SHES Weekly Updates

YEAAA!! The first day of school is tomorrow! We are so excited to see our students and cannot wait to hear about all their adventures this summer. We are looking forward to a year filled with wonderful learning experiences and building strong connections with our students and families.

If you did not receive the welcome back letter that I sent out two weeks ago, here is the link to it. SHES Welcome Back Letter.

Below is important information that you need to know for the first day of school. Much of it was in the welcome back newsletter but please make sure to review it carefully before Wednesday if you have not already.

• Parents on campus - At this time, parents will only be allowed on campus to drop their child off and to pick up their child and will not be allowed in any indoor space. This includes classrooms, bathrooms, and the office. We ask that parents leave campus immediately afterwards and not mingle with other parents. As of right now, our plan is to allow volunteers on campus starting on October 4th.
• We are in need of three new parents for our School Site Council (SSC). SSC is group of teachers, parents, administrators, and interested community members who work together to develop and monitor a school's improvement plan. The SSC decides upon the focus of the school’s academic instructional programs and all related categorical resource expenditures for a school. If you are interested in becoming a member, please fill out the School Site Council Election Interest Form and email it to mmeris@alpineschools.net.
• Cohorts - Students will continue to be separated into cohorts. This means that the students will be separated by class at lunch and recess, and eat and play in assigned areas. We are hoping that this is only temporary and will change in the near future.
• Start time - School starts at 8:45 am. Students may be dropped off as early as 8:20 am if they are eating breakfast at school. If not, students may be dropped off as early as 8:35 BUT will need to go straight to their class. For the time being, students will not be allowed to play or mingle with students in other classes before school starts. Please note that there is no supervision before 8:20 am. Parents will be called to pick up their student if he/she is dropped off before this time.
• First day drop off - On the first day of school, please plan to arrive early and leave yourself plenty of time to find parking. You will be allowed to walk your student to the classroom but will not be allowed to enter the classroom. We are asking that parents leave campus immediately after walking their student to the class to reduce contact with other people. Again, classrooms will be open at 8:35 am.
• Dismissal - School is dismissed at 3:02 pm. We encourage you to be early if you plan on parking and waiting for your child outside of school. Our parking lot is going to be crowded and it will take time and patience as we all adjust to our pick-up and drop-off routines. At approximately 2:55 pm, we will open the gates to the school and parents can enter and walk to their child’s classroom. Again, we ask that you leave the campus immediately after you pick up your child.
• Virtual Back to School Night - We will meet on Wednesday, August 25 for our Virtual Back to School presentation. Two sessions will be offered, the first is from 5:00 - 5:45 pm, and the second is from 6:00 - 6:45. Please choose one of the two sessions offered to attend. Parents only please. Please create a Zoom account prior to the meeting time. Please login to Zoom and join using the code your child's teacher provides at the designated time. Please also mute yourself upon entry, background noise can override us. If you have questions, please use the nonverbal communication tools or chat feature and we will answer them as soon as possible.
• Class Lists - Class lists are posted outside the school on the black gate. You can login into ParentVue to view your student’s class assignment.
• Chromebooks - If your child does not already have a Chromebook, please go to the SHES office to check one out. Chromebooks will need to go back and forth from home to school daily and will need to be charged at home every night. Once again, we will be offering insurance to protect our Chromebook if it is lost or damaged. If you purchased this last year, you will need to "renew" it by purchasing it again this year. Please use this link to do so: Chromebook Protection Plan
• Beach Towels - We are requesting that the students bring a beach towel in their backpacks so that they have a comfy spot to sit for outdoor learning.
• Water bottles - It is extremely important that your child bring a water bottle to school DAILY. We do have multiple water bottling filling stations on site to refill their bottles.
• Parking lot - Our parking lot will be very busy and it is going to take time for everyone to get adjusted and learn our routines. Please read the SHES Parking Lot Guidelines.
• Bussing - Bussing does start on the first day of school but only students who have completed their bus registration will be permitted to ride the bus.

• Lunch and Breakfast - Both meals are free to all students this year. Students just need to go to the cafeteria when they are dropped off if they want to eat breakfast. For lunch, they need to tell their teacher that they are getting a cafeteria lunch in the morning when they do the lunch count.

• Student Calendar - Teacher Collaboration days take place twice a month on Wednesdays, and school is dismissed at 2:02pm on those days. Please click on the link to view the calendar: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/775803/21-22_Student_School_Calendar_7.28.21.pdf

• Wednesday, August 18th - First Day of School
• Friday, August 20th (and every Friday) - School Spirit Day - Wear SHES Gear or colors
• Monday, August 23rd (and every Monday) - College Gear Dress-up Day
• Wednesday, August 25th - Ride the Kindness Wave - Wear a Hawaiian shirt or beach wear! Teacher Collaboration Day - 2:02 pm Dismissal. Virtual Back to School Night: 5:00-5:45pm or 6:00-6:45pm via Zoom.

Email: mmeris@alpineschools.net
Website: https://www.alpineschools.net/o/shes
Location: 8770 Harbison Canyon Road, Alpine, CA, USA
Phone: 619-445-2977
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AUSDShadowHillsElementarySchool/?ref=pages_you_manage
Twitter: @AUSDShadowHills