September Newsletter

Welcome back! I hope that everyone had a fun, safe, and relaxing summer. We are so excited to have students back in the building!

There are a few reminders that I would like to share with our SK families. I have attached the MAPS Elementary School Parent/Student Handbook. There are a few additions to the handbook. I have also attached our drop off and pick up procedures for families. I just want to remind families that the doors to the school open for students at 8:50 am. While I have crossing guards available, I do not have supervision outside prior to that time. Please do not drop students off prior to that time. Breakfast will begin to be served at 8:50 am as well. Students who eat school breakfast will head right to the cafeteria as soon as the doors open.

School breakfast and lunch continue to be free, at least through September, as we wait for the state budget to get sorted out. All families should fill out the Education and Nutrition Benefits form, even if you do not believe that you would qualify. This district form is also used to qualify us for grants that support student learning. Some of you may have filled the form out during our Open House on Wednesday. We will also be sending this home in the Emergency Card packet with other information that needs to signed and returned. New this year is a Concussion Awareness form that will need to be signed for PE class. Please make sure to sign and return to your child's teacher.

We will begin our fall assessments throughout September. Our 3rd-5th graders will be taking the NWEA to assess reading and math skills. The JK-2nd grades will be taking the Fastbridge assessment to measure math and reading skills. Our staff may utilize additional brief screeners, if we need to dig a bit deeper into understanding a need area that your child has, so we can accurately develop a plan to address that need. We will have grade level meetings at the end of the month to analyze the assessment data in order to develop intervention groups to focus on areas of concern. We also take into consideration, challenging students that score above grade level in areas. We believe that parents play a crucial role in their child's education. By sharing assessment data and discussing interventions, we can work together to support your child's learning. Your child's teacher and myself are here to help clarify any concerns that you might have about the assessment process or proposed interventions.

School and family collaboration is very important to us. We love to have parent volunteers for special events and the many activities that our Sandy Knoll School Association sponsors. Volunteer forms are available online and in the office. Being involved in your child's education builds a path for success. Please let us know if you need any resources to help support your child's educational journey.

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September 2nd - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Welcome Back Everyone!

September 9th - Sandy Knoll School Association Meeting (6:30 PM Library) Please consider joining this awesome group of parents and volunteering for activities! The SKSA leads many fun opportunities for our students and families throughout the school year!

September 15th-19th - SMILES ON WHEELS (please fill out the form and turn into the office by Wednesday, September 10th)

September 22nd- School Pictures! (Retakes will be November 4th)

September 22nd thru October 3rd - Little Ceasers Pizza Fundraiser Kick Off!!! (Pizza will be delivered to the school on 10/21)

We have some new staff members and staff members that have changed roles within our building. I would like to introduce them to the Sandy Knoll families. Each month I will highlight one of our new staff members, so we can learn a little more about them.

Elementary Resource Room: Ms. Daraka McLeod

Junior Kindergarten Teacher Assistant: Mrs. Amber Racine

35a Title I : Mrs. Allyson Jurmu

Noon Hour Supervisor: Ms. Autum Williams

Noon Hour Supervisor: Ms. Alaura Welch

Noon Hour Supervisor: Ms. Amy Graves

Noon Hour Supervisor: Ms. Isabel Aeschlimann

Speech and Language Pathologist for ECSE and FSP: Mrs. Justine Trotter

Instructional Aides: Mrs. Linda Holtz, Ms. Annika Ely, Mr. Emmett Claybaker

Welcome to Sandy Knoll!!