August/September Updates

Starr Newsletter

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August/September Updates

Back-to-School
Open House will take place from 5:00 - 6:30 on Monday, August 22nd. Feel free to bring any school supplies on Monday to put in your child's desk.

If you did not attend pre-registration, you will need to stop at the registration table to complete your paperwork and pay your fee before heading to the classrooms.

If you would like to put money on your child's lunch account during Open House, Mrs. Jones will be available in the cafeteria to assist you.

Don't forget to sign-up for a fall parent/teacher conference. Conference sign-up sheets will be located in the lobby. This year conferences are from 7:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on November 3rd. A second conference night will be held on November 7th from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

The first day for students in grades 1-5 is Wednesday, August 24th. School begins at 8:35 a.m. and ends at 2:50 p.m. Students may enter the building at 8:20 a.m.

For those parents who pick-up their child(ren) at the end of the day, parent pick-up will take place in the cafeteria. When arriving before 2:50 p.m., please use the side door of the cafeteria to enter the building to wait for your child(ren). There will be a new procedure for parent pick-up this year. Numbered cards are being issued to ensure that the child(ren) are being picked-up by an authorized individual. The child(ren) and adult will be asked to present the numbered cards each day before leaving the building. If a matching set of cards is not presented, the identification of the adult must be verified before the child(ren) are released to go home. It is suggested that you attach your child’s card to his or her backpack. The numbered cards will be issued at parent pick-up.

I wish everyone a successful 2011-2012 school year. Feel free to contact me at any time should any questions or concerns arise.

Week of August 29th
We made it through the first week of school. I hope your child/children had a great week.

Getting your child home safely is a top priority for Oregon City Schools. I can't stress to you enough the importance of informing your child's teacher of how you want your child to get home at the end of the day. If there is going to be a change in your child's transportation arrangements, it is of utmost importance that you make these arrangements known to your child's teacher. The best thing to do is write your child's teacher a note. You can also leave a message for your child's teacher on his or her voice mail. Please make your child's teacher aware of the transportation change as soon as possible. While we understand that there may be circumstances beyond your control that require you to inform us of a transportation change near the end of the day, make every effort to contact the school by 12:00. Please note that we will not change the way in which your child is going home without confirmation from you.

Kindergarten starts school on Monday.

The kick-off for the Parent Group Fundraiser is Wednesday. This is the major funding source of the Parent Group. Be looking for an envelope to come home with all the necessary information towards the end of the week.

Starr School will be celebrating Halloween on Friday, October 28th. Your child's teacher will be informing you of the specifics regarding the events that will take place in the classroom at a later date.

Week of September 12th
The Halloween Parties will take place on Friday, October 28th. This is a change from what is printed in the handbook.

During the month of October Starr School will be selling Save Around Coupon Booklets for $20.00. The proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards the playground fund. We will NOT be selling Entertainment Books this year.

The Parent Group Fundraiser is going on now! Remember - This is the major funding source for the Parent Group. The money raised is used to support programs/activities sponsored by the Parent Group at Starr School.

Big Board Friday - GAME OF THE WEEK

September 9, 2011

WTOL 11's Big Board Friday and Charlie's Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram are giving Clay High School a chance to win $500 and help feed hungry families at the same time with the the "Pack-A-Pick up" challenge.

Bring a can of food to the Clay VS. Waite game on September 9. Look for the Charlie's Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram with your school's name on it. The schools with the most food collected will become eligible for the $500 award at the end of the season. In either case, you'll feel good that you helped families in Northwest Ohio during tough economic times. The food will be collected by The Toledo Seagate Food Bank and distributed to families living in an eighteen county area in Northwest Ohio. Can you meet the challenge and take on the competition?

For more information log on to wtol.com or call Tammy Martin at 419.248.1164

Book Fair is next week. The Grand Event will be held in the gym on Monday, September 12th from 6:00 - 8:00. All are welcome to attend. Classroom visits will then follow later in the week. If you are interested in helping out with the Book Fair, contact Nikki Johnson at 419-450-4119.

The new procedures for parent pick-up seem to be going well. I know that we were changing things daily the first few days of school in order to improve the flow of children and parents. Thanks for your patience with our new procedures.

