Amberly Elementary End of School Year Newsletter No School May 23 rd & May 25 th : Extended Memorial Day Break There is no school for students Friday, May 23 rd or Monday, May 25 th, Memorial Day. Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend! Dunk the Daoust Friday, May 30 th! Volunteers Needed The students of Amberly did an outstanding job collecting pledges and running/walking during Tiger Trek on May 1 st! Students met their goal of earning over $22,000 to fund the PTA budget for the upcoming school year. SO.once again, their reward will be to dunk Principal Mary Daoust in a dunk tank during recess on Friday, May 30 th. We are in need of parent/guardian volunteers to assist with Dunk the Daoust (handing out balls, lining up children, crowd control, etc.) during recess times on May 30 th. If you are able to volunteer please contact Lori O Brien at 216-3705 or via email at lorijon1005@yahoo.com AMAZING TIGER TREK!!! Thank you to all parents/guardians, family, friends & businesses who supported our students via pledges for the Tiger Trek! The PTA has surpassed the fundraising goal set!!!! What a wonderful event Tiger Trek was, actively involving students in fundraising in a healthy and fun community building activity. We look forward to this event again next spring.
Last Day of School: Friday, June 6th Half Day of School The final day of the 2013-14 school year is Friday, June 6th. This will be a HALF DAY of school. Please be sure to arrange for supervision of your students the afternoon of June 6 th! Have a great summer!! Be Sure to Pick Up Student Medications at School If your child has medication in the school office, a parent/guardian will need to come and pick up the medication prior to or on Monday, June 9 th. Unused medication will not be sent home with elementary students. All medications left at the Amberly Elementary School office after June 9 th will be discarded. Note: New medication consent forms with physician signatures are required for the upcoming school year for students who must take medication, both prescription and over-the-counter, at school. Check Lost and Found! Our newly redesigned and organized Lost and Found area continues to have MANY items in it!! Please check the lost and found area for any items belonging to your child before school is out for Summer Vacation. Items unclaimed after school is dismissed for the summer will be given to a local charity. Summer Verification of Class Placement Amberly families will receive notification of their child s class placement via the mail by the third week of August. Letters from the principal and the upcoming year s teacher, along with registration materials and a requested supply list will be mailed to each Amberly student by August 11, 2014. 2014-15 Kindergarten Paperwork Due!! If your child will be entering Young Fives and/or Kindergarten next school year, please be sure to have all paper work turned into the office prior to June 9 th! Documentation and forms needed include: Transportation Information Form, Health Appraisal, immunization verification from doctor s office, a copy of your child s birth certificate and proof of residency in the Amberly attendance area. 2014-15 Grade Level Supply Lists Many families have already pre-ordered requested school supplies for the upcoming school year via the PTA SchoolKidz program. For those of you who preferred to purchase these supplies on your own, requested classroom supplies for the 2014-15 school year will be mailed to parents/guardians with fourth quarter student report cards. An updated 2014-15 School Year Requested Supply List will also soon be posted on the Amberly website homepage at: http://www.portageps.org/schools/elementary/amb/default.htm.
Are You Moving???? As we attempt to verify the number of classrooms we need at specific grade levels for the 2014-15 school year, it is imperative that we maintain an accurate count on students we will have enrolled at Amberly Elementary for the upcoming school year. If you are aware that you will be moving from the Amberly attendance area next school year, please contact the school office at 323-5900 as soon as possible. If your residence changes over the summer months, please notify the district office at 323-5000. Having this information in a timely manner is key to insuring student records are transferred and your child is able to have a smooth transition to his/her new school. Transportation for 2013-14 Do You Want Your Child To Ride A Bus To School In 2014-15? Do you want your student to ride the school bus next year? Do you want to save time and money and help the environment at the same too? In order for Portage Public Schools to provide a safe and orderly bus ride, we require all parents to register their students for bus service. Portage students will not be scheduled for bus service unless the parents/guardians notify the transportation department in writing. You may sign up online after May 1 at www.portageps.org; or you may download the form at http://www.portageps.org/departments/transportation/requestform/transportation_requestform.pdf and submit it to the transportation office via fax, mail or your student s bus driver. If you do not have internet access, you may obtain a Transportation Request form at any Portage school or transportation office. Obtaining an accurate list of students who will actually be riding our buses is very important for us to design efficient, low cost bus routes and to assure the safety of the students. As a reminder, all students may be expected to walk up to 1-½ miles to school. Elementary students may walk up to ½ mile to a bus stop and middle & high students may walk up to 1 mile to a bus stop wherever appropriate walkways and traffic signs are available. Eligible students signing up for transportation will be assigned to bus stops based on their home address. If you would like your students to ride the bus next year, please sign up early. Bus assignments will be based on the student s home address as listed on the schools records. Students signing up by June 30 will receive a postcard in late August with specific transportation information. Students not replying by June 30 may compromise our ability to provide timely bus service in the fall. For more information, please ask your bus driver or call Transportation at 323-5151.
