Parent Newsletter November 1st, 2021

November 1, 2021

Hello Gilham Families, 

School Hours — 

Monday – Thursday classes start at 7:55 and end at  2:25.

Friday classes start at 7:55 and end at 1:10.

Doors open at 7:40.  

Class starts at 7:55 and students should be in the classroom at that time.  If a student reports to school after 7:55 a.m., they must come to the main office upon arrival for a tardy slip. Breakfast will be provided to students who arrive late to school.

*We recommend arriving at least 10 minutes before 7:55. The parking lot becomes very crowded as 7:55 approaches. Students arriving after 7:55 are considered late and must report to the office prior to going to class.  Lates are only excused with a notice from the student’s appointment and must be accompanied with a note from the provider.

Student Attendance and Tardies — One of the most reliable predictors of school success is regular attendance. Absences for any reason result in lost instruction time. We know that students who fall behind often become discouraged learners. It is our hope that we can work together to encourage your child’s regular attendance and success at school. We understand that there are many factors in your lives that make it difficult, at times, for your child to be in school or on time. However, it is important that we work with you to reduce these to an absolute minimum. Class activities start promptly in the morning. This morning class time is one of the most important times of the day. When a child comes in late, not only have they missed valuable class time, it is disruptive to their classmates.

When your child is going to be late or absent from school, please call the attendance line at 541-790-6225, before 8:15 a.m. and inform the office staff. You may leave a message on the voice mail, if calling before office hours. Please leave the name of your child, their teacher’s name, and the reason for the absence. It is extremely important that this be done, as every child must be accounted for on a daily basis. As a friendly reminder, according to Oregon Truancy Regulations, if your student has eight unexcused half-day absences in any four-week period, you will receive a letter from the school notifying you of our attendance concerns. Please understand that if irregular attendance continues, we will be obligated to make a referral to a truant officer for further investigation.

Oregon law states, “The school may consider an absence or late to be excused for reasons such as the student’s illness, illness of a student’s family member, a planned absence, or an absence/late, either in writing or by a phone call to the school attendance office. The school Administrator has the right to determine whether or not the excuse presented by the parent/guardian is an acceptable reason. If the reason is not acceptable, the absence/late may be deemed unexcused. The school Administrator may also excuse absences/lates for other reasons where satisfactory arrangements are made in advance of the absence.” (ORS 339.065.2) 

Candy at School — This time of year we are seeing a lot of candy being brought to school.  We are asking that you save the candy for after school.  Students need to bring healthy snacks for snack time and for lunch.  We would appreciate the candy not come to school.  

Pause Parking Reminder – STAY IN YOUR CAR– For safety (and also for reasons of courtesy) all drivers using the pause parking along the curb are to:

  • Remain in their cars at all times.
  • Pull forward as space becomes available.
  • DO NOT stop in marked crosswalk areas.
  • When getting in or out of a car, students must use the door on the sidewalk side. 
  • If your student is unable to buckle themselves or needs assistance getting in and out of the carseat then you will need to park so they can get safely buckled in.  
  • During Drop off, please drop off and continue on.  Drivers should not stop and wait to see their student walk to the building.  

When drivers get out of their cars, they stop all traffic behind them, creating bottlenecks and slow the pick-up process. If drivers need to get out of your car, find a marked parking spot. 

Extra Mask for Wet Weather — Wet weather leads to wet masks, so please send an extra mask or two with your child to change out after a rainy recess day.

BEGINNING STRINGS for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade — String Academy is a fun and exciting opportunity for your child to learn to play the violin, viola, cello or bass! The Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras (Program Flyer) is once again offering this wonderful program online. ESYO has:

String Academy opens the door to the joy of making music, with benefits that can last a lifetime!

Repeat — Fall Conferences — Parent – Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Tuesday, November 9 from 3:30 pm – 7:30 pm and Wednesday, November 10 from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm. There will be no school on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday that week. 

Conferences will be over Zoom. Watch for scheduling information from your child’s teacher. 

Meeting with your child’s teacher should help build strong parent-teacher partnerships. Partnerships are needed if you and your child’s teacher are to reach your common goal: helping your child get the best education possible.

Lunch Menu —  Make sure you filter for Gilham —  https://family.titank12.com/menu/86L6D9

Parent Information Webinar: What Do You Want To Know About COVID & Schools?-All are invited to view the webinar live, or watch the recording at a convenient time.  For more information and for the webinar link please click here: https://www.4j.lane.edu/2021/10/parent-webinar-november-covid-cases-quarantines/

Stay tuned and visit the school district website for the latest information. https://www.4j.lane.edu/ 

Important Dates — 

11/9 — Picture Retakes

11/9 — Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences

11/10 —  No School, Parent/Teacher Conferences

11/11 — No School, Veterans Day

11/12 — No School, Parent/Teacher Conferences Comp Day

11/26-27 — No School — Thanksgiving Break

Lavinia Page 

Principal 

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