Wise Owl: September 1, 2017

September 1, 2017

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

WELCOME BACK!

I'd like to welcome you all to the first edition of the 2017-18 Wise Owl, and I'd like your feedback! The Owl will be updated every two to three weeks, and our goal is to make it an important source of information for the whole MPS community. This first edition is primarily news and information based, but look for more celebrations and fun in future editions. Again, I'd love to hear from you!

Some news and information that will be helpful to know as the school year begins!

SOME IMPORTANT DATES:

Kindergarten Open House: Today! 3:15 - 4:15
No School (Labor Day!): Monday, September 4
First Day of School for Kindergarten: Tuesday, September 5
Picture Day! Wednesday, September 6
PreK Meet and Greet: Thursday, September 7
First Day of School for PreK: Monday, September 11
Union Elementary Open House: Thursday, September 28
No School (In-Service Day): Friday, October 6
Kids Cup! Sunday, October 8

Before We Get to the Info, However,... I wanted to share some terrific action shots from the first day of school! This is the positive energy we all felt throughout the first two days! It was such a great start! (Families: if you want digital copies of any of these pictures to be shared with you, just let me know!)

OK, and now the information...  (I know, there's a lot here -- please take your time!)

Open House 2017!  The Union Elementary Open House will be on the evening of Thursday, September 28 from 6:15 to 7:15.  Our Open House will be an opportunity for PreK-4 families to join their children in classrooms and share their work with each other.  Families will also have an opportunity to join their children in their Integrated Arts classes and meet Counselors and Special Educators throughout the evening.  The evening will officially begin at 6:15, but families are welcome to come and go at any time within the 6:15 to 7:15 hour. Please contact me or your child's teacher if you have any questions -- we look forward to seeing you all and showing off the great things happening at UES!

Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pick Up Procedures:  A number of years ago, the UES Parents Group helped to create a new drop off and pick up procedure for families driving their children to school.  This highly successful set up improved safety and congestion in a big way!  I continue to marvel at the cooperation and patience I see in front of our school on a daily basis.

For everyone's review:

The UES Drop Off and Pick Up is the designated area on School Street, inside the barriers, for parents unloading or loading their children by private vehicle. The area is separate from the bus unloading /loading location, so there is no conflict with the two operations. 

For everything to function safely and smoothly, several procedures must be followed:
 Enter the barricaded area on Loomis Street from School Street. No U-Turns, please.
 Cars should line up single file, along School Street waiting to enter the “unloading/loading 
zone” (the barricaded area).
 While lined up on School Street, please do not block the exit to Cedar Street.
 Students should only be dropped off and picked up in the barricaded area (not on the corner or on School Street).
 Pull up as close to the crosswalk as you can. Avoid dropping off in front of the stairs.
 After dropping off, please exit forward onto Loomis Street. 
 Do not park in or block neighbor driveways unless you have permission from homeowners.
 Drivers should remain in their car. 
 Parents wanting to enter the school must park in available street parking spaces.
 Have all your materials for school ready before drop-off. 
 Keep goodbyes brief; other drivers will be waiting behind you to discharge children.

Time Saving Tips:
 Arrive early for the morning drop-off. The busiest time is five minutes before the start of classes. Plan to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the final bell, when the traffic is lighter.
 Arrive later for the afternoon drop-off. The busiest time for the afternoon pick-up is before the bell rings and right after. Arrive 5 minutes after the dismissal bell and the wait time is less.

 Adjust for rain. The number of cars will increase when it rains. Be patient, and plan on spending a small amount of additional time.

Call In Procedures for Absences and After School Plans  In order to ensure that we know where all students are and where they are going at the end of the school day, we'd like you to be aware of our procedures concerning absences and after school plans:

PLEASE CALL your student in absent before 9:00am to the front office (225-8200)

PLEASE CALL After school changes in before 1:00 pm to the front office (225-8200)

PLEASE DON’T text or e-mail after school changes.

Snack Heroes The UES Snack Program is on! There will be more info to follow, but we anticipate a mid-September roll out date. Thanks to Snack Coordinator and UES mom Bianca Magiera for her many years of service and hard work making our healthy snack program thrive! If you have any questions about the Snack Program or would like to volunteer (yes, we still need volunteers on Wednesdays!), contact Bianca directly at:


snack@mpsvt.org

I think that will do it for now!  Get ready for the next Wise Owl next week!  Have a great long weekend with your friends and families!