Back to School Parent Newsletter

August, 2024

Dear Students, Parents, and Staff,

Welcome back to school! I hope your summer was filled with joy, relaxation, and wonderful memories. As we gather once again, I am thrilled to embark on another exciting year of learning and growth with each of you.

This year, we have a lot of wonderful things in store. Our dedicated teachers and staff have been working hard to prepare engaging and inspiring lessons that will help every student reach their full potential. We are committed to creating a safe, positive, and nurturing environment where curiosity is sparked, creativity flourishes, and academic success is achieved.

We have a range of exciting programs, activities, and events planned to make this year memorable. From special grade level events to school-wide celebrations, there will be plenty of opportunities for our students to explore their interests, develop new skills, and make lasting friendships.

I encourage you to stay connected and involved in our school community. Your support and participation are crucial in making our school a vibrant and enriching place for all. Be sure to keep an eye on our newsletters, website, and social media channels for updates and upcoming events.

To our new families, a warm welcome! We are delighted to have you join our school community. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns – we are here to help and support you.

Together, let’s make this school year one of the best yet. Let’s embrace new challenges with enthusiasm, celebrate our achievements, and support one another every step of the way.

Wishing you and your family a fantastic year ahead!

Warmest regards,

Dr. Malinda McKillip, Principal

Please click here for the district calendar for your planning and convenience.

Please click here for the 2024-2025 supply list.

Students in grades 1-6 will be directed to the multi-purpose room upon arrival to school. Kindergarten students will be escorted directly to their homerooms. Please assure your child there will be ample teachers and staff on hand to provide any necessary assistance.

Don't forget to encourage your child to wear red or their French Creek spirit wear on the first day of school as we will be celebrating our French Creek school spirit!

As everyone prepares to return to school, we want to pass along a friendly reminder to families to ensure that student and parent contact information is current in Skyward. Not only is up-to-date contact information vital to helping us share important updates involving our district, but it is also essential to overall student safety.

As a reminder, the URL for Skyward has changed. Please update any bookmarks that you have saved or you may access Skyward directly through the link on our website.

If you have forgotten your Skyward login information or are a first-time user and have not accessed the system, simply click on the “Forgot your Username or Password?” link. An automated email with a generic password will then be sent to the email address associated with your login credentials. Next, follow the directions to create a unique password.

Below are important instructions to guide you in updating annual information in Skyward. The entire update process can be completed in only a few minutes.

To complete the Annual Information Update Process:

• To complete the Annual Information Update Form:

  • Login to Skyward

  • Click the “Online Form Annual Student Update 24-25 SY” tile under your first student

  • Update your information

  • Repeat for each additional student

Please note that only primary guardians are able to complete this process. We kindly request that you please complete any changes by the start of the school year. We appreciate your understanding and willingness to make these updates a priority. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the main office at 610-469-5104.

It is extremely important that there are open lines of communication between home and school. Please expect to receive newsletters from the school and your child’s teacher on a regular basis. It is also very important for you to become familiar with our French Creek website.

The Elementary Parent/Student Handbook is available under the “Principal's Corner” section of our website. Please review it carefully with your children prior to the first day of school.

As a friendly reminder, please contact the main office during the day at 610-469-5104 with any time-sensitive messages. The office is open from 7:50 AM to 4:20 PM. Calling, rather than emailing, ensures that your message is immediately received by the appropriate staff member. It is important to note that we are busy instructing students during the school day; therefore, we are unable to check email regularly. However, all of your messages are important to us. Please expect a response within approximately 24 hours.

Please take some time to remind your child about appropriate behavior in school. As a reminder our building rules include:

1) Keep our school a safe place by making good choices

2) Be respectful by using kind words and actions

3) Keep hands, feet and objects to oneself

4) Act calmly and quietly at school and on the bus

5) Follow directions the first time they are given

2024-2025 bus assignments have been posted in Skyward Family Access. If you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s bus schedule, please contact the OJR Transportation Department directly at 610-469-5254. It is important to note that buses may not be running exactly on schedule the first few days of school.

Please note that the OJR does not allow younger students to exit the bus without an older sibling or parent visibly present at the bus stop. Please help by making sure your child is properly received when they exit the bus each afternoon. If a parent or older sibling is not present to receive a little one, the bus driver will return the child to school.

Please note that bus passes to ride a different bus to or from school, other than the bus assigned to your child, will only be issued for true emergency situations.

With the start of the school year quickly approaching, I would like to take this opportunity to remind families about student drop off and pick up procedures. As a result of our revised start times, we begin welcoming students at 8:35 AM. Students should not be dropped off and left unsupervised prior to 8:35 AM.

When dropping off students in the morning, parents should proceed to the rear of the building, travel down to the turn around and then pull up alongside the curb at Door #10. Parents must refrain from pulling out in front of other cars without properly moving through the procession.

