Meredith Hill students have tremendous support from their families. As we reflect on the recent student-led conferences, all staff are so appreciative of the time you moms and dads set aside to attend the student-led conferences and interact with your children about their learning.

Each year, more families are participating in the conferences--very near 100% this year! The students spent a lot of time the past weeks preparing for the conferences and had been looking forward to sharing with you. As you saw, they’ve been setting reading goals, reflecting on their work habits, and planning how to be successful academically and socially throughout the year. The teachers wanted to present to you important testing data and student work that represented your child’s current level of achievement.

As I attended the conferences, I was so impressed with the kinds of questions you asked your children and the contributions you made to goal setting for your child. It is this kind of support –the support of families and teachers that will help the children be successful in school and throughout life. Thanks again for making the conferences so successful.

Finally, the teachers gave each of you surveys related to the conferences. If you have not already turned in your survey, please fill it out and return in to school. We value your feedback!

Sincerely,

Cindy Kelsey, Principal

NOVEMBER

5 – Health Screening

6 – Cookie Day

V e Veteran’s Day Assembly 1:30

10– NO SCHOOL-State Teacher Inservice

11– NO SCHOOL-Veteran’s Day

13– PTA General Meeting 6:30

17-21–National Children’s Book Week

20 – Cookie Day

26– Early Dismissal 1:50

27,28– Thanksgiving Holidays

December

5– NO SCHOOL-Staff Development Day

Health Screening

Meredith Hill Health Screening Day will be Wednesday, November 5. There will be hearing and Scoliosis screening, as well as vision rechecks. Parents are notified of the results only if the student does not meet the normal criteria for the screening and needs to be rechecked by their health care provider.

Dress for the weather!

The rain and cold weather have returned. Just this past weekend we experienced the cold chill and snow coming a little earlier than we expected! Meredith Hill students will be going outside as much as possible for recess throughout the winter so that they can get physical activity. Please dress your children to be at recess on wet and cold weather days. When the weather is severe, we will make sure the students are inside and safe.

Thanksgiving Dismissal

The school district would like to inform parents and students about early dismissal on Nov. 26, 2003 (the day before Thanksgiving). This will be a two hour early dismissal for all schools. There is no option for a longer or shorter early dismissal. Meredith Hill will be dismissing at 1:50 p.m. that day. There will be no PM preschool or kindergarten. Thank you.

Games for Recess

We are in need of games for students to play at recess time when it’s too wet to go outside. If you have any used games that you would like to donate, please send them to the Meredith Hill office.

National Children’s Book Week

November 17-21, 2003

Please join in the fun as we celebrate reading and children’s literature during National Children’s Book Week. Here are the daily themes and events:

Monday: “Make a Joyful Noise”

Monday – “Make a Joyful Noise”

Special assembly – The “Noise Guy”

Pre-2^nd Grade assembly: 9:45 – 10:30

3-5^th Grade assembly: 11:00 – 11:45

All School Read-Aloud for 1 minute at 3:45

Tuesday: “Where the Wild Things Are”

Tuesday – “Where the Wild Things Are”

Let the rumpus begin, and wear your favorite pair of PJ’s to read in.

Wednesday: “Read Around the World”

Wednesday – “Read Around the World”

Don hats or clothing representing someplace you’ve lived, visited or vacationed.

Thursday – “Characters, Costumes, and Confetti”

Thursday: “Character, Costumes, and Confetti”

Everyone can enjoy Book Character Dress up Day, with drawings for prizes.

Friday – Orca Read and Succeed Day

Wear your school colors.

Emergency Closures

Arrangements have been made with the radio and TV stations listed below to broadcast information about any school closures or late starts due to snow/ice or other emergency

conditions. These announcements will begin at 5:30 a.m.

PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL OFFICE FOR THIS INFORMATION. The school staff gets info from the news stations the same time as you.

If the Federal Way School District is NOT mentioned during the news broadcast, it means that school will be open with buses operating on as normal a schedule as possible. This means that even though buses will begin their routes on time, road and traffic conditions could cause them to be late to their stops. Please be patient. We would rather the students be late than to have accidents.

You can also find out on the web at: http://www.schoolreport.org/

School closures are announced on the following stations:

Television: KOMO TV Channel 4

KING TV, Channel 5

KIRO TV, Channel 7

KSTW TV, Channel 22

NW Cable News, Channel 35

Radio: KIRO 710 AM

KOMO 1000 AM

KVI 580 AM

KLAY 1180 AM

KPLU 88.5 FM

Holiday Help Available

There are many community resources available for families who need assistance this upcoming holiday season. With many families experiencing recent unemployment, this can be a difficult time. There is help available! If you would like more information about these resources, please call Mrs. Patty EagleCruz, Meredith Hill school counselor at 253 945 3208. This information is kept confidential.

What’s Going On in FW Schools?

The Key Communicator is a weekly district-produced e-mail newsletter that includes information about school board meetings, district programs and initiatives, school highlights, scholarships and grant opportunities and more. Whether you’re a parent, a student or a community member, the Key Communicator has something of value for you. If you would like to receive our weekly e-mail newsletter, please e-mail distenber@fwps.org. There is no charge for the newsletter and we do not share our e-mail address list with other departments or agencies.

Deb Stenberg

Community Relations Associate

Federal Way Public Schools

253-945-2266

From the Nurse:

Illness or Injury at School

Most students visit the health room at least once during their elementary school career. If a student reports to the teacher that they are not feeling well, the teacher will determine if the child should go to the health room for evaluation. Sometimes a drink of water in the classroom or laying their head down for a few minutes are all that is needed. Teachers have first aid kits in the classrooms, which include thermometers. If a student has an elevated temperature they are promptly sent to the health room for parent contact. For minor injuries, soap, water, and Band-Aids are available in the classroom.

Once the student reaches the health room he/she may be met by the licensed healthcare specialist, Mrs. Johnson RN, the office assistant, the office secretary, or office manager. Office personnel receive training in first aid and CPR. I am at school all day Monday, and Wednesday afternoons.

Typical trips to the health room involve a temperature check and rest period for things such as stomachache, headache, or sore throat. Cuts are cleaned and covered with a Band-Aid. Bumps and bruises are treated with ice packs. Parents are not routinely notified of a visit to the health room unless the child is not well enough to remain at school, or has received a significant injury.

School district policy guidelines state that children with any of the following symptoms must be sent home:

* Oral temperature of 100 degrees or higher.

* Any vomiting or diarrhea at school.

* The presence of any of the following untreated communicable diseases – head lice, scabies, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, fifth’s disease, strep throat and/or scarlet fever, pink eye, ringworm, and impetigo.

Complete and accurate information on your child’s emergency card is critical. If you have changed your address, telephone number, or work place and phone number, please let us know immediately. Be sure to have the name and telephone number of a person whom we can contact if we cannot reach you to pick-up an ill or injured child.

All health room visits are logged. Parents will be notified if their child is making frequent health room visits so that the situation can be evaluated.

Any school staff, including the school nurse, is prohibited from giving any medication to students unless there is a parent/physician medication form, which has been signed by both the doctor and the parent, and brought to school with the medication. These forms are available in the school office.