EPE Express

Greetings EPE Families,

As the weather turns colder please send your child to school with a coat, hat, and a pair of gloves. We will continue to have outdoor recess throughout the fall and winter months as the weather allows. We have a number of nice coats on hand if any family needs assistance getting a winter coat. Please feel free to contact the EPE office so we can help!

We would like to remind families who use the car rider loop in the mornings and afternoons of a few important procedures to ensure the safety of the students. Please have your name hanger visible in the afternoons. If extra time is needed to assist a child in or out of a car seat, please pull to the right. When you are finished, please very carefully move back to the left lane to traverse out of the loop. Do not use the right lane as a way to move out of the loop bypassing the other cars still loading. Additionally, do not park in the parking lot to drop off or pick up your student. Please use the loop or park at the field hockey lot and have your child walk down to meet you in the field hockey lot. Lastly, any changes in procedures must be sent to the EPE office well ahead of time. For example, a seesaw message or email to the teacher at 2:00 may not be seen by the teacher until after the day is over. Contacting the office well in advance of any changes will provide us enough time to ensure everyone has the message so that the student can be sent to the correct area for dismissal. Thank you for your attention to these important procedures when utilizing the car rider loop.

On Friday, October 28 at 1:45 PM, EPE will have an outdoor Halloween Parade! Please note, students are not permitted to bring toy weapons that may be part of a costume as they are against school policy. The parade route will be along the perimeter of our side playground (shown below). Families may park in the main parking lot, along the EPE access road in the marked spaces, and the Field Hockey lot at the administration building. Family members may watch the parade from the grassy areas around the side playground pavement. If we experience inclement weather on the day of the parade, we will hold an indoor only parade which will not be open to families. We ask that you do not block or park in the gravel bus lot as they will be leaving for the HS run around this time. We estimate the parade will take about 20-30 minutes. Students must stay for the remainder of the school day and follow their normal dismissal routines.

Report Cards will be issued in print and on the Sapphire Community portal at the end of the day on November 2, 2022.

American Education Week (AEW) is coming up very soon! AEW will be held from November 14th to November 18th. We will open our doors for parents to visit classrooms on the following schedule:

Monday 11/14 Kindergarten 9:15 to 10:15 (Fundations and Centers)

Monday 11/14 Grade 5 - 1:30 to 2:15 (Science Experiment)

Tuesday 11/15 Grade 1 - 9:15 to 10:15 (Thanksgiving Writing and ELA Centers)

Wednesday 11/16 Grade 2 - 10:35 to 11:35 (Everyday Mathematics)

Thursday 11/17 Grade 3 - 10:40 to 11:40 (Everyday Mathematics/EM Games)

Friday 11/18 Grade 4 - 9:15 to 10:15 (Everyday Mathematics)

We hope to see you at EPE if your schedule allows! Please remember to power off personal devices/phones so as not to disrupt the classroom. Please note that there may be standing room only and we ask that small children do not attend.

As always, if there is ever a question or concern, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or Mr. Etter here at EPE.

Respectfully,

Rich Tysarczyk, Principal

rtysarczyk@epasd.org

Dan Etter, Assistant Principal

detter@epasd.org

717-732-0441

Date: Friday 10/28/22

Time: 1:45 PM

Location: EPE Side Playground

Details: Students will exit the side door with their grade level and process along the perimeter of the side playground, following the red line. Families may stand or bring a folding chair for the grassy areas around the playground pavement. We anticipate the parade being completed by 2:15 PM. All students must remain at school and dismiss at their normal time and procedure.

See the flyer below for details. More information to be sent home soon.

Adrianna, Zoey, and Clarissa assist kindergarten students with a fine motor Halloween activity!

Science Explorers is an after school science club open to 1st through 5th grade students. The club meets once per week starting after Thanksgiving and runs through the end of the school year. Each club is 4 sessions and has a fee of $99 per student. We do cap the clubs at 15 students.

The following clubs will be offered this year at EPE:

Topic: (week of 11/28)

Toying Around with Science (Jr.)

Dates: 11/29, 12/6, 12/13, 12/20 (no school 12/27)

Make-Up: 1/3 (If needed)

Topic: (week of 1/9)

Zapped!

Dates: 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, 1/31

Make-Up: 2/7 (If needed)

Topic: (week of 2/13)

Loose in the Chem. Lab (Jr.)

