Dear Families:
Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year! The Coeur d’Alene Avenue Elementary School staff looks forward to working with you and your children. Our staff and I promise to continue making your children’s educational growth our top priority. I am excited to be returning as a member of the innovative learning community at Coeur d’Alene. This past year, we continued to expand educational opportunities for our students, grew together as a community, finished our third year as a Cotsen Art of Teaching fellowship school, and strengthened our approaches to teaching and learning in response to the Common Core State Standards. Our students once again have exceeded our expectations; and we have our teachers, support staff, and families to thank for the ongoing growth in student achievement.
School officially begins on August 16, 2016. The staff and I will be ready to receive you and your child(ren) at 7:45 AM. Teachers meet students on the yard lined up on their room numbers. Our line up bell rings at 8:10 AM, so please arrive by 8:05 AM to allow time for your child(ren) to get into line. School starts at 8:15 AM. The regular day school schedule is 8:15 AM until 2:35 PM, except on Tuesdays when students are dismissed at 1:35 PM for staff professional development. This year we will continue to dismiss one hour early every Tuesday. Our minimum days will start at 8:15 AM and end at 12:35 PM and are scheduled for November 16-18, December 16, March 8-10, April 28, May 26, and June 9, for a total of 10 minimum days.
Your child’s class assignment was post mailed to you. (You can email me at [email protected] if you need the assignment.) Your child can report to his/her number on the yard that corresponds to his/her room number. For safety reasons all gates will be locked by 8:20 AM. Students who arrive after 8:20 AM must report to the office. Please help your children form good habits by being on time every day. Late students miss valuable instruction as well as interrupt lessons for other students. Finally, the first day of school is always exciting for students, families, and staff. Please support our teachers as they get to know their students, establish routines and procedures, and acquaint their students with their new learning space by saying goodbye to your child(ren) on the yard, unless the teacher invites you to accompany the class.
Dismissal is at 1:35 PM on the first day of school. Our plant manager, Mr. Harvin, and I will open the gates on Coeur d’Alene Avenue and Garfield Avenue 1 minute before dismissal for families to meet their children on the yard. (If you’re interested in participating in our valet pick-up on Garfield Avenue, please sign up in the office and let your child’s teacher know.) Teachers in grades 1-2 will dismiss their students on the big yard on the number that corresponds to their classroom. Students in grades 3-5 are dismissed from their classroom and either meet their families or go to their afterschool program. Staff will be available the first week to make sure all students are safely dismissed. Students in first grade will be brought to the office if families are late. Families of students who choose to play after school need to sign up with the After School Playground with Youth Services (Ms. Vasquez; Grades 2-5) or the YMCA program (Grades TK-5). (The YMCA is a “for fee” program.) In addition to our after school staff, we will have an afternoon campus aide from 2:00 – 5:00 PM, engaging students in organized play and ensuring safety for our students. Mr. Cohen, our evening building and grounds manager, and I will close gates on Coeur d’Alene Avenue and Garfield Avenue at 2:50 PM, except for Tuesdays when they close at 1:50 PM.
Our enrollment continues to exceed 575 students. This year we will have 5 classes each in first and second grade, 3 third grade classes, 2 fourth grade classes, and 3 combination fourth / fifth grade classes. Ms. Payne, Ms. Buck, and Ms. Querrey will be teaching our combination fourth / fifth grade classes, and we are excited to welcome Ms. Kachadurian to our team as a new first grade teacher. Ms. Kachadurian has been teaching for three years in Watts, Los Angeles and has employed balanced literacy and Cognitively Guided Instruction in her classrooms. Her passion was evident to the team of parents and teachers who interviewed her, and her demonstration lesson showed her ability to work in a caring manner with strategic focus. Like Ms. Querrey, who has been with us for three years as a teachers’ assistant and substitute teacher, she brings an unstoppable passion to the work. We are fortunate that they are both joining our team. We are also welcoming Anthony Nerio to our team in the role of morning campus aide in place of Brittany Johnston, who will be supporting our upper grades as a teachers’ assistant. They both will also support our PE program. David Gonzalez, like Brittany, will also be supporting classroom instruction. We are in the midst of recruiting his replacement as a campus aide and arts teachers to replace Mr. Delgado, who left us last year as our visual arts teacher. We will update you once we have made offers. Please join us in welcoming our new teachers and staff to our team.
Because of our approaches to the teaching of English language arts using balanced literacy (readers’ and writers’ workshop) and mathematics using Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), descriptions of which are on our website, dual grade classes are easily managed. We have thought very carefully about the placement of children in all classes, and our teachers have received and will continue to receive extensive support and professional development on our approaches to teaching and learning. Our teachers will also share their curriculum and year with you at our Back to School night on Thursday, August 25, 2016. Kindergarten through second grade sessions start at 5:25 PM, and third through fifth grade sessions start at 6:15 PM. I will give a Back to School night address at 5:10 PM in our courtyard.
We are again asking for families to provide a set of instructional materials for their children. While these supplies are recommended and not mandatory, your efforts to purchase them for your child will help us direct school monies to instructional enrichment supplies. Please see the list on the letter that was mailed to you or check our website’s Back to School Page. Your child’s teacher may also ask for additional items at the start of school. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Thanks.
Additional information regarding school policies and procedures, safety guidelines, important dates and events, instructional programs, and Back to School night will come home with your child on the first day of school. All of our scheduled events, holidays, and minimum days will be on our website’s calendar. This is a resource we encourage you to use as it is updated weekly. Finally, an orientation for new families in grades 1-5 will be held on August 15, 2016 at 2:00 PM in our auditorium.
Please make sure to fill out and turn in your child’s emergency card. You will have an opportunity to review and sign agreements regarding student discipline, dress code, and school policy at our Back to School Night. Again, we look forward to a productive year as we facilitate the intellectual, emotional, and social growth of all of our students so that they may reach their full potential. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Sincerely,
Andrew Jenkins
Principal
Leave A Comment