Sunnycrest Press

Oct. 19th- Learning Improvement Day NO SCHOOL

Oct. 21st- Unity Day (wear orange)

Oct. 23rd - 30th - Book Fair

Oct. 23rd- PTA Trunk or Treat

Nov. 3rd- Picture Re-Take Day

Nov. 11th- Veterans Day NO SCHOOL

Nov. 23rd-25th- Family Conferences NO SCHOOL

Nov. 26th & 27th- Thanksgiving Break NO SCHOOL

Our character trait focus for the month of September was perseverance. Perseverance is the ability to stick with something--even when it's hard. During September, teachers used some of their class meeting time to focus on ways students can persevere through challenges. Be sure to ask your student about ways they are demonstrating perseverance.

Our POWERFUL trait for October is Ownership. As a community, we can take ownership in a variety of ways. We can work to make our school or neighborhood a better place by picking up trash or inviting others to play. At home, we can show ownership by picking up messes or helping to keep our home clean. We can also take ownership by admitting our mistakes and working to "make it right" when we have hurt someone. For the month of October, take a moment to highlight ways your student is taking ownership at home.

As a reminder we do not have staff out front to watch students until 9:20am. For everyones safety please DO NOT let your students out of your vehicle until 9:20am when you see a staff member in a yellow or pink vest. Parents should remain in their vehicles, if a younger student needs help getting out our staff would love to assist them. This will help our car line move faster.

If you arrive after 9:35am and there is no staff out front you need to sign your student in at the office. Please do not drop them on the curb and leave as again this is a safety issue.

To help the parent pick up line flow smoothly please place a sign in the passenger side window with your student's first name and grade.

Our Handicap Parking spots are not to be used for parent drop off/pick up unless you have the qualifying placard. We have several families that need to utilize these parking spots before and after school to get their students.

Please do not double park and let your kids walk through the parking lot, if there is no parking you will need to get in line to do drop off along the curb with the other families.

Our priority is to keep everyone safe and we need your help doing that, so thank you in advance for keeping everyone here at Sunnycrest safe!

Unity Day is an opportunity for our Screamin' Eagle community to show that each of us belong. On October 21st, we are celebrating Unity Day by wearing orange and participating in an assembly devoted to learning about kindness. Our community is growing and changing, and it's wonderful to see a variety of ethnicities represented at Sunnycrest. Unity Day is designed to highlight the things that make us unique while also celebrating being a member of a larger community.

At Sunnycrest, we are committed to each student getting what they need instructionally. It's not uncommon for families to wonder how we work to intentionally support kids. WIN, which stands for What I Need, time is the intervention blocks that have been created at each grade level to provide small group instruction to either support students in skills that are lagging or to extend learners that are doing well. With this model, grade level teams are looking at maximizing our staffing resources by potentially moving students around to other classrooms during WIN based on individual needs. This allows us to use the variety of expertise we have on our staff to ensure that each student is getting what they need.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.

• Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts.

• Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.

• Try to schedule non-urgent related medical appointments and extended trips when school isn’t in session.

• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.

• If you are concerned that your child may have a contagious illness, call your school or health care provider for advice.

• If your child must stay home due to illness, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home

CHRONIC ABSENCE

18 or more days

WARNING SIGNS

10 to 17 days

SATISFACTORY

9 or fewer absences

NOTE: These numbers assume a 180-day school year.

Visit Attendance Works at www.attendanceworks.org for free downloadable resources and tools!

1. Login to Skyward via FAMILY ACCESS

2. Click on ATTENDANCE (under the General Information Tab on the left side of the screen)

3. Click on Absence Notifications

4. Click on Add Notification and enter the appropriate information. Be sure to choose a reason for the absence.

If you plan on missing more than three days please fill out the Pre-Arranged Absence Form located on your school website or in the office.

As we approach October and Halloween, this is a good time to take a moment to review our school district’s expectations regarding costumes during school hours.

In the spirit of maintaining a safe and inclusive learning environment, costumes are not allowed at school. We understand that Halloween is a fun and exciting time for our students, but this policy is in the best interest of our entire school community.

Here are a few reasons for this decision:

• Maintaining focus on learning: Halloween costumes can be a source of distraction, making it challenging for students to stay focused on their studies and classroom activities.
• Inclusivity: Not all students may celebrate or have the means to participate in Halloween festivities. By not allowing costumes, we ensure that all students feel included and comfortable at school.
• Safety: Some costumes may have accessories or components that pose safety risks, such as masks that obstruct vision or items that could cause tripping or other accidents.
• Respect for others: We want to promote a respectful and positive school environment. Costumes can sometimes make others uncomfortable, and we want to avoid any potential issues.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us create a productive and inclusive learning environment.

Over the past few years, the number of students with these items has grown. While we do not ban these items at school, there are expectations that are outlined in our cell phone policy. If you want your student to have a cell phone or smartwatch at school, it must be off and put away so it is not a distraction in class. Some families have put their student's smart watch in school mode so the watch is simply accessed as a watch during the school day. For privacy reasons, it is never acceptable to record (audio or video) others. Here is a link to the Sunnycrest permission slip.

Sunnycrest Run Club Updates!

