August 2008
Dear Families,
August is upon us, and it is again time to think about new beginnings. The excitement and yes some anxiety about returning to school fuel my energy for teaching and learning. I hope this message finds you well with a summer filled with friends and family.
Our Open Houses to meet and greet each other this year are as follows:
Grades 1 -5 – Wednesday, August 27th 6:00 -7:00p.m. Kindergarten – Friday, September 5th 5:30 – 6:30p.m.
The official first day of school for grades one through five is Tuesday, September 2nd. The Kindergarten students’ first day is Monday, September 8th. The PTA graciously provides a breakfast for the parents of kindergarteners. The kindergarten students will be screened Tuesday, September 2nd through Thursday, September 4th. Some parents signed up for a screening time during the Kindergarten Informational Night in May. If you were unable to attend last May’s meeting, please contact Paula Quirk to set up a screening appointment. (773-7375) The Kindergarten teachers will use Friday, September 5th to analyze the screening results and create balanced classrooms. This year students and parent will meet their teacher at the Kindergarten Open House on September 5th.
August is also the time when our custodial staff is crazed with making our school facility sparkle for the new year. I would like to sincerely thank Kevin Derrig, Pete Hodgdon, and Cheryl Sargent for their hard work and high standards. As we prepare for the school year, I wanted to remind you of the following information: Students may arrive at school as early as 8:30. We have playground coverage at that time. Students enter the school at 8:45 and begin to settle in for a 9:00 academic start time. If you are dropping your children off, please have them arrive as close to 8:45 as possible. This makes for a timely transition to their school day.
If you should need any assistance, our office hours are 8:00 -3:30 Monday through Friday. Our office clerks, Paula Quirk and Helen Tweedie, will be back in the office August 18th.
Grade K-1 |
Academics |
9:00 am - 11:30 am |
|
Recess |
11:30 am - 11:55 am |
|
Lunch |
11:55 am - 12:20 pm |
|
Academics |
12:20 pm - 3:00 pm |
| Grade 2-3 |
Academics |
9:00 am - 11:55 am |
| |
Recess |
11:55 am - 12:20 pm |
| |
Lunch |
12:20 pm - 12:45 pm |
| |
Academics |
12:45 pm - 3:00 pm |
| Grade 4-5 |
Academics |
9:00 am - 12:20 pm |
| |
Recess |
12:20 pm - 12:45 pm |
| |
Lunch |
12:45 pm - 1:10 pm |
| |
Academics |
1:10 pm - 3:00 pm |
I am pleased to report that due to increased numbers we will havefour first grades this year. As some of you know, there was a possibility of having only three classes with twenty- one or twenty-two students each. We are pleased to welcome Danielle Pelletier as the new first grade teacher. Lorry Schwellenbach will be joining us as our guidance counselor. She has served Brown School for many years, and will be switching schools with Beth Dolley. Sally Beatty, formally at Kaler School, will join us as a fifth grade teacher. Elizabeth Holland, from Brown School, will join us as our English Language Learner teacher along with Sheanna White. We will be interviewing for a new Kindergarten teacher as Tammy Nasson- Tierney has moved to Brown School. We wish both Tammy Nasson-Tierney and Beth Dolley successful years in their new schools and thank them for their dedicated service to Skillin.
The PTA is an active group at Skillin. We are always looking for more hands to help. The first formal PTA meeting is October 7th at 6:30 in the Skillin School all- purpose room. The annual PTA sponsored Family Ice Cream Social will be held Thursday, September 18th at 6:30. All are welcome to attend. Your support and participation are encouraged.
Your children will be bringing home an updated student handbook. In this handbook, you will find an explanation of routines, procedures and policies that are important to us as parents. Hopefully, this handbook will answer many of your questions. I encourage you to share the information with your child/children. If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail. My address is bagleylu@spsd.org . Ms. Heal’s address is: healma@spsd.org . (Telephone number: 773-7375)
I look forward to welcoming you to Skillin School either at one of the open houses or at the PTA Ice Cream Social. Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer.
Sincerely,
Lucretia Bagley, Principal
