Back to School Information 8.5.16

Dear Prairie Parents,

The summer has flown by quickly as always, and it’s time to get back into the swing of school.  On behalf of the entire Prairie School staff, Welcome Back!  I hope that you have had an enjoyable summer spending time with your children and creating new memories.  My family and I enjoyed a two-week road trip where we visited the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. and Canada.  The scenery was truly amazing.  If you haven’t been out west, we highly recommend it.  I can’t wait to hear from your children about their summer adventures.

This year our back to school mailing will go out on Wednesday, August 10^th and will include your child’s class placement.  A team of staff members worked diligently to make sure each child was placed in the classroom in which he or she will find continued success.  We know you appreciate the fact that, with such careful thought and consideration put into these decisions including your input, no changes will be made and we thank you for your support.  This year’s class lists were developed with the below teaching teams in place to ensure student success.

Ms. Lindsey Cukier joins our faculty as our new school psychologist.  She replaces Dr. Jane Pedersen, who is the now the Assistant Principal at Ivy Hall School.

Position Changes:

Mrs. Heintz will be our full time Literacy Differentiation Specialist working to support students at all levels of reading proficiency.

Miss Hanes enters the role of Language Development Coach.

Mrs. Klein will be moving into the Literacy Coach position this school year.

Mrs. Kim Yutakis will be our full time math coach this school year.

Special Education:  Mrs. Melanie Tomer joins our faculty from Twin Groves Middle school where she has taught for the past two years.

Occupational Therapist:  Mr. Steve Vosefski joins the Prairie problem solving team this year and will also continue to work as Willow Grove’s occupational therapist.

Support Staff:  Mrs. Beth Doyle - will be joining the Prairie team as an instructional aide.  She is transferring to us from Willow Grove School.  Mrs. Michele Demas will be working in the front office as our new clerical aide alongside Mrs. Johnson.

We’re so proud of our well cared for school!  We appreciate and thank our custodians who truly go the extra mile to make Prairie sparkle from bottom to top all year long!  Over the summer months, the upstairs hallway around the library was painted along with both stairwells and banisters.  The art and music classrooms were painted as well.  It looks terrific!

We are thrilled this year to provide our 4^th and 5^th grade students with 1:1 technology access meaning that in these grade levels, student iPads can travel to and from school.  Students in grades 1-3 will continue to have all-day technology access and will leave their iPads at school.

The use of iPads is integrated into our curriculum on a regular basis to enhance our instructional practices, increasing engagement and interactivity in meaningful ways.  This year we are excited to be launching the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) learning targets and will utilize the TCI-Science materials as our resource.  Classroom teachers prepared for our new science curriculum all last year and will continue professional development during this school year.

There is a lot of excitement ahead of us with new teachers and friends to meet, new books to read, and new skills to master.  The staff and I look forward to sharing in these exciting times with you and your child and we thank you for your commitment to your child's education.  We couldn’t do the important work of educating your child without you.  I look forward to seeing you in the very near future.

Dr. Christine Pfaff
Principal

Please read the following information carefully as much detail is included for the upcoming school year.

Tuesday, August 16^th – Meet the Teacher & New Family Building Tour

PTO Activities Sign Up & Materials Pick Up from 8:00am - 10:00am in the Gym – Please take advantage of this time to speak with PTO representatives to learn about volunteer opportunities for this school year.  Special lunch and yearbook forms are required to be signed by parents even if you do not plan on purchasing these items.  Please turn in these forms as soon as possible.

New Family Building Tour - 8:00am-8:30am

If your family is new to Prairie, please meet Dr. Pfaff in the Band/Orchestra Room Stage Area at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 16th just prior to Meet the Teacher, which starts at 8:30am.  I will take you and your child on a tour of Prairie School.

Meet the Teacher - 8:30am-9:30am

Parents and students are welcome to visit their classrooms, meet their teachers, and drop-off school supplies from 8:30 am – 9:30am on Tuesday, August 16th.  If you ordered school supplies from the PTO, they will be in the classroom.  Please keep in mind that this hour is not a conference time.  If a conference is needed, please schedule an appointment with the teacher via email.

