Polar Bear Post

Thank you so much for your partnership and support during our first week of school. Our classrooms are already full of energy, learning, and new friendships. As we build on this momentum, we would love to see you at our Open House this Thursday, September 10th. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see your child's classroom, meet your child’s teacher, and get a firsthand look at what we have planned for the year ahead. Thank you for making our school community so special!

With Polar Pride,

Mrs. Nowell

September 10: Picture Day

September 10: Open House- 6:00-7:30

September 15: No School due to staff professional development

Dismissal changes must be communicated to your child's teacher and Ms. Jaimie in the front office BEFORE 3:00pm. This buffer gives our office staff and teachers enough time to safely route your child to the correct location without any last-minute confusion. Clear communication before 3:00 PM prevents chaotic handoffs at the end of the day and guarantees that every student gets home safely.

Parents in the car line for either arrival or dismissal need to stay in their cars. Staff will signal for students to exit their cars as we do not want students getting out/getting in their cars while cars are still pulling into the line.

Emergency Cards were sent home with students this past Thursday September 3. Please complete your child's card with the most up to date information and return to your child's teacher.

What to expect on picture day

1. When an order is placed online, the parent/guardian will receive a camera pass via email. This can be printed and brought to picture day. The photographer will photograph the printed camera pass along with the student.
2. If a student is not able to print their camera pass, that is not a problem. We will match up the student to their order manually in the production process.
3. A parent may order from the flyer up until 24 hours after picture day. After 24 hours, the online ordering access may close. This will allow our imaging team to "Pull" all orders submitted and match them with the students photographed.
4. When pictures are returned to school, all students that purchased pictures will receive their prepaid package. Any student that was photographed but did not order a package, will receive a "Proof" (PX) of their picture that was taken on picture day.

All proof packages offer parents a second opportunity to order prints. All orders are subject to shipping and handling costs of up to $8.50 and will be shipped directly to home.

Please see a message below from Ms. Johnson, our band and chorus instructor.

Band interest forms with instrument requests are due when we come back on Tuesday, September 8th. I will be giving out band instrument assignments by Friday, September 11th. They will receive more information of how to obtain their instruments then. Chorus permission forms are due on Friday, September 11th and chorus will start on Monday, September 14th.

If anybody decided over the weekend that they would like an interest form and haven't received one, or they were absent and need one, they need to come see me ASAP on Tuesday for a form.

Ms. Johnson's email: skylarA.Johnson@colonial.k12.de.us

• Morning/Arrival car line begins at 8:45am.

• Afternoon/Dismissal car line begins at 3:35 PM.

• Only Buses are allowed to drive and park in the front of the building during arrival and dismissal.

• Cars may start to enter the Car Rider Lot at 3:00 PM. Cars must wait at the orange cones until all students are inside.

• Car riders will be dismissed from the right side of the building. Cars must stay to the right and make two parallel lines (see attached photo). Parents are to remain inside the car. Each car will be given a PLV Car Tag at Back to School Night with a specific number that is linked to your child/ren. Please have this clearly displayed on your rearview mirror with the number facing out.

• Staff will call Car Riders, in groups of about 16-20 (first 8-10 cars in each row). Once all students are safely inside the vehicles, a staff member will dismiss the first 16 cars, one row at a time. Once all cars are stopped, we will repeat the loading process. Cars must exit through the PLV parking lot and follow the predictable flow of traffic and exit out of Doncaster Dr.

• In short, we will have staff stationed along the entire route. They will be guiding and directing traffic.

• Please pay attention, follow staff directions and refrain from being on your phone as student safety is top priority. Be aware that there is a speed strip at the entrance gate of the school property on Pleasant Place.

Please find information about Colonial's cell phone use policy HERE.

Elementary students are generally not permitted to use cell phones or other personal electronic devices during school hours.

If your child brings a device to school, it should be:

• Powered off or on silent

• Put away in a backpack, locker, or other location designated by the school

• Kept away for the school day unless an approved exception applies

**Homeroom teachers will communicate each class's rotation days.

In previous years, homerooms were assigned a specific exploratory (gym, art, music, technology) to a specific day of the week. We found that classes missed their Monday/Friday exploratory many more times than other days due to holidays and professional development days. In order to avoid these inequities, we have revamped our exploratory schedule.

This year, we will rotate through a 4-day cycle. Exploratories will not be assigned a specific day of the week. Exploratories will instead be assigned a rotation day. Each day will be a cycle day. Each class will be assigned an exploratory specific to each cycle day. This will ensure that every class is able to attend all exploratories and rotate through the days that they attend. All band and chorus classes will take place on Day 4. For example, a class may have the following:

All volunteers will need to be on the district approved volunteer list. Volunteers are an integral part of our success and our belief that together we are stronger as a district. Please complete the volunteer application and submit all the information requested. All personal data submitted by applicants is confidential. Including a personal email address in your application will ensure you are informed once your application is approved. As part of standard school safety practices, all volunteers and visitors to CSD schools must provide a photo ID each time they visit any District facility.

This is required for parents/guardians volunteering in the classrooms, visiting for lunch, chaperoning field trips, etc.

At Pleasantville Elementary, we strive to create a safe, equitable, happy and welcoming school where everyone feels valued and included. We are committed to teaching strong academics, leading with kindness, respect, responsibility, and empathy.

With the support of teachers, families, and friends, we collectively build a school environment where students can take risks and celebrate differences as they grow into curious, capable, and confident learners and resilient problem-solvers, prepared to make a positive difference in the world.

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July 2026