Curlew September Parent Connection

100% Student Success!

Curlew Creek Elementary will achieve this by being responsive to the academic, emotional, social, and individual needs of each child. Our goal is to develop critical thinkers and problem solvers who are prepared to be responsible, confident, and productive members of a diverse society.

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Dear Coyote Families,

We are off to a strong start to the school year! Thank you for your part in a successful beginning.

Each month you will receive a link to the Coyote Principal Message on this SMORE platform. It will be sent to you via PCS FOCUS. It will also be posted on our school website under Principal's Message. In addition, you will receive phone calls, emails, or text messages via FOCUS with upcoming reminders.

To receive these important messages please make certain you have your updated contact information (phone number and email) in the FOCUS Parent Portal. If you need help accessing and updating your FOCUS account, call our school office for assistance, 727.724.1423.

Stay tuned to our school marquee, our school website, our PTA Facebook page, and our Curlew Facebook to keep updated with school happenings throughout the year.

It's great to be a Coyote on the Road to Excellence!

With warmest regards,

Kathy Brickley, Principal

Hi, Parents and Guardians, this is Mrs. Esola, Curlew Creek’s Library Media and Technology Specialist. It’s time once again for the annual library survey. Yours and your student’s responses will help shape the future of the school library. Responses to the survey influence book purchases and programming for the year. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and encourage your student(s) to do the same. Thank you, in advance, for your time.

Curlew Creek Library Media Annual Stakeholder Survey – Fill out form

9/01: Progress Monitoring Cycle 1 begins - see schedule from your teacher

9/07: Labor Day - School Closed

9/09: Quarter 1 Mid Period Progress Reports

9/11: Safety Patrol Meeting (7:30-8:10AM)

9/11: Parent Lunch Bunch, Grades 1,2,3

9/14: Start With Hello Week

9/14: Grandparent's Day Bingo Dinner (5:00-7:00PM) - space limited, must sign up in advance

9/18: $ Lunch Fundraiser

9/21: Spirit Night - Tijuana Flats on 580 (4-9PM)

9/23: Character Assembly (by invite)

9/25: All Pro Dad's (7:30-8:10AM)

9/25: Parent Lunch Bunch, Grades K, 4, 5

10/02: $ Lunch Fundraiser

10/05: Family Math Night - Mathnasium (cafeteria)

10/06: Boosterthon Pep Rally (students only)

10/07: National Walk to School Day (Forest Run Park)

10/08: Strawbridge Fall Picture Retakes

10/09: Parent Lunch Bunch, Grades 1,2,3

10/09: End of Report Period

10/12: No School for Students

10/16: Boosterthon Coyote Fun Run

10/19: Digital Citizenship Week

10/22: Quarter 1 Report Cards available in Parent Portal

10/23: Safety Patrol Meeting (7:30-8:10AM)

10/23: Parent Lunch Bunch, Grades K, 4, 5

10/26: Red Ribbon Week

10/26: Spirit Day - Sonny's Giveback, 11AM-9PM

10/30: Trunk or Treat

• Monday is Motivational Monday – Wear kind or inspiring words.
• Wednesday is Wellness Wednesday – Wear a workout/exercise outfit.
• Thursday is College Spirit Day – Wear your favorite college shirt or colors.
• Friday is School Spirit Day – Deck out in your favorite Coyote gear!

• CONGRATUALTIONS to Art Teacher extraordinaire NATALIE POTACCO who has been named the Florida Art Teacher of the Year!
• GREAT START: Our staff and students have had a great start to the school year and are ready to travel to road to excellence!
• OPEN HOUSE nights were a success! Thank you for attending and starting your partnership with your child's teacher!
• NIGHT AT THE BALLPARK was a hit! Thanks to our PTA & PE team for hosting, and to everyone who came out for the school spirit fun!

Pinellas County Schools has organized all Back-to-School forms online for your convenience.

How to Access Forms:

1. Use your parent ID and password to log into Focus.
2. Once logged in, you will be prompted to complete your Back-to-School Forms packet.

Important: You must be linked to your child in order to access the new Focus forms.

Alternatively, you can find the forms at www.pcsb.org/backtoschoolforms.

If you have any questions regarding the forms or your login information, please reach out to our school for assistance.

For technical support, contact the PCS Help Desk at 727-588-6060.

Level 2 clearance is required for ALL volunteers and mentors. New this year: Level 2 volunteers will need to present a valid government issued photo ID upon entering campus.

We are pleased to share that Level 2 Volunteer clearance is not required to attend events during school hours; such as Parent Lunch Bunch, Jingle Bell Jog, Field Day, and our Veteran's Day program. To be able to continue inviting parents at these events, we will need many Level 2 volunteers for supervision so please sign up!

Two family members and any children under school age (who must be in a stroller) are welcome. Visitors will simply need to present a valid government-issued photo ID upon arrival and follow the standard visitor check-in procedures.

