GREELEY WILDCAT NEWS August/September 2018
Welcome Back To School! We’ve already completed more than a week and things are off to great start! We are glad your family is a part of Greeley Elementary. Please read below for important information and news as we start the 2018-2019 year.
New Staff: We have a few new teachers this year! Please welcome: Michelle Burris- Preschool; Carmen Powls- Music/Band; Tracey Welch- Special Ed; Whitney Barnes- District Nurse. Mrs. Kellstadt will be the Title I Reading Para this year, and Donna Hermreck will be the K-6 Speech teacher, in addition to, Pre-K Speech. Best wishes to our new staff and to those with new roles.
Entering the Building: We have a new security system in place at the main building entrance by the office. A video monitor/buzzer was installed on the left side of the doors next to the doorbell button. The video monitor is a silver, rectangular box and has a round button. You’ll need to push the button to speak with office personnel. You should get a reply and the “ok” to open the door. Only the door on the left is activated by the electronic lock. You may also ring the doorbell, but you will still be allowed entry via the electronic lock. If nobody is in the office, a teacher or para may come to the door. Preschool parents who need to pick up their child early may go to the preschool classroom door, but you’ll need to call the school first at 785-867-3460 and also the bus barn at 785-448-5778. Thank you for your patience as we continue to make safety a priority in today’s world!
Practice Drills: The State of Kansas has issued new requirements for emergency preparedness drills for all K-12 schools. We will now have the following drills throughout the school year: Four fire drills, three tornado drills, and nine crisis drills. Before we practice any of these drills we will speak with all our students and explain the reasons for the drills and what will take place. The children will hear each alarm associated with each drill. While the fire and tornado drills have been practiced for years, the crisis drills are newer to everyone. By having discussion beforehand, we believe this will help keep the children at ease.
Open House: Thursday, August 30th at 6:30 p.m. Greeley students and their families are invited to attend our Annual Open House. This is an opportunity for parents to tour the building, visit classrooms and hear all the exciting ways our teachers will bring learning to your child! Cookies and water will be served.
Buck Bingo 2018-19: The first Buck Bingo Night is Friday, OCTOBER 19th, not September 7th as printed on the school calendar. There is no Buck Bingo in August or September!
School Pictures: Inter-State Studios will be here to take fall school pictures on Thursday, Sept. 6th. These are formal pictures that will be in your child’s file and in the yearbook. Proofs will be sent home, and the order & payment should be returned to the office or made on-line. Re-takes are in October. We will also have spring pictures in February.
Pride Assemblies: This year we will have a Pride Assembly for every quarter of the school year. Students will be recognized for their achievements, Perfect Attendance is awarded, and one-class-per quarter will have a short program. We encourage family members to attend when possible to show support for their child’s progress. Check the school calendar for dates and times.
PTO/Site Council: The next meeting is Monday, September 10th at 5:00 pm. The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is comprised of parent volunteers who help bring activities and “extras” to our school that we wouldn’t have funding for otherwise. Volunteers are always needed and you can help as much or as little as you wish. PTO funds help pay for field trips, celebrations, Pumpkin Day, Christmas Store, and LOTS more. A few fundraising events take place each year (Buck Bingo Nights), and meetings are once per month with a teacher or Mrs. Alford in attendance. Consider attending the next meeting and see what a difference our PTO makes!
Monday Sept. 3 Labor Day…….NO CLASSES
Midterm: Friday, September 14th. Midterm grades will be posted.
Need to speak with your child’s teacher? Preschool-6th grade: Our teachers are always willing to meet with you when you have concerns or questions. To speak with a teacher, please call the school office and leave a message. Teachers will return phone calls after school or before school starts the following day. If it is urgent, please let our office staff know.
Student Meal Accounts: Each student has a meal account for tracking breakfast and lunch activity. It’s very important that your child’s meal account balance does not fall into the negative. You can track the balance by logging into your parent portal and clicking on meal accounts. You can pay on-line using e-funds or by sending a check or cash to the school office. Automated phone calls are sent to parent/guardian phones once a negative balance is reached. It will notify you of the low balance. We cannot carry negative balances so it is important to keep these accounts current. Please call the office if you have special circumstances.
Bus Students: (Preschool through 6th) If your child will be absent from school, please call the school office and then YOU MUST CONTACT THE BUS BARN SO THEY DO NOT COME TO YOUR HOUSE UNNECCESSARILY. The same applies at dismissal time. If your child will not be riding the bus home please call the SCHOOL and THE BUS BARN (785-448-5778).
Illness: If your child has a fever, has vomited, or has had diarrhea, he/she needs to stay home until they have been SYMPTOM FREE for 24 hours. This insures that the illness has actually cleared.
Parent Portal: Remember, you can check your child’s grades and lunch balance by logging into your parent portal at usd365.org. Click on the parent portal link.
For updates to our monthly news, please go to our webpage at www.usd365.org and click on the Greeley Campus at the top.
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