Asp Families,
Happy almost first day of school! We’re excited to see all of you on Monday. We have a couple of notes to share that we hope will make the day and week of school a little bit less stressful for you and your child:
Our doors are unlocked at 7:20 am every day of the school year, including Monday on the first day of school. Students will be able to enter the building at that time through either one of our main entrances, door 1 on the south side for parent drop off, and door 5 on the north side where our buses drop off students.
Walking students can enter through either main entrance, whichever is closest to home.
As we’ve done in previous years, we’re asking you to wish your child well at the bus stop, in the car, or on the sidewalk every day of the year, including the first day of school. We’ll have staff at door 1 who can escort your child to their classrooms, if needed, the first week and a half. Tell us their teacher’s last name and we can get them where they need to be!
The only exception to this on the first day only would be new enrollments who haven’t been in our school yet. We want you to be comfortable knowing your child is in good hands when you leave them here. But after the first day of school we expect kids/adults to separate at the front door.
The curb is for drop off only, and remember that all sidewalks lead to door 1. If you need to leave your car for any reason, please park in a parking spot and then cross the lot at one of our school patrol locations, for your safety and especially the safety of your child. Like many of the above notes, this will be a consistent practice throughout the school year, day 1 to day 170.
This week when students arrive they can choose to eat breakfast or go to their classrooms. Starting week 2 we’ll begin each day with a BC Start to the day when the doors unlock at 7:20. Students can choose Breakfast or Calm. Breakfast is free for all students and is in the cafeteria. If your child is eating at school, please remind them that they need to choose breakfast first. The first buses drop off at 7:20 and we’d strongly encourage parents to drop off at the same time if your child is going to eat at school. Remember, it’s free to EVERYONE again this year! And if your child is not eating breakfast at school they can choose Calm in their grade level location. Teachers will share this information with students, as will we with you next week. Remember - Breakfast first, Calm second. Thanks!
The first bell rings at 7:35, which signifies the end of BC Start as students transition to their classrooms. Our staff monitoring Breakfast and Calm will guide the students toward their classrooms. The school day itself starts at 7:45 am and ends at 2:30 pm. Buses depart at 2:38, and all students should be picked up by 2:45 pm. Obviously if the parking lot is busy due to the beginning of the year or weather, we understand that there might be some delays.
For our K students getting rides, they will be waiting with their teacher on the plaza for parent pick up after school near door 12 a little before the end of the school day at roughly 2:25 pm.
Our weekly focus is on the BEs - BE Safe, BE Respectful, BE Responsible, & BE Kind, as well as our building routines!
Linked is a copy of our 26-27 elementary handbook for your reference. Please note our discipline policy listed on pages 20-34, along with our bus code of conduct. Paper copies of the handbook are available upon request at the front office.
Finally, all cell phones, gizmo and apple watches are NOT to be used by students during school hours, so please leave them at home. Call the office or email your child’s teacher as needed, and we’ll do the same if they need to reach you.
The first day of school is an exciting, yet busy day. Please be prepared for delays both before and after school as we all start to learn our routines. Have a clearly communicated plan with your child at the end of the day so that they know if they should get on a bus, walk home, or wait outside for you near door 1. Students who are walking home or to daycare should either have practiced their route, or have a plan to meet you so you can walk home together. Most potential problems can be prevented by being proactive! Some other quick items of note:
Attendance: We want to talk about something incredibly important for your child's success: attendance. This year, our focus is "Eight is Great!"—our goal is for students to miss no more than eight school days out of 171. This includes all absences. Every day in the classroom counts. The icons you see on our attendance materials each have a special meaning: the book, graduation cap, and scroll represent learning and academic achievement; the trophy and dollar sign symbolize success and the future value of education; and the clipboard and smiling heart emphasize tracking progress and social-emotional growth. These icons remind us that consistent attendance is the foundation for your child to learn, grow, and build strong relationships. Please check the important attendance letters that were sent home, which are available in both English and Spanish. Thank you for your partnership!
PTAC: Our Robert Asp PTAC (parent teacher committee) is having our first meeting next week on Tuesday, September 8th, 5:30-6:30 pm in the Robert Asp Media Center. Come and learn what PTAC is all about!
Activity Fees: Thank you to everyone who paid their activity fee at Back-to-School Night! Family support at this school is amazing! If you haven't had a chance to pay for your student(s) yet you can do so here or at the school office by cash or check. This fee is for all students at Asp, and it all goes back to the classroom teachers. They can use it for special events or special items for their classrooms. If you pay your fee by the start of the day on Monday you’ll be entered into the drawing for the hats and blanket (three winners in total).
YMCA After School Care: Still looking for after school care for your child? We have the best possible option available - YMCA care at Asp! We still have a few openings for an amazing option on-site, close to your home. Check out this link to learn more about it and/or register!
Picture Day: Our school picture day at Asp is on Friday, September 11, in the morning. This link will allow you to pre-order pictures, if interested. Enter the Access Code: MAPS26 and then order anytime before October 4!
Finally, as we noted previously, we’ll send an email every Sunday for the rest of the year (never this long again), in addition to whatever your teachers share. We try hard to keep families updated on everything happening at Asp, but especially as we start the year. Again, we can’t wait to see/meet all of you. It’s going to be an AWESOME year!
Mr. St. Louis and Mrs. Knutson, principals