Dear Families:
Welcome to the Coeur d’Alene family! The Coeur d’Alene Avenue 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 vital learning community at Coeur d’Alene. This year, we continued to expand educational opportunities for our students, grew together as a community, engaged another cohort of fellows as part of the Cotsen Art of Teaching fellowship, and strengthened our approaches to teaching and learning in response to the Common Core State Standards, specifically balanced literacy (readers’ and writers’ workshop) and Cognitively Guided Instruction. Our students continue to exceed our expectations; and we have our teachers, support staff, and our families to thank for the growth in student performance.
School officially begins on Tuesday, August 16, 2016. We will be conducting a kindergarten orientation for families and students in kindergarten only (including transitional kindergarten) on Monday, August 15, 2016 at 1:00 PM in the auditorium. Our annual Picnic on the Green, to which all students and families in transitional kindergarten and kindergarten are invited, starts at 11:30 AM. (Families bring their own lunch.) The procedure for determining your child’s class and teacher is as follows: class lists will be posted on the bulletin board outside of the auditorium on August 15, 2015 at 12:45 PM. If you are here on August 15th for orientation, you and your child(ren) can report to the designated area in the auditorium for an address by the kindergarten teachers and me. We will then visit the classrooms in order to familiarize you and your child with his/her new learning space. The orientation will last no longer than 45 minutes, after which we ask that you give our teachers time to finish preparing for their first day of instruction.
This year we will only be able to enroll 24 students in our transitional kindergarten program. All students with birthdays from September 2 to December 2 with older siblings currently enrolled will be offered a spot. If we have more enrollment packets by May 6 than we have spots, we will conduct a lottery for non-sibling students on Monday, May 10 at 3:00 PM. Students who do not make the lottery will be waitlisted in the order in which their names are pulled and / or offered a spot at Westminster Elementary School’s transitional kindergarten program until their kindergarten year. (We will offer spots from the waitlist as they become available.) If we have 24 or less enrollment packets by May 6, all students will be offered a spot, and we will continue to enroll until we are full. Families who have eligible children after the class closes in this case will be waitlisted in the order in which they submit an enrollment packet.
In order to help us create classes that are balanced and best meet the needs of all of our students, we are continuing with our annual kindergarten warm-ups on Monday, August 8. We will also hold one on August 10 at 10:00 and 11:00 AM for our transitional kindergarteners. Our warm-ups are a time when the teachers and I get to know your child through a series of mini-assessments and observations. Groups of no more than 15 students work with us in the classroom and on the yard for approximately 45 minutes as we assess fine and gross motor skills, early literacy and numeracy understanding, social skills, and attention while engaged with a teacher on the rug. While your students are working with us, the Booster Club will be hosting a meet and greet in the library. Please schedule a time either at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM. If your child was in our transitional kindergarten program, there is no need to participate. Thank you.
If you are unable to attend the orientation on August 15, you can still determine your child’s room number and teacher on Tuesday, August 16 from the lists mentioned above. The staff and I will be ready to receive you and your child(ren) at 7:50 AM. Our first day of school will start promptly at 8:10 AM, so please arrive 5-10 minutes earlier to allow time for your child(ren) to get into line. Your child can report to his/her number on the yard that corresponds to his/her room number, where s/he will be met by the teacher. (Students in transitional kindergarten should go straight to room 1.) For safety reasons all gates will be locked by 8:20 AM. Students who arrive after 8:20 AM must report to the office for a tardy slip. 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. 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. The bell rings at 8:10 AM for students to line up. 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 as soon as possible after the bell rings.
Because our first day of school is on a Tuesday, dismissal will be at 1:35 PM. Our plant manager will open the gate on Coeur d’Alene and Garfield Avenues 1 minute before dismissal for families to meet their children near their classrooms. Teachers will dismiss their students to their families outside their classrooms. (Rooms 1, 2, 17, and 18 dismiss outside their classrooms; and rooms 23 and 24 dismiss behind their classrooms by the large tree near Garfield Avenue.) We also offer valet pick-up for all students. For students in transitional kindergarten through first grade, parents need to sign up for the service in the front office and let their teacher know on which days their child will go to valet. Our campus aides and I will make sure your child is ready for you on Garfield Avenue until 15 minutes after the bell rings. Children of families who are late will wait in the office. (Please be mindful, though, that our office does not have the capacity to supervise children.) Students who stay after school need to sign up with the YMCA program, a “for fee” program. If they are signed up for a STAR Nova or Mad Science class, our teachers and STAR coordinator will ensure they get to the proper class and you can pick your child up outside of their enrichment class when it ends. Because our gates on Coeur d’Alene Avenue and Garfield Avenue close at 2:50 PM, you will have to enter through the main office.
Each year we ask our families to provide a set of instructional materials for their child. These supplies are recommended and not mandatory. 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 (August 25, 2016) will go home with your child on the first day of school. Please make sure to review all documents and sign any agreements regarding student discipline, dress code, and school policy. All of our events and holidays are on our website’s calendar. 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 your summer!
Sincerely,
Andrew Jenkins
Principal
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