Welcome to the 2009 – 2010 School Year
This is the first newsletter of the year and it will look quite different from future newsletters. This issue is a mini-handbook, a how-to for the school year. For new families, it will be a good touchstone for you. For returning families, it should be a comfortable refresher.
Saturday’s Rendezvous
We hope that all of you who will be in the area this Saturday, August 15, will join us at Talley Day Park adjacent to the Brandywine Hundred Library on Foulk Road beginning at noon. There is a large playground for the kids, and a pavilion with picnic tables and grills, all providing a great opportunity to reconnect with families you haven’t seen since June, and to meet the many new EWMS families we have joining us for the 2009 – 2010 school year. EWMS will supply drinks, condiments, and table wares. For those of you who would like some guidelines as to what to bring, here is a suggestion:
Last Name beginning
C Could bring …
A A – F
S Salad
G – K
Dessert
L – P
Main dish (meat or veggie burgers, , hot dogs, buns, casseroles, etc.
Q – Z
Side dishes/chips
If you have not yet done so, please let us know that you will be coming and what you will be bringing, so that we can plan accordingly.
Wednesday Newsletters
The Newsletter will be emailed out each Wednesday, in the form of a link to the on-line version of the publication. There will be a handful of paper copies in the front hall.
The Newsletter usually contains an interesting mix of important information, classroom news, reminders of upcoming events, and community news. It will be easy for you to keep abreast of what is happening at EWMS if you read the Newsletter each week.
Lunch Box Mail
Any communiqués from teachers and the administration that cannot be sent via email will be sent home via your child’s lunch box. Please check the lunch box each evening so you don’t miss anything. If you need to send a note in to your child’s teacher or the office, you, too, may use this simple, yet ingenious system. It will be helpful for you to alert your child to the presence of a note, so that it will be sure to be passed on at lunchtime.
Morning Drop-off Routine Morning Extended Day, beginning September 9
Please escort your children through the back gate of the school and sign the extended day attendance book. If it is raining, come to the front door, ring the doorbell, and a teacher will let you in and collect your paperwork (attached). Be sure to sign the extended day attendance book.
The First Three Days of School, September 9 - 11
Please escort your children onto the playground between 8:20 and 8:40. You and your children will be greeted at the gate, where you will be asked to turn in your paperwork (attached), and will then be directed to the teachers who will give you further directions.
Regular Routine, beginning, Monday, September 14, 2008
Between 8:20 and 8:40 AM, two teachers/staff will be outside the front door of the school to open car doors and escort children into school. To aid the teachers in this endeavor, please have children seated on the right side of the car whenever possible.
If you must enter the school building during the morning drop-off period, please DO NOT park in front of the school on either side of the street. Rather, pull up in front of the Church to park.
On the rare occasion that you must drop your child off after 8:40 AM, escort your child into the building and sign the attendance book at the reception desk.
End of the Day Pick-up
All classes dismiss from the playground at 3:00 in fair weather. Please plan to meet your child on the playground, remind her/him to shake a teacher’s hand, and then leave through the gate.
If you are not here by 3:10 PM, your children will enter the extended day program where they will play with friends and be safely looked after until your arrival.
There is an “Extended Day Handbook” in this packet.
Dress Code
Please refer to the Parent Handbook for and be mindful of the EWMS dress code.
Fundraising: Easy As ABC (and D)!
As always, EWMS faces the task to raise enough money to bridge the gap between what tuition brings in and what in fact it costs to run this amazing school. Sources of unrestricted gifts are vital to meeting our goals and there are some very simple, painless things you can do to help….all without opening your wallet! Below are ABC’s of fundraising at EWMS: Award cards
Link your Genuardi’s or Super G award card to EWMS. Don’t have one? Sign up at the welcome tent the first week of school. Box Tops
Clip Box Tops for Education and save Campbell’s Soup Labels and send them into school. There’s a collection box in the Parent Information Center in the front hall. Cards & Cartridges
Link your Target credit card to EWMS. We receive 3 – 10 % of your purchase amount, depending on how you use your card.
Collect, and send in to school, HP, Lexmark, or Dell printer cartridges for recycling at Staples.
While each Box Top represents pennies to the school and 3% on your Target credit card might not seem like very much, these simple and painless fundraisers accounted for over $500 in unrestricted funding for EWMS last year. Just what does $500 get you these days?
Swim Lessons – For the whole spring session, the EI students get swim lessons at the Walnut Street YMCA.
