Originally delivered on 9/1/2017 2:04 pm

SUBJECT: The Edge - September 2017


 

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! Edgewood Elementary is off to a great start, and we are excited about all of the wonderful things going on. After a great summer break, students and teachers began the year with smiles and excitement! Our Best Me initiative has been coupled with our Ci3T positive behavior support program to continue to spread this idea throughout our school. We believe that everyone has gifts, strengths, and talents. When those qualities are synergized, we can do WONDERFUL things. Be on the lookout for information regarding Best Me and Ci3T. Be on the lookout for information regarding Best Me and Ci3T.

On August 21, we were able to take part in an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the Solar Eclipse. Almost 700 students participated in this event. A BIG THANK YOU to our wonderful PTO for providing funding for the eclipse glasses. We had many parent volunteers and special guests, such as Dr. Bill Cleveland, helping to ensure that the experience was not only fun but safe. For students that chose not to participate outside, a virtual option was provided inside. All absences and checkouts related to the Eclipse were excused, and everyone had a great time!  

In closing, I would like to thank you all for everything you do to support Edgewood Elementary. We are beyond blessed.  

Dr. Matt Kiser, Principal

What an AWESOME start to the 2017-18 school year! It reaffirms what a phenomenal place Edgewood Elementary is to us all. Students and teachers have already started the year with excellent learning and instruction. Please follow us all on Instagram and Twitter to see the wonderful things going on in the classrooms and the school. You will be amazed!

As we move forward into September, we are looking forward to Grandpals' Day. It will take place on September 29. Be looking for invitations to send to your child’s grandpals very soon. If your child does not have a grandpal that can attend, please make sure to let us know so that we can assign him or her a community grandpal. It truly is a great day! Thank you to Blaire Middleton and our PTO for making this day a success. We can’t wait to see everyone in our building that day.

Finally, we have loved seeing the many students who have received Best Me Awards this year. We continue to encourage you all to use best me language at home with your child. It is a great way for students to see that we all work together and support one another. It is going to be a wonderful school year, and I can’t wait to see what the year holds!

Laura Tate, Assistant Principal

My name is Shannon Taylor, and I am your PTO President for the 2017-18 school year. I have a son, Hunter, who is in the 4th grade. So far, we are off to a great start! The PTO exists to provide support to the teachers, staff, and students at Edgewood, and we do this through many outlets. Our primary fundraiser is the Spring Festival, which is held in April. Generally, the festival raises between $65,000- $70,000 each year. This money allows us to give generous classroom support to each of our teachers at the beginning of the year. This year we gave a total of $51,155 to the teachers and faculty of Edgewood. These funds also allow us to supply our teachers with things throughout the year such as new curriculums for their classrooms/grade levels, educational materials, and special grants. We were also able to put money towards new playground equipment for this school year. All your efforts, whether time or dollars, are making a difference for our school.

PTO meetings are held on the first Friday of each month at 8:15am in the Little Theater, unless otherwise noted. Our first meeting is on Friday, September 8, and we hope to see you there. Meeting minutes will be posted on our new PTO website for those that are unable to attend. If you have not registered for our PTO website, we encourage you to do so. This website will be where you receive important PTO and school communications and access to various information, including our school directory. It also provides the monthly lunch menu, PTO and school calendars, volunteer opportunities, Edgewood Gear, memory books, and much more.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at ptoedgewood@mail.com. I look forward to working with you this year!

Thanks for all you do!
Shannon Taylor, PTO President

Save the date! Grandpals’ Day is Friday, September 29! We will honor our children’s special guests by showcasing their classrooms and all that Edgewood has to offer. Like last year, we will offer two time slots to attend a child’s classroom. If your child's grandparent or another special "pal" is unable to attend, we will have extra community grandpals on hand to fill in.  

We will send out more details and volunteer information in the coming weeks. We are very excited for this year and know it will be a fun and memorable event. In the interim, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Blaire Middleton, Grandpals’ Day Chair              
middleton.blaire@gmail.com

Our Library theme this year is "Finding Our Story." Finding our story is all about finding our place in the Library and the Library’s place in our lives…whether that is finding a good fit book, or answering our questions, or making connections…so that we value this educational, entertaining, and empowering resource. #maximizehwd

Grades 1-5 have been checking out books since the first day of school…and now Kindergarten is learning the process! I love watching kids make book choices—sometimes it’s the book cover that attracts them, or the book’s topic, or a friend’s recommendation, or even that it seems to be the fattest book in the Library. Not every book will be our new favorite, but every book can teach us something—because our choices tell us about our interests.

And since our students are checking out books (almost 7,000 so far this school year!), our volunteers are shelving books! If you would like to join our fabulous team of Library Volunteers, please contact Marni Ferderber (marnimf@gmail.com). Our annual Library Volunteer meeting is Wednesday, September 6 at 8:00 am in the Library. If you aren’t able to attend, don’t worry, we’d still love to have you help us!

