Creekside Early Learning Center

Hello Creekside Families,

A big congratulations to the staff and families for completing our second week of Hybrid Learning. It has been quite an experience. I enjoyed visiting a few of the virtual Teddy Bear Picnics. Some of the office staff was able to pop in as well. It was great to see all of the smiles and "stuffies". The students continue to impress us with their resilience and perseverance. Their love for learning and being with friends is evident in their smiles and conversations. Thank you to the families for your continued support. The staff has worked hard to ensure the safety of our families. Please avoid becoming complacent with our COVID related procedures. Following protocols is key to our ability to stay safe, remain open, and welcome parents into campus to drop off and pick up students.

Here are some updates and reminders to keep you informed:

• EAK registration is now open! See the flyer below.
• Thank you for the words of encouragement and thanks that we have received. It is greatly appreciated.
• Masks are required for parents and siblings when dropping and picking up your student (ages 3 and up).
• Please respect the assigned drop off and pick up times. Please do not enter early.
• Reminder- the classroom door will be opened by the teacher when he/she is ready to welcome and/or release students.
• Please social distance yourselves from other families.
• Reminder- the tables in the lunch area are not open for parents. We work very hard to keep them sanitized. If someone sits there, it has to be sanitized again.

• The district will continue to serve food during Distance Learning on Mondays from 11:00am to 12:00pm to AUSD families in need.The location has changed from BOES to JMMS.

• If your student needs bus transportation and you have not registered yet, here is the link to access information: https://www.alpineschools.net/o/ausd/page/transportation--837

• The district is still providing free wifi access at CELC, SHES, JMMS, and BOES. Just park in the lot and log in. The wifi name is AlpineUnited and no password is needed.
• The district has tech support available to parents. Please email helpdesk@alpineschools.net with your technology questions.
• The office is open for appointments. Please call and let us know how we can help you.
• The office is currently closed from 8:30 am to 9:10 am and 1:20 pm to 2:00 pm. The staff is being utilized at those times to support drop off and pick up.
• Please send us pictures of your students hard at work. We would love to post them on social media.
• Thank you for the water bottle donations!
• If your student is in need of a mask, let us know. We had some cloth masks donated.
• AUSD's Reopening Guidebook is available to download below.

We are looking forward to another fun and productive week! It looks like it will continue to be pretty warm. Please make sure your students dress in cool clothes and bring plenty of water.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Ripke

As a reminder, breakfast and lunch will be available on campus when we return on September 21. Please make sure that your student's account is set up. The kitchen will not be able to take cash for a payment. All payments must be done online. There is a Free/Reduced Lunch Program available for qualifying families. Students that have breakfast at school will eat in the classroom.

• Online Payments http://alpineunionsdca.apptegy.us/o/ausd/page/meal-payments--6
  
• Free/Reduced Application http://alpineunionsdca.apptegy.us/o/ausd/page/free-and-reduced-meal-program--2

Students may also bring their lunch. All lunches brought from home must be in a disposable container. All students will be encouraged to bring a healthy snack and 2 bottles of water each day.

Many friends, community members, and CELC families have reached out to me asking how they could help us out during these uncharted times. The 2020-21 school year has presented us with different needs than pervious years. Although the state provided some extra funding, most of that money was spent on more "essential" items like hand sanitizer, plexiglass, and face coverings. We have purchases additional equipment and supplies to reduce exposure and help with contact tracing. The school has created an Amazon Wish List of items that we would love to have donated to help offset the cost and replenish some of our supplies. If you are interested in purchasing something, please visit https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3SFKL6ROWON5R?ref_=wl_share. We are in great need of pop-up shade structures. We would like to have a minimum of one per classroom, which is eight. So far, we have had two donated. It has been so helpful having the shady spots for outdoor learning and breaks. We would LOVE to expand the shade and offer more outdoor spaces that our protected by the east county sun.

We are happy to announce that we have a PTA Board and SSC. Thank you to the parents who volunteered to take on these important roles. We are also looking forward to the day when we can have parent volunteers back on campus. As soon as we are able to, we will communicate the process to become a volunteer. At this time, we are looking at virtual ways for parents to help. Stay tuned for more information.

WE ARE HIRING! If you, or any of your friends/family love kids and are looking for part time work, please share our postings. We have multiple positions on our site as well as on other campus. Please visit

https://www.edjoin.org/alpineschools. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Mrs. Ripke.

We are excited to announce that we have a temporary support teacher that joined us last week. Mr. G will be working to support our 100% distance learners. His position is intended to provide extra support for our students: 100% distance learners are still enrolled in their homeroom and participate as usual. In the near future, Mr. G will be working with other groups of students in small groups. Teachers are collaborating with him to design a system that best meets the needs of our students. We are also looking at tutoring opportunities provided by our fabulous support staff. Please stay tuned for more information. If you believe your child could benefit from tutoring in either Spanish or English, please contact the school office. We will begin an interest list and then do our best to match you with a tutor and a time. Please be patient as we know that this will take time and will likely adjust as we figure out how to best use these new resources.

Spirit Days

Mondays- Wear a College Shirt or College Colors

Fridays- Wear CELC's School Colors or Join us for Virtual Fun Fridays

Kindness Weeks- TBA

Let's continue celebrating our college spirit! Join us on Mondays and wear your favorite college shirt!

The 2020-21 “Cubs in the Community” is on a roll. Connecting with kids is one of the most essential parts of building relationships and fostering learning. Mrs. Ripke has set a goal to connect with 100 future, current, and former Cubs in the community by the 100th day of school. If you spot Mrs. Ripke out in the community, please say hi and take a picture with her. Former CELC staff count too! Our pictures may look different this year due to social distancing; however, all of the love will still be there! She can’t wait to hand out hugs again when it is safe. Mrs. Ripke is up to 20 Cub Sightings. See Cub Sightings #19 and #20 below...and the cutest doggie!

To help foster school spirit and stay connected during Distance Learning, the Alpine Union School District will post Virtual Fun Friday Dress Up Days. Postings will be on the AUSD Facebook and Instagram Pages. If you are not already following us on FB or IG, please join us! We hope that you will all participate and post pictures on social media using the hashtags provided. CELC parents may email the pictures to Mrs. Ripke at tripke@alpineschools.net. If you would like to be prepared, I have provided a list of upcoming themes; however, you will have to read the posts to get the details.

• October 9- Show our SD Padres some love! Whether we win or lose, we are proud of them. Wear a Padres shirt or colors.
• October 16- Spread Smiles Day! Do something nice for someone to make them smile. Write a note, send a message, or tell them a joke.
• October 23- Make Mine Alpine Day! Share a photo or memory of why you love Alpine or Alpine Schools.

10/5-10/9 Blue Week for Kindergarten

10/8 SSC Meeting

10/9 Virtual Fun Friday- Proud of our Padres Day! Wear a Padres shirt of colors.

10/12-10/6 Purple Week for Kindergarten

10/19-10/23 Pink Week for Kindergarten

10/26-10/30 Black Week for Kindergarten

11/16-11/20 Kindness Week

Office Hours

M-F 8:00 am to 3:30 pm

Email: cbrown@alpineschools.net
Website: https://www.alpineschools.net
Location: 8818 Harbison Canyon Road
Phone: (619) 659-8250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Creekside-Early-Learning-Center-414783265277455/