ATTENTION KINDERGARTEN PARENTS!
     
     
    Kindergarten parents/guardians will be receiving a letter from your
    child’s teacher to set up a parent conference at which time you will be
    given the 10 week report card.
     
    REPORT CARDS– For Grades 1 – 4
     
    Report cards for our first marking period will be sent home on Thurs­
    day, November 16. As indicated above, kindergarten report cards for
    this first marking period are given out at the parent conference. R
    e­
    port cards do not need to be returned.
    However, the envelope does
    need to be returned with your signature.
       
     
    Numbers 1 – 4 will be used to indicate level of student achievement.
    Please see code below:
                 
    4 = Highly Competent
                 
    3 = Competent
                 
    2 = Minimally Competent
                 
    1 = Below Competency
    (+ or – may be added to the number)
     
     
    PARENT CONFERENCE HALF DAYS
     
    Time is set aside each year for parent/teacher conferences. Students
    are dismissed early so that teachers and parents can meet. CON­
    FERENCE DAYS are scheduled for November 30, December 6, and
    December 12. Teachers will set up appointments with parents. Aca­
    demic Intervention Service (AIS) staff will also be available. Students
    will not eat lunch at school on conference/early dismissal days.
     
    Please
    – If you have a conference scheduled and find that you cannot
    keep it, call the school so that the office can notify the teacher. If you
    are not contacted and you want to schedule a conference, please call
    the teacher in advance or send in a note.
     
    UPCOMING VACATION DAYS
     
    Here is a quick review of upcoming vacation days for students:
     
    Friday, Nov. 10
    ­ Superintendent’s Conference Day
    Wednesday, Nov. 22
    through Friday, Nov. 24
    ­ Thanksgiving Holiday
    November Newsletter
     
    WILLIAMSON ELEMENTAR
    Y SCHOOL
     
    PICKING UP YOUR CHILD AT SCHOOL
     
    We are very careful in discharging students from
    school. If you need to pick up your child before
    regular dismissal, please …
    ­
    send a note to your child’s teacher
    ­
    include date, child’s name, teacher’s
                 
    name, the time you wish to pick up your
                 
    child, and reason (for attendance purposes)
     
    The note will be forwarded to the nurse. She will fill
    out a
    blue release slip which you need to pick
    up at the Nurse’s Office before you take your
    child out of class
    . When you arrive at school to
    pick up your student, please check in at the Main
    Office. We will ask you to sign in and pick up a
    Health Office Pass
    . You will then return this pass to
    the Main Office as you ex it the building. Thank you
    in advance for your cooperation.
     
    We do not encourage picking up your child at dis­
    missal time since the road is filled with buses and
    the parking lot is often very busy. If you have to
    pick up your child at 3:00 p.m., please do not drive
    in the circle and please be sure the teacher knows
    you have picked up your child.
    We need to know
    where every child is … we need your help.
     
     
    No child will be released from school (other than to
    bus) without the blue release slip.
    PLAYGROUND
     
    Playground continues throughout the winter
    months whenever possible. Starting November 1
    students MUST DRESS FOR COLD WEATHER.
    When weather is severe, we will keep all students in.
    Please note winter clothing requirements:
    ∗
    Gloves or mittens
    ∗
    Hat/hood (ears must be covered)
    ∗
    Boots
    ∗
    Coat or snowsuit
    ∗
    Snow pants or second pair of pants to wear over
    These guidelines will be in effect until May 1, 2000
     
    HOME/SCHOOL RELATIONS
    We encourage you to feel free to contact school any
    time you have concerns. Just call 589­9668 and ask
    for your child’s teacher.
    ROLLERSKATING THANK YOU
    The students, staff, and Mrs. VanNostrand (3/4
    rollerskating chairperson) would like to thank all
    of you who helped at the skating party on
    November 1st. These parties would not happen
    without your help!
    Page 2
    NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
    VALUES ARE IMPORTANT
     
     
    It has been said that American schools do not
    teach values. Well, not so at Williamson Elemen­
    tary. We do stress the following values and hope­
    fully we also model these behaviors:
    caring
    about others, caring about nature, hon­
    esty, helping others, respect for other’s
    belongings and views, cleanliness, fair­
    ness, taking turns, and sharing
    . Theses are
    among the qualities we believe in and try to rein­
    force with our children.
     
    These values are reflected in the
    “BE WISE”
    Pro­
    gram.
    EMERGENCY CLOSINGS
     
    There may be times, due to adverse weather or
    other emergencies, when it will be necessary to
    close the school. If the determination to close is
    made before the opening of school in the morning,
    local radio station WHAM (1180) will carry notifi­
    cations of the closing. This station will also be no­
    tified if emergency conditions dictate early closing.
    Channel 10 and Channel 13 T.V. are also notified if
    emergency conditions di
    ctate a closing. Should
    school close early for emergency reasons, we
    would like to be sure that each child knows where
    he or she is to go. A form will be sent home for
    you to indicate any special arrangements for emer­
    gency closings. Please be sure to return this form.
    REMINDER – STATE LAW
    Effective November 1, 1990, Chapter 62 of the
    Law’s of 1990 amends previous law to include
    school driveways as included as it applies to pass­
    ing school buses. In other words, if a bus is
    stopped in the school driveway and has
    it’s red
    lights flashing
    , it is
    illegal
    to pass that bus.
    To ensure the safety of our students,
    this law
    will be enforced
    on our school driveways.
    Page 3
    NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
    RETAKE DAY FOR SCHOOL
    PICTURES
     
    Retake Day for school pictures is sched­
    uled for Thursday, November 9.
     