Dates: 2/14, 2/21, 2/28, 3/7

Make-Up: 3/14 (If needed)

Topic: (week of 3/20)

Marine Biology Mania (Jr.)

Dates: 3/21, 3/28, 4/4, 4/11

Make-Up: 4/18 (If needed)

Topic: (week of 4/24)

Marvelous Machines

Dates: 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, (5/16 no school) 5/23

Registration information can be found at

https://scienceexplorers-registration.com/registration/?s=55&z=&r=10&l=363

If you have something amazing to share about an EPE staff member, please consider doing so using the following short form:

https://forms.gle/f13ZhDceewQp42wX8

We appreciate the feedback and may share it in future newsletters.

Please see the following commendations:

We appreciate Mrs. Bistline for the help she has given my daughter understanding the subject and the extra work with her. Thank You.

I would like to nominate Mr. Houtz because he has made school enjoyable for my son. This is the first year he did not complain about going to school. My son tells me that Mr. Houtz talks to him and sometimes uses him as a positive example in class which makes him feel special. Thank you Mr. Houtz.

Mrs. Krizan leading band ensemble in the LGI

We are beginning to study the philosophy of the Science of Reading. Several staff members from our building and the leadership team are reading the text Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates. This group will share findings over the course of the school year in these "At Home Tips". Please enjoy the first At Home Tip Below!

These EPE students exhibited our core values during the month of October!

Riva Smith, a high school student, gave a presentation on stuttering to a few EPE students and staff members. In her presentation, she shared facts about stuttering, her personal experience, and how she overcame the negative feelings associated with stuttering.

It's always an exciting day to get new library books and finding a comfy spot to read them!

Our local firefighters visited EPE to present to each grade level and educate the students about fire safety.

Check out these great photos of students around EPE!

Do you want to work with EPE students on a daily basis for just a few hours each day? If so, an opportunity is available! See the flyer below for details:

We sincerely appreciate our community and parent volunteers who take their time to come into our school to teach the Junior Achievement program in our classrooms. If you may be interested in becoming a JA volunteer, please take a look at the link below find out what each grade level program covers at the elementary level:

https://www.flipsnack.com/jainspire/joanne-volunteer-overview-classroom-programs/full-view.html

If you are interested in becoming a JA volunteer at EPE, please contact Tammy Meisenhelter at tmeisenehlter@jascpa.org.

Please link your Weis Shoppers Club Card to EPE to help us fund supplies for our school. See the informational flyer below.

The classroom teachers follow routine dismissal procedures daily. Changes in those routines

should be for urgent reasons and must be accompanied by a Change of Routine Notice or a

written parental notice requesting such a change. All student verbal requests for such changes will be denied without written notice or a phone call from a parent/guardian. Seesaw messages, text messages, and emails will not be accepted during the school day of a change of routine. Please have these requests into the school ahead of time so we can ensure students are where they need to be for a safe and secure dismissal.

EPE accepts attendance notifications (excuse cards, absence notes, etc.) via email. Parents can email epesattendance@epasd.org as a means of reporting your child’s absence. Paper notes will still be accepted as well. Reminder that all excuse notifications are required to be submitted within three school days of your child’s absences.

Excused Absences:

When a child is enrolled in the district’s educational program, the student is subject to the

Pennsylvania State Attendance Laws. The Board considers the following conditions to constitute an excused absence from school:

1. Illness

2. Quarantine

3. Student required court attendance

4. Prearranged doctor and dentist appointment for time of appointment and appropriate travel time only

5. Authorized school activities

6. Pre-approved educational tours and trips, not school sponsored

7. Other urgent reasons, including funerals, that apply to the child and approved by the building administrator

Parents/guardians are expected to telephone the school when students are absent for any reason. In addition, a written excuse from a parent/guardian is required for each absence.

Unexcused Absences:

An unexcused absence shall be defined as:

• Absence from school with parent/guardian consent for reasons other than those considered

excusable.

• Leaving school during school hours without permission from the administrator.

• Absence from school without knowledge/permission of parent/guardian (truancy).

• Absence from school without knowledge/permission of school authorities.

• Absences from school without written parental excuse submitted within 3 school days of the absence.

Please refer to the Elementary Student Handbook to review more specific information about our attendance policies. Contact our school office if you have any questions about our attendance policies or procedures.

