying to read, so parental support and advocacy are especially important.
Taken from: http://www.wilsonlanguage.com/parents/
New Procedures for lunch and balances
The Business Office hopes that you are enjoying the summer.
Please note that the district is implementing a new policy/procedure regarding meal balances. Specifically, students will not be allowed to carry a negative balance on their meal account.
As you know, parents/guardians are responsible for providing meals for their children. Under this new policy in the event that a student does not have a meal or sufficient funds to complete a purchase in the cafeteria, the student will be directed to the Main Office to contact their parent/guardian.
The goal of the district is to provide students with the support systems necessary to make sure that students receive adequate nourishment. Therefore, please consider completing a meal application for the 2018/19 school year. Here is the link to the application. In the event that you need assistance with the application please feel free to contact your contact your child’s school Principal, School Nurse or the Business Office at 732-705-4016.
Have a great school year, and should you have any questions, please feel free to reach us at ba@marsd.org.
Make Sure Your Child Gets Enough Sleep
Some children fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Others have problems sleeping.
Children who are tired from lack of sleep can’t do their best in the classroom.
Here are some ways to help your child get enough sleep:
- Set a schedule. If possible, keep the same bedtime every night. Children who stay up later on weekends have more trouble resetting their internal clock once the school week starts.
- Create routines to help your child make the transition from waking to sleeping. Many parents have routines about how many books they’ll read and how many drinks of water children can get.
- Encourage outdoor play. Make sure your child gets some time outside each day when the weather allows.
- Build in quiet time before bed. Have your child play quiet games, work on puzzles, or—best of all—read.
- Try not to change your child’s bedtime because of your schedule.
- Don’t negotiate. If you’ve decided bedtime is 8:45, don’t give in to pleas for “five more minutes.”
- Don’t give your child foods that contain caffeine. This includes many soft drinks (check the label) and chocolate.
If you are concerned about your child getting enough sleep, speak with your pediatrician.
Establishing a good sleep routine now will help your child succeed during the coming school year.
Copyright 2017 The Parent Institute, a Division of PaperClip Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Don’t Do for Children What They Can Do for Themselves
Valerie Allen, a school psychologist who works with many families, knows how parents can help children become more responsible.
Foremost, according to Allen, you need to encourage your child to accept responsibility as part of growing up. Children must learn to "do their share."
It's also good to start early in the school year. The more children are responsible at home, the more they will be responsible at school.
Allen's five simple tips to boost responsible behavior are:
Never do for children what they can do for themselves. Take time to teach them how to do things independently. Assist with homework, but don't take over.
Give children household responsibilities. Assign simple tasks like taking out the garbage or clearing the dishes. Work up to more complex jobs like washing dishes. Make sure they—not you—pick up after themselves.
Post a weekly list of chores. Have a place for every one to check off completed tasks.
Don't remind, nag, scold or complain when children don't do their chores. Explain what's expected and the consequences of not doing what's expected. Allow consequences to happen.
List activities that are allowed after work is done—a snack, time with friends, television, computer time. This will motivate your teen to complete tasks quickly. It also keeps a balance between work and play. Copyright (c) 2017 The Parent Institute, a Division of PaperClip Media, Inc.
Testing dates for the 2018-2019 school year
- Link-it testing (replaces Star for grades 1-3): September 17-24, January 7-11, May 13-17. These dates are only testing "windows" and your child's teacher will share specific test dates for each class during the year. Note that grades 1-3 take all 3 rounds but Kindergarten only takes a test in late May.
- CogAT testing (grade 2 only): March 19-21.
- PARCC testing for Spring 2019 (grade 3 only): April 18-10 for Reading, April 11-16 for Math, with make-ups April 29 to May 3.
Dear Parents,
Back to School Night is September 27, 2018 at 7:00 PM
Looking forward to meeting you!
Mrs. Bera
Principal
Contact Me
Email: kbera@marsd.org
Website: www.marsd.org
Location: Strathmore Elementary School, Church Street, Aberdeen Township, NJ, United States
Phone: (732) 705-5900