Rummage Pre-Sale Bus

Thursday, November 5

Early Dismissal for ALL Lower School Students

Each year the Lower School offers students the opportunity to go to the Rummage Pre-Sale on Catlin Gabel buses accompanied by the LS Faculty. Each child that rides the bus must be met at the Expo Center by a parent no later than 3:30 pm.  If your child would like to ride the bus please sign up  no later than Tuesday, November 3. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Why does Catlin Gabel offer to bring students to the Expo Center?
We do this as a service to our families and to encourage volunteering and attendance at the pre-sale. Many of you volunteer to help on Thursday, so are already at the Expo Center. Attending the Thursday pre-sale gives our parents and staff/faculty a “first shot” at making purchases. The Expo Center does not open to the general public until 5:00 pm that day, so this gives families a chance to look around and buy things before the sale officially begins.

How many students ride on the bus to the Expo Center?
Last year about half of the Lower School signed up to ride on the pre-sale bus to Rummage. This has become an annual tradition!

Where do I meet my child(ren)?
Please meet your child(ren) at Door B on the west side of Hall A of the Expo Center at 3:30 pm. The students will be grouped with a teacher holding a sign with their grade level. Please check in with the teacher so they know you are picking up your child.

What if I do not want my child to ride the Rummage Bus?
If you do not sign up to ride the bus we will assume your child will be picked up at 2:45 pm, will attend After School Care at 2:45 pm (available until 6:00 pm) or will be riding the route bus.

AFTER SCHOOL CARE AND ROUTE BUSES
Please call Ginny Malm at ext. 666 if you would like your child to go to ASC on this day even if Thursday is a regular day for you. Please also call Ginny at ext. 666 if your child will be riding the route bus on that day even if Thursday is a regular day for you. Thank you!

Notes from Vicki

November Parent-Teacher Conferences

Communication between parents and teachers is a critical link to your child’s success. When we are working from the same page it makes such a difference! If a child senses a “disconnect” between home and school, it can undermine the effectiveness of our shared work in helping your child reach his/her potential. Teachers always look forward to this time together.

Thank-you for making yourselves available to conference during the two days we have set aside. It is difficult to reschedule because teachers try to keep their focus on instruction and need their planning times. Also, it is difficult to include the specialists in conferences outside these two days because of scheduling constraints. We are now offering parents an on-line sign-up system (for ease and to help promote equity in signing up for available time slots.) We thank you for being flexible in helping to accommodate parents who are trying to coordinate the conferences for their two children in the Lower and Beginning Schools.

We know that you are keenly interested in hearing about how your child is doing in all areas of the curriculum. Each teacher who works with your child is writing brief Conference Notes that will be given to you at your conference. While it is impossible for our specialist teachers to attend the conferences for 200 students in a two-day period, they will be attending as many conferences as possible at the following grade levels:
 

Grade 1        Hsiao-Yun (Mandarin Chinese) & Enrique (Spanish)
Grade 2        Michael (Wood Shop)
Grade 3        Peggy S. (Art)
Grade 4        Scott  (Science)
Grade 5        Peggy M. (Music)   (Note: Maggie/Sara’s conferences will be held on different days so Peggy will be unable to attend.)

Carrie (gr. 3-4-5 PE/Health), Sue and Kathie (learning specialists), Jonathan (counselor), Lisa (librarian), Richard K. (technologist) and Vicki will attend as many conferences as they can. If you would like more information from one of our special area teachers, do not hesitate to contact them. Remember, child care is available during your conference time for children ages 4 and over. Look for the signs to find out where!

Pumpkin Patch!

First graders and their senior buddies went to the pumpkin patch this week. Who says pumkins need to be orange?

Thought you might enjoy a sampling of thank-you letters the first graders lovingly wrote to their senior buddies following their day together:

Dear Senior Buddies --
Thank-you for letting me go into the really dark and scary mazes. And to see the pumpkin shoot out of the cannon. It was not loud for a cannon. You are the nicest things on earth. Thank-you. From Michael

To Sophie and Erica --
Thank-you for riding on the bus with me and helping me carve my pumpkin and playing with me. I really like you guys. From Tulip

Dear Matthew,
Thank-you for carving the pumpkin. Do you have a dog? I think you are the best buddy! Love, Knox

Dear Reed and Margaret,
Thank-you for helping me find the just right pumpkin for me. Thank-you for going to the farm with us and for playing monopoly on your phone. What was the favorite part of carving my pumpkin? Will you hang out with us again? From Emma M.

 Masterpieces! 

Flu Update

So far we’ve weathered the flu season quite well, thanks to our entire Lower School community working together! The students are coughing into their elbows and washing their hands thoroughly (yes, singing the “A-B-C” song or “Happy Birthday” as they scrub with soap under running water!) thanks to the overt teaching and reinforcement by our teachers and parents. Tim and our custodial crew are disinfecting tables, surfaces, door handles, etc, on a daily basis. Our astute parents are keeping students home with flu symptoms and not letting them return to school until they are fever-free without medication for 24 hours. Julie has been tracking absences due to flu-like symptoms and we have not had more than 1-3% of our children sick at a time. Let’s keep up the good work as we maneuver this flu season together.

No Homework Club next week

Neither 4th or 5th grade will be giving homework next week. Please contact Ginny Malm in ASC at ext. 666 if your child needs to stay in ASC instead that afternoon.