Welcome to the New Year

Families our first day of school is on Monday August 25th for Grades 1-3 at the Elementary School.

Bus lists have been shared and teachers have begun reaching out to say hello! We look forward to welcoming your student for another Abby Kelley year! Before School program begins Monday August 25th!

Kindergarten Families!

We will be having our Kindergarten Camp this year- K Camp is mandatory. It is used to ensure that your child will be placed appropriately in our classrooms.

Tuesday 8/26 9am-1pm (session for families on the Abby Kelley Way!)

Wednesday 8/27 9am-1pm (session for families on Counseling at AKFCS)

Thursday 8/28 9am-1pm (session for families on SPED and MLL services-Meet and Greet)

First full day from 8:30-3:30 is Tuesday September 2nd for Kindergarten and their classrooms will be assigned. Transportation services (bus) and Before school program for K begins September 2nd.

Welcome back after what I hope was a calm and restful summer for you all. Students and families we are excited to welcome you back for another year at Abby Kelley. We are ready at the mark for all of our exciting learning to start. In order to be respectful of your time in reading through our newsletter, we have decided to make the decision to transition to monthly newsletter updates rather than weekly. This will allow you to know what is coming for the month ahead.

This year we have fully transitioned to our Powerschool program. Please ensure you are logged in so that you can get our communications, see student schedules/class assignments ahead of time, and complete all necessary forms.

Just a few critical reminders:

• Attendance is a critical piece to educational success. Students who are absent over 5 days will receive communication regarding these absences with follow up plans. Students absent over 10 school days are at a 70% higher likelihood for retention and learning loss.
• Communication to teachers and staff can be done in the following ways- ClassDojo (many teachers utilize this platform and will send you an invite within the first week of school), email, phone calls, or requesting virtual/ in person meeting times through appointment.
• Please make sure all dismissal changes have been submitted prior to 2:30. In order to ensure student safety, we cannot guarentee dismissal changes after this time. All dismissal changes need to be conveyed by the parent to the teacher or office by note or phone call.
• Student schedules and information are posted on PowerSchool. If you are in need of support to set up your parent portal for PowerSchool, please let us know and we will schedule a meeting time with our IT department.

The Abby Kelley Way!

Be Respectful

Be Responsible

Be Ready To Learn

• Follow Bus Driver directions.

• Use appropriate voice level (level 0, 1, 2)

• Speak kindly to others (students and adults)

• Use appropriate school language.

• Keep everything in your bag except for a book if you want to read

• Keep the aisle clear of items and feet

• No food or drinks on the bus, including water

• Body stays in seat, feet on the ground

• Ignore distractions

• Help maintain a clean bus environment by picking up any trash in your area

• Report to adult anything unexpected

Progressive Responses to Bus Write-ups

At Abby Kelley Foster Charter School, we view the bus as an extension of the school day. Students are expected to ride the bus in a safe, respectful, and responsible manner. Bus drivers are the authority on the bus, and following their directions helps keep everyone safe. Our school handbook (available on the AKF website) outlines reasons a driver may complete a bus write-up. Linked is a portion of that handbook here: AKF Bus Policy. To ensure consistency, we use the following progressive response process when addressing bus concerns:

First Write-up
When a student receives their first bus write-up, a school administrator will contact their guardian. Together, the student and guardian will sign a Bus Expectations Compact to support improved behavior. A specific assigned seat may also be given if needed to help with monitoring and safety.

Second Write-up
If concerns and behaviors continue, an administrator will meet with the student and guardian. During this meeting a plan for behavioral improvements including an assigned seat will be developed and future consequences, which may include suspension from bus privileges.

Third Write-up
If unsafe or disrespectful behavior persists, or in the case of a serious infraction, the student will receive a bus suspension. The length of the suspension will depend on the severity and frequency of incidents. During this time, guardians are responsible for arranging transportation to and from school. Additional offenses, may result in permanent removal from the bus for the remainder of the year.

Our goal is always to partner with families in helping students make safe and respectful choices on the bus. We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations at home.

The library is looking for friendly volunteers to join our team! There are lots of fun tasks to help with, like shelving books, creating colorful bulletin boards, cleaning up our collection, assisting students in finding books, and making photocopies. We’re really flexible with when you can help, so we’d love to work around your schedule. It’s a fulfilling experience that truly benefits our whole school community. If you’re interested in lending a hand, just contact Mrs. Arnold, our wonderful school librarian, and don’t forget to fill out a CORI form at the front office. We can't wait to see you! Any questions please contact mnoonan@akfcs.org.

Just a reminder of our uniform policy all students must be in Maroon and Khaki. Thank you to our PTO staff who supported our families with an Abby's Attic sale on Saturday.

Here is our PE Uniform Requirements as well:

Elementary School (K-3) Gym Uniform:

Gym Shoes

• All students are required to wear sneakers while participating in physical education class. Those students without sneakers will be unable to participate and will receive a grade of zero for that class.

Gym Shirts

• Gray or Maroon long-sleeve or short-sleeve T-shirt
• solid color only, no words, graphics, or logo except for AKFCS logo

Gym Pants

• Gray or Maroon full-length sweatpants or shorts in warm weather only
• solid color only, no words, graphics, or logo except for AKFCS logo

Gym Sweatshirt

• Gray or Maroon pull over, no hood allowed
• solid color only, no words, graphics, or logo except for AKFCS logo

These uniform items can be purchased at any store. The AKFCS logo is available for an extra charge at Allen’s Uniforms.

August 25th-- First Day of School Grades 1-3

August 26th-28th-- K Camp 9am-1pm No Bus Transportation

August 29th-- 1/2 day for grades 1-3, No School for Kindergarten

September 2nd-- iReady testing begins (Math and ELA)

September 8th-- Picture Day (School Uniforms only)

September 17th-- 1/2 day for ALL students

September 18th-- Back to School Night 5:00-5:45pm

September 22nd-- Class Photo Taken