Elementary School Newsletter

 

October 26, 2018

Dearest PCS families,

Thank you to all families who came to our Quarter 1 conferences. Like I said last week, it really does take a village to raise these kids! It is our goal to work closely with our students’ families in order to create and maintain the most successful path for each of our students. Please know that conferences are just a small, but important, part of communication with our parents. Please reach out to me or your child’s teachers at any time… We welcome conversation to talk about the progress and growth of your child throughout the year.

This past Tuesday our Parent University series kicked off. If you have never joined us before for one of these nights I encourage you to do so. The presentations are top-notch and address many topics that are on the forefront of parents’ minds. Detective Stephanie Stoehner presented our first Parent University. Her focus was how to keep our kids safe while online. During her presentation she highlighted ways that kids hide what they are doing on social media and she also recommended apps such as Our Pact that can help parents monitor children’s activity on their phones. While our children may feel as if we are infringing on their privacy, it is our responsibility to help them safely navigate their way in this digital world. There is a false sense of confidence when we are communicating behind a screen. We need to have conversations with our children about appropriate ways to handle conflicts. While it may seem like these conversations fall on deaf ears your children are actually listening and this is just another way we show them how much we love them.

Be on the lookout for more information regarding our next presentation which will be coming out soon.

Have a great weekend!

Dana Leesman, Elementary Principal 

p: 314.645.9600 x608             e: dleesman@premiercharterschool.org #ThatsPCS #DoKind


Safety Awareness…

As it starts getting dark earlier and we are reminded of situations as we watch the news, please have a conversation with your child about being aware of what is going on around them as they walk home from school. If your child has permission to walk to the park, YMCA or QT etc. please remind them not to accept a ride or engage with any strangers. While we are sure you have already had these conversations with your child we want to reiterate the importance so that your child can continue to make smart decision for themselves.

We want to remind you that PCS has safety structures in place if we were ever to be in a lockdown situation because of an outside threat.  Please rest assured that we understand communication in these situations are of utmost importance. Parents will be notified through the automated school system; calls texts and emails.  We have a very good relationship with the police department down the street and if we hear of or are made aware of a situation where lockdown might be a possibility, we will be in contact with district 2. They will be able to provide accurate details of the situation and from there we can receive their recommendation on our course of action.  At all times, student safety is on our minds and we will always communicate with what you need to know. As always please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Veterans’ Day Assembly…

You and your military family are cordially invited to our 6th annual Veterans’ Day Assembly and reception on Friday, November 9th from 2-3:30pm in the courtyard. Please see the attached flyer for details and an RSVP.

New this year! We would like to create a Wall of Honor for those who have passed. Please see the same attachment for details.

Literacy Ball & Book Fair Coming Soon…

Enchanted Forest Book Fair and Literacy Ball!

Mark your calendars PCS! Our Scholastic Book Fair starts Nov. 13 and runs through Nov. 15 after school and during the Literacy Ball.  This year the book fair will be in the Elementary Building room 240. You can visit our online book fair Nov. 7- Nov 20. All purchases benefit our school. Visit our book fair homepage at ‪http://www.scholastic.com/bf/premierchartersch1 Help us make our book fair a success by volunteering! Sign up at https://volunteer.scholastic.com/#/signup/XXyP55f1P

The Literacy Ball returns the evening of November 15! Much more information will be sent out soon telling of the fun to be had by all. Mark your calendars now!