Lights! – The average electricity bill at EWMS is $500 a month.
Pets - Cookie, Salt & Pepper and the myriad fish that mesmerize our children nibble up about $300 of the annual budget.
And last of all, here is one more way to support EWMS: Donate. Below are two ideas. Donate.
For those of you who contribute to The United Way, you can attribute those funds to the Elementary Workshop, Inc., by entering our name and account number (#9473) on the write-in line. The campaign starts on September 10, 2009.
Those of you with children in kindergarten and older at EWMS can donate all or part of your State Transportation Reimbursement to this school. There is information attached to this newsletter.
United Way contributions have earned us a further $4,500.00; State Transportation Reimbursement accounts for another $3,500. So the alphabet soup that is the ABC’s and D’s at EWMS keeps us warm in the winter and our budget well nourished! Thank you.
Office Hours
During the school year, beginning on Tuesday, September 8, 2008, the office will be open from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
Staggered Entry
The staggered entry system aids in ground-ruling, and makes welcoming new, young children to the school as effective as possible. Please pay attention to the attached staggered entry list, as teachers plan very carefully, and must know whom to expect and when. Though only ½ of the children start on Wednesday, September 9, the first day of the school year, by Thursday, all the children in all the classes will be present. Thank you for helping us help your children make a smooth transition back to school.
On the First Day of School
There is a First Day of School checklist in this packet. Please refer to it as you prepare for September.
Rainy Day Pick-up
If it is raining at 2:30 PM, we make the decision to keep children inside and dismiss from the front hall. We ask that parents remain outside under the portico whenever possible, to keep traffic in the hallway at a minimum. A teacher at the front door will alert your children to your presence and they will gather up their belongings and join you outside. We make every effort to make this process as quick and effective as possible.
School Picnic, September 15, 5:00 – 7:00 PM Please plan to bring your whole family for this get-to-know-you, back-to-school event. This is an opportunity for you to meet the other children and parents in your child’s class, put a face to your committee chairperson’s name, and share some good food with your EWMS family. Please bring:
chairs or blankets for your family and
a dish to share with the group.
A – F bring a salad, fruit, or snack item
G – P bring a casserole or side dish
R – Z bring a dessert
EWMS will supply hamburgers, rolls, condiments, beverages, and tablewares.
Parent Handbook
Every EWMS family received a Parent Handbook as part of the enrollment packet. If you have not yet done so, please take time to read through your handbook, as it includes lots of important information about the day-to-day running of the school and about Montessori teaching and philosophy.
New Parent Orientation: Wednesday, September 9, 2008, 6:30 PM
To expedite your understanding of EWMS, a new parent orientation meeting is held each fall. Please plan to attend if you are new to the school this fall, or if you need a refresher. You will learn all about the Co-op Obligations, how to record your hours, slippers, pizza lunch, “lunch box mail,” and everything else that makes this school special. All your questions will be answered. You will also have an opportunity to meet with other new parents, the parent co-op coordinator, and the director over refreshments.
Slippers/Inside Shoes Children wear slippers at EWMS so they will be comfortable when they sit on the floor, so they will be safe and quiet when walking on the steps, and so we can keep outside dirt at a minimum in the school. Please keep these things in mind when you purchase slippers or inside shoes for your child. They should be close-fitting, and have a back. Some suggestions include simple canvas sneakers, water shoes, and Isotoner-type ballet-style slippers. Many families buy two pairs, one to fit now, and one, in a larger size, for later, as these shoes/slippers will get a lot of wear, and your child’s feet will grow in the course of the year. Please avoid large, thick novelty slippers as they prove to be more cumbersome than comfortable, are not as safe on the stairs, and are often quite a distraction.
Pizza Lunch Thursdays You have the opportunity to order pizza and juice boxes for your children to be delivered here most Thursdays throughout the school year. Pizza orders must be submitted in advance, as the order is placed ahead. We prefer that parents order for the year, though semesterly orders are also acceptable. The first pizza lunch will be Thursday, September 17 and orders must be received in the office by Friday, September 10, 2009. There is a form in this packet.
