PROVIDENCE BEAR NECESSITIES

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PROVIDENCE BEAR NECESSITIES SPECIAL SUMMER
EDITION AUGUST 2008 If IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP
TO ME.
Dear Bear Family Members Happy August to you!
We certainly hope that your family has enjoyed a
great and safe summer thus far. Please review
this newsletter carefully, then post it on your
refrigerator! The first day of school is
September 2. WHEN CAN WE MEET THE
TEACHERS?! 8/28 Special Education orientation
ECSE, MIMD, MOMD, ED parents and children
230p.m. Café. 8/29 Pre-School orientation
parents only 1130 1230 p.m. in the
cafeteria. 8/29 Kindergarten orientation 10
11 a.m. for parents and children. Café. 8/29
Classroom Walk-Through Grades 1 5, 2 300
p.m. for parents and children. NOTE On August
29, we ask all families new to Providence to meet
in the cafeteria at 130 for a special
introduction to our school! WHEN WILL I KNOW MY
CHILDS TEACHER ASSIGNMENT? On Wednesday, August
27th at 500pm, class rolls will be posted
alphabetically on the front doors by grade level.
PLEASE STOP BY BEFORE 9/2 TO SEE YOUR CHILDS
ASSIGNMENT! GRADES 2ND, 3RD, 4TH, 5TH
ASSIGNMENT AGENDAS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. THE COST IS 3.00.
SCHOOL PHONE NUMBERS OFFICE HOURS
Front Office 674-1345 800
400 Clinic 674-1348
SCHOOL HOURS CLINIC
HOURS 920 340 900
330 Buses unload at 910
Back To School Nights! Tuesday, September 16
700 pm, Grades 3 - 5 Tuesday, September 23
700 pm, Grades 1 2 Tuesday, Sept. 30 PTA
School Picnic 5pm
End of Day Dismissal Times Bell 1 330
Kindergarten, Vans, Parent pick-up Bell 2 335
Grades 1, 2, Vans, Parent pick-up Bell 3 340
Grades 3 5, Vans, Parent pick-up
OUR CORE VALUES ARE REINFORCED IMMEDIATELY
Respect Responsibility Honesty
Accountability Safety
WHICH STAFF MEMBERS ARE NOT RETURNING TO
PROVIDENCE? Ann Tankersley - retired Amanda
Graziano KG, Crystal Dale Jenny Easter 1st,
Jennifer Gordon MOMD aide to Manchester HS.
Janet Anderson - clinic to Winterpock. WHO ARE
NEW TO OUR STAFF THIS YEAR?? Donna Murphy
Kindergarten, Kathy Hartman Alicia Watts
Grade 1, Jill Gusewelle Grade 4, Patsy Stine
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
Switching Gears Sandie Jones - 4th grade to
Kindergarten.
IT HAD TO HAPPEN! Yes, Providence Elementary
finally needed a trailer due to an increase over
the years of students and programs. Our trailer
(on the blacktop behind the school) will probably
be used for PALS tutoring or instruction for
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
Although we have been blessed with very few
vandalism incidents, it is extremely important
that you help us monitor our school and property
as much as possible. Please keep your eyes open
after school hours and on weekends and report any
suspicious activity to police. Thanks! WHAT
ABOUT AFTERNOON DISMISSALS? I DONT KNOW HOW IM
GOING HOME! I THINK MY MOM SAID SHE WAS
PICKING ME UP TODAY. I THINK I GO TO DAYCARE,
BUT I DONT KNOW WHICH ONE. I RIDE A DIFFERENT
BUS IN THE AFTERNOON. Parents, these are just a
few of the childrens comments that our staff
hears especially the first week of school.
Please make sure your child(ren) know how they
are to go home. If it differs from the morning
routine, ex parent pick up instead of the bus,
they must have a note from you. Also, write the
bus number on their backpack or in a note for
them and their teachers. Staff and parent
volunteers will mark hands of all Kindergarten
through 3rd grade students with their bus numbers
and they will be walked to class the first week
of school. Staff that are assigned to parent
drop off will also ask parents how their children
will go home and mark their hands accordingly
with a bus number or (p) for parent pick up. As
previously stated, children must have in writing
that their parent or another individual is
picking them up at the end of the day. WHAT ABOUT
EARLY DISMISSALS? Individual student cards in
the office are used to sign in tardy students and
also used to sign out early dismissals. No child
will be called early from class for a dismissal
to the office unless there is a scheduled
appointment exdentist/doctor. All other
dismissals will be at the end of the childs
school day in the cafeteria. WHAT IF MY CHILD
ARRIVES LATE OR NEEDS TO BE PICKED UP
EARLY? Parents are required to come in with late
students and sign the cards which require a
reason for tardiness. It is important not to
dismiss early because of ongoing instruction and
important end of the day reminders. As always,
good attendance is always a priority! Please
read the enclosed Chesterfield County Policy.
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• WHAT ARE SOME THINGS I CAN DO TO HELP MY
  CHILDS FIRST FEW WEEKS OF SCHOOL?
• Keep in mind that children are not to be
  at school prior to 910 AM. Your child cannot be
  safely supervised before then, as our staff is
  involved in meetings, conferences, etc. For the
  safety of your child, this rule will be strictly
  enforced. We realize that work schedules and
  childcare needs can make things difficult for you
  in the mornings however, our official school
  hours are 920 (910 1st bell) 340. Thank you
  for your support!
• To help us keep Providence a secure place for
  children and staff, visitors are required to sign
  in and out at the office and wear a visitors tag
  before going to a classroom or elsewhere in the
  building. All visitors to the building will
  obtain a badge from the office. We always
  welcome you to visit and become involved with
  your childs education! Please remember to
  schedule in advance with the teacher so as not to
  disrupt classroom instruction.
• Children are not to have cell phones in school.
  Also, we ask that parents not talk on their cell
  phones as a courtesy to others.
• PLEASE be ready to show your drivers license as
  ID when signing out a child from the office.
• Please let your child ride the school bus,
  especially the first few weeks of school. This
  helps him/her understand the routine quickly and
  keeps our afternoon dismissal orderly. Parent
  volunteers and staff are outside every day to
  make sure children get to the right buses.

