Friday, September 11, 2009

Principal Newsletter -- September 11, 2009

I remember very clearly this day eight years ago. One of my colleagues' father was on board one of the planes, and my school was absolutely devastated, as was the country. Seeing the flags at half staff today is a stark reminder of how grateful we are to be working and learning where we are.


Busing


We're almost there. Thank you for the tremendous amount of patience you've granted us.

We have a change to announce that will remove the pressure from our most impacted buses. Beginning Tuesday the 15th we will be adding a fifth bus: #80. It will start at 11505 SW Breyman, relieve the largest stop from bus #81 -- Aventine Circus -- and finish with the RHS stop. On Monday we will attempt to personally reach anyone affected by these particular changes. Additionally, some final tweaks in the chronology of the routes will be posted simultaneously. When they are up on Monday I will send out another email with a link.


Back to School Night


On Tuesday night we would like to welcome all parents to join the faculty at Smith for our Back to School programs. As usual, we will separate the k-4 and 5-8 programs to allow for families with siblings in different levels to attend both. (Unfortunately, if you have two students within one of the ranges, "divide-and-conquer" is the best option.) One aspect of this year's event that will differ from years past is that we will not be inviting all parents into the gym for a brief introduction to the year. Our gym is smaller and won't accommodate such a large audience. Additionally, because of parking restraints, we are hopeful that avoiding the overlap will ameliorate neighborhood concerns about our impact.

Some reminders:

  • Primary (K-4) Programs -- 6:30-7:10
  • Upper (5-8) Programs -- 7:20-8:00
  • Children are not invited to Back to School Night
  • Nancy Helmsworth and Molly Scholz have easily locatable classrooms this year, on the main hall. They will be in their rooms. Other specialists will be in the library area, between about 7:00-7:30.
  • These programs are informational in nature, and not designed to be conference opportunities.
  • Please remember to stop at the Foundation booth, which will be set up in the entry! Normally, we would invite Foundation President Steve Klein to speak with parents. The Foundation is a critical partner in our mission to provide the best possible education to our kids.

Sally Foster & SCRIP

The Sally Foster purchasing window is upon us -- September 9-25th! Please support our incredible PTC by purchasing wrapping paper. You can never have too much, and delivery will be nice and early -- October 20th.

SCRIP is another incredible way to help the PTCs of both schools. Look out for information about SCRIP as well.


Dress Code

We only have a few weeks of nice weather left, but during that time please help us by reminding students of our dress code.


Parent Internet Safety Night


Increasingly, parents are looking for help in understanding and dealing with the challenges posed by more and more ubiquitous access to the Internet. This program is designed for parents of students in grades 5-12. We will be sharing best practices, discussing the role of schools, and informing parents about children and two of the most critical platforms: social networking and gaming. Tuesday evening, September 22nd, 7-8 pm (Riverdale High School, Maverick Room).



Upcoming events:

Monday
4:15 PM GS Girls' Preseason Soccer (away) v Catlin Gabel
6:00 PM School Board Meeting @ RHS library

Tuesday
6:30 PM Back to School Night for K-4 parents
7:15 PM Back to School Night for 5-8 parents

Wednesday
4:15 PM GS Div I Boy's Preseason Soccer (away) v Horizon Christian

Thursday
4:00 PM GS 6/7/8 Gr. Girls' VB (away) vs Portland Waldorf
4:15 PM GS Div II Boy's Preseason Soccer (home) v Gilkey

Friday