Commonwealth Elementary School 2200 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, CA 92831 Office: (714) 447-‐7705 FAX: (714) 447-‐7777 Website: fsd.k12.ca.us/commonwealth/ Anita Lomelí, Principal Dear Parents/Guardians and Students, Welcome to the 2014-‐2015 school year on behalf of all of the staff at Commonwealth Elementary School!! We hope everyone had a relaxing, enjoyable, and rejuvenating summer break. After 10 weeks of enjoyment, I know students, teachers, and parents are ready to return to a school year that promises to be exciting, innovative, and effective. The first day of school is Monday, August 11, 2014 @ 8:30 (Warning bell rings at 8:25) New Developments: Congratulations to Ms. Michelle Kim who has accepted to teach 2nd grade and serve as our Response to Intervention Coach! Ms. Kim is very knowledgeable in data analysis and utilizing strategies that are effective in the classroom. She will be providing additional targeted instruction to students, as well as, sharing effective best lesson delivery practices with our teaching staff. Welcome Mrs. Whitney Kean to third grade! Mrs. Kean graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. In addition, she received a Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Cal State Fullerton in 2013. Our students, staff, and community will certainly appreciate her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm. We are very excited to welcome Mrs. Kean to the Commonwealth family!! A very heartfelt, “Good Luck” goes out to Mrs. Lorraine Gire who will be teaching kindergarten at Beechwood Elementary. We wish her only the very best in her new assignment and school! There are a few additional movements that took place over the summer: • First grade moved to classrooms that are closer to the primary playground area and primary restrooms. (Rooms 8, 16, 17) • Ms. Scott is now teaching 5th grade. • Mrs. Cash is now teaching 3rd grade. Campus Upgrades When you walk onto the campus, you will be pleasantly surprised to see that our field received a major renovation this summer. In partnership and cooperation with the City of Fullerton and our school district’s Maintenance and Operations Department, the field is completely covered with green grass!!! A more effective sprinkler design was installed and the field was reseeded. Nothing is better than preparing for the next World Cup during recess! Also, the entire campus blacktop was recoated and repainted by the Maintenance Department. Mr. Al and Mr. Omar, our custodians, have been hard at work this summer deep cleaning the classrooms, restrooms, and windows making sure that the first day of school is sparkling! Our students deserve a place to learn that is clean, safe, and beautiful! We know everyone will feel renewed on the first day of school when they walk onto the campus. Dress Code: Dress for Success Children grow so much during the summer months! Inevitably, you most likely will partake in some “Back to School” shopping. Please keep the school’s dress code in mind when buying clothes for school: • • • • • • • • • • • • All clothing must cover the student’s back and midriff when arms are raised. Skirts and shorts must be longer than your child’s fingertips with arms “at your side”. Pants must be worn at the waist without sagging. All clothing must be free from holes or tears. Undergarments may not exposed. No tank tops or spaghetti straps are allowed. Blouses and shirts that expose only the arm may be worn. (Strap must be at least 4 fingers wide) Shoes must cover all toes and heel. (for safety purposes) Earrings may not be oversized. Small studs are appropriate. Hats may be worn outside for protection from the sun. Clothing and possessions such as backpacks may not exhibit obscene words, double meanings, promote illegal activities, or be offensive to any ethnic or religious group. Bell Schedule: School Start Breakfast is served at 8:00 a.m. Warning Bell rings at 8:25 a.m. for all grades (Kindergarten-‐6th) School begins at 8:30 a.m. for all grades (Kindergarten-‐6th) Dismissal Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: Grades Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd at 2:55 p.m. Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 @ 3:00 p.m. Wednesday: Dismissal at 1:15 for all grades (Kindergarten-‐6th) Cars only Designated Drop-‐off Area for ocnly ars Buses Drop off and Pick up Procedures: For the safety of all students, staff, and parents, the following procedures will be implemented during the 2014-‐2015 school year (subject to change as needed): Morning Drop-‐off Procedures: You may drop your child off at school using both parking lots located at the front of the school or at the back gate located on Walnut Avenue (behind the school). Please take note of the designated drop-‐off areas. As soon as your child has exited the car safely, proceed to exit the lot following the designated pathway. You may not block traffic by parking in the “drop-‐off” areas. Cars may not be left unattended. If you wish to park your car and walk your child to the campus, please park in designated parking spaces. Parking is also available across the street and behind the school on Walnut Ave. A crossing guard is situated at the signal on Commonwealth Ave. for added safety purposes. ONLY parents of students in Room 22, 23, 24, and 25 will be allowed to park in the circle area for 5 minutes. NO OTHER PARENTS WILL BE ALLOWED TO PARK IN THE CIRCLE AREA. A parking permit/tag will be provided to parents in Rooms 22, 23, 24, and 25. Pick-‐Up Procedures: You may pick up you child at school using both parking lots located at the front of the school or at the back gate located on Walnut Avenue. Please make certain that you and your child(ren) have made prior arrangements in regards to your dismissal location. Please note that afterschool, NO CARS WILL BE ALLOWED TO PARK IN THE CIRCLE AREA with the exception of parents of students in Rooms 23,24, and 25. Additional Parking is available across the street along Lillie Ave. A crossing guard is present afterschool at the signal on Commonwealth Ave. for added safety purposes. Cell Phones All telephone calls directed to students during the school day should be made to the school office. Cell phones should be turned off and stored in the student’s backpack or pockets during the school day. Cell phones used inappropriately will be taken from the student and stored in the school office for a parent to pickup. Lunch Applications For information about our lunch application procedures or assistance, you may call the Nutrition Center (714) 447-‐7435 or the school office. Applications and additional information is also available online at http://fsd.k12.ca.us/~nutritionservices/ Please be reminded that lunch needs to be paid in advance. My school bucks is a great way to pay for your child’s lunches in advance from the comfort of home or work. Healthy snacks are permitted on campus and can be eaten during recess in a designated area. We ask that your child bring only enough food to eat during their 15 minute recess. Possible snack suggestions are baby carrots, celery sticks, grapes, bananas, chex mix, etc. Drinks such as water or juice may also be brought as a refreshing beverage during recess. Soda is not allowed on campus. Attendance/Tardies All students are expected to attend school everyday and be on time. School attendance and punctuality are key components to student success. When students attend school everyday and arrive on time, it sends a clear message to them that school is important. Also, it provides your child the opportunity to learn without interruptions and to keep up with the daily lessons. Arriving to school on time allows your child to begin the school day in a calm manner and participate in very important established routines. Last year, Commonwealth students and families did a great job with attendance. Our school was able to improve our overall attendance!! Nevertheless, we still must improve our attendance rate by another 1% in order to meet the District goal of 98%. Several other schools in the District have already met the District attendance goal. I look forward to working together to continue to improve our attendance rate this school year. Students who come to school, learn in school. If, however, your child is ill and unable to come to school, please call the office in the morning. All absences must be excused by the parent via a phone call to the front office or a note to the teacher. Please do call the front office as soon as possible. Excessive absences and tardies will be referred to the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB). We look forward to the start of a new school year!! See you on Monday, August 11, 2014!! iKnow iCan iWill Go Commonwealth Tigers!