January 2, 2020
Parkside's January Newsletter
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,

Happy New Year! As we usher in 2020, we renew our commitment to our school pledge to "Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe." Our PBIS school-wide reward system has almost reached the first milestone! Our students have been earning pom poms and filling the school tube in the lobby--we are nearing our first complete fill and look forward to having a fun reward! In addition to the school-wide reward, students caught exemplifying our school values are earning Panther Paws at a steady rate, and those picked out at random have enjoyed monthly high interest activities or are able to shop at our school store at recess.

Along with our focus on positive behavior is our goal to ensure academic growth for all of our students. To monitor that growth, we will conduct Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark testing for grades K-5, and CDT testing for grades 3-5 this month. We will use the data generated by these exams to plan and implement highly effective instruction that will allow all students to make academic gains throughout the school year.

Please take a few minutes to view the other announcements below for a review of past events and highlights for the upcoming month. Follow us on Twitter at @ParksideES for more photos and news.


Best Regards,

Tara Young
Principal
Parkside Elementary School
January Calendar
Four Schools, One Book!
The Faculty and Students will be participating in the Four Schools, One Book assembly on January 10th. We are excited to find out what our book will be this year! Families will receive the book and home reading time will begin after the assembly--more information will follow!
Dental Exam Information
Have you handed in your student's dental paperwork? Dental exams are mandated by Pennsylvania for grades K/1, 3, and 7. A mobile program is available for students in grade K/1, 3 and 7 ONLY who have not provided proof of a dental exam within the last year. Learn more about the January 23, 2020 examinations at Penn-Delco.
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
In the morning, students are expected to arrive to school no earlier than 8:40 am without parent supervision. Staff supervision begins at 8:40. Parents may choose to supervise their own children prior to school, but unaccompanied students will be asked to arrive no sooner than 8:40 and line up at the doors. Parents dropping off students should use a SINGLE car line in the morning so that students are not walking between cars. Students should only be released if the car is in the outer circle nearest to the sidewalk.

In the afternoon, any parent picking up a Kindergarten student is asked to park in the playground lot and walk up to the basketball court to pick up their child in the playground. Parents of older students may use the car line in the circle to pick up. The car line is a SINGLE line, parents must not pull out of line unless directed to do so by school staff. This will be increasingly important as the weather changes to maintain a safe dismissal from school.

Parents, thank you for your cooperation with these expectations to maintain the safety of students at arrival and dismissal each day. As always, please email me or call the office with any questions or concerns.
Attendance Information


 As cold and flu season is on the horizon, please review the Parent and Student Handbook for student absence procedures. If your child does become ill, students should not return to school until they have been fever free or have held down food for 24 hours. A parent or doctor's note is required within three days of return to school in order for the absence to be excused.
Parkside PTL & Fundraising
The PTL Meeting for the month of January is on Wednesday January 8th at 6:30 pm in the Parkside Library. Please join us to continue the great work that the PTL sponsors and plans throughout the year for our children!
Parkside is ramping up its efforts to fundraise this year through Box Tops! Each month, students will receive a Box Top sheet where they can hand in Box Tops to earn a homework pass and win incentives for themselves and their classes too! Contact Liz Dougherty with questions - parksideptl@yahoo.com ,
Parkside PTL has invited you to download the Shoparoo app to help raise funds for Parkside Elementary School! Shoparoo is a free mobile app available on iPhone and Android that turns pictures of your shopping receipts into instant donations and rewards for your school! Shop at any store, buy any product, and snap a picture of your receipt with Shoparoo to start earning for Parkside Elementary School! You can also set reminders in case you forget.

CORE VALUE OF THE MONTH