Sugar Creek Family Newsletter
September Monthly Newsletter
Did you know Sugar Creek has a Sunshine Committee?
The Sunshine Committee is a wonderful group that provides help to families in our school that are having troubled times such as a serious health problem, a car or other accident, permanent or temporary loss of a family member, or a death in the family. The committee offers a little “sunshine” by coordinating to make meals and/or help provide for other needs during a stressful family time.
When Ms. Houghan or I become aware of a family in need of support, we will contact the family. We will find out how the Sugar Creek community can aid the family during their tough time. We will then contact the members of the Sunshine Committee to help meet these identified needs without disclosing the identity of the family seeking support. The Sunshine Committee will donate or provide the tools to meet these needs to Ms. Houghan and me. This might be preparing a meal, purchasing a gift card, going on a grocery run, or giving a Sugar Creek friend a ride. The privacy of the family in need will be a top priority, so the Sunshine Committee will bring donations to the school to then be delivered to the family by myself or another Sugar Creek staff member that the family feels comfortable with.
Would you like to be on the Sunshine Committee?
Do you or someone you know need some sunshine? Contact Rachel Hammer, Sugar Creek social worker
*If an immediate response is needed, please call the school office and ask for Ms. Houghan or Ms. Hammer.
Thank you for helping to make Sugar Creek a warm and safe place for our students and their families!
Rachel Hammer
School Social Worker
It also takes many hands to make this event possible. If you are interested in volunteering in any way, please sign up here! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044FAEAA2AAAFA7-64453719-funrun).
We love giving students an opportunity to experience amazing Field Trips as part of their educational experience. With rising costs of fuel and events, this is becoming a bit more difficult. If you are in a place to donate to our field trip fund, you can do so at this website: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLGMC7V19BKZT/checkout/754LPNPPSNASBORA2HVECDUV
Our front drop off line is a busy place. A few reminders to help keep kids and parents safe!
- Please do not cross the drop off lane anywhere other than the designated crosswalk where Ms. Maria has a stop sign. We've seen some families cross further up, but cars come quickly down that path and it can be very unsafe to cross anywhere other than the crosswalk.
- Please pull up as far as you can to drop off your students so the line doesn't get to long! Students can enter Door 1 or 2 so please consider pulling all the way up so we can keep the line moving.
- Remind your kiddos to only exit the vehicle in the lane closest to the sidewalk. It is dangerous for kids to get out on the other side as cars again move quickly.
Tomorrow morning, students will engage in our first Safety Practice here at school. Our teachers led class discussions to review routines and make sure students know how to stay safe at school. We use the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), which is a strategy used by all schools in the Verona Area School District. You can find more information about the protocol on the district’s website.
We will practice, focusing on three specific responses within the protocol: Secure, Hold, and Lockdown. Rather than enacting scenarios, our goal is to talk through our safety plans so students would know where to go and what to do. All of our staff members will be in in classrooms and throughout the building to support students during these discussions.
The students always do an excellent job listening and staying calm throughout the practice. If you have any questions about the lessons or the practice, please let us know.
Join Sugar Creek as we continue our award-winning focus on healthy living and wellness with an All-School Walk on Monday, September 28, 2026! The Starting Line and Finish Line will both be behind the left (Gymnasium) side of the school. Families can park and join us between 9:00 – 9:20 a.m. The path is entirely on black top around our school, so no wet shoes to worry about!
Students arriving on buses and students dropped off will be directed to the start line, will enter school after the walk and then go to class. (If it is sprinkling or raining at 9 am, the walk will be canceled.) All of our staff, and some parent members of our Health and Wellness Team, will be supervising and participating!
Previous walks were super fun, and this is a great “warm-up” to our Fun Run, on Saturday, October 3rd!