Dear Families,
Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year. The staff and I are all very excited to have your children back at school! I hope you had a fun summer and are ready for another great year. Each new school year gives us the opportunity to build upon the previous school year so that each child's learning and growth is optimized. Although we are growing in size with a student population of 473 students, we are committed to maintaining effective communication and building a strong community.
With the large number of students we serve, we have created several initiatives to ensure a safe and cooperative environment. Please read all the information included in this letter with regards to parking/drop off/pick up of students.
PARKING/ DROP OFF/ PICK-UP
We will continue to have a CAR LINE drop off and pick-up system in our back parking lot. While the CAR LINE will be coordinated by parent volunteers Debra Carney and Julie Kennedy; the success of CAR LINE really depends on you. We need all drivers to follow the rules of CAR LINE and all parents to volunteer for a CAR LINE shift. Please read the enclosed CAR LINE information and review the CAR LINE volunteer schedule prior to the start of school.
Please do not park in the numbered spaces that are reserved for teachers and staff. Whenever possible, carpool, bike or walk! We have bike racks for your use located near the library. It will be very congested the first week of school as parents want to walk their children to their classrooms, so please plan accordingly. There is some parking in the back lot or you can park on Lomita Drive in front of Ring Mountain School or you can park further away and walk! Please drive slowly and allow plenty of time to get your child to school by 8:30am. We want all 473 of our students to arrive and depart safely each day.
Please remember that the front driveway is for drop off and pick up of fourth and fifth grade students ONLY.
LUNCH / RECESS
We have two different lunch /recess times due to the number of students on the playground. Kindergarten classes have their own lunch times and families with kindergarten students can check with their classroom teacher for specific times. Last year we instituted a Play First, Eat Last pilot program in the 1st grade. It went well so we will continue the program for the first grade again this year. This is logistically possible for the 1st grade because they have their own lunch aides and their own playground. With grades 2-5, this program is not possible because the playground is being used for P.E classes during the first lunch period and because of other conflicts with the master schedule of art, music and dance teachers that are shared with other schools. Children who wish to take longer than 15 minutes to eat lunch can do so. We also have a snack time at the 10:00am recess. The split lunch allows for more playground space and less conflicts among students.
| Grade Level | Lunch Time | Recess Time |
| K | Obtain from Teacher |
| 1 (Play First, Eat Last) | 12:15-12:30 | 11:45-12:15 |
| 2nd - 3rd (Eat First, Play Last) | 11:45-12:00 | 12:00-12:30 |
| 4th - 5th (Eat First, Play Last) | 12:00-12:15 | 12:15-12:45 |
Birthday Food/Treat Policy Change for 2010-2011
Due to the number of food allergies and the California state nutritional guidelines, we are going to limit birthday treats brought in for distribution to FRUIT ONLY, should you and your child decide that a birthday treat is desirable. This can include something as simple as a bag of apples, blueberries, grapes, strawberries or fruit kabobs. (You can be as creative as you like with fruit!) Our nutrition committee has worked diligently over the past 3 years to send out nutritional ideas and facts which you can find on our website. We have discussed birthday celebrations over the years with the PTA, Site Council and teachers and last year, we piloted a no food birthday policy in the 1st grade. This created an issue with elaborate and sometimes costly birthday bags that included candy. It is our continued plan to celebrate each child's birthday with special recognition in each of their classrooms and at our Lifeskills Assemblies. Along with or instead of a fruit treat, students can buy a birthday book through the library or donate a book of their choice to their classroom. Often children invite a guest reader to share a book on their special day. Some children are also fine without a treat and are simply happy with the birthday celebration they will have with their friends and family outside of school.
Please do not bring in cookies, cupcakes, or baked goods for birthday treats!
Please do not put the teachers in a compromising position where they will be asked to enforce our policy!
We will continue to celebrate with healthy food and limited sweet treats at our classroom parties for Halloween, Winter Holiday, Valentine's Day and the End of the Year. The teachers refer to this as the 80/20 rule: 80% nutritious and 20% of a sweet treat. We will review how this is going midyear!
FOOD/PEANUT/NUT ALLERGIES
Edna Maguire continues to be a Peanut Alert school! All food brought in for distribution must be nut/peanut product free. Students are educated each year on what it means to have food/peanut allergies and how to be a good friend to someone who has these allergies. Signs are posted outside classrooms that have a student(s) with peanut product allergies. More information on Peanut/Peanut Product Allergies can be found in the First Day Packet and on our website.
Kindergarten Start and Shortened Days
Kindergarten students in our district have shortened days for 3 weeks, from Aug. 25th - September 17th. This short day will go from 8:30am-11:50am. Starting Monday, September 20th, kindergartners will have full days from 8:30am-1:30pm.
Our staff at Edna Maguire is committed to providing your child with an extraordinary year. I assure you that your child will have a wonderful year of learning, reading, experimenting, collaborating, laughing and reaching their personal best. Our teachers are committed to the learning process and teaching students to become life-long learners. Edna Maguire is warm, welcoming and committed to excellence.
As families, I invite you to join us in this process. Family involvement is critical for academic achievement and developing strong character. Volunteer, come to PTA meetings, attend functions and events, work with our children in the garden and more importantly, build a strong working relationship with your child's teacher. All this will keep you well informed of your child's progress and social development.
I urge all of you to come back to our website (www.ednamaguire.org) frequently. It is full of information that you will need to keep you up to date on things such as ordering lunches, scheduled events, classroom news, email addresses and forms, to name a few. All school news items that are not available online will come home in a Wednesday Folder with your child each week. We are trying hard to reduce our use of paper so most news will be online! You will also receive a bi-weekly news letter, the Pony Express, via the email address you have provided the school. You can also sign up directly on our website to receive the newsletter. You should consider the Pony your primary source of school information. Keep informed and up to date by reading it twice a month. The teachers also create classroom web pages and classroom letters to further our communication effort. The district uses School Messenger which will allow me or district personnel to call every family in case of any emergency in which you need to be notified. Please make sure that the school office has your correct phone number in our system for this purpose.
The staff and parent leadership have been working incredibly hard in preparing for a wonderful year full of rich traditions and new initiatives that make Edna Maguire so unique. I look forward to working with all of you this year. Our class placement letters will be mailed out on Friday, Aug. 20. Please do not hesitate to email or call me if you need assistance or have questions with getting started at our school! lzimmer@mvschools.org or 389-7733.
Warmest Regards,
Lisa Zimmer
Mark Your Calendars:
First Day Coffee - August. 25th, 8:40am after dropping off your child (Multi-Purpose Room)
PTA Executive Board and Association Meeting - September 1st, 8:40am (Teachers' Lounge)
Back to School Night - September 1st
| K/2 | 5:30-6:15 | Attend your child's classroom |
| All Families | 6:30-7:00 | Staff Introductions and Welcome Back Presentation in MPR Room |
| 3/5 | 7:00-7:45 | Attend your child's classroom |
Posted by Tim Schultz on August 20
