December 4, 2019

Letter From the Principal – December 2019

Happy December everyone!  It’s hard to believe that the end of 2019 is right around the corner.  Thanks to two very early snow days, we only have two and a half weeks until another vacation!  These weeks between Thanksgiving and December vacation are some of the busiest weeks of the year, in competition only with May and June in my experience!  I hope that everyone is able to spend some time appreciating friends and family in the lead up to the new year!

Winter Craft Fair: I am excited to participate in my first Winter Craft Fair this month!  Hosted by the 5th grade as a way to fundraise for special end of the year activities, this is an event for the whole school.  On December 10th, students from all grade levels will visit the fair to play games and purchase handmade crafts; all games and crafts have been designed by 5th grade students.  Stay tuned for more information from your child’s teacher.

Winter Attire: I saw lots of students getting off the bus this morning carrying snow pants and snow boots!  As the weather continues to get colder, I just want to remind families to make sure that children are coming to school with warm clothing for outdoor recess.  To the greatest extent possible, we send students outside to play each and every day.

School Closings: Fingers crossed that Monday and Tuesday’s snow days were not a sign of things to come!  However, as a reminder, should the need for school delays or school closings arise, they will be communicated via text, phone and email.  Information about closures and delays will also be posted on the school district web page as well as on local television stations. Here’s hoping for a mild winter moving forward (or at least one where all snow happens on the weekend)!

Arrival Reminder: It wouldn’t be a monthly newsletter without some sort of reminder about our arrival and dismissal procedures!  This is just a reminder that the drop off zone in the drop off area should be for quick, active drop off only. I would ask that parents using the drop off lane be as efficient as possible in dropping children off to keep the line of cars moving as quickly as possible.  As many of you have experienced, traffic can back up into the neighborhood considerably during the first few minutes of drop off. The quicker cars move out of the drop off zone, the quicker new cars can enter, allowing everything to move smoothly.

Note from School Nurse, Paula Amante: Cold and flu season is quickly approaching.   Here are some guidelines to help you determine whether you should keep your child home:

• If your child has had a fever of 100.0 or more within the last 24 hours.
• If your child has had diarrhea or vomiting within the last 24 hours or is unable to eat normally.
• If your child has a contagious illness such as strep throat or conjunctivitis and has not been taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours.
• If your child is unable to participate fully in school activities because of illness.
• If your child requires medication for fever.

Remember, if you need to keep your child home, please notify the school by filling out the attendance reporting form, which can be found under the Parents Tab on the Alcott School Website.  Please be specific with illness details (i.e. fever, strep throat, vomiting) when reporting that your child is out sick.

Wishing everyone good health to end 2019!

Upcoming Events