Wednesday, September 6, 2006

August/September Newsletter – 2006

Dear Franklin Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

Welcome to the 2006-2007 school year!  We are off to a great start and are looking forward to a very exciting and successful year.  The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed about events happening at Franklin.  It will be published every month.  If you ever have any questions about anything you see published in the newsletter, contact me at school.  I will be happy to answer your questions. 

            Calendar of Events

Below are some important events to mark on your September school calendar.

                        September 4                 LABOR DAY – NO SCHOOL

                                          5                3^rd grade parents meeting @6:00 p.m.

                                                            5^th grade parents meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

                                          6                2^nd grade parents meeting @ 6:00 p.m.

                                                            4^th grade parents meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

                                        8-18             Scott Card Fund-raiser Sale

                                        12                1^st grade parents meeting @ 6:30 p.m.

                                         28               Fall School Pictures

                                         29               Interim reports sent home with students

            Scott Card Fund-raiser

We will hold our annual Scott Card Fund-raiser on September 8 through the 18^th.  The profit from this sale goes into the Franklin Principal’s Activity Fund.  We use the monies to pay for things for the students and teachers throughout the school year.  Some of the things that are paid for out of this fund include field trip expenses, student assemblies, student awards, quiz bowl team, Reading Counts incentives, kick balls for the playground, teacher classroom supplies, P.E. supplies, the Spelling Bee, and the P.T.O. Christmas program to name a few.  We hope that you will continue to support this important fund-raiser.

            Student Enrollment

Student enrollment at the present time is 436.  It breaks down as follows:

                        K – 71                         4^th - 79

                        1^st – 78                                    5^th - 62

                        2^nd – 71

                        3^rd – 75

            Dress Code

The dress code for Franklin Elementary is on page 12 of the Franklin Elementary Handbook.  The dress code policy for the Delphos City Schools is on pages 18 and 19 of the Student Conduct Code Handbook.  A copy of our Franklin Handbook was sent home with every student and a copy of the Student Conduct Code Handbook was sent home with the oldest in the family the first day of school.  Read both over carefully.  We take pride in our students’ appearance. 
For their own self-esteem, we think it is important that every child comes to school each day well-groomed and dressed appropriately.  I would like to make one clarification concerning footwear that is not spelled out in the dress code. If you choose to allow your child to wear sandals to school, they must wear socks on their feet.  For health and safety reasons, we think it is inappropriate for children to be in school with bare feet semi-exposed.  If you have any questions about the dress code, contact me at school.

            New Staff Members

We have two new faces on the Franklin staff this year.  Mr. Whitney Harper is our new fifth grade teacher.  He replaces Mrs. Quincy Kiracofe who is now our school guidance counselor.  Mrs. Kiracofe replaced Mrs. Nancy Sakemiller who retired at the end of last year. Mrs. Marie Groch is our new third grade teacher.  She replaces Mrs. Kathy Rostorfer who transferred to Landeck this year.  Mrs. Groch taught music last year.  Our new music teacher is Mrs. Christina Grothaus.  We welcome Mr. Harper and Mrs. Grothaus to our staff at Franklin.

            Grade-level Parents’ Meetings

Please note the date and time of your child(ren)’s grade-level parents’ meeting(s) in the calendar of events.  The Kindergarten parents’ meeting was held on Monday, August 21^st.  The 3^rd and 5^th grade meetings were held on Tuesday, September 5^th.  The 2^nd and 4^th grade meetings are tonight and the 1^st grade meeting is next Tuesday, September 12^th.  These meetings are for parents only; we ask that you leave your children at home that night.  These meetings do not take the place of parent/teacher conferences which will be held on November 8 and 9.  At this meeting your child(ren)’s teacher(s) will sit down with you and talk about their classroom rules and expectations, homework, and other important topics.  You will have the opportunity to ask questions and share with them anything that you feel it is important for them to know about your child(ren).  This is an important time to begin to establish those lines of communication that are so important to have between home and school.  We hope you take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.  Each grade level will be sending home a letter about their meeting.  Look for it among the things your child brings home from school.  If you have any questions, contact your child’s teacher.

            School Pictures

All grades will have their pictures taken on Thursday, September 28^th.  Notices about this event will be sent home to you later this month.  If you wish to purchase a picture package, fill out the information on the pay envelope when it comes home, place the exact amount for the pictures in the envelope, and return it to school with your child on the day of pictures (September 28).  Your child will give his/her envelope directly to the photographer before having his/her picture taken.  If you write a check for pictures make it payable to Lifetouch not Franklin Elementary.  Please put the exact amount in the pay envelope as we do not have money in the office to make change for students bringing in the wrong amount.  All students will have their picture taken for their class’s composite picture even if they do not want to purchase a picture package.  If you misplace your pay envelope, we will have extras in the office.