We look forward to welcoming our families to campus and appreciate your continued support of our students and school community.

If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

For more information visit the PCS Family & Community Engagement page.

Donations can now be made online.

Adopt A Class:
https://pcsb.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/1851/627/False/True

Donations:
https://pcsb.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/1857/627/False/True

Please follow our designated signage. Safety is always our number 1 priority. Thank you in advance for modeling safe walking and driving practices for our children. While the first days may seem like a long drop off and pick up process, I assure you it will become more efficient as everyone learns and follows our procedures.

Cars are not to enter the BUS LOOP.

Only families of our PreK and our ESE Access Point students should park or drive thru the car loop in the small parking lot. PreK and Access Point students will drop off and pick up students in this designated car loop. Older siblings are to be picked up afterwards in the main car circle at their designated dismissal time (below). Thank you for following our guidelines for the safety of our PreK and special needs students.

Grade K-5 students should be dropped off/picked up in the main car circle.

Tips to expedite carline arrival:

1. Students exiting should be sitting on the passenger side of the back seat
2. Students should be ready to exit with backpack & lunch box in hand
3. Parents should never get out of the car to open the door. Our staff and Safety Patrols will help with this.
4. Move up and fill in all gaps

Tips to expedite carline dismissal:

1. Have your child's name hanging in your front window. If you need a tag, ask for one in the school office
2. Cars should pull up to the numbered posts, starting at number 1
3. Students will be called to their car by number
4. Parents should remain in the vehicle
5. Pull forward if you need to assist your child with buckling
6. Students will enter the car on the passenger side. They should not cross in front or behind the vehicle.

Parents picking up walkers should wait in the front courtyard and keep the front door area clear for students to exit. The blue benches in the car circle are for STUDENTS waiting to be picked up, not for families. Again, families should wait in the grass courtyard and are welcome to sit in the green benches under the shade trees.

DAILY DISMISSAL:

• 2:35-2:45 PreK
• 2:40 ESE Access Points
• 2:45 Kindergarten
• 2:50 Gr. 1 & 2
• 2:55 Gr. 3, 4, 5

CROSSWALKS: Children should always be with an adult, and never on their own when walking in the parking lot. Use the designated crosswalks.

BUS CIRCLE: The Bus Circle is a Buses Only Zone!

CAR CIRCLE: Parking and leaving your vehicle in the Car Circle Line is not permitted.

TARDY: Students arriving late must be escorted to the office and signed in by an adult.

SIGN-OUTS: Early sign-outs are highly discouraged due to missing instruction/learning, but if it is an urgent matter, please do so by 2:30 pm. Communicate with the school office in advance.

ABSENCES: It is the responsibility of parents and caregivers to report their child's absence along with the reason for absence by calling the school office (727.724.1423) or reporting on our webpage (upper right corner, click Families, then select Report Student Absence).

Bus Bulletin notification system will notify schools, parents, and students when there are bus delays, substitute drivers and/or a bus change.

If you would like to receive instant notifications when something is affecting your child's bus, please register with Bus Bulletin.

• Bus Bulletin is a FREE service
• Registration is simple and fast
• You will need your child's 10-digit student ID #
• Multiple Notification Options: text messages, phones calls, emails, or all three
• Your PRIVACY is protected

For more information, or to sign up and start receiving notifications, please visit www.busbulletin.com. If you need assistance with registration, call Pinellas County Schools Transportation Department at 727-587-2020.

Please Note: This system is not related to Pinellas County Schools emergency text message communications system.
If you would like to receive emergency text messages separate from the Bus Bulletin please visit the Emergency Text Message System.

PCS has rolled out a new account management system for our Early Childhood/VPK families. In doing so, the school's role will now be to serve as a liaison and family communication point, as our families will be utilizing Brightwheel to digitally pay tuition. If you require the use of cash/checks for payment, they will only be processed at the Largo Administration Building with an appointment. Families will continue to pay the registration fee through our Student Reservation System.

PCS Families will be receiving an email from SchoolCash Online/KEV group. We strongly encourage our families to register so they can stay connected to school-related payments and opportunities for their student.

This registration will allow families to view and pay for items such as

• Field trips
• Classroom activities
• Student activity fees
• School items
• Optional donations and other school-related payments

https://pcsb.schoolcashonline.com/Registration/Profile - Sign up Today!

Our Curlew Creek Parent Handbook explains our school processes in depth. It is located in your child's planner/agenda. It is also attached below for your convenience.

• School Breakfast and lunch are free.
• You may put money on your child’s meal account at www.myschoolbucks.com for snacks, drinks, and ala carte items.
• The application for free and reduced-price meals can be found at www.myschoolapps.com. Although we are a free meal site, it is advantageous to complete this application to qualify for other benefits.
• Your online application is much more than just a meal application. Meal applications provide funding for technology, discounted testing and college application fees, free clothing for students and more. To get started, apply at myschoolapps.com.

