News from the Shark Tank

August

August 29: "Our future is so bright, we have to wear shades" Its sunglasses at school spirit day

September

September 5: Labor day holiday for staff/students

September 9: 'Red, White and Blue' Patriot day

September 15: International Dot day

September 16: Fall picture day

Attendance

Parents/guardian - if your child is absent, please call the school number and select option 1 to leave a message regarding the absence. If sending a message directly to the teacher, please request that the teacher forward the information to the office for attendance. Parents may also reply to the attendance email (SmithStationESAttendance@spotsylvania.k12.va.us).

Teachers will be the first point of contact when your student has an absence. Your student’s teacher will contact you by email, phone call or a Class DOJO message after 5 missed days of school. This contact will occur even if you have notified the teacher or the school office of your child’s absence ahead of time.

If your child misses more than five days of school, the school counselor or social worker will also contact you about the absences.

We understand that students will have illnesses and family emergencies throughout the year. If your student is sick and has been to the doctor please provide an excuse from the doctor. We want to work with you and your student to make this a successful and rewarding school year.

If you have any questions or concerns about the attendance policy please contact your student’s teacher or the school administration.

Drills

According to a recent law (HB 270), schools are required to notify parents when conducting lockdown drills. We will be conducting a lockdown drill during the week of August 29.

Spotsylvania County is introducing a new way for parents to pay for field trips, yearbooks, school clothing, athletic fees, and more. It's called SchoolCash Online.

SchoolCash Online is a web-based program that integrates online payment options for parents with our offices' school-level accounting. SchoolCash Online helps parents and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. By using SchoolCash Online, you help increase efficiency and security at your school by making payments directly into your school's bank account. This allows teachers and secretaries to focus on helping students, and not counting cash. In addition, you are immediately informed about school activities!

Powered by KEV Group, SchoolCash Online is the industry leader in the management of school fees. This system puts all of the school-related fees for your student online for purchase. Schools post their items and activities and assign the relevant fees to your student, so you can then make purchases online using your credit card. This allows you to stay informed about upcoming school activities while keeping track of the school fees that require your attention.

SchoolCash Online is safe, simple, secure, and saves time. The online platform offers tremendous benefits to parents, guardians, staff and students. Please refer to the handout provided by your child's teacher for more in formation and register an account for your family!

Should you encounter any difficulties, please contact the SchoolCash Online parent help desk by visiting schoolcashonline.com/Home/Support.

Hello Shark families!

September is just around the corner and the school year is in full swing! Your school counselors will begin classroom lessons on a specific character trait each month. At the end of the month, homeroom teachers will choose two students from their class who demonstrate this character trait. These students will earn a Student of the Month award! For September, our character trait of the month is “Trustworthy.”

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your school counselor with any questions, concerns, or even to just say hello!

Alicia Eye

School Counselor; Grades 1, 3, and 5

aheye@spotsylvania.k12.va.us

540-786-5443 ext. 8424

Jennifer Waterman

School Counselor; Grades K, 2, and 4

jwaterman@spotsylvania.k12.va.us

540-786-5443 ext. 8426

Facebook

If you haven’t already, please follow us on Facebook. We will be posting our events, school news and our meeting dates and times.

https://www.facebook.com/SmithStationPTO

All students at Smith Station Elementary are able to eat free this year (breakfast and lunch). Students are able to purchase additional items. Please see the attached pricing for A La Carte items in the cafe as the prices have changed this year.

Looking for a way to support our families in need? We’re excited to announce our new partnership with @purposity! To support our mission, just download the Purposity app and follow Spotsylvania County Public Schools. Your donations will help fill the shelves of our Treasure House, which directly supports our students in need. To get started, download the Purposity app in the App Store or Google Play and be sure to follow us.

It’s now simple to make a difference for our students, right from your phone! With

Purposity

get one weekly notification, read the story of a student in need, and decide if you want to help - all from your phone in under a minute. Download Purposity in the App Store or Google Play and be sure to follow SCPS!

RACSB 24-hour emergency mental health services: (540) 373-6876

The Fredericksburg Food Bank (540) 371-7666 is still providing food for families in addition to what we distribute at schools

The RACSB Spotsy office is able to offer virtual intake sessions and therapy appointments: 540-582-3980

Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Department non-emergency number: (540) 507-7200

Domestice Violence Hotline (Empowerhouse): 540-373-9373, 1-877-734-7238

Virginia 211 offers local information about services, food/rent support, etc.: dial 211

Suicide hotline: 800-273-TALK

Substance abuse hotline: 800-662-HELP

Did you know that we have an 'official' Smith Station facebook page? Be sure to take a look and like our page! facebook.com/SmithStationElementary

Spanish:

Para traducir este documento a otro idioma, por favor use el botón "Traduce" al final de la página.

Urdu:

س دستاویز کو کسی دوسری زبان میں ترجمہ کرنے کے لئے ، براہ کرم ذیل میں "ترجمہ کریں" بٹن کا استعمال کریں۔

Farsi:

برای ترجمه این سند به یک زبان دیگر ، لطفاً از دکمه "ترجمه" در زیر استفاده کنید

Website: spotsylvania.k12.va.us/smithstation
Location: 7320 Smith Station Court, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Phone: (540) 786-5443
Facebook: facebook.com/SmithStationElementary
Twitter: @smith_station