August 1, 2023

Birch Creek Elementary Parents and Students,    

Welcome Back! Summer seems to have flown by this year. It is crazy to think that you are getting ready to send your children back to school. But I can tell you, I'm so excited to see them! As we prepare for the upcoming school year I wanted to share some information with you so that you have time to be prepared for the first day of school, which is Thursday, August 24th.  

Pancakes with the Principal:

First through Sixth graders KEEP ON READING!  Once again, we will be celebrating “Pancakes with the Principal” breakfast after Labor Day.  Your bookmark filled out equals 400 Reading Minutes during the summer!  Be sure to give your completed bookmark to your teacher at Back to School Night or within the first couple of days of school!  The deadline to turn these in is Tuesday, September 5th. I will need to get a count of how many students will be participating to make sure we have enough pancakes for everyone. I can't wait to celebrate everyone's summer reading success!

Back to School Night:

Our Back to School Night will be held Tuesday, August 22nd from 5:15-6:30 pm. It will begin with a brief parent information meeting in the cafeteria at 5:15 pm. Then at 5:30 pm teachers will be in their classrooms to greet you. This will be an open house format. I know teachers are all excited to meet parents and students before the start of school.

During the school year, the school sends out general information and reminders via emails, phone calls, and text messages. You are the only one who can update your information and settings in PowerSchool. Without changing your preferences you will not receive text messages.  Please go into your account to make sure all numbers, addresses, etc. are accurate. Also please make sure emergency contacts are up to date.

Parent-Teacher Organization:

Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) will have tables set up at Back to School Night for T-shirt sales, interest in fluoride at school, and also a sign-up for volunteering. We are in desperate need of parents willing to help this year. If you could commit to help with ONE activity this year we would greatly appreciate it!

Kindergarten Info:

Kindergarten will start on Wednesday, August 30th. Morning Kindergarten will run from 9:05-12:10 Monday-Thursday. Friday’s schedule will be from 9:05-11:35 am. Afternoon Kindergarten will run from 12:30-3:35 Monday-Thursday. Friday’s schedule will be 11:50-2:20 pm.  Currently, we have the west side of Highway 91 attending A.M. kindergarten and the east side attending P.M. There could be some adjustments depending on the number of students that register by August. 

Kindergarten parents, I sent a letter regarding the KEEP Assessment in the middle of July. All kindergarten students are required to take this assessment before school starts. This letter had information regarding the online scheduler which opens on August 3rd. Currently, we have set aside August 9th through August 15th for you to bring your child into the school for them to complete this assessment. Kindergarten Class lists will be created once KEEP testing has been completed. You will be notified who your child's teacher is before Back to School Night.

School Safety is our #1 Priority:

Once school starts ALL doors will be locked. We do have our call-in system where you can contact the front office staff to be let into the building. Make sure you have identification with you. You will need to stop in the office and sign in.

Please plan ahead so disruptions for our staff are kept to a minimum.

We are asking the following:

• Have your children at school on time. The first bell rings at 9:00 and the final bell at 9:05. This is when doors will be locked.
• If at all possible, please schedule routine appointments outside of school times. (I know this is a huge ask and not always possible.)
• If you need to check your child out, call the office when you are on your way. We will try to have them in the office by the time you get there.
• If you plan on checking your child out during their "prep" time (art, music, p.e., and/or library) it would help us if you knew their schedule for that day. It saves us time calling several different locations.

School Community Council:

Birch Creek Elementary has a very supportive School Community Council. This year we need a minimum of 3 parent members to join our council. Please contact me (trudy.wilson@ccsdut.org or 792-7692) if you are interested in serving on the School Community Council. This is a 2-year commitment, with meetings being held at 4:00 P.M. one afternoon each month. The council's main focus is to help develop the School Land Trust Plan. If more parents, than we have openings for, are interested in being a part of this committee we will hold an election for these positions the first week in September.

Free and Reduced Lunch:

We encourage all families to apply for the Free or Reduced School Lunch Program. Please fill out an application online. (Free and Reduced-price Lunch Information and Applications). These approved applications help us maintain our Title I status which brings federal monies to the school. Our school receives nearly $200,000 in monies to pay for small-group instruction to meet the needs of all students. (All school-aged children in income-eligible households can receive meal benefits regardless of the immigration status of household members. Information provided by the household will not be used for immigration-related purposes.)

School and District Policies:

Please review the following district policies with your children:  Attendance, Cell Phone Usage, Dress Code, FERPA, Safe Schools, School Fees, Sexual Harassment, and Student Discipline. The Dress Code Policy should also be helpful when shopping for Back-to-School clothes.

DROP-OFF/PICK-UP:

Please follow the instructions that will be given to you at Back to School Night. You can also find them on our website. Drop-Off and Pick-Up Guidelines. The abbreviated version is to stay in a single file line moving forward. Students will exit and enter cars in a designated location for their safety. In the morning please keep in the single file line. Since parents are dropping students off this moves rather quickly. When picking up, once your child is in your car you can pull out and around other cars so others can continue to move forward in the line. Remember NO parking in this area. We appreciate you following the traffic signs and turning left out of the school drop-off/pick-up area.

Last year we had several parents park on the north side of 220 N. (by the church) and call their children to cross the road or walk back and forth with their children. With so much traffic this has become extremely dangerous for our children. There are no crosswalks to cross safely. We ask you to be a good example and use the crosswalks to come and get your children. I'm asking teachers to enforce this to keep our children safe. Also, do not park along the red curbing, even at pick-up times. This creates really narrow areas for our buses to access the school. It also blocks the line of vision for drivers pulling in and out of the school.

I look forward to another great year at Birch Creek Elementary. My door is always open. Welcome Back to School!

Trudy J. Wilson
Principal