Automated Absence Alert:

The Automated Absence Alert system was implemented to inform parents when their students are absent from school. If/when your student is absent or does not report to their classroom they are recorded as absent. When the daily attendance is submitted electronically, an automated message will be sent to a phone identified by the parent/guardian. This call will normally occur by approximately 10:00 am. Should you have questions or concerns you may contact the attendance secretary by calling: East Pennsboro Elementary School (EPE), (717) 732-0441.

School Buses:

School buses will queue at the rear of the school building, behind the new addition for arrival and departure.

Car Riders:

Cars for parent drop off and pick up will queue in front of the school. Please pull up to the stop sign rather than stopping midway through the loop to unload. In the afternoon, parents must have their name hanger tags visible for student pickup. Students may only be dropped off or picked up within the “loading zone” that will be marked in the front of the school - approximately the first ten cars at a time. Parents may not park in the parking lot and walk up to the loop attendant. Please stay in your car at all times. Please review the map below of the car rider loop.

For any family that chooses to utilize the EPE Drop-Off and Pick-Up loop, please follow the specific instructions below. In order for this process to run smoothly, it takes each family to do their part by doing the following:

A) Have your name hanger visible on the rearview mirror

B) Stay all the way to the right on the hill coming up from Panther Parkway (This allows school vans, staff vehicles, and buses to move freely as needed)

C) Stay to the left of the cones in the loop area

D) Pull all the way to the Stop sign where the "Parent drop off/pick up" sign is located

E) Stay in your car at all times

F) Be Patient - We get quicker as we get to know the students and families

G) Morning Drop off runs from 8:25 - 8:50 AM

H) Parent Pick up runs from 3:20 - 3:40 PM

I) Do not bypass the drop off/pick up loop by parking in the parking lot and letting your child in or out from the parking lot.

J) Do not pass other cars waiting in the car rider line.

School Vans:

School vans will utilize the small loop near the baseball fields for arrival and dismissal. No cars should be in this loop.

Times:

Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM. Students must be in the building by 8:50 AM.

Bus Dismissal and Parent pick up times run from 3:20-3:40 PM.

We certainly appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we ensure a safe and orderly process for each student. We continue to recommend that you send your EPE students to and from school on our school buses.

Please create a Sapphire Parent Portal account. There are several benefits to creating a parent portal account:

• You can access your child's report cards when they are published
• You can keep track of your child's attendance
• You will be able to receive important notifications about your child

To create a parent portal account:

• Go to our website www.epasd.org
• Hover over the "Students" tab
• Click "Sapphire Community Web Portal"
• Click "Create a Web Portal Account"
• Follow the remaining on screen instructions to enter your information.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Wadlinger at pwadlinger@epasd.org. She would be happy to help!

Click the link below for the 2022-2023 School Year Calendar:

https://4.files.edl.io/ebf1/01/07/22/164517-1789e60a-f841-4fe4-be5a-eaa6cc508e52.pdf

November:

2 - Report Cards Issued

3 - Lifetouch Picture Retakes

3 - School Board Meeting at EPE 7:00 PM

8 - Election Day - No School for Students

9 - PTO Meeting at WCH 7:00 PM

11 - Veteran's Day - No School

17 - School Board Meeting at EPE 7:00 PM

21 - Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences BY APPT ONLY

22 - Daytime Parent/Teacher Conferences BY APPT ONLY

22 - No School for Students

23 - 28 No School - Fall Break

American Education Week Visitation Dates/Times:

Monday 11/14 Kindergarten 9:15 to 10:15 (Fundations and Centers)

Monday 11/14 Grade 5 - 1:30 to 2:15 (Science Experiment)

Tuesday 11/15 Grade 1 - 9:15 to 10:15 (Thanksgiving Writing and ELA Centers)

Wednesday 11/16 Grade 2 - 10:35 to 11:35 (Everyday Mathematics)

Thursday 11/17 Grade 3 - 10:40 to 11:40 (Everyday Mathematics/EM Games)

Friday 11/18 Grade 4 - 9:15 to 10:15 (Everyday Mathematics)

Please feel free to contact us below:

Email: rtysarczyk@epasd.org
Website: https://www.epasd.org/
Location: 840 Panther Parkway, East Pennsboro Township, PA, USA
Phone: 717-732-0441
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastPennsboroElem/