SouthSide Elementary Charter School

Dear SouthSide Families,

Happy mid-November! 🍂 As we enter the heart of the season, our students continue to learn, grow, and thrive. Thank you for your partnership, your communication, and your ongoing support of our school community. SouthSide is strongest when we work together, and we are grateful for each of you.

Please take a moment to review the important updates and reminders below.

🕒 Attendance Reminder – Students Must Arrive by 8:00 AM

Please remember that students must arrive at school no later than 8:00 AM each day.
Students arriving after 8:00 AM are marked late.

Arriving on time helps students:

• Start the day calm and ready

• Engage fully in morning instruction

• Build strong attendance habits that support long-term success

Thank you for helping us protect every minute of learning.

🐾 Therapy Cat Program – Atlas Has Arrived!

On November 15, I traveled to Maine and officially brought home Atlas, our new therapy cat! 🐱💙

Atlas and I are continuing our certification through URI and Windwalker, and once fully trained, he will begin support:

• Emotional regulation

• Calming strategies

• Positive relationships and confidence-building

He has already visitied classrooms as an introduction where I read a book and passed out a family letter along with a coloring sheet. If you have not yet completed the Atlas Family Poll, please take a moment to share allergy or comfort considerations so we can plan safely and inclusively.

👉 (Click HERE for Survey)

👩‍🏫 Parent–Teacher Conferences – NO SCHOOL on December 19

Please mark your calendars:
Friday, December 19 is a NO SCHOOL day for students due to Parent–Teacher Conferences.

Teachers will be reaching out to schedule your conference time. Conferences are an important opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, strengths, and goals for the months ahead.

🦃 Thanksgiving Week Schedule

Please note the schedule for next week:

• Wednesday, November 27 – No School

• Thursday, November 28 – No School (Thanksgiving)

• Friday, November 29 – No School

We hope you enjoy a warm and restful holiday with family and friends.

🕒 Attendance Committee Spotlight

Our Attendance Committee—meets weekly to review students with chronic absenteeism and create individualized plans to support them.

By working together, we can ensure every student has the best chance at consistent attendance and academic success. Thank you for doing your part at home to help students be here daily and on time.

💙 Thank You, Families

Thank you for your involvement, communication, and the care you show our community. SouthSide continues to grow stronger because we work together and keep students at the center of all we do.

If you need anything, please reach out to me at jgiangiulio@southsideelementary.org or 401-270-9834 ext. 100.

With appreciation,
Dr. Julie Giangiulio
Principal
SouthSide Elementary Charter School

Parents,

Starting soon we will be using a system called PickUp Patrol to help us track dismissals. PickUp Patrol provides you with a convenient way to make changes to your child’s dismissal plans and helps ensure that students are accurately dismissed each day.

How It Works:

1. Your child’s regular dismissal plan will be entered into the system. This is called their Default Plan.

2. Whenever your child is doing something other than their Default Plan, you’ll submit a Plan Change via PickUp Patrol.

   • Examples of a Plan Change:

     • Your child normally rides the bus but is getting picked up today.

     • Your child is getting picked up by someone other than yourself.

     • Your child has a doctor's appointment and will be leaving early.

3. When the change is submitted, our school will be notified and we’ll relay the change to your child & their teacher.

REGISTER: You will receive a registration email from PickUp Patrol with a link to set up your account. The parent portal is free to parents and can be accessed from your phone or computer. The link in your registration email will be live for 48 hours. As soon as you receive it, please log in and confirm your child’s default plan.

Thank you for using PickUp Patrol to make safety a priority and to ensure our dismissal process is efficient for all.

If you have any questions, please first check the PickUp Patrol Parent Guide & if you need additional assistance, let us know.

Traducción Española

Tradução Portuguesa

How to Add PickUp Patrol to your Home Screen

PickUp Patrol is not downloaded from an app store. Instead you can add it to your phone’s home screen following the instructions for your phone type and browser below.

HOW TO VIDEO: Adding PickUp Patrol to your Home Screen

IPHONE/SAFARI (iOS 13 OR LATER)

• Open https://app.pickuppatrol.net/parents in Safari.
• Tap the “share” button (square with arrow) on the bottom menu bar
• Scroll down and Tap “Add to Home Screen" (If you don’t see Add to Home Screen, you can add it by scrolling down to the bottom of the list, tap Edit Actions, then tap Add to Home Screen.
• Rename the shortcut, if you’d like, and tap Add in the top right corner.

IPHONE/SAFARI (iOS 12 OR EARLIER)

• Open https://app.pickuppatrol.net/parents in Safari.
• Tap the “share” button (square with arrow) on the bottom menu bar.
• At the bottom of your screen you’ll see a list of gray icons. Scroll to the right until you see “Add to Home Screen”
• Tap “Add to Home Screen"
• Tap ADD in the top right corner.

IPHONE/CHROME

• PUP works in Chrome, but Chrome does not offer a way to add a web page to your Home Screen. So we recommend you use Safari to add PUP to your home screen.

ANDROID/CHROME

• Open https://app.pickuppatrol.net/parents in Chrome.
• Tap the 3 dots on the top right.
• Scroll down and tap on “Add to Home Screen”.

ANDROID/MICROSOFT EDGE

• Open https://app.pickuppatrol.net/parents in Edge.
• Tap the 3 dots at the bottom of your screen.
• Tap the “Add to Screen”icon.
• Select “Add” and “Add” again following the prompts.

ANDROID/FIREFOX

• Open https://app.pickuppatrol.net/parents in Firefox.
• Tap the 3 dots on your screen
• Then select “Add to Home screen”.
• Follow the prompts to tap “Add” and “Add” again.

Note: PickUp Patrol does not work with Internet Explorer.

PTO Update: Growing Community & Appreciation at SouthSide 💙

Thank you to the families who joined our recent PTO meeting! Even with a small group, we came up with big ideas to support our teachers, staff, and students.

Supporting Teacher & Staff Morale 🍩☕💌

We know how hard our staff works every day, and we want them to feel appreciated.

Recent & upcoming appreciation ideas:

• “Thankful For…” Bulletin Board – Students and staff can add notes about what they are thankful for.

• Sweet Treats Before Thanksgiving – Staff will receive small cups filled with candy as a “thank you.”

• Snacks Table by the Office – Periodic snacks, hot chocolate, and small surprises help brighten staff days.

Parent ideas we’re excited to launch:

• Monthly “Food Train” for Staff
  Families can sign up to bring coffee, donuts, or breakfast items once a month. Even something small makes a big difference! Click HERE to sign up!

• Classroom Teacher “Favorites” Survey
  Each class will have a parent contact who gathers information about the teacher’s favorite snacks, colors, stores, and any allergies. This makes it easy for families to contribute to small gifts or notes of thanks, especially around the holidays.

If you’re interested in helping with staff appreciation (donating items, coordinating, or being your class’s parent contact), please email Dr. G at jgiangiulio@southsideelementary.org

Fun for Students: Events & Ideas 🎉

We want students to know that school is not only a place to learn, but a place to belong and have fun.

Highlights:

• Weekly Community Meetings
  Each Friday, students gather for a short community meeting where we:

  • Celebrate our SHARK values

  • Talk about attendance and being on time

  • Do a fun chant (“We are… SouthSide!”)

Ideas being explored:

• Special Assemblies or Guest Visitors – For example, animal shows or other engaging programs for students to look forward to.

More information will be shared with families as these ideas are developed and scheduled.

Family Involvement & Volunteering 🤝

We love having families involved at SouthSide!

• Classroom Volunteers
  Parents/guardians can volunteer in classrooms or to lead activities once a BCI (background check) is completed. More details will be shared as volunteer opportunities are organized.

• Parent Contacts by Classroom
  We’re working toward having at least one parent contact per class to:

  • Help coordinate teacher appreciation

  • Share reminders about class events

  • Support communication between families and PTO

Please email Dr. G if you would like to be your classroom parent contact!

Communication & Reminders 📅

To help families stay in the loop:

• We plan to use calendar invitations and email reminders for PTO events and family activities when possible.

• We will continue sharing updates in the family newsletter and through our regular communication apps.

