Family Bulletin: SLCS Elementary

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• Progress Reports available on Wednesday, October 8th. Check PowerSchool for the report.
• First Friday Dress Down is on October 10th.
• Open house for prospective families. For potential new families for next year, we will hold Open Houses on October 14th at 6:00 p.m. and October 25th at 10:00 a.m.
• Picture Retake Day. This is on October 16th. Students who are getting their picture taken can wear something other than the uniform if you prefer.
• Philly Skate Plex. Thursday, October 16th from 5-8 p.m. Click on this link for more info!
• School closed on Monday, October 20th. Happy Diwali to those that celebrate!
• Chick Fil-A Dineout. Wednesday, October 22nd at Street road from 6:30-10:00 p.m. Click on this link for more info!
• Vocabulary Day is on Friday, October 31st. Click on this link for information!
• Social Media info night for parents. We will be hosting a parent information session on navigating social media for your child for K-12 families on Wednesday, October 29th at 6 p.m.

Attendance- Contact the main office at 215-245-6055 ext. 600 or email attendancek6@schoollane.org

Transportation- Contact Ann Yost at 215-245-6055 ext. 620 or email ayost@schoollane.org

Access to the PowerSchool Parent Portal- powerschool@schoollane.org

Academics- Contact the homeroom or learning support teacher or supervisor

Discipline- Contact the homeroom teacher or administrator

Despite what you may have heard, all students (and all people) pretty much learn the same way. The same things are happening in our brain as we process new information and store it into our memory to be able to use it later. When we have learned something before and we have to remember it to use it again, all of our brains go through the same process as well. As a result, scientific research has proven that there are effective ways to study and also ways that are definitely not effective. Here is a list of Do's and Don'ts when it comes to helping your child study at home:

DO's for Home Study

• DO: Test Without Looking First: Instead of re-reading notes or textbooks, have your child close the book and try to recall what they learned. For younger kids (K-2), this might be "Tell me three things you remember about butterflies." For older kids (3-6), they can write down everything they remember about a math concept before checking their notes. This "retrieval practice" strengthens memory far more than re-reading.
• DO: Use Flashcards the Right Way: Make flashcards, but don't just flip through them once. Have your child go through the whole stack, put aside the ones they got right, then come back to those "easy" ones later. Research shows we forget the things we think we know best. Mix up the order each time - don't let them memorize the sequence.
• DO: Spread It Out: Instead of cramming the night before a test, help your child study a little bit several days in a row. Even 10 minutes of math facts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday beats 30 minutes on Sunday night. This "spaced practice" helps information stick in long-term memory.
• DO: Mix Up Practice Problems: When practicing math, don't do all the addition problems, then all subtraction. Mix them up so your child has to think about which operation to use. This applies to any subject - mixing different types of problems or concepts forces deeper thinking.

DON'Ts for Home Study

• DON'T: Let Them Just Highlight and Re-read: These feel productive but create false confidence. Your child thinks they know the material because it looks familiar, but they haven't actually tested whether they can recall it independently. If they insist on highlighting, make them close the book afterward and explain the highlighted concepts from memory.
• DON'T: Accept "I Already Know This": When your child says they already know their spelling words or math facts, that's exactly when they need to practice retrieving them. Have them prove it by testing themselves without looking. Often what feels "known" is actually just familiar.
• DON'T: Let Them Study Everything at Once: Avoid marathon study sessions where they try to review everything for a test in one sitting. Breaking it into shorter sessions over several days is much more effective for actual learning.

• Arrival: If you are driving your child to school, you should bring them to carline. If carline is closed, your child is late and should be dropped off at the main office. Late minutes count towards truancy.
• Early Dismissals: We will not approve early dismissals or transportation changes after 2:30 p.m. In order for an early dismissal or late arrival to be excused, a note from the doctor/dentist must be provided.
• Gym uniform: For pants/shorts on gym days, students are required to wear plain gray or black sweatpants or black shorts. Sweatpants must be traditional cut. This means no leggings.
• Healthy Snack: For snack, students must abide by the healthy food policy. There should be no food that is heavy in sugar. Examples of acceptable snacks: fruit cups, popcorn, whole wheat chips and salsa, hummus dip & veggies, soft pretzels, low-fat string cheese.
• Birthdays: You are welcome to bring in a healthy snack for your child's class on their birthday. It cannot be an item that is heavy in sugar such as cupcakes, donuts, or cookies.

Be on the lookout for a series of workshops that we are offering families this year to learn about how you can use the 7 Habits we teach in school and implement them in your home.