MEREDITH HILL MESSENGER
Volume 8, Issue 1 www.fwps.org/Meredith September 2002
Cindy Kelsey, Principal Kerry Woller, Secretary
Mary Jane Henry, Office
Manager Lynette Edwards, Office Clerk
Dear Meredith Hill Families,
A number of changes are in
store for us this year. First, parent
conferences at all grade levels will include students. These Student-Led Conferences will take
place for three full days on October 30-31 and November 1. You and your child will be invited to come
into the classroom on one of those days to look at his/her school work, as well
as goals for the year. It will be a time
to “show off” what your child knows and make a plan for the next steps in his/her
learning. Student participation will
give children more ownership of their learning and give everyone a clearer
understanding of grade level and individual goals.
Another big change will happen
at the end of this year. This is the
last year that Meredith Hill and other elementary schools in the Federal Way
District will have 6th grade classrooms. Starting in the 2003-2004 school year, junior highs will become
middle schools, which will house 6th, 7th and 8th
graders. At the same time, our new high
school will open and high schools will house students in grades 9-12.
In preparation for this move to
middle schools and four-year high schools next year, we will be sending 5th
grade students to Camp Thunderbird this year.
Sixth grade will to go Camp Waskowitz.
There will not be school on October 10, November 8, March 10 or May 27
in order to provide teachers with training and planning times for the
transition.
Our strong focus on reading
achievement continues this year! We
were very proud to receive the results of last year’s Washington Assessment of
Student Learning (WASL) and to learn that 75.9% of our 4th graders
met the state standard in reading.
President Bush has challenged teachers across the nation to “Leave No
Child Behind.”
Other reading assistance
continues with funding from Initiative 728, keeping class sizes small in
K-2. This voter initiative also pays
for a half-time reading teacher to work with students in grades 3-6, and for
our after school reading program (ELO).
Our Learning Assistance Program (LAP) will provide tutors for eligible
students in grades K-2.
We look with excitement to the school year ahead! We will measure our success by each child’s
accomplishments, and by our strong partnership with Meredith Hill families. We extend our warmest welcome to each family
and encourage you to keep in close touch!
Sincerely,
Cindy Kelsey, Principal
If you would like us to send your newsletter electronically, please send your email address to ledwards@fwps.org.
Would you encourage your child’s love of reading if you could? Of course. What’s more – you can!
Scholastic Book Fairs comes to
our school on September 24th
to share exciting books and educational learning products with our young
readers. Parents and teachers will find
plenty of items to interest them too.
This Fair is open each day during school hours.
We’re hosting a Family Event
during Open House on September 26th. The fair will be open from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
When you visit the Fair, look
for the Classroom Wish List display to see how you can help build your child’s
classroom library.
The Book Fair helps us promote
learning while raising money for our library.
Our goal for this year’s fair is to provide additional titles to our
Reading Counts program.
Please note that there is an
8.8% sales tax on all purchases.
Don’t miss out on the
Scholastic Book Fair, September 24-26th. Call 253-945-3220
for more information.
Parents, please remind your children that even with warmer weather, students are expected to observe “school” rather than “summer” dress. Short-shorts, halter tops, spaghetti straps, tops with low-cut necks or armholes, bare stomachs, are not allowed at school.
Good September Advice:
WRITE CHILD’S NAME
ON EVERYTHING!
As you send your child to school with personal supplies, lunch boxes, sweaters and coats, please remember this golden rule: Write his/her name on EVERYTHING! Each semester we send a heap of coats, sweatshirts, lunch containers and fine Tupperware to the clothing bank when it over-crowds our Lost and Found. Items with children’s names are easily returned. Please help out by taking a few moments to identify your child’s belongings with ink or permanent marker.
All medications, whether prescription or over-the-counter, require an authorization form signed by both the doctor (or prescribing health-care provider) and the parent/guardian. These forms are available in the school office. Most medications can be prescribed to avoid school hours all together, but if this can not be avoided, the school requires that an adult bring the medication in the original, pharmacy-labeled medication bottle. We know the policy can be inconvenient at times, however the safety of our students need to be a top priority, so thank you for your cooperation!
Education
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) testing for the 2003 school year will occur in January for grades 3, 4 & 5 and students in grade 2 will be tested in February. Packets will be available in the schools by mid November.
This Year
Please help us welcome some new staff members to Meredith Hill this year.
My name is Cindy Dennison and I
teach first grade. I am new to Meredith
Hill coming from Silver Lake Elementary.
I have just begun my 22nd year of teaching, all in Federal
Way. I am a graduate of Federal Way
High and continue to live in the community.
My husband teaches at Decatur and my daughter Katie is a senior
there. My son Ivan is a seventh grader
at Lakota. I love teaching first grade
and am very happy to be a part of the Meredith Hill family. Thank you for making me feel so welcome!