Please see the below one-page summary of our School Improvement Plan. Teachers and staff will use this to guide their instructional and professional goals and work throughout the school year. Feel free to leave feedback on our school webpage where you will also be able to view our full School Improvement Plan once it is approved.

THANK YOU to those who attended our first meeting! I would like to continue to invite our Coyote families, community members, and business partners, to join our School Advisory Council (SAC) or attend our quarterly meetings. SAC is a team of individuals from various segments of the community—parents, teachers, students, administrators, support staff, business/industry people and other interested community members. The purpose is to assist the principal in developing and evaluating the results of the school improvement plan. We meet quarterly from 7:30-8:30AM: 8/28, 11/13, 2/19, 4/16. The meetings are open to everyone. You don't have to join to attend! Interested? Please complete the below form and submit to Mrs. Joyce Brown in the school office.

A special shout out to SAC Officers & Committee Members:

Chair –Madeline Barnes

Co-chair –Brooke Lorge

Secretary – Nicole Pesci

Parliamentarian – Jaclyn Tillotson

Parent Committee Members - Emilie Davis, Alyssa Johnson, Faith Worley

Support Staff Committee Member - Ana Dechner

Teacher Committee Members - Dina Wright & Jackey Theriault

Become a part of the Curlew community by joining the PTA today through the PTA Givebacks portal! Individual membership dues are just $10, and joining does not require you to volunteer. Simply scan the QR code below and select membership in the dropdown menu. Thank you for your support!

By joining the PTA, you are supporting vital initiatives that benefit our staff and students. Your $10 membership helps us provide:

• Supplemental Reading Materials
• Exciting Family Events
• Boosterthon Fundraiser
• Table Full of Thanks in November
• Teacher Grants for Classroom Materials
• Staff Appreciation Week
• AND MUCH MORE!

Don’t miss out on the chance to make a difference in our school community. Join the PTA today!

This contest is open to all students. This year's theme is "What My Culture Means to Me."

Reflections is a multi-level arts program that brings students, families, and communities together through the creativity.

Each year, students create original works of art in response to the theme. Students can enter one or more arts categories and participate the program division that best fits their grade level or support needs.

Categories:

• Dance Choreography
• Film Production
• Music Composition
• Literature
• Photography
• Visual Arts
• Accessible Arts

Elementary school students must keep wireless communication devices in the off position before and throughout the instructional school day (bell to bell), and while participating in a school-sponsored activity on or off campus.

Students are permitted to use their wireless communication devices after the end of the instructional school day, if needed to communicate with parents regarding the coordination of transportation or other logistics.

Headphones and earbuds are not permitted during the instructional school day or while participating in a school-sponsored activity on or off campus. When permitted, after the end of the instructional school day, headphones and earbuds are restricted to minimal volume, only to be heard by its user. Due to school safety concerns, one ear must remain free of the accessory at all times during authorized use.

Learn more about the PCS policy .

PCS BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION

Families can find Back-to-School information at www.pcsb.org/backtoschool

HOT WEATHER

Hot Weather Safety Guidance: In times of high heat index, we will adjust outdoor activities. PLEASE send your students to school with a large refillable water bottle. Consider having your students wear a hat and loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing, and sunscreen.

MOVING?

If you are moving to a new school or out of district please contact Ms. Ibrahim, our school DMT, at 727-724-1423 Ext. 2007 or ibrahimp@pcsb.org.

PARENT COMUNICATION GUIDELINES

Teachers will respond to parent communications within 24-48 hours. We encourage the use of Student Daily Planners for two-way communication. Additionally, you may schedule an appointment with the teacher via phone, Teams, or in person for further discussion.

STUDENT INFORMATION

Parents can visit Focus to update their contact information, emergency contacts, clinic card and children’s medical records. More information is available at www.pcsb.org/contactinfo.

Being a law abiding and involved citizen in service to school, community, and country.

“When all of us work together, we become good citizens, and our country becomes stronger.”

~Donna Forest

HOW TO BE A GOOD CITIZEN

• Do your share to make your school, your community, and the world a better place.
• Take responsibility for what goes on around you.
• Participate in community service.
• Help take care of the environment.
• Be a good neighbor.
• Treat other people with respect and dignity.
• Follow the rules of family, school, and community.

Did you know our school is registered with Box Tops for Education?!

This is an EASY way to help our school earn extra money. It’s as easy as scanning your grocery receipts. The app identifies the items that qualify and our Coyotes get a cut.

Download the app, select Curlew Creek Elem and start scanning your grocery/shopping receipts! You select which grade you want to give credit to.

Which grade will come out on top at the end of the year?

Here is a link to register & start earning free money for our school:

https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=MYY11JLM

Email: brickleyk@pcsb.org

Website: https://www.pcsb.org/curlew-es
Location: 3030 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor, FL, 34684
Phone: 727-724-1423
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