Hours Opportunities Maintenance, Saturday, August 29, 8:00 AM – Noon
There is a Maintenance Day held each month, (usually on the third Saturday). Members of the Maintenance Committee, and anyone else interested in helping with small repairs, painting projects, or yard work, is invited to show up. This first Maintenance Day helps get the school ready for the teachers and children. Please alert the office if you can help. Many hands make light work! Teachers’ Aides/Helpers for In-service Week, September 1 – 4, between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM
The teachers welcome a lot of help in their classrooms during the before school in-service. This is an excellent opportunity for you to get to know your child’s classroom and teachers before the school year starts in earnest. Please contact Kanchalee Reeves (529-5586) to learn more, or to alert her to your availability. Housekeeping Committee Members: Members of this committee choose it because it is regular, uncomplicated, and an easy way to guarantee getting one’s hours done. Once every three weeks or so, on a rotating, scheduled basis, you will be scheduled to spend an hour cleaning either the lavatories or the steps and halls on a Tuesday or a Thursday late afternoon or evening. This committee’s value to the school cannot be stressed enough.
Parent Co-op Obligations ·25 hours per parent ·Driving on 1 Field Trip per Parent
EWMS T-Shirts and Sweatshirts Each year, we make it possible for you to order T-shirts and sweatshirts with the EWMS logo on them. Again this year, we’re going GREEN, using organic cotton t-shirts. (Sadly, we could not find affordable organic sweatshirts.)
T-shirts come in white or red and sweatshirts come in grey or red. Though it is not required, we appreciate it when children are dressed in an EWMS shirt on field trips: they are easily recognized and also show the world what a lovely group of children our school has. If you are interested in ordering shirts for your family, please return the enclosed order form and a check made payable to EWMS to the office by Friday, September 10.
Changes
In light of the economic climate we all find ourselves in, EWMS has had to implement two changes to help balance the budget. The first and saddest is that our beloved Emma will not be returning to her desk in the office. While she was only here part time, she was a huge presence for us, and we will miss her kindness, warm reception, and good humor. We will be grateful to have parents filling in wherever possible, and will manage the office staff in such a way that parents and children should not notice an interruption in their daily lives here.
Additionally, it will alleviate the budget a bit if we ask parents to pack snacks for their children each day. A mid-morning snack and an after noon snack for children staying in the extended day program after school will help sustain them. In light of the fact that we have evermore children with moderate to severe food allergies this will relieve the teachers of some of the worry about food safety. That said, the teachers have expressed a desire to continue to cook with children for special events – they will usually absorb these costs in their classroom budgets and will, as usual pay close attention to the dietary restrictions of the students in their classrooms.
Alumni Update Elizabeth Cantor Mayer is a senior at Moravian College, where she is studying Art History and Accounting. She is the top ranked horsewoman in her division in the hunter/jumper category in New Jersey. Becky Cantor is an attorney working for a firm specializing in Medical Malpractice defense. Julia Delmerico is married to Mauricio Vargas. She works in for Jewish Family Services in Tampa, doing adoptions and child abuse work. They live in St. Petersburg, Fl. Mackenzie Snead, a 2009 graduate of Wilmington Friends School, attended the National Association of Independent Schools’ Student Diversity Leadership Conference.
All classes dismiss from the playground at 3:00 in fair weather. Please plan to meet your child on the playground, remind her/him to shake a teacher’s hand, and then leave through the gate. 
Please plan to bring your whole family for this get-to-know-you, back-to-school event. This is an opportunity for you to meet the other children and parents in your child’s class, put a face to your committee chairperson’s name, and share some good food with your EWMS family. Please bring: 
Children wear slippers at EWMS so they will be comfortable when they sit on the floor, so they will be safe and quiet when walking on the steps, and so we can keep outside dirt at a minimum in the school. Please keep these things in mind when you purchase slippers or inside shoes for your child. They should be close-fitting, and have a back. Some suggestions include simple canvas sneakers, water shoes, and Isotoner-type ballet-style slippers. Many families buy two pairs, one to fit now, and one, in a larger size, for later, as these shoes/slippers will get a lot of wear, and your child’s feet will grow in the course of the year. Please avoid large, thick novelty slippers as they prove to be more cumbersome than comfortable, are not as safe on the stairs, and are often quite a distraction.
You have the opportunity to order pizza and juice boxes for your children to be delivered here most Thursdays throughout the school year. Pizza orders must be submitted in advance, as the order is placed ahead. We prefer that parents order for the year, though semesterly orders are also acceptable. The first pizza lunch will be Thursday, September 17 and orders must be received in the office by Friday, September 10, 2009. There is a form in this packet.
Each year, we make it possible for you to order T-shirts and sweatshirts with the EWMS logo on them. Again this year, we’re going GREEN, using organic cotton t-shirts. (Sadly, we could not find affordable organic sweatshirts.)