School Book Fee Application

Attention Van Wert County residents only.  You may be eligible for payment of your school book fees.  The Van Wert County Department of Job and Family Services have sent us School Book and Lab Fee Applications.  If you are a resident of Van Wert County, meet the income guidelines and other PRC eligibility criteria; you may be eligible to have your school fees paid.  We have the applications in our office.  If you think you might qualify stop in and pick up an application.  If you qualify and have already paid your book fees we will reimburse your money.  The income guidelines are below.

            Family Size                   Monthly Income

                 1                             $1511

                 2                             $2035

                 3                             $2560

                 4                             $3084

                 5                             $3607

                 6                             $4132

                 7                             $4456

                 8                             $5180

            Summer Maintenance Projects

We take a great deal of pride in the appearance of our building and grounds.  A visitor’s first impressions of our school are what they see as they walk in or drive by.  We think first impressions are important and we want that first impression to be a positive one!  To that end, Mr. Ricker and his summer crew did a wonderful job over the summer cleaning and maintaining our building and grounds.  We put down new mulch in the playground area for our students.  Mr. Ricker painted 3 classrooms and the guidance office.  We replaced old drapes with new vertical blinds in two classrooms. We had a new fire alarm system installed in the building to bring us up to code with the new fire safety regulations.  Finally, we replaced all the old desks and chairs in the fifth grade classrooms and two resource rooms with new ones.  Every thing looks great!  We are dedicated to keeping our school facilities at Franklin looking good.  As time and money allow we will continue to upgrade our facilities so our students have a school to be proud of.

            School Dismissal and Pickup Procedures

Attached to this newsletter are a copy of our school dismissal and pickup procedures and a map of our playground.  Please read the dismissal and pickup procedures over carefully.  Study the map.  For the safety of our children we ask that you not park in areas that are designated as no parking.  If someone other than you picks up your child(ren) after school please share these procedures and map with them.  Afternoon recess is not over until 2:30 p.m.  We ask that, if possible, that you not arrive until after that time as the gates will not be opened until after the children are back in the building.  For our parents who choose to arrive before the playground gates are open and line up on Pierce and Fifth Streets, please be mindful of other traffic on these streets, especially Fifth Street, which can be very busy.  We do not want to create unsafe traffic situations by blocking the view of intersections as this might cause an accident. For those who would rather not park on the playground you can park in the church parking lot on Pierce Street and walk over to the school to pick up your children.  All student walkers and bike riders will exit the playground by the gate on Fourth Street.  No students will be allowed to exit the playground through the gates on Pierce Street without an adult to supervise them.  I know the traffic is quite congested around Franklin at dismissal time but if we all watch out for each other we can keep it safe and no one will get hurt.  Thank you for your cooperation.  If you have any questions or concerns, contact me at school.

            Attention Parents of Students in Grades 2-5:  Study Island

Our school now has access to a great resource for preparing kids for the state standardized tests.  We have purchased a building license for a web-based program called Study Island, which is accessible to students in grades 2-5 from school or home.  If you have Internet access, your child can access Study Island from home as well as school to prepare for the state assessments.

The attached sheet provides an overview of the program.  We are excited about the potential benefits this program can bring to our students, and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity by using Study Island. Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or contact Study Island at 800-419-3191 or support@studyisland.com if you have any questions.

            Thought for the Month

QUALITIES TO PASS ON TO YOUR CHILDREN

DETERMINATION                            “Stick with it, regardless.”

HONESTY                                          “Speak and live the truth – always.”

RESPONSIBILITY                             “Be dependable, be trustworthy.”

THOUGHTFULNESS             “Think of others before yourself.”

CONFIDENTIALITY                         “Don’t tell secrets.  Seal your lips.”

PUNCTUALITY                                 “Be on time.”

SELF-CONTROL                               “When under stress, stay clam.”

PATIENCE                                         “Fight irritability.  Be willing to wait.”

PURITY                                              “Reject anything that lowers your standards.”

COMPASSION                                  “When another hurts, feel it with him/her.”

DILIGENCE                                        “Work hard.  Tough it out.”

                                                                        Charles R. Swindoll

                                                                        From “Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life”

Tim Larimore

Principal