RE: Principal Updates 9/26/2012
Nancy Walker
9/26/2012
Greetings Primary Families!
I’d like to thank all the families that are doing so much for our school! It is so rewarding to see such involved parents and those that are willing to go the extra mile not only for their child, but their child’s school. I have several items that people have either asked about or have come to my attention, so I thought I’d let you all know. Please read this email in its entirety in order to find some answers.
· Cookie Dough
o October 5th is the deadline for cookie dough sales. They have some great prizes for the kiddos to win. If you haven’t tried it; the cookies are great!
· Uniforms
o We are having severe infractions of the uniform policy. Students are expected to adhere to the written policy that parents signed in the summer packet. Beginning Monday, October 1 any student not in compliance will receive a COA. We will not have any NUT (No Uniform Today) days until all students are in compliance.
§ All students are expected to wear to wear khaki or navy bottoms from Allen Sports or the K-12 Gear brand. Target, Wal-Mart, or other brands are not acceptable.
§ Shoes MUST be PREDOMINATELY (which means mostly) solid black or white. Florals, prints, etc. are not acceptable. Silver is not a shade of white.
§ Socks MUST be solid white or black with no color showing (including bands at the top). (I want to have special sock days as incentive for good behavior…I can’t do that until all students are in compliance.)
§ Shirts must be the PPA embroidered polo from Allen’s EXCEPT on Friday, when PPA spirit T-shirts are acceptable.
§ Outerwear may be parent choice but MUST be solid navy, red, or white.
§ Long sleeve white T-shirts may be worn under the polo during cool weather.
§ Hoodies may be worn, but hoods may NOT be worn in the building.
· Level II Volunteer Clearance
o In conjunction with Pinellas County, all volunteers that will be outside of the range of teacher vision must have a Level II volunteer clearance. Please see the attached announcement for more details.
o Level II clearance volunteers must still be signed into the front office. Level II allows volunteers to work with students without a staff member, but does not afford free range of the building. Thank you for understanding.
· Character Trait of the Month
o Each month at Pinellas Primary we focus on a character trait. This month’s trait is ‘Responsibility’. Please help us by reinforcing this trait at home by talking with your child and helping them become more responsible.
· Clubs
o Thank you for your understanding that we don’t have enough clubs for all students at one time. We will be changing homework club at the end of the grading period.
o When picking up your child, please remember to bring your car tag and walk up to pick them up. Please do not motion for your child to come to the car. Additionally, our teachers are very tired by the end of the day (18 students X 8 hrs = tired teachers) and they shouldn’t be expected to run up and down the sidewalk looking for cars. Thank you for understanding.
· Car Circle/Tardiness – no silent lunch
o We realize that car circle is stressful. Thank you so much for helping us out by following staff directions. It is very important that you unload in the mornings from the flagpole forward. Do not allow your child to get out of the car until the staff member has said, “Unload”.
o Please, please, please keep your brake pressed firmly or put your car in ‘park’. We had a near miss the other day because a car moved forward while a child was moving through the line.
o We watch car circle carefully and do not issue tardies when the line is long or parents are unable to get into the parking lot on time. However, we have several parents that attempt to, or enter, the parking lot at 8:12-8:13. Entering at that time on a “non-hectic” day will ensure a tardy for your child. Our policy states that the child must be “in their seat” at the start of the day, which is 8:15. If you pull into the parking lot at 8:12, your child will not be able to make it by 8:15. Even though the students may still be on the covered court, we are conducting our morning assembly, which includes character building. So, if your child is not “in their seat” at 8:15, they are tardy.
o If your child receives 3 tardies, they are issued a COA (Consequence of Action). It (by default) states that they are assigned a silent lunch. This default is due to the same email sent to both schools. We do NOT assign silent lunch for tardies on the Primary side as we realize it is the parent’s responsibility to have their child to school on time. However, after 3 COA’s in one grading period the child is issued a referral to their permanent file. Additionally, tardies are tracked by minutes lost and equate to absences. We are required to report the number of hours of lost education time to the State, so it is important to have your child to school on time.
o Primary students are to be dropped off between 7:55-8:10 a.m. Please do NOT drop your child off earlier (unless they have a sibling or car pool in the other school). Students dropped off earlier may be subject to Before Care fees. Why? We simply don’t have the staff to supervise early drop offs and must pay Before Care workers to supervise.
In general, I believe we are running smoothly. If you have any concerns, please talk with your child’s teacher first. If you are not satisfied, or feel it is an issue that requires my attention, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am always happy to meet with any parent that has concerns or issues.
Thank you,
Mrs. Walker