Week of September 19th

For more than 38 years, Labels for Education has been awarding free educational equipment to schools in exchange for proofs of purchase from the Campbell family of brands. It’s a fun, easy program where students, families and members of the community work together for a common goal. Starr School participates in the Labels for Education Program. You can sign up at eLABELSFOREDUCATION.COM and instantly earn 250 Labels for Education bonus points for Starr School. Starr can then redeem any points earned for FREE educational merchandise and equipment available through the Labels for Education Program. Just click on the link below and follow the instructions. Thank you for your support!
http://www.elabelsforeducation.com/Sites/Campbells_eLabels/Page/HomePage

The September Newsletter went out via the school website last week. It you have not signed up to have the newsletter delivered to your e-mail, you can go to Oregon City Schools website, http://www.oregoncityschools.org/, and click on Starr's page. On the left hand side you will see at the bottom of the list Electronic Newsletters. Click on this and you will see the September newsletter. You can also sign-up to receive the school newsletter each month by subscribing to Starr's newsletter. Go tohttp://www.oregoncityschools.org/ and look for the blue subscribe box on the right. Once you have signed-up, an e-mail confirmation will be sent to you and you must confirm your e-mail address to complete the process.

When your child arrives to school after 8:35, an adult must accompany your child to the office and sign him or her in for the day.

Fundraiser orders and money are due on Monday, September 19th. If you did not send it to school with your child already, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you for supporting the Parent Group and their Fall Fundraiser.

Speaking of the Parent Group, the first meeting of the year will be held on Monday, September 19th at 9:00 a.m. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria. All are welcome to attend.

2 Safe Routes to School events will be taking place on Wednesday, September 21st. September 21st is Ohio's first annual Wear Your Helmet to School Day. All students in K-5 are invited to participate. Ride to school with Oregon Police Officers, friends, parents, and the Safe Routes to School team. All students should wear their helmets when riding. Meet at one of the following locations by 8:00 a.m. or meet up along the way to school:
- Gazebo on Springtime Dr. and Easthampton Dr.
- Corner of Starr Ave. and Bellcourt Dr. near Beth Allen's Florist
- Yorktown Apartments
A flyer with more information about this event was sent home on Friday. Permission slips to participate must be returned by Tuesday, September 20th.

Also on September 21st, Safe Routes to School will sponsor an event called Put a Lid on It and Protect Before You Pedal. This event is limited to students in grades 3-5 and will take place right after school until 4:30. A flyer with more information about this event was sent home on Friday. Permission slips to participate must be returned by Tuesday, September 20th. Space is limited for this event. The first 50 students to return their permission slip will be permitted to attend.

Market Day phone and internet orders are due Wednesday, September 21st.

Bowling begins on Friday, September 23rd. Your child must be registered to bowl on Friday. A flyer went home with the kids last week.

There is a 2 hour delay on Tuesday, September 27th for a staff inservice. School will start at 10:35. Students can be dropped off at school no earlier than 10:20.

Week of September 26th
There is a 2 hour district delay on Tuesday, September 27th. School will start at 10:35. Students are not permitted to be dropped off at school before 10:20. The teachers will be learning about Formative Assessment on this morning.

Market Day pick-up will take place after school on Tuesday, September 27th.

Letters regarding access to PowerSchool were sent out in the mail on Thursday, September 22nd. This letter provides information as to how you can access an online account which will contain information such as attendance and demographic information for all students, as well as grades for students in 2 - 12. I encourage you to set-up your child's online account and monitor your child's grades on a regular basis. Midterm reports will not be sent out for grades 2 - 12 during the school year due to the ability to access grades online. You must login to your child's PowerSchool account to view his or her grades leading up to grade cards. If you have any questions regarding this system or if you did not receive the letter, please feel free to contact Linda Toth at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 419‐693‐0661 x3273.

When your child is absent from school, parents/guardians are expected to call the attendance line (419-693-0589 ext. 3042) the morning of the absence. Upon returning to school, students should present a note from the parents/guardians explaining the reason and date of absence. Please include the student's last name when writing the note. When a parent/guardian does not contact the school regarding the absence, the absence is considered unexcused. Parents are permitted to call their child off sick three days per quarter. Any additional absences during the quarter will require a doctor's note or they will be counted unexcused. Be sure when visiting the doctor to secure and send to school any excusal notices you may receive. If there are any questions regarding the attendance policy, please see page 7 in the handbook.

An automated phone system calls parents/guardians of students who are marked absent. The system will generate a call even if:
- You have called Starr informing us that your child will be absent/late.
- Your child arrives late to school.
The automated system works entirely from the attendance input by your child's teacher. If you have notified the school that your child would be absent or are aware that your child is tardy/absent, please consider the call as informational.

If you have any comments, questions or concerns about the Starr Elementary School section of our website, please contact Principal Jennifer Conkle at jconkle@oregoncs.org.