    If your child did not have his/her school picture
    taken, this is your opportunity to do so. If your
    child’s picture was taken and you are not satisfied
    with them, return the pictures and request to have
    the picture retaken.
    FIRST GRADE NEWS
     
    Learning to read, write, and add numbers is the
    awesome task facing first graders in September
    and October! Mastering basic sight words, ap­
    plying consonant sounds to the beginnings and
    endings of words, and listening for short vowel
    sounds in the middle is the task of all first grad­
    ers. Using this knowledge to express thoughts
    in writing while remembering to add “finger
    spacing” and a period at the end of a sentence
    requires daily practice and lots of encourage­
    ment on the part of the teachers. As a result of
    our conference days with Richard Strong, we
    have begun to teach first graders basic skills of
    note making as we enjoy literature together. By
    starting with pencil drawings the students are
    recording key events and details which can later
    be used to write about a favorite book or simply
    to retell the story in their own words. The focus
    on key words goes beyond reading and into the
    realm of math as we learn to add numbers to­
    gether after listening to a story problem which
    requires a solution in which the work is shown,
    the students are asked to find the words which
    told them what process to use to solve the prob­
    lem. Thus, “how many in all” takes on meaning
    as an important part of the whole concept.
    NOTIFICATION OF BUSING ARRANGEMENTS
     
    1.
    In case of new enrollees (including kindergartners) and changes from previous year’s busing
    arrangements – parents are required to provide the school either in person or in writing (by mail or
    personal delivery) with accurate information about where the child is to be picked up and delivered
    from school. Such notification must be received prior to the day the child enters school.
     
    2.
    In cases of where a change in either pick up or delivery site is sought – this applies to all
    changes requested after the start of school. Parents are required to provide the school, either in
    person or in writing (by mail or personal delivery) with accurate information about the requested
    changes in busing arrangements.
    Such notification should be made no later than 9:00
    a.m. of the day of the proposed change.
    3.
    In cases of emergency when a change in busing arrangements is required by uncontrollable
    circumstances, parents must call the appropriate school office and ask for the person in charge of
    bus passes. The parent should be prepared to explain the general nature of the emergency and to
    provide personal data that insures the caller’s identity.
     
    Such requests must be made to the office of the school in which the child attends school. The bus
    garage will not process such requests.
     
    BEST CONNECTIONS BEST CONNECTIONS BEST CONNECTIONS
     
     
    Dear Parents,
    We would like to tell you that we are opening
    our school store,
    Best Connections
    , on
    November 6. We will be open on Mondays at
    lunch time. We will be selling school supplies
    again this year. We will have pencils, crayons,
    paper, and folders. Everything will cost under
    $.50. We hope your children will visit us at the
    store.
     
    The Best Connections
    Grade 4 Advertising Team
     
    BEST CONNECTIONS BEST CONNECTIONS BEST CONNECTIONS
     
    NEWS FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
     
    This month and next we will be focusing on vision and hearing screenings on every child. Often,
    changes in these 2 senses are so subtle that they go unnoticed until a screening at school is per­
    formed. If a problem is noted, you would receive a letter informing you of the need for further
    evaluation. Early treatment would, therefore, be quite beneficial to your child’s development.
     
    Color Deficiency
    – Color deficiency is the inability to distinguish between the primary colors.
    Signs/symptoms are: unable to discriminate colors, difficulty learning primary colors, family history
    of color deficiency, fails testing. Treatment: no known treatment, parents and teachers must be
    aware of deficiency, counsel child in later school years regarding realistic career goals.
     
    Reminders from the School Nurse
     
     
    When a child is absent he/she must bring a written excuse on the first day of his/her return. If a stu­
    dent comes to school late, he/she must report directly to the nurse’s office before going to the class­
    room. If your child runs a fever, he/she should not return to school until free of fever for 24 hours.
    All students who have throat cultures done may not return to school until the culture has been read.
    If your child needs to take medication while in school, even non­prescription medication, the school
    nurse needs orders from the doctor and a request from the parent.
    NEVER SEND ANY MEDICA­
    TION TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR CHILD.
    It must be brought in by an adult. Medication
    must
     
    be brought in a properly labeled bottle.
     
    Reye’s Syndrome Alert
     
    Reye’s Syndrome is a very serious disease that you should know about. Some people develop Reye’s
    Syndrome as they are getting over a viral illness like the flu or chicken pox. Watch for these sym
    p­
    toms, usually occurring in this order:
    •
    Relentless or continuous vomiting
    •
    Listlessness (loss of pep and energy with little interest in their environment)
    •
    Drowsiness (excessive sleepiness)
    •
    Personality change (such as irritability, slurred speech, sensitivity to touch)
    •
    Disorientation or confusion (unable to identify whereabouts, family members, answer questions)
    •
    Combativeness (striking out at those trying to help)
    •
    Delirium, convulsions, or loss of consciousness
     
    Studies have shown that using aspirin or aspirin­containing medications to treat to symptoms or vi­
    ral illnesses increased the chance of developing Reye’s Syndrome. If you or a member of your family
    have flu­like illness,
    do not use aspirin or aspirin­containing medications
    . In fact, you should con­
    sult your physician before you take any drugs to treat the flu or chicken­pox, particularly aspirin or
    anti­nausea medicines. Anti­nausea medicines may mask the symptoms of Reye’s Syndrome.
     
    Please call Mrs. Plyter (School Nurse) if you would like more information.
     
    Needed/Wanted:
     
    The Nurse’s Office desperately needs sweat pants and large sized t­shirts. Socks would be helpful,
    too. Thank You!
    Page 4

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