And speaking of other Library events, we’re starting an After School Book Club for grades 3-5! Instead of reading one particular book, each month we will discuss a particular genre. Students will bring a book from that genre and share why they like it. Then we each leave knowing what books we want to read next! Look for more information coming soon.

To glimpse life in the Library, follow us on Instagram (@edgewoodbooks) and check our Library blog (http://edgewoodbooks.blogspot.com/).

Happy reading!
Fran Woodruff

4th and 5th Grade Parents: Please encourage your child to study for the Geo Bee qualification test in October. This is optional and lots more information will come home this month. Basic information will be on the test like states, capitals, and matching a country to its continent. I always have a great group of kids who love the competition!

Jennifer Compere

We’re off and running in the Music room and beginning to sing songs that will be performed at two major Edgewood events! Our second graders will perform at the Veterans’ Day Program on Wednesday evening, November 8, and our fourth graders will perform at the annual holiday concert which is Thursday evening, December 14. Many more details to come!

Also, fifth graders, please bring your recorders back to school so we can continue the progress we made last year.

Amy Law

I am so excited to start another great year of art at Edgewood! In art students will work with a variety of materials including markers, crayons, clay, paint, technology, and printmaking. Through art experiences, we are exploring different methods of becoming artists. All projects are designed to help students use their creativity and problem solving skills!

Many parents ask what they can do to help support their child. Give your budding artists time to create! Drawing, painting, building with legos or other toys, taking photographs on a tablet—all these activities help support elements in the art curriculum. Coloring or painting with your child is invaluable for developing hand-eye coordination. In short, spend time together making art!

Our theme this year is NATURE IN ART! All grades began the year by creating artwork celebrating the solar eclipse. Please follow me on Instagram (@Edgewood.art) to see weekly updates of what each grade is creating. I enjoy posting images and receiving feedback from parents on our projects.

Thank you for your support!
Celia Castle

New this year: Memory Books are available to purchase online! Many of you have already done so, and thank you! To order online, visit www.edgewood-pto.org and click on the "Yearbook" link. You must create an account to use this option. If you would rather pay by cash or check, there are order forms in the office. Remember, all 5th graders will receive a free Memory Book.

At Parent Night there was a list in each classroom of all students who have already ordered a Memory Book. If you are still unsure about your order, you can check the PTO website. All orders must be received by January 31, 2018. If you have any questions please email us at EdgewoodMemoryBook@gmail.com
 
Thanks!
Memory Book Committee 

It is our goal for students to attend classes everyday school is in session. However, there are times when students need to stay home for their own health and/or the health and safety of others. Below are some guidelines to help families decide when to keep students at home:

  • FEVER: Your child should stay home if he/she has a fever of 100.5 degrees (orally, temporal artery, or tympanic route) or higher. Your child needs to be FEVER FREE for 24 hours before returning to school. Your child is NOT considered to be fever free if you are still giving medication to keep fever down (i.e.: acetaminophen, ibuprofen). Remember that aspirin is NOT recommended for children. 
  • VOMITING OR DIARRHEA: Your child should stay home if he/she has vomited or has diarrhea (more than one loose stool) within 12 hours prior to the start of school. If your child becomes sick at school, they need to have 24 hours with no vomiting or diarrhea before they can return to school.
  • PINKEYE: Conjunctivitis is very contagious. If the white of your child’s eye is red and has any type of drainage you should keep hour child at home. Contact your child’s doctor. If the pinkeye is caused by a virus, the child can usually return to school when symptoms begin to improve, typically in 3 to 5 days. If the pinkeye is caused by a bacteria, the child can return to school 24 hours after an antibiotic has been started if symptoms have improved. Please notify your teacher and Nurse Geer if you are treating your child’s eyes for allergies. 
  • HEAD LICE: Children with lice cannot come to school until they have been treated with a lice-killing product. They must be checked by Nurse Geer upon returning to school. Please contact the nurse if you discover lice or nits on your child.
  • STREP THROAT: If your child has been diagnosed as having a strep throat (this requires a test by a healthcare provider) your child should stay home 24 hours after antibiotic therapy has been started (either by mouth or injection). He/she must be fever free for 24 hours without medications, like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, before returning to school.

Your child’s physician can help you determine if your child is able to return to school. However it is important to make sure that they are truly feeling better and able to make it through the school day. If they still seem tired, pale, have little appetite, are not tolerating solid foods, and are generally "not him/herself," please do not send them to school. With viral illnesses it may take longer before your child is well enough to return to school. We appreciate your help in preventing the spread of disease in school.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions: 423-2403, cgeer@homewood.k12.al.us

Cindy Geer

 

September 4 | No School (Labor Day holiday)
September 8 | PTO Meeting (Little Theater)
September 29 | Grandpals' Day
October 4 | Individual Picture Day

 



Edgewood Elementary PTO - Homewood, AL
901 College Ave
Homewood, AL 35209