Finch Elementary News

August 17, 2023

Principal's Corner

Welcome to Finch Elementary! We hope this letter finds you well and excited for the upcoming school year. We want to extend a warm welcome to both our returning families and those who are new to our school community. As we prepare for the start of another academic journey, we want to take a moment to share some important information and updates with you.

Our focus this year will be We are Finch! Every One; Every Time; Every Where! At Finch Elementary we teach our students the behaviors we expect according to these standards.

Be Safe
Be Respectful
Be Responsible

Together, we will support and inspire ways our students can make a difference in their classrooms, school community and beyond. Our charge is to develop great thinkers and leaders that can do just that. We will continue to grow our College and Career AVID strategies in grades 3-5, and our Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) program which explicitly teaches school wide expectations. This will be a wonderful year of learning, and we hope you will see and celebrate the tremendous growth your students make in math, literacy, social studies, science, and so much more over the course of this school year!

We are thrilled to embark on this journey alongside you and your child. Let's work together to make this school year a memorable and enriching one. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact our school office at 509.354.2600.

It will be a fantastic year! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Carmen Steele and Heather Curley

Upcoming Dates

August 23rd ~ Kindergarten Roundup 5:00-6:00 pm

August 31st ~ Launch Conferences

Sept. 1st ~ Launch Conferences

Sept. 4th ~ Labor Day: No School

Sept. 5th ~ 1st Day of School 1st - 5th grades

Sept. 6th-11th ~ Kindergarten A/B Rotation

Sept. 12th ~ 1st Day for ALL Kindergarten

Sept. 26th ~ 1st Day of Preschool, Individual Picture Day

Sept. 27th ~ PTO Ice Cream Social 5:30 pm & PTO Meeting 6:00 pm

FINCH CONTACT INFORMATION

Main Phone: 509.354.2600

Attendance: 509.354.2555

Main Office: 7:30am-4:00pm

Fax: 509.354.2616

School Times:

Mondays 9:30-3:00

Tuesday-Friday 8:30-3:00

Launch Conferences

We are looking forward to meeting all of you during our Launch Conferences on August 31 and September 1. There will be a link sent out on Friday, August 18 for you to sign-up with your child's teacher. If you don't receive the email with the link, please contact Finch's office and we can help support you in getting scheduled.

Kindergarten Registration & Kindergarten Round-Up

Will your child be five by August 31st? Register now for kindergarten at Finch. You can either drop by the office to register or you can register online here.

Kindergarten Round Up will be on August 23rd from 5:00-6:00 pm. During this event, your student will meet the kindergarten teachers, participate in learning activities, and families will learn about the many exciting things that happen at Finch Elementary.

Drop-off Procedure

Safety is our number one priority here at Finch! That includes making sure that all students are safely exiting vehicles at morning drop-off. If you are dropping your child off at school in the morning, please arrive on Kiernan Avenue and proceed into the drop off loop. Enter the drop off loop and pull all the way forward so several vehicles can enter the loop and traffic doesn’t backup. Have your student ready to exit out of the passenger side of your vehicle. If you need to walk your students to the blacktop or to the south facing doors, park on the street. There is no parking or waiting in the drop off loop. Parking in the loop can cause traffic/congestion and is a safety issue for students, families, and staff. When exiting the loop, make a right turn only on Milton Street. Students are not to be dropped off in front of the school. The front of the school will be blocked.

Dismissal/Pick-up Procedure

When picking up your student(s), arrive on Kiernan Avenue and park along the streets. The parking lot and drop off loop are reserved for daycare vans and for students and families who have special needs. Students cannot be picked up in front of the school, which is designated for bussing or district approved transportation. All students crossing the street must cross at the designated intersections and obey the crossing guards. For the safety and security of your child, all students will be excused from the classroom dot. Please do not take your child out of line while they walk to their dot. We ask that you remain at the south end of the blacktop by the big toys until all students are on their dots. This is to provide added supervision and safety. Students who are not picked up by 3:10 p.m. will be taken to the office to contact parents. All students are to go directly home after school and be off school grounds by 3:15 p.m.

Thank you for working with us to keep the Finch community safe!

NEW Morning Line-up Procedures

I Need to Eat Breakfast

If you are needing breakfast in the morning, please arrive by 8:10 and use the front doors to access the cafeteria. Please wait to be let into the school by a supervisor. After you eat, you will join your classmates in the hallway outside of your classroom by grabbing a book and reading quietly in your space.

I Ate Breakfast at Home

If you are not eating breakfast, please arrive between 8:15-8:25 and use the south-facing playground doors to line-up. Supervisors will let you in and you will head to the hallway outside of your classroom, choose a book, and read quietly until your teacher greets you at the door.

School Supplies

Still needing to purchase school supplies? Not sure what you need to buy. Click on our Supply Lists to access your child's grade level requested supplies.

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Late Start Mondays

Mondays will continue to be set aside for teachers to collaborate and learn together before students arrive. This takes the place of early release Fridays. School will begin at 9:30am EVERY Monday morning. Students may arrive starting at 9:10 for breakfast or between 8:15-8:25 if students are not accessing breakfast in the morning. We will release at 3:00 pm each day.

New Faces Around Finch

Please welcome some familiar and new faces to Finch this fall! We are so excited that they have joined our team to support students this year.

Mrs. Curley

Principal Assistant

Ms. Gardner

Office Manager

Ms. Taylor

P.E. Teacher

Ms. Luchterhand

Support Secretary

Ms. Graham

Resource Teacher

Mr. Elwell

Para-Educator

Basketball Lead

Finch is Ready for Students!

Thank you to our custodians, Mr. Butters and Mr. Mike!!!! They worked hard over the summer to get our school ready for learning. They play an essential role in creating a positive learning environment for everyone in the school community. Please thank them for their amazing work at getting our school clean and shiny so that we can have an amazing year of learning!

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Bussing

Please go to the district web page www.spokaneschools.org and register to ride if you live further than a mile (as the crow flies) from our school.

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Crossing and Recess Supervisors

Interested in supporting our Finch community? We are looking for both A.M. and P.M. Crossing Guards as well as more Lunch Recess Supervisors. Please get in contact with our office if you are interested in supporting Finch with either of these services.

IT'S TIME!!!!!!

We are so excited to see you all on September 5 for a great school year.