Enrollment Information Now Online In efforts to improve customer service and continue to place more information online, Portage Public Schools has launched a new Enroll Now section on its website. There is an Enroll Now link on the homepage, in the upper left corner of www.portageps.org. The direct link is: http://www.portageps.org/enrollment/default.aspx The enrollment page contains links to all the information and forms necessary for enrolling a new student. The site, launched in April, includes enrollment instructions for both residents and nonresidents, including information regarding Schools of Choice. There are links to the Program of Studies and counseling office contacts for middle and high school students. There are also links to information including what immunizations are required, how to find the Street Guide for those who may not know which school covers a specific neighborhood, and a listing of postal addresses for school for those who want to mail in enrollment. A Frequently Asked Questions section also provides further information. Having this information online will be especially useful for families moving in from out of town who have limited time on the ground and for parents/guardians enrolling kindergarten students. Some families may use this site as a way to obtain the forms so they can be filled out at home and then brought into the school, while others especially those moving into Portage - may access materials and mail enrollments to the school. Thank You Volunteers! Amberly Elementary is EXTREMELY fortunate to have parent/guardian volunteers who consistently support staff efforts to provide students with educational excellence. From working directly with children, to supporting fundraisers, helping maintain and improve our building and grounds, organizing classroom parties, etc., your support is GREATLY appreciated and is what makes Amberly Elementary a great place to learn and grow! Thank you for your support of the students and staff of Amberly Elementary School. Have a Safe and Fun Summer!!
NEW AMBERLY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION PROCEDURES FOR 2014-15 SCHOOL YEAR As a school we believe it is important to recognize students on their birthday and to also reinforce practices which promote positive student health and learning. Due to increased food allergies along with the implementation of the Amberly Acceptable Snack List last school year, we will no longer allow edible birthday treats (cupcakes, cookies, etc.) to be served to students during school hours. We WILL continue to honor students birthdays. We will recognize our Amberly Tiger student birthdays by stating their name on the Monday Morning Announcements at the start of their birthday or half birthday (summer birthdays) week and a special birthday pencil will be provided to your student. Classroom teachers may also choose to provide your child with additional age appropriate birthday recognitions (wearing of a birthday crown, extra free choice time, no homework pass, etc.) If you do not wish to have your child s birthday recognized at school due to religious or personal reasons, please inform our school office. If you would like to do more to help your child celebrate their birthday or half-birthday at school, we d like you to consider some of the following options: Share a small inexpensive non-edible treat with classmates: erasers, highlighters, bookmark or pencils are always appreciated and needed by students. Donate an age appropriate game for indoor recess: When the weather does not allow for recess outside, students are always seeking new games to play during indoor recess. Donating an age appropriate game in honor of your child s birthday is a wonderful long-lasting birthday gift shared with all students. Donate an item from your teacher s classroom supply wish list: Teachers are always in need of additional whiteboard markers, an electric pencil sharpener, etc. Donating an item for use in the classroom is another way to honor your child s birthday. Dedicate a book: Have your child dedicate a grade-level appropriate book to his/her classroom library. We encourage parents/guardians to write In honor of birthday inside the book. Please check with your child s teacher for book titles and/or author ideas. Eat lunch with your child on his/her birthday: Parents/guardians are always welcome to join their child for lunch at school. While food cannot be shared with other students, parents are welcome to bring lunch for themselves and their child to celebrate their birthday. No additional participation from parents/guardians is needed; the list suggested above is only if a parent/guardian wishes to do more than the school recognition of announcing the student s birthday and receiving a pencil. Thank you for your understanding of our non-edible birthday treats commitment beginning in the fall of 2014. We appreciate your support in helping our school move forward with the new birthday recognition plan.