WHAT ABOUT BUS STOPS AND ROUTES? Routes will be
posted on the schools front doors the week of
8/25-8/29. Again, it is important for you to get
this information before 9/2! The Chesterfield
transportation department design routes that meet
the following requirement No elementary student
shall be required to walk further than .3 of a
mile to either the bus stop or the school. If you
have any concerns regarding bus stops, routes,
and so on, please call the Transportation office
at 739-6260 or write a letter to Mr. E.W. Green,
Area Supervisor of Transportation. You can also
visit the web site at www.chesterfield.k12.va.us
under Find It Quick. School Bus Stops. to
determine your new stop. Please work with your
neighbors to make sure several parents are at
your stop to supervise children all year.
CAN MY CHILD BRING LUNCH OR BUY LUNCH? IS
BREAKFAST AVAILABLE? No breakfast is served the
first 2 weeks of school. Please make sure your
child has lunch or lunch money each day of
school, but especially during the first week!
The price of one lunch is 1.75, while a weeks
worth of lunches will cost 8.75. The price of
milk is .60. The price of breakfast is 1.10.
The breakfast program begins the second week of
school. You may also pay for school lunches with
a service called MyLunchMoney.com. Parents who
prefer the convenience of depositing and tracking
school lunch funds through the Internet may do so
with this service. Visit www.Mylunchmoney.com or
call 800-479-3531 to find out how it works. In
the event that a student does not have lunch
money, he/she will be given a cheese sandwich and
milk. This service is offered to the child who
occasionally forgets his/her lunch and is not
intended to be used on a routine basis. Cost of
milk (.60) must be paid back to the
cafeteria. Free and reduced lunch applications
will be included in the parent packets on the
first day of school. Those students who received
free or reduced price lunches last year must
complete and return an application for the new
year. A two-week grace period will be allowed,
after which those without approved forms will be
charged regular price for the lunches.

• PARENT PICK-UP SYSTEM
• Students being picked up by a parent at the end
  of the day, (330-340) whether routinely or
  periodically, will be picked up in the cafeteria
  each afternoon.
• Parents will park in lot. (NOT in front of
  school).
• Enter cafeteria through side door (adjacent to
  the parking lot).
• Drivers license must be shown for ID.
• Children will be dismissed to the cafeteria to be
  picked up at 330-340 daily.
• Two teachers will be on Parent Pick-up duty to
  keep things moving along.
• If a student is being picked up every day, a note
  must be on file in the office indicating that
  plan. If a student is being picked up
  occasionally, a parent must write a note that
  day. If there is no note from a parent the child
  will be placed on the bus.
• THANK YOU for helping us make this work for the
  safety of your children!

KINDERGARTEN REMINDERS Before your child can
begin school on Sept. 2nd, a birth certificate
number, social security number, proof of
residency, and an immunization record physical
form, must be on file in our office. Letters
will be mailed home August 25th that will include
teacher assignments. Kindergarten orientation is
August 29th, 10 -1100 a.m. Please bring your
childs supplies! See you there!
IS THE FRONT OFFICE STAFF WATCHING TV? As part
of the added SECURITY for our buildings, all
Chesterfield County schools have installed
entrance video cameras so we are aware of who is
coming into our school and making sure that our
visitors first sign-in at our office. As always,
all other exterior doors are locked throughout
the day. Thank you for your continued safety
support.
PTA NEWS! As the President of the
Providence Elementary PTA, I would like to
welcome all of our new students and teachers, as
well as returning students and teachers, to the
2008/2009 school year. For those of you that are
new to the school, I think you will find
Providence to be an exciting and energetic school
with a great staff and great students.   Your
2008/2009 PTA Officers are President, Mark
Beavers Vice President Fundraising, Lisa
Beavers Vice President Programs, Kathy Clark
Secretary, Patty Nevadomski and Treasurer Sandy
Baboorian.   The month of September will
be busy! Back to School Nights Fall Fundraiser
Kick Off Skate Party School Picnic and Bus
Drills. We will need assistance from our parents
and ask that you consider volunteering a small
portion of your time. I would like to
remind all parents that the membership of the PTA
is vital to the success of a school.
CLINIC
Our clinic aide will be here on Thursday, August
28th Friday, August 29th to receive your
child(ren)s medication to assist you with
appropriate paperwork. Students are not allowed
to bring medications to/from school.
The Chesterfield County public school system does
not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of sex,
race, color, age, religion, disabilities or
national origin in Employment or in its
educational programs and activities. More info
http//chesterfield.k12.va.us/htm/ccps_pages/compl
iance.htm