Intermediate School November Newsletter (22–23)
Important Dates
11/8 - Asynchronous Day - Conference Day
11/11 - Half day - Conferences 11:30 dismissal
11/15 - PCO Meeting at 6 p.m. at Intermediate School
11/16 - ECS Board of Trustees Meeting at 6 p.m. at Middle School
11/17 - Children’s Grief Awareness Day
11/23 - Half day - Thanksgiving Holiday
11/24 - 11/28 - No School Thanksgiving Holiday
Dear Intermediate School Families,
As we closed down the month of October and welcomed in the month of November, the students and staff participated in a couple of events including an ECS tradition, The Pumpkin Parade, on October 28th. You will find below pictures of children’s smiling faces experiencing the fun that the day brings. The school-wide Pumpkin Parade event is one of the ways in which we come together as a school community and celebrate traditions. Mr. Jon McCann, the CEO, assumed the role of the Great Pumpkin and led the students to the nearby baseball field in Regent Square while the families looked on.
Another specific ECS Intermediate School tradition is the Pumpkin Decorating Contest. Students could not carve the pumpkin and had to use recyclable materials to decorate it. The students had a chance to use their imagination as they created their pumpkin masterpieces. The winners of the contest were announced on November 2nd. Enjoy pictures of the creative pumpkin decoration winners below.
Sincerely,
Laura Williams
Intermediate School Principal
What’s new at the Intermediate School?
View the Intermediate Food Allergy Flier_2022.2023
A Note from the Nurse
ECS has had a few reported cases of head lice in the buildings.
Head lice do not carry any disease, and their presence does not indicate unsanitary conditions. Head lice can infest anyone. Control of head lice in our school depends on prompt diagnosis and effective treatment. Your help in inspecting your child weekly throughout the school year for the presence of head lice would be greatly appreciated. Please note that whole grade head checks are not completed when lice is detected as this practice has shown to be non productive.
We suggest the following procedure for inspecting your child for head lice:
1. Under bright light begin looking at the back of the head just above the neck area.
2. Part the hair section by section and look closely for head lice or nits (eggs). Eggs will usually be located near the scalp.
3. Depending on the length and thickness of the hair, it should take between 5 and 15 minutes to properly inspect a child's head.
Please read the ECS Lice Guidelines ECS lice for additional information.
Student Services News
Attendance Reminder
As the Holiday Season approaches, we recognize that trips may be planned in the coming months. As a reminder, each student gets 10 excused absences from a parent per year. You can complete the online excuse form here. Any additional absences must be excused by a doctor. If your student will be absent for a pre-scheduled trip, please email your building principal for approval.
Children’s Grief Awareness Day
On Thursday, November 17th, ECS will be participating in Children's Grief Awareness Day. All ECS students are invited to wear all BLUE (while following dress code guidelines) to raise awareness for the needs of grieving children. Throughout the week, students will be participating in developmentally appropriate discussions around how to support those who are grieving or sad. For information about support services for grieving children, check out The Caring Place and/or reach out to a school counselor. #CGADHOPE #CGAD2022
Go Guardian Break Changes
ECS uses a Beacon software tool to monitor online activity from your child’s school account. During the year when school is in session, if any content related to suicide or self harm is flagged, a member of our Student Services team follows up with students and families to ensure that students are properly supported. During the break, the ability to monitor these alerts is significantly reduced. If an alert is detected, the notification will be sent directly to the parent from Go Guardian. As always, we encourage you to have open conversations with your child and/or contact Re:solve Crisis Services (1-888-796-8226) if you are concerned about your student’s mental health and safety. Because this software tool is only based on your child’s online activity, it should not be used as a medical or psychological assessment of your child’s condition, but more so an indicator that you should speak with your child about what is troubling them.
K-5 SEL & Counseling Lesson Updates
October SEL teacher-led lessons focused on emotion management skills. Additional lessons with school counselors built off of this theme as a foundational skill for overall wellness and bullying prevention. School counselors also continued to work on individual student Minute Meetings in order to better understand how students feel about school, friends, and trusted adults at ECS.
This Month’s Cultural Celebrations
Our ECS community is made up of many different cultures, and we take some time to celebrate cultures, traditions, and world events. During this month of gratitude, we are celebrating the history of Dia de Los Muertos, Veterans Day, and Native American Heritage Month.
In Case You Missed It
Half-Day Dismissal Time
Intermediate School students are dismissed at 11:20 a.m. on half days.
New Arrival Time
As we begin the 2022 - 2023 school year, the arrival time has now changed for the students. The arrival time is now 8–8:20 a.m. as opposed to 7:50 - 8:20 a.m. as in previous years. The dismissal time remains at 3:20–3:50 p.m.
Arrival and Dismissal Reminders
Arrival: Students being brought to school by car, bike, or on foot will be accepted at the Henrietta Street entrance between 8–8:20 a.m.
The front door will close at 8:20.
Please use the visitor parking spaces on Milton Street, adjacent to Turtle Park, if you must park your car during student arrival. Please do not park in front of the school or on Milton Street.
Please avoid obstructing neighbors’ driveways.
Please be aware of cyclists in and around Regent Square.
Please do not make a U-turn on Henrietta street (the street in front of the building) or turn left on Milton. Instead, please continue straight down Henrietta and turn left on LaClair.
If you arrive after 8:20, please bring your student to the front door and ring the bell. The office manager will confirm the receipt of your child and they will sign in at the front desk and receive a pass to class
Dismissal: Student dismissal begins at 3:20 and concludes at 3:50 p.m.
Do not stop or park in front of the school or on Milton Street. Please park on the east side of South Braddock Avenue.
All dismissal transportation changes have to be submitted to transport.int@ecspgh.org by 11 a.m. of the effective date.
All pick-up students will be dismissed from the side exit of the school building, next to Turtle Park.
Dismissals from the office are for pre-arranged early dismissals only. Please pick your child up from the designated dismissal location outside of the school.
Please avoid obstructing neighbors’ driveways.
Please be aware of cyclists in and around Regent Square.
During severe weather incidents (such as thunderstorms) parents may pick up students from the school gym.
Please do not make a U-turn on Henrietta Street or turn left on Milton. Instead, please continue straight down Henrietta and turn left on LaClair.
Make sure that your child has checked in with the staff member assigned to their dismissal prior to leaving.
Please arrange for early dismissals prior to picking your child up. Once at the school, please ring the front doorbell and ask the office manager for your child. Your child will meet you at the front door.
Intermediate School Hawk Highlights From Last Month!
Ms. Micco, the Middle School Assistant Principal visited 5th-grade students to explore the Middle School’s offerings. Ms. Micco talked about Middle School’s core classes (Math, Science, Cultural Literacy, and ELA), Block Zero (a student-interest-based activity period), Diversified Studies (Spanish, Robotics and Coding, Visual Arts, Health/P.E., and Music), and procedures.