Wednesday, August 17^th - 1st Day of School - Early Dismissal at 2:00pm

Line up outside on blacktop on this day only. Teachers will meet students at their line.

2nd Day of School - Thursday, August 18^th

Students will line up inside of school today and for the remainder of the school year. 

There will line markers and staff on hand to help students get into the correct line.

School Hours

• Arrival time:  8:10am - 8:20am
• Tardy bell:  8:25am. **If your child will be tardy to school, please come to the office and sign your child in. 
• Regular Dismissal: 3:00pm
• Regular Day:  8:25am – 3:00pm
• Half Day: 8:25am – 11:45am
• Early Release Day: 8:25am – 2:00pm

Bus Service

Bus service will begin on Wednesday, August 17th. Please be patient during the start of the school year as the fine-tuning of routes and times are revised to provide the best bus service for all our students.

If applicable, your child’s bus tag will arrive with the class placement letter. If your child will NOT be riding the bus for any reason, please notify our administrative assistant, Mrs. Johnson. This information will help us maintain accurate bus rider data.

Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures

Parent Vehicle Drop-Off

Parent vehicle drop-off is at the Brandywyn Lane circle at the main entrance. 8:10am is the earliest drop-off time, as this is when adult supervision starts. During drop-off, please remain in a single file line, pull up as far as you can, and release your child(ren) curbside. This is a “drop and go” procedure with parents staying in the car.  Please do not drop children off on the street.

Parent Vehicle Pick-Up

Pick-up is at the Brandywyn Lane circle drive at the main entrance.  Please do not arrive before 2:45pm. Please pull up to fit in as many cars as possible while leaving a reasonable amount of space between vehicles for pulling out.  Overflow traffic will wait on the west side of Brandywyn Lane circle drive accumulating toward Aptakisic Road so that a right turn only is made into the pick-up circle. Please do not turn left into the pick-up circle, however right and left turns are permitted leaving the circle.  With student safety in mind, we ask that you utilize the parent pick-up line if you will be picking up your child from school.

All families will receive in their mailing two number stickers. The number sticker is your family car number.  Please communicate with your child your family car number and we will reinforce the information in the classroom. If you carpool with other families, please make sure that all riders in your car know your family car number. Please adhere the sticker to the front windshield on the passenger side in a location that Prairie staff is able to see it. If you need additional stickers for a grandparent or babysitter, please let us know and we’ll be happy to provide them.

Family Car Number

Parking Lots

Parent are not to use the parking lots for picking children up from school.  Please follow the procedures for Parent Vehicle Pick-Up noted above.  

Parent Walker Pick-Up

Students will exit through the main entrance at the Brandywyn Circle, Door #1.  Students will not be permitted to exit from any other door.  Parents/Guardians will meet your child(ren) in the front of the school.

Bussers

Both drop-off and pick-up will occur at the Kingsbridge Circle for bussers.  Adults will always be on duty supervising.                                   

Lunch

• Menus can be found on the district website under “See Menu”
• Lunch payment – please write a check made out to District 96 (no cash) for multiple lunch purchases. The money will be applied to your child’s lunch card. In the memo area, please include your child’s name, grade, and teacher name. You may also prepay for lunches online HERE. 

Peanut Free Table

If you would like your child to sit at the “peanut free table” in the lunchroom, please contact the school nurse, Mrs. Strom.  Students who are not allergen restricted may sit at the “peanut free table” only if they have purchased a school lunch.

Curriculum Night – Thursday, August 25th

• 1^st & 2^nd Grades
  • Principal’s Presentation in the Gym 6:15 – 6:30
  • Curriculum Night 6:30 – 7:15
• 3^rd – 5^th Grades
  • Principal’s Presentation in the Gym 7:00 – 7:15pm
  • Teacher Presentations 7:15pm – 8:00pm                                           

** This night is for parents only.  Please keep in mind that this is not a conference time.

If a conference is needed, please schedule an appointment with the teacher via email.