TollGate Tidbits

February 9th, 2024

A Note from Mrs. Lauri

Dear Toll Gate Families,

I hope that everyone has been enjoying this spring like weather that we have been having this week. Thank you to all of the parents for your support of our Day of Service. We were able to provide over 300 Jared Boxes to Capital Health Hospital and they were so appreciative of all of our efforts. We are looking to strengthen our partnership with Capital Health as it related to our service project for next year.

This month, we are celebrating Black History month both in and out of the classroom. Each morning our students are learning about a prominent Black American and the contributions they have or are currently making to the United States. Through Character Strong we discussed the importance of Honesty at our Gator Group Gathering. We are learning that it is important to be honest to ourselves and how we can prevent our emotions from getting in the way of our honesty. We are proud to announce our first family event of the year, Spread Love through Character Strong. This family event will take place on Thursday, February 22nd at 6pm. For additional information and to register for the event, please see the flier below.

Coming up, we will have celebrations, varied, by grade level for the 100th day of school. We are also looking forward to our Valentine's celebrations.Our students in grades K-4 will participate in an assembly called Kind Minds of February 22nd. This assembly will focus on identifying emotions, engaging in kind acts and building empathy for others. More information found below!

Please feel free to reach out with any question.

With Thanks,

Melissa Lauri

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Parent-Teacher Communication

Through Parent Council, the topic of parent-teacher communication has been brought to my attention. The questions that were posed was what level of communication parents should be expecting from each grade level, and whether or not each grade level was expected to communicate in the same manner. While it is certainly encouraged for each grade level team to communicate with one another, the teacher schedules do not always provide adequate time to ensure consistency in communication that is being sent home from each classroom. Upon speaking with all of the grade level teachers, I am proud to say that it appears that all of the teachers go above and beyond to communicate at least monthly with the families. Families should expect a drop off in the amount of communication that is received from grades K-5. By 5th grade, communication with families becomes more individualized and based on student needs and correspondence is shared with families as it pertains to upcoming important events.

It is also to be noted that many of the teachers run accounts on X (Twitter), posting special activities in the classroom with pictures of students busy at work. The school district does not have specific requirements for the level of communication that teachers provide to the families nor do teachers have to run social media accounts. Rather, the teachers at Toll Gate take the time to ensure there is appropriate communication home.

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Student Illnesses

Please remember that a student must be fever free, without medication, for 24 hours, before returning to school from ANY illness that includes fever as a symptom.

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must remain home for 5 full days (day 0 is the date that symptoms start). They may return on day 6, if fever free for 24 hours and if their symptoms are improved. Upon return, they will need to wear a mask for the next 5 days.

After an illness involving nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea, students should remain home until eating and drinking normally and symptoms have resolved.

Please remember to call the Telsafe line, 609-737-4008, option 2, for any absence and tardiness.

Please reach out to the health office for any questions.

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Telesafe for Daily Attendance & Attendance Letters

It is pertinent that we have accurate daily attendance to ensure the safety of your children. If your child will be absent or will be reporting to school late, please call our Telesafe line at 609-737-4008, option 2. Please refrain from only emailing the classroom teacher and Ms. Smith, the school nurse, to report attendance. In the event a teacher or Ms. Smith is absent for the day, only Telesafe is checked for absences, their emails are not. Ms. Smith will continue to call home to ensure your child's safety, if your child is not in school and we did not receive a phone call through telesafe stating that would be absent.

During the month of February, we shared out letters to families to notify you of how many absences your child/children have. Any student that has accrued has more than 6 absences will be sent a letter. Please know that if you receive a letter, it is just for information purposes. You be not be required to take any action.

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School Safety Reminders

Please be reminded that parents will be required to show photo identification when picking students up from school early or when entering the building. It is also required that all visitors have an appointment prior to arriving to the school to meet with school personnel. All visitors must sign in to the main office and obtain a visitors badge. In the event you need to pick your child up from school early or you have a change in pick up, please email TGMainoffice@hvrsd.org.

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Digital Wellness Initiative at Toll Gate: Spring Parent Series 2024

We are excited to announce Tech Talk at Toll Gate. This will be a four part series educating parents on all the ins and outs of technology use as it pertains to your child. Save the dates! Registration for the first session will be shared out within the next week. Session 1 will take place at Toll Gate, with a webinar option for those that can not make it live!

Session 1: Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Dr. Suze Palinski- Parenting and Technology: What Do I need to Know?

Session 2- Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Ms. Melissa Lauri & Ms. Bonnie Lieu- Getting Ready to Give the Device? Device Options and Imperative Conversations to have with your children before they transition to middle school

Session 3- Date to Come (Sometime in April)

High School Student Panel- Popular Apps and Peer Pressure

Session 4- Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Habits & Rules to set for your young children and their devices & device management