Thank You, Families! 💙

Even a small group of families can spark big changes and great ideas. If you’d like to:

• Help with staff appreciation

• Volunteer as a class parent contact

• Support events for students

please watch for upcoming sign-ups or contact the main office.

Together, we can make SouthSide an even more joyful and connected community for our students, staff, and families. 🦈💙

Appropriate learning games for school-age kids include digital platforms like Khan Academy Kids, board and card games such as Bananagrams and Blokus, and classic games like chess and Pictionary. Other options include DIY and physical games like building a den, treasure hunts, and charades, which develop a range of skills from problem-solving to motor control and active listening.

Tech can be an incredible tool for learning when used correctly. Some great educational learning games are: ABCya!, Funbrain, Roomrecess.com, ABCmouse2, PBS kids games and Arcademics.

🤝 What Is the PTO?

Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a group of parents, caregivers, and staff who work together to make SouthSide an even better place for students to learn and grow.

The PTO helps plan school events, support teachers, and raise funds for extra programs and supplies that benefit our students.

You can be as involved as your schedule allows, attend meetings, volunteer for an event, or just share your ideas! Every bit of participation helps build a stronger school community. Our next meeting is November 13 from 4:15 -5 PM just before Bingo for Books!

If you’d like to join, please reach out to jgiangiulio@southsideelementary.org or attend our next meeting. We’d love to have you!

🌟 Attendance Matters at SouthSide! 🌟

Did you know that in Rhode Island, missing just 2 days of school a month adds up to more than 20 days a year that’s nearly a full month of learning lost? Every day counts, and so does being on time!

When students arrive late, teachers often have to pause their lesson to help the tardy student catch up. This not only takes away valuable learning time for the class but can also cause the student to fall behind in reading and math. Starting the day on time helps students feel prepared, confident, and ready to learn.

#DidYouKnow? Of all students who drop out of HS, 85% were chronically absent. This can be predicted as early as 3rd grade based on early elementary school attendance. Chronic absenteeism is the single strongest predictor of dropping out before graduation.

At SouthSide, we believe that consistent attendance and punctuality set the foundation for academic success. Students who attend regularly are more likely to:

✅ Build strong academic habits
✅ Stay on track with reading and math progress
✅ Feel connected to classmates and teachers
✅ Develop responsibility and confidence

💡 How Parents Can Help

Here are some simple ways families can support strong attendance and punctuality:

• Set a consistent routine, regular bedtimes and morning schedules help mornings go smoothly.
• Plan ahead schedule appointments after school hours whenever possible.

• Talk to us if your child feels anxious or doesn’t want to come to school, please reach out to the principal or your child’s teacher. We’re here to help and support your family.

• Celebrate attendance and praise your child for arriving on time and ready to learn!

Guide for Parents for Roblox for kids under 13

Managing or blocking the games and experiences your kids can play as well as limiting the amount of time your kids can spend playing Roblox. This also includes an option to see how much time your kids spend, on average, playing.

• Visibility into your kids’ Connections (Roblox’s term for “friends”);

• Limiting or restricting online communication with others;

• Limiting or blocking the ability to spend real money on new games, cosmetics, etc.; and

• Limiting or restricting party access.

Fortunately, you can do all of this remotely from your own mobile device or computer

Below are some sites I found that are really informative for parents in regards to their children’s online screen use and safety.

https://connectsafely.org/roblox/

https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/

🚗 Stay in Your Car
For everyone’s safety, families in the pick-up line MUST remain in their vehicles. If you wish to walk your child in or out, please park and use the front entrance. Getting out of your vehicle backs up traffic as it prevents the line from moving forward. This can prevent emergency vehicles from being able to pass when the line backs up to adjacent roads.

🕒 Pick-Up Times

• Regular dismissal: 3:15–3:30 PM

• After-school dismissal: 3:55–4:05 PM

⚠️ Students picked up between 3:35–3:55 PM must be signed out at the front doors.

ONLY students signed up for the afterschool program should be getting picked up after the regular dismissal time of 3:15-3:30pm.

Thank you for helping us keep dismissal safe and smooth!