Please note that the instructional day begins at 8:50 AM and students should already be in their classrooms at this time. Students arriving after 8:50 AM should be escorted directly to the main office by a parent. There is no parking permitted in the front of the building. This area is needed for our school buses. Please park in the visitor lot and accompany your child to the office for a proper sign-in.

Please note the school day will now end at 3:30 PM. Parents picking up their children should plan to arrive between 3:20-3:30 and proceed to the designated pick-up area located in the rear of the building. Please follow the drop off procedures outlined above and pull up alongside of the curb at Doors 8, 9 and 10. Students will be escorted out to your vehicle. Please make sure to have a sign posted in your passenger side window with your child's first and last name clearly visible. We are asking parents who are new to the building to have a copy of their photo ID ready at parent pick-up for security purposes.

Pick Up Patrol: We will be utilizing PickUp Patrol for all dismissal procedures. Please enter your child's default dismissal plan (Bus Rider, or Everyday Pick-Up). Parents will then enter changes if and when their child's dismissal routine differs from the daily default setting. Please refer to the Pick Up Patrol registration email you should have received. Many thanks to all of our parents who have already registered their children. Paper notes regarding dismissal changes will no longer be accepted.

Lastly, please be on time for parent pick up. We do not dismiss the rest of the building to the buses until every student is picked up by a parent and accounted for by the staff.

*Parents must still call the Attendance Line for any absences or late arrivals. Please do not utilize PickUp Patrol for absences.

SchoolPay is our district's electronic payment processing service. Please visit SchoolPay.com to make online payments for school related fees and registrations. As per District policy and consistent with prior years, account balances from the 2023-2024 school year will be carried forward to the new school year.

Please direct SchoolPay questions to 888.88.MYPAY (phone) or email support@schoolpay.com. If you have an email on file with the school, an account has already been created on your behalf. Simply go to SchoolPay and click Find My Account and enter your email address. If you are in need of assistance with any food service concern, please contact the Food Service Office directly at 610-469-5701. Applications for free and reduced lunch are posted on the OJR website under the “Parent” tab.

Breakfast and lunch menus are available on the French Creek website.

We hope you will join us in-person for our annual Back to School Night to learn more about your child's new classroom, grade level expectations, and curriculum. We will welcome parents of students in Grades K-3 on Wednesday, September 4th and parents of students in Grades 4-6 on Thursday, September 5th.

Parent involvement is essential to help promote our students’ learning. All parents, guardians, and teachers are welcome to become members of the PTA regardless of the amount of time you can give to support additional programs and activities. I encourage everyone to actively participate in our PTA and join us for meetings throughout the school year.

If you have not done so already, please take a moment to visit and join our PTA webpage. This site offers parents the opportunity to sign up for email notifications, receive information related to upcoming special events, student clubs, and family togetherness activities in one convenient location. The site also offers parents the option to make online payments for PTA membership and PTA sponsored after school clubs.

Please click on the links below for important flyers, invitations, and announcements!

PTA Information and Invite

24-25 PTA Event Calendar

Chalk The Walk (8/25/24)

24-25 Homeroom Helper Sign Up

Please make it a priority to call the Attendance Line at (610) 469-5688 to report a student absence or late arrival. Many, many thanks in advance for your cooperation. Click here for more information related to attendance related matters.

Regular attendance at school is an important part of every student's success and is necessary in order to gain the greatest benefit from the educational experience. However, we understand that sometimes family activities and events may require students to be absent from class while school is in session. All families are required to submit non-school sponsored travel requests, prior to your trip.

Please note that our district no longer accepts non-school sponsored travel requests during or after a trip is taken. The request must be completed in Skyward before your child is absent from school as part of your trip. Additionally, travel can not be approved the first or last 10 days of the school year or during standardized testing.

We also want to remind families that this process in Skyward only applies to non-school sponsored travel. Please continue to use 610-469-5688 to report any absences that are unrelated to travel.

Please click here to watch a brief video showing you how to quickly and conveniently fill out the form using your phone or mobile device.

Please take a moment to follow our official French Creek social media sites. We love to share all of the exciting things happening in our school and classrooms as often as possible. Teachers will also share site information for their individual classrooms.

Twitter: @OwenJRobertsFC

Facebook: Click here for FB link.

Instagram: @French_Creek

Please email me directly at mmckillip@ojrsd.net if you do not want your child to be photographed for any reason, or if your child's picture should not appear on our school/district website or social media pages.

Please be reminded that all volunteers, homeroom parents, and field trip chaperones must have proper clearances on file with the district via Raptor. Please click here to access the required forms and applications under the “Quick Links” tab on our French Creek website.

OJR does not permit food-related treats to be distributed for birthday celebrations. If you would like to send in something special for your child’s birthday, please consider sending in a book for the class, pencils, stickers, etc. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.