Puster Families,
On Tuesday evening our hallways and classrooms were FINALLY filled with Puster families and children. It made my heart happy to see all of you again!
As I type this, our staff members are learning about all of the new changes in our district curriculum. They will spend the rest of the week preparing their classrooms and working together to plan lessons for your children.
Our PTA is hosting the annual "Tears and Cheers" on the first day of school. Join us to cry it out or celebrate the return of the school year! 8:15 AM in the Think Tank (B105) across from the library.
Below you will find important notes and “need to know” info to get us off to a great start this year. If you still have unanswered questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Pride in Puster,
Holly
School Times
:
School begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m.
7:30-7:45 Students go to the gym (K-2) or cafeteria (3-4).
7:45 Students are dismissed to classrooms.
Students not in classrooms at 8:00 will go to the office for a tardy slip.
Morning Drop Off (K-4)
This routine will stay the same as in years past. Cars will enter the north driveway and come to the back of the campus. Either staff or Safety Crew students will be waiting to assist your child out of the car. To help us be as efficient as possible, pull up to the next available person who can assist your child. On the first day of school, students will go immediately to their classroom regardless of the time they arrive. Beginning on August 20th, students who arrive before 7:45 AM will report to the cafeteria (3
rd
/4
th
graders) or the gym (KG, 1
st
, 2
nd
graders). They will then move to their classes when the bell rings at 7:45 AM.
Morning Drop Off (Pre-K Only)
When you arrive before 8:00 AM you may either park in the front parking lot and walk your child in the pod doors or you may pull up along the curb and let a staff member assist your child out of the car. Either way, we ask you sign your child in, circle whether or not they will be attending after school care, and circle whether they will be ordering a lunch from the cafeteria. All Pre-K students will go straight to their classroom each morning. If you have an older sibling, they can be dropped off in the KG/PreK pod also and go to their designated location each morning. If you arrive after 8:00 AM, you must walk your child into the main office, sign them in, and we will walk them to class.
Afternoon Pick Up (K-4)
Students will be dismissed at 3:10. Car riders will be dismissed to the back of the campus. Please have your car number visible so this procedure will go as smoothly as possible.
Afternoon Pick Up (Pre-K Only)
All pick ups will take place at the main entrance. For security purposes, parents will wait outside the door for students to be dismissed. A school staff member will also be at the door with a clipboard. They will check your ID and call to have your child (and sibling) brought to you.
Dismissal News (Pre-K - 4):
There will be a Special Edition message coming out regarding our new Dismissal Manager online system. We are uploading student names and parent emails based on what you have provided us in PowerSchool. Stay tuned for more info coming soon!
More Dismissal News (K-4):
Last year, we moved from a single line of buses to double-stacked buses. This created an additional need to be vigilant about student safety. At the end of last year, I invited our Director of Operations to come observe our dismissal process around bus dismissal and offer feedback. With some small tweaks, we were able to improve our process, however one safety concern remained. This year, we must reduce the amount of congestion in our front parking lot as well as the amount of pedestrian traffic at the crosswalk. Reducing the amount of student and adult movement between buses at dismissal is imperative to ensure the safety of all. Therefore,
we have made the difficult decision to eliminate the "Louie's Lair" dismissal option
.
This will decrease sidewalk congestion as bus riders are dismissing and, more importantly, reduce the amount of traffic walking between buses. Parents are certainly welcome to arrive early and park in the back parking lot to walk and pick students up from the car line.
More Dismissal News:
Nothing scares a parent or staff member more than learning a child didn't get off the bus or we just aren't sure how a child went home. It is our job to keep our children safe from the moment you drop them off at Puster until the moment they are back in your hands. Therefore,
we respectfully ask that you not wait for your bus rider to be dismissed and pull them off the bus or from the dismissal line.
We have check-off systems in place to ensure we know where every child goes at the end of the day. Please check your child out at the front office if you have a last-minute dismissal change.
Final Dismissal News:
Please be patient with us the first two weeks of school! Students and teachers are learning car numbers, bus numbers and our dismissal procedures. The first few days will always take longer as we work out the bugs. Our systems will become more efficient with practice and I anticipate we will all be speedy experts after the first couple of weeks. As always, car line will dismiss at the back of the building. Bus will dismiss at the front of the building.
Lunch Visitors:
We love visitors! You are always welcome to come eat lunch with your child. However,
please wait until Week 2
- we need the first week of school to establish routines and procedures. Beginning August 26th, please join your child for lunch any day. As always, we ask that you eat at the back table with your child only - no friends OR you are welcome to eat at your child’s lunch table with him/her and the rest of the class.
Birthday Treats:
You are welcome to send treats on your child’s birthday. Please be sure you have coordinated this ahead of time with your child’s teacher. Treats must be store bought and will only be served at the end of the day - no earlier than 2:45. Treats may be dropped off in the front office to be delivered to the classroom teacher. If your child has allergies, please coordinate with your child’s teacher on a plan for an alternate treat.