8/1/08
Dear Amanda Families, We hope you all had an enjoyable and safe summer. Every year, we look forward to the return of the children and families to school. It seems very empty around here right now, but the hallways and classrooms won't be empty for long! I'm writing this letter to inform you of some upcoming before school events and opportunities for the new year. First of all, we begin school earlier this year. The first day of school for 1st-5th grade students is Wednesday, August 20th, right around the corner. The first day of school for Pre-school & Kindergarten is Friday, August 22nd. School supply lists and class lists are posted at the building. Following are some other important dates. " Saturday, August 16th from 12:30p.m.-6:00p.m. Amanda PTO will host a Lawn Festival. Come enjoy many games, activities & prizes. The rain date will be Saturday, August 23rd, same time. " Tuesday, August 19th from 4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. Amanda Elementary will hold Open House. Please come by to meet teachers and see where classes will be held. " Wednesday, August 20th. First Day of School for 1st-5th grades. School hours will be from 9:00a.m.-3:45p.m. Students may arrive and enter the building at 8:45a.m. This year all students will go directly to classrooms at 8:45a.m., where they will have breakfast with their teachers. " Friday, August 22nd. First Day of School for Preschool & Kindergarten. " Monday, September 1st. No School due to Labor Day holiday. There are many exciting opportunities for the new year. Last year we grew our Outdoor Education Program, teaching students by using the outdoors. We believe children learn best by making connections to the real world! What better way to do that than by peaking their curiosity for what's outside! We plan to continue to use the outdoors to teach the children the things they need to learn, including reading, writing, math, etc. One example of this work can be seen while entering the building. In the Spring, our 1st grade classes planted flowers at the entrance of the building. When they planted the flowers, they studied and used rulers to measure the roots. They wrote about their experiences. This one activity allowed them to practice reading, writing, math, science and social studies skills as well as work together as a team. We welcome your input and involvement with this very important work. We also believe it is very important to continue to learn to build relationships and work well with one another. We want to continue to create opportunities for our children to learn the importance of teamwork and caring; caring for ourselves, others, and the earth. Amanda Elementary will have quarterly themes this year that focus on outdoor education and relationship building and teamwork. The first quarter theme will be "Rediscovering Our Roots". Students, staff and families will be participating in projects where they learn more about their family and community histories. This will allow us to learn more about one another, the children and families we serve. We will also use this theme to literally discover roots through our outdoor education program. We will celebrate our work together every Friday morning in a whole-school assembly in the gymnasium. We welcome and need your involvement in order for this to be successful for the children. Please stay tuned for more details from your child's classroom teachers. As always, we look forward to the opportunity to serve this community's children. As we begin a new year, we want to say thank you for all you do everyday to ensure the safety and well being of your children. We appreciate your trust, partnership and feedback as you send your children to us each day. We promise to do everything in our power to care for them, teach them the skills they will need to be successful throughout their lives, and learn from them each day. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Beth Prince
Principal, Amanda Elementary
bprince@middletowncityschools.com
(513) 420-4542
E-mail Beth Prince
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