The Sunnycrest Run Club will be ready to roll starting in October. Students will have the opportunity to run or walk laps around the paved path around the playground on Wednesdays starting October 7 during their lunch recess. Students can run a maximum of 10 laps (5 for kindergarten). We use Sharpie markers on students' hands to track the laps they've run. The reason we do this is because we encourage students to use hand sanitizer or wash their hands before and after lunch. Other markers get washed off before we can record the laps. After a few washes the marker will come off and it is non-toxic.

Every year we set a goal destination and run laps towards our goal. 10 laps around our paved track is 1 mile. Our goal this year is to run enough miles to go from Houston, TX to DisneyWorld in Orlando, FL. That's a total of 965 miles. When we reach our destination, we will celebrate with a school wide themed dress up day!

The Sunnycrest Run Club would not be successful without our parent volunteers. If you are interested in helping track laps, please sign up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044CAAAD28A1FAC52-65800510-sunnycrest.Thank you so much for your help in this fun activity for students.

In order to volunteer at Sunnycrest, you must complete the Safe Visitor screening. Here is the link: https://www.lkstevens.wednet.edu/our-programs/volunteer-program. Please have your screening completed before your scheduled volunteer day.

Thank you so much for your help and supporting the Sunnycrest Run Club, we couldn't do it without the help of volunteers like you!

Confidential health records are provided to appropriate staff on a “need to know basis”. Please keep the health room informed of changes in your student’s health, allergies, medications, limitations, injuries etc. The more we know about your student, the better care we can provide. If your student has a life-threatening condition (food allergies, heart conditions, asthma, seizures, diabetic), please contact the nurse so that we can discuss the procedure to ensure the safety of your student.

The nurse (or another staff member) will provide first aid as necessary should an emergency or injury occur at school. It is important to inform the office of telephone numbers where parents/guardians may be reached if an emergency arises.

Your student must be free of fever, diarrhea, or vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school. Please have your student stay home if they have signs of an eye infection (like redness, swelling, drainage) or a rash of an unknown source. Let’s work together to keep our school a healthy learning environment.

If your student needs to take medication during school hours, it is necessary that both the physician and the parent provide written permission. This must include the name of the drug, dose and time to be given. The medication must be in the original labeled container and brought in to school by a parent or guardian. Students are not allowed to transport medication to and from school. Please do not send cough drops, ointments or other over the counter products to school. A copy of the medication form is available in the nurse’s office or on LSSD website under Health Services.

At times, students have accidents, spills, or torn clothing and we try to provide a change, when possible. Please be mindful to return any clothing provided for your student after laundering. It is always a great idea to provide them with a change of clothing in their backpack as well.

We will notify parents/guardians of any head bumps or serious injuries or illnesses. Time does not allow a phone call for every incident; but please always feel free to call/email the nurse if you have any questions regarding care they have received or for any other questions. We look forward to meeting your students and working with your family! Our goal is to help each student be happy, healthy, and ready to succeed at school!

Welcome Back, Sunnycrest Families!

My name is Esra Yilmaz, and I'm your school counselor. I’m so excited to start another school year together. For our new families, here are some fun facts about me: I'm a mother of two and a parent of LSHS and Sunnycrest; I'm a cat mom; I'm a big soccer fan and support Ronaldo :); my home language is Turkish, and I can speak a little bit of Arabic; I know how to make baklava and Turkish coffee :)) As your school counselor, this is my 9th year in the profession, and I’m here to support our students’ social-emotional learning, friendships, problem-solving skills, and overall well-being. I’m looking forward to connecting with our students, families, and staff throughout the year!

Our SEL & Safety Lessons

This year, our Tier 1 SEL curriculum, Second Step, will be taught by our classroom teachers as part of our schoolwide social-emotional learning program. Students will continue building skills in areas such as emotional management, empathy, kindness, problem-solving, growth mindset, and positive relationships.

Throughout the year, I will also be teaching Bullying Prevention and Harassment & Interrupting Hate Speech lessons to students. These lessons help students understand how to recognize unkind or harmful behaviors, speak up safely, include others, and help create a school where everyone feels respected and belongs.

For more information about what your child will be learning, please take a look at our Second Step Family Letter and the District Harassment & Interrupting Hate Speech Family Letter linked below.

Don't forget to check our counselor support/resources link!

Thank you for partnering with us to help every Sunnycrest student feel safe, supported, respected, and included. We are so happy to have you as part of our school community!

Thank you to all who were able to attend the Scoop on Sunnycrest last month we hope you had as much fun as we did!

And a special thank you to all the volunteers who helped make our first family function a success.

It was so great to see so many Sunnycrest families at the M's Game, we were able to raise over $700 to support future PTA activities!

If you missed out on our September fun check out our newsletter linked below. October is stuffed full of fun family activities you wont want to miss! And as always watch those Tuesday folders for our flyers that are headed your way!

givebacks.com

Help your student win a Pizza Party provided by the PTA! All you have to do is become a member (no volunteering or meetings required) by November 1st!

Who can be "a member" anyone!! Grandparents, aunts, uncles even family friends. Just enter the teacher name and your student's class will get the credit.