Posted October 7, 2022
| SKCEE FAMILY NEWSLETTER |
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| October 2022 |
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| WELCOME! |
| Dear Stephen Knight Families and Friends, Happy Fall! We have had an amazing start to the school year and are excited to welcome fall! Our ECE classes are studying trees, and it is the perfect time of year to become scientists as we observe the change of seasons. Our kinder classrooms have been learning about our 5 senses and are moving into an exploration of plants. Come inside and see the tree in the entryway representing all our littlest learners. We are adding leaves (students’ hands) every day. It’s a great time of year to be an artist too! Draw, paint, press leaves, and see what seeds you can find on the ground. We are so grateful for our amazing PTA and parent/family volunteers who are contributing in so many ways to make SKCEE great. The Tie-Dye days were flawless and fabulous due to the hard work of Kathy Kuskulis, Keithland Wilhite, Bev Kretz and all of the PTA and parent volunteers. We enjoy seeing our parents in the cafeteria and in the classrooms. The staff adores all the food and drinks that have been provided. A huge thank you to our PTA for organizing the collection of food and another huge thank you to all the families who contributed to keep all of us well fed. It is nice to be in a building full of supportive families. As always, know that we are grateful to be a part of your child’s educational journey. Please reach out to us for anything. We love your children and appreciate you! In learning, Shelley and Aimee |
| INFORMATION, UPDATES, AND ACTION |
| Traffic: Thank you to all of you who are following the posted signs that clearly say there is NO LEFT TURN coming out of our parking lot. Especially when staff cannot be outside to direct traffic, please be a thoughtful and considerate community member and turn right. It helps us keep kids, families, and staff safe. Halloween: Students will have an opportunity to participate in our Halloween Parade in their costumes on Halloween, October 31st. Families will gather outside, along the track behind the building , and students will begin parading at 9 am. Each classroom teacher will determine the time of his/her Halloween celebration and that information will be communicated to you on a class by class basis. If your family does not celebrate Halloween and you would like your child to do something different during the parade or party, please share that request with your teacher. We will have alternate activities. Please remember that we do not allow full face masks or weapons of any kind. We look forward to seeing families along the parade route and experiencing this SKCEE tradition. Conferences: By now you have all heard from your teachers with links and information for fall conferences. Our school goal is for 100% of our families to attend conferences. Teachers have day, afternoon and evening slots. There are even virtual conferences if that works best for you. Please reach out to Aimee and Shelley if you aren’t sure when your conferences are being held or if we can support you in any way. Background checks: We love having you volunteer in our building! Please visit this site to complete a DPS background check. You’ll get your results within a day. We appreciate your help in keeping our school safe. Work at SKCEE! Love kids and enjoy hanging out at SKCEE? Do you know someone who’d be a great addition to our school? We are looking for a paraprofessional to support in the classrooms. Hours are 8-3:30 each school day and pay is $20/hour. Shelley and Aimee would love to talk to anyone interested. GT Updates: What is Gifted & Talented? See characteristics in English, Spanish, Arabic & Vietnamese. Want to extend your student’s thinking while at home? See here for some seasonal fun posters in English, Spanish, Arabic & Vietnamese. Kindergarten GT universal screening starts in November. More information to come closer to testing! Specific questions can be sent to our GT Special Services Provider, Chelsea Chappell-Cox, at chelsea_chappell-cox@dpsk12.net. |
| SKCEE PTA |
| Upcoming Dates: * October PTA Meeting: Thursday, October 13, 5:00pm @ SKCEE * Dine Out: Wednesday, October 19 @ Ti Nuyo * Stock the Lounge: Wednesday October 19 @ SKCEE during drop-off * Read-a-Thon Kick Off-Wear Pajamas to school: October 20 * Read-a-Thon: October 21-28 October PTA Meeting: Thursday, 10/13, 5 p.m. @ SKCEEJoin us for the October PTA meeting on Thursday, 10/13 at 5 p.m. at SKCEE in the PD Room. The agenda is available here. Childcare will be available. If you plan on utilizing childcare, please sign up here so we can ensure there is a proper teacher/child ratio. We hope to see you there! Dine-Out: Wednesday, 10/19 @ Ti NuyoOur October Dine-Out Event is at Ti Nuyo (730 S. University Blvd) on Wednesday, October 19 from 4-10 p.m.! Ti Nuyo is donating 20% of sales from the evening back to our school, so please be sure to mention SKCEE when dining in, or ordering take out through their website or over the phone! Stock the Lounge in October: Wednesday, 10/19Each month, the PTA’s Hospitality Committee is asking a group of classes to bring in snacks to help keep SKCEE teachers and staff fueled for their busy days! Stock the Lounge items can include non-perishable, individually-packaged snacks and drinks like granola/protein/cereal bars, crackers, cookies and coffee/tea K-cups. For inspiration, ask your teachers about their favorite snacks! This month, we are collecting Stock the Lounge items on Wednesday, October 19 from the following classes: Dock, Bailey, Gurule, Duvall, Kuskulis. Read-A-Thon Kick-off: Pajama Party with the Principals, 10/20Wear your pajamas to school to kick-off our annual Read-A-Thon fundraiser! Students will have the opportunity to start accumulating reading minutes at school on this day during a special story time with Principal Shelley and Vice Principal Aimee. They’ll enjoy milk & cookies and learn more about the Read-A-Thon. The Read-A-Thon is October 21-28. To set-up your student’s personalized Read-A-Thon page online and track their reading minutes, visit https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/psicdi Sponsorship Opportunities: Read-a-Thon Fundraiser: The SKCEE PTA is hosting our annual Read-a-Thon Fundraiser from 10/21-10/28, and we need your support! If you own or manage a business that you would like to introduce to SKCEE, Read-a-Thon sponsorships are an opportunity to promote your business while championing literacy at our school. Sponsorship opportunities range from $200-$1,500, and your business will receive visibility to more than 250 families through both digital and print advertising. More information about Read-A-Thon sponsorship opportunities are available here or by contacting Read-a-Thon chair Lindsey Linden. Lunchroom Volunteers Needed in October! Do you want to experience the fun and excitement of lunchtime while also helping out at SKCEE?! We have the perfect opportunity for you! SKCEE is in need of volunteers for lunch duty! Each month the PTA will send out a Sign-Up Genius that will allow you to sign up for as many shifts as you’d like. There will be two shifts a day, and we need two volunteers per shift. Please take a look at the Sign-Up Genius for more details and to sign up. Before your first volunteer day, please submit a background check through DPS here. |
| IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS |
| * CSC Meeting: Thursday, October 13th 3:45-4:45 * PTA Meeting: Thursday, October 13th 5:00-6:00 * No School/Teacher Comp day for conferences: October 14th * No School / Teacher Work Day: Monday, October 17th * Kick off Read-a-Thon with Pajama Day: Wear pajamas to school on Thursday, October 20th * Read-a-Thon: October 21-28 |