I am Pat Fullner and have
worked for the Federal Way School District for 15 years. I have worked with K-6 in those years in a
variety of positions. This is my first
year to have the honor of working with the preschoolers. I am enjoying it very much. I am also very happy to join the friendly
staff at Meredith Hill.
My name is Andrea Cook and I am
the new morning Kindergarten Teacher. I
am very excited to join the staff at Meredith Hill. Last Spring I graduated from the University of Washington, Tacoma
Teacher Certification Program. Previous
to attending the U, I worked as a substitute teacher for Tacoma Public Schools
and as a para educator in Lawrence, Kansas.
I was born and raised in Kansas, but moved to Tacoma to attend the
University of Puget Sound where I completed my bachelor’s degree in Comparative
Sociology. I moved back to Kansas for
four years, but just couldn’t stay away from the Northwest!
Hello, My name is Sybel
Johnson, RN, and I am the Licensed Health Specialist working part-time along
with Linda Russo, RN, the School Nurse.
The past two years I have worked at Sunnycrest, and did some subbing
several years before that. I also work
on-call as a visiting nurse for Highline Home Care. I really enjoy working with your children! I live in Des Moines with my husband, Carl,
and our 2 daughters. Eleanor is a 7th
grader at Sacajawea and Laura is a sophomore at Federal Way High School.
Due to the frightening events occurring in our nation regarding the safety of children, we ask your diligence in following these safety procedures. We want to ensure the safety of your children each and every day they are in school. Please be patient with us as we work to keep all of our students safe.
v Any
individual who is not on the Meredith Hill staff must sign in at the office and
wear a Visitor’s Badge while in the school.
v Parents
delivering lunches, supplies, or homework must drop them off at the
office. Building personnel or student
volunteers will deliver the items before lunch.
v Parents
signing students out before the end of school need to wait in the office for
the secretaries to call the student out of class.
v Any
adult without a badge will be asked to return to the office area immediately.
Thank you for your support and understanding as we strive to make Meredith Hill as safe and secure as possible.
School Attendance Policy
Just a reminder... when your child is going to be absent, please call the school the day of the absence to report the reason for the absence. Also, please follow any absence up with a written note.
Morning Drop-Off and
Afternoon Pick-Up
Private vehicles entering the Meredith Hill parking lots from 8:35-8:50 a.m. and from 3:15-3:30 p.m. must follow established procedures when dropping off and picking up your children. In the lower parking lot, children in kindergarten and preschool can be picked up. Please do not stop your vehicle in either the bus lane or the inner lane that leads to the front doors of the school. School buses must be able to load and unload children quickly and safely. Children in grades 1-6 should be dropped off and picked up in the upper parking lot. When in the upper parking lot, please wait until you have passed all three portables and have reached the end of the drive. This area is specifically designated as a safe area for students to move to and from the school to your car. Meredith Hill also requests that you drive slowly and safely while in the vicinity of the school and on the premises. Your patience in these matters keeps our students safe, and teaches them responsible pedestrian habits.
Student Led Conferences
Students will be active
participants in conferences this year.
Your children will attend the conference WITH you and share their
progress in their own words. They will
share work samples they have collected in portfolios that show their personal
growth. Teachers will take time to share
test scores and grades for a portion of each 30 minute conference. The fall conferences will be held October 30th,
31st and November 1st.
September
19 – P.T.A. General Mtg., 7:00 p.m.
23 – P.T.A. Sweatshirt Sales
Begin
24 – School Picture Day
24 – Scholastic Book Fair
25 – Scholastic Book Fair
26 – Scholastic Book Fair
26 – Open House, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
27 – S.L.T. Mtg., 7:30-8:25
a.m.
30 – P.T.A. Wrapping Paper
Fundraiser Begins
October
10 – NO SCHOOL – Waiver Day
11 – NO SCHOOL – Literacy Day
15 – P.T.A. Board Mtg., 6:30
p.m.
18 – Earthquake Drill 1:00 p.m.
25 – S.L.T. Mtg., 7:30-8:25
a.m.
30 – NO SCHOOL – Student Led
Conferences
31 – NO SCHOOL – Student Led
Conferences
Outdoor Education (Camp)
5th
and 6th Grades
Outdoor camp will be available
for both fifth and sixth graders this year.
The 6th grades will attend Camp Waskowitz this March. The fifth grade classes will go to Camp
Thunderbird in May. The students will
be involved in fundraisers to help with the costs associated with camp. The P.T.A. will also help with fundraising
on a limited basis. We want all of our
students to be able to attend camp this year.
Both fifth and sixth grades will attend camp because of the transition
of the sixth grades to middle school next year. After the change, all fifth graders in the Federal Way School District
will attend camp each year. Please be
sure to mark your calendars with the dates provided