Principal's August Message
August, 2009
Dear Adobe Bluffs Students and Parents,
The staff at Adobe Bluffs welcomes you and your children to a wonderful
new school year! We have been working very hard to ensure your child
will enjoy a successful, exciting experience at our school. Our goal is
to create a positive school climate that maximizes instructional time
for student learning, while developing strong social and emotional
characteristics in a safe environment. Please review the important
information presented in this letter so the school year begins as
smoothly as possible.
To ensure a smooth start to the year, it is important to clarify rules
and expectations for student safety and maximized learning. Early in the
school year we will post our Student Handbook on our website. Please
review the handbook with your student so that both you and your child
are familiar with rules and procedures at Adobe Bluffs Elementary
School. As always, if you have unanswered questions, please call me at
538-8403 ext. 3205 or call Karen Winn, school administrative assistant,
at ext. 3202.
Dates to Remember:
• August 20, 2009 First Day of School
• August 27, 2009 Back to School Night, all grades
• September 7, 2009 Labor Day, No School
• November 16-20, 2009 Minimum Days for Parent Teacher
Conferences (12:00 dismissal)
• April 1, 2010 Open House/Art Show
Summer Office Hours: The office will reopen August 10th from 8:00 AM -
12:00 PM through August 19th. Starting August 20th the first day of
school, the office is open 7:15 AM - 2:00 PM. Each school day Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday the office closes at 3:00 PM. On Thursdays
the office will close at 2:00 PM.
Registration: The office is open for new student registration starting
August 10th from 8:00AM – 12:00 PM. If you have a new neighbor, please
ask them to register now to assist with building our schedule.
School Hours: M, T, W, F – 7:45 AM – 2:05 PM, Th 7:45 AM – 12:25 PM.
Classroom Assignments: Classroom assignments will be posted on
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 3:00 PM. The assignment postings will be
located at the front of the school at the main gates. The PTA will be
available for membership and event information. Teachers will not be
present at the posting but will look forward to meeting your child the
first day of school.
Arrival: Students will report to the playground and line up with their
teacher by 7:40 AM. Parents are invited to join the PTA, Foundation, and
the Principal at 8:00 AM on the first day of school for refreshments in
the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) after they have dropped their children off
at class.
After the first day, playground supervision will begin at 7:25 AM,
fifteen minutes before school begins. Students in grades 1-5 should walk
to the back playground through the gates in front of the school. Please
do not have your child arrive before 7:25 AM, as there will be no adult
supervision until that time. Students will line up in their assigned
area on the playground at 7:40 AM. The tardy bell rings and school
begins promptly at 7:45 AM. Students are expected to be in their seats
ready to learn by that time. If your child arrives after the 7:45 AM
bell, he/she will need to come to the front office for a late slip
before going to class.
Kindergarten students should arrive no more than 5 minutes before school
begins, go directly to the kindergarten playground and line up in their
assigned area. Kindergarten students will be released 11:30 AM for the
first 14 days of school, August 20th – September 9th to allow teachers
time to assess the students. Parents will have the option to have
students stay for lunch from 11:30 – Noon during the 14 day transition
period.
Dismissal: At dismissal time parents should meet their children in the
front of the school or at the lunch tables. Please do not meet your
children inside the school or by the classroom, as it is a distraction
to the learning environment. Remember our goal is to maximize
instructional time for student learning. It also helps decrease
congestion in the hallways.
Traffic Circle: Parents driving students to and from school should
follow the procedures of the traffic circle, as well as state law.
Please abide by the directions of our wonderful volunteers and staff.
They are working hard to ensure safety of our children. Cars in the
traffic circle should never be left unattended at any time.
Visitors and volunteers: PUSD Board Policy 4.415 prohibits volunteers on
campus unless they have completed a background check and had a TB Skin
Test. All visitors and cleared volunteers must report to the office,
sign-in, and wear a visitor's sticker/badge. The PTA keeps track of
volunteer hours and reports them to the Palomar Council.
Gates and School Safety: The gates to the school are closed to ensure
that visitors and volunteers sign in at the front office and wear an
appropriate name tag. We can not take chances with student safety.
Please remind your child that NO student may leave the school grounds
during the school day without being checked out at the front office.
School Lunch: Hot lunches are available for $2.00 including milk.
Children who bring their own lunch may purchase milk ($.50) or juice
($.60) from the cafeteria. You may pay your child's lunch in advance by
sending cash or check payable to PUSD Food Services, to the front
office. Lunch envelopes are available there. If your child receives free
or reduced lunch, you must submit a 2009-10 application to Food Services
by September 30. Applications will be available in the first-day packet.
PTA and ABES Educational Foundation: Our PTA and ABES Educational
Foundation are two very important organizations in our school. They
support many activities that directly impact student learning and the
positive school environment. I urge you to join me in becoming a member,
especially those families that are new to our school. Your participation
in these two organizations will help families find the most appropriate
way to lend their support to our school that fits their lifestyle. Many
parents want to help in classrooms. Many want to help with special
events. Others want to contribute financially to enhance programs for
our children. Look for additional information from
PTA and the Foundation on our website or first day packet of information
that your child will bring home. Thank you in advance to those of you
who become a part of these organizations.
Extended Student Services (ESS): Adobe Bluffs offers an Extended Student
Services Program located on campus. ESS is a before and after school
child care program that extends the learning day for students. It is
available for all students from 6:30 AM - 6:00 PM. For information, call
Jan Reynoso, ESS Supervisor, at 538-2672.
Attendance: It is important you keep us informed about your child when
they are not in school. When your child is absent, please call the
school to inform us of the reason for the absence each day they are not
in attendance. If your child will be absent from school due to anything
other than illness for 5 days or more, please contact the school for a
study contract. Our attendance phone number is 538-8403, ext. 3201.
Medication: Students who are required to take medication during school
hours may be assisted by school personnel if the school receives a
Medication Authorization form from the physician and parent detailing
instructions for administration. This form may be picked up from the
school office. For safety reasons, only adults may bring medications to
school.
Connect ED: PUSD has brought an effective communication tool to all its
schools. CONNECT-ED allows us to send informative phone calls and
e-mails to families with news of important school events. To maximize
the effectiveness of this service, please be sure you provide accurate
phone numbers and e-mail addresses to the school, updating them when
needed. This will also ensure timely communication with you regarding
attendance, health and safety issues.
We would appreciate your reviewing this important information with your
child. Enjoy the rest of summer. Our staff looks forward to working with
you and your child this year.
Sincerely,
Mark Atkins
Principal