A Message from Nurse Gerwitz…

Hand washing is the single most effective preventative measure that you can take to remain healthy.  Teach children to wash hands after using the bathroom, before eating or preparing food, before holding or interacting with an infant,& after blowing their noses or coughing or sneezing into their hands.  You can encourage little ones to wash their hands by buying foaming soaps, liquid soap in a bottle featuring their favorite character or superhero, or buying a soap with a fun fragrance. Make sure they scrub for 20 seconds--singing the Alphabet Song while scrubbing will get them to 20 seconds.  Hand sanitizers are helpful but not as effective as proper hand washing. It's a good idea to review hand washing technique with your older children too as they are often in a hurry and need to be reminded of the importance of proper hand washing techniques. You may want to review a hand washing video with your child and then practice together. Here are a variety of videos from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.  https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/videos.html 

Food Service Survey…

At PCS, our goal is to provide our students with a fulfilling experience throughout every day that they are in attendance.  Part of our students' daily routine is eating usually at least one meal while at school.  We'd like to get your feedback on how you and your student feel about the food offered by Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE), our provider for school served breakfast and lunch.  Please consider taking this short survey to give us your point of view: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J5WBFJD

  

A Note Regarding Class Parties in the Elementary School…

With the end of October approaching, there will be some questions regarding school and classroom parties. I wanted to take a minute to address to make sure everyone is on the same page. Over the last few years the team has continued to have discussions about the variety of parties we have at PCS and always thinking about ways to make them the most inclusive and successful. As a public school we have been careful not to make these parties only centered around religious based holidays, as well as keeping a reasonable balance as to how many parties we are trying to accomplish in one year.  A couple of years ago the elementary team decided to go with a winter party and a spring party and we will carry the same structure over to this year.

We understand that parties are a fun part of a student's schooling experience, and it is not our intent to take any fun away from our students. In fact we pride ourselves in creating many opportunities to experience the joy of each season throughout many months of activities and not simply one afternoon. Throughout the year there are many fun activities going on to celebrate the seasons and this Fall is no different. Hosting the peace rally, family days, the fall festival, trunk or treat, field trips to pumpkin patches and great outdoor venues are all opportunities our kids had or will have just to name a few. 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have or clarifications you may need. Thanks!

 

Free/Reduced Meal Status 2018-2019…

As a reminder, Free/Reduced lunch statuses from the previous school year have expired!  If you have not filled out an application for this current school year, or are interested in turning one in for the first time, make sure that you do so and turn it into any of the offices ASAP!   We ask that all families have one on file as our Free/Reduced Meal numbers have positive funding implications.  If you have any questions feel free to contact Ben Huebner at bhuebner@premiercharterschool.org.

 

Needing to contact a staff member at PCS??…

Reminder that if you need to contact a teacher and you don’t remember or have easy access to their email address, you can fill out the contact us on the home page of the website and it will be forwarded to the correct person. Staff bio pages will also be coming to the website by the end of the month.

After School Clubs...

Many of our clubs have limited space to join. Be sure to return club sign up forms as soon as possible if your child is interested in joining one. Many of the clubs employ a waiting list for potential members in case an opening does occur. If you have any questions regarding any of the clubs, please call the school and you will be directed to the team member sponsoring the club.

 

BAC Reminders…

Students are only allowed 5 drop-ins for Before care and 5 drop-ins for Aftercare per year. The Before care drop-in fee is $5 and Aftercare drop-in fee is $15 per student. For any questions regarding our Before care or Aftercare program please contact Mr. Lydon at jlydon@premiercharterschool.org.

PCG News & Happenings...

  • If you would like to be on the PCG parent email group, send your email address to Terry Brogan (tbrogan@lashlybaer.com).  You will receive updates on upcoming events, etc.  Please take a moment to like the PCG parent Facebook page if you are on FB.

  • If you have Box Tops at home, be sure to collect and sent them in for additional fundraising opportunities for the school.  There is a collection box located in the Elementary Building.

Fun in the StL...

Fri/Sat/Sun Oct 26, 27, & 28  Open 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday;  8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday

Howl-O-Ween at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, MO Family and Fido Friendly Fall Activities.  Well behaved dogs with up to date vaccines are invited as well.  Reservations necessary by calling 314-982-3232.  No admittance at the door without a reservation. Free admission but $5 parking fee.  There are some activities that have an additional fee. https://www.stlparent.com/event/howl-o-ween-fest-purina-farms

Sat/Sun Oct 27 & 28  11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dia de los Muertos at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park  The free and family friendly annual Día de los Muertos Festival celebration features beautifully decorated altars representing a variety of Latin American traditions, live music & dance performances, an art display, food vendors, souvenir printmaking, a procession through Forest Park, and a number of other activities for the whole family.    For a complete schedule visit:  mohistory/org/diadelosmuertos


Sat. Oct 27  10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Halloween Family Day  at the Contemporary Art Museum  3750 Washington Avenue Enjoy treat, face painting, a haunted dance party, ghoulish art projects & more.  All ages welcome.  Please register at camstl.org/calendar


Sat. Oct 27  8 p.m. Monument to the Dream    Charles Guggenheim's documentary film about the making of the Gateway Arch will be screened while accompanied by a live performance by the Washington University Orchestra under the baton of Darwin Aquino at the Gateway Arch. Tickets are free, reservations required by calling 314-935-6543.


Upcoming Missouri Department of Conservation 2 part event: Thurs Nov 1 6:30 - 8 p.m. at Powder Valley & Sat Nov 3 at Cliff Cave County Park Age 10 & up  Free but Reservations necessary by calling 314-301-1500 Missouri, aka the Cave State, is home to over 7,000 natural caves.  On Thursday evening you will learn caving safety and why we need to protect this unique ecosystem.  On Saturday, you will explore a cave (helmets and 1 headlamp will be provided for you--please wear rubber boots & bring 2 additional light sources.)  Happy spelunking!


ONGOING FREE EXHIBITS
Oct 19, 2018 through Feb 10, 2019 Kehinde Wiley: St. Louis at the St. Louis Art Museum
Artist Kehinde Wiley gained national notoriety for his work on the official portrait of Barrack Obama.  Mr. Wiley now is exhibiting portraits of ordinary St. Louisans in his ongoing exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum; free now through 2/10/19 in Galleries 249 & 250 in the East Building.Note:  Due to construction directly in front of the Art Museum, Fine Arts Drive is blocked in front of the statue of St. Louis overlooking Art Hill but you may reach either one of the 2 free parking lots coming from the Zoo side or from Skinker Ave side but you currently cannot drive past the statue of St. Louis going in either direction.https://www.slam.org/exhibitions/kehinde-wiley.php


Now extended through March 24, 2019 Panoramas of the City at the the Missouri History Museum Panoramic photos of St. Louis as large as 10 feet x 30 feet taken from 1900 to 1950 tell the history of St. Louis is the first half of the 20th century.Exhibit date has been extended through March 24, 2019.  http://mohistory.org/exhibits/panoramas-of-the-city/


Through June 2, 2019 . Muny Memories at the Missouri History Museum The nations oldest outdoor theater celebrates its 100th birthday.  Learn about past performances, take a peek backstage, vote for your favorite star, & learn a dance step at the free ongoing exhibit now through next June. http://mohistory.org/exhibits/muny-memories/


Through December 21, 2018 Riverbend Public Art at the Gateway Arch The 100-foot-long artwork, made of silver, mirror-like material that references the Arch, shows the navigable Missouri River, highlighting it as the primary means of Westward Expansion and Gateway to the West for Lewis and Clark and many others. Riverbend will represent the confluence with the Mississippi on the east and extend westward. Artist Margaret Keller won the Critical Mass for the Visual Arts Public Works Project commission to create this artwork.


Upcoming Important Dates...

  • 10.26.18: No School

  • 11.2.18: No School - Staff PD

  • 11.8.18: PCS Board Meeting @ 4:30 pm

  • 11.9.18: Veterans' Day Assembly

  • 11.15.18: Literacy Ball & Book Fair @ 5:30-7:00 pm

  • 11.21-23.18: No School - Thanksgiving Break

  • 12.15.18: Pancake Breakfast with your Grandparents or Special Friend


Be sure to check us out on social media... Twitter, Facebook, Instagram!  All teachers & classrooms have accounts where you can check out pictures and happenings.