Primary School September Newsletter (22–23)
Dear Primary School Families,
Best start ever!!! I hope your start to the school year has been as amazing as it feels during the day inside (and outside) the building. Our little ones have been having tons of fun, making new friends, learning and practicing routines, and getting outside and playing!
Part of what we do at the start of the school year to support the transition and build our community is the introduction of our school-wide positive behavior supports (PBIS). We learn and practice what it means to be safe, kind, and responsible in our spaces and with each other at ECS Primary. Students earn a soaring ticket in class and are entered into a class raffle. If a student is Soaring Above and Beyond, they can earn the golden ticket, come to the office, sign the wall of fame, and get a sticker on their shirt! Those students are then entered into a larger school raffle and chosen at random for a group place-based reward each Friday. Ask your child what it means to be safe, kind, and responsible at school and with each other at Primary.
Take care, get outside, and play,
Ashley Bergman
Primary School Principal
What's new at the Primary School?
Half-Day Dismissal Time
Friday, Sept. 23 is a half day, and students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m.
Dress Down Days
Every Friday we invite our students to dress however they please as long as it is school appropriate.
Climate Strike
ECS plans on participating in this climate strike on 9/23.
Transportation Note
Please note that non-PPS students cannot ride PPS buses to Middle School from Primary/Intermediate. Thank you for your understanding.
Staffing updates! Welcome new staff and celebrate changes!
Ms. Greene has moved into the 1A Homebase as the Lead Teacher!
Ms. Graham has moved into the 2B classroom as the Assistant Teacher!
Ms. Fields is our Music Teacher!
Ms. Cain is our Discovery Block Teacher!
Ms. Kane is our Primary School Social Worker!
Ms. Fenton is our new School Psychologist (Primary/Middle)
This Month’s Cultural Celebrations
Our ECS community is made up of many different cultures! Once a week during Morning Meeting, we take some time to celebrate cultures, traditions and world events. From September 15th–October 15th, we will celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month! If you would like to share something about your family's culture, please email Chelsea.Young@ecspgh.org.
September Student Services News:
Welcoming New Faces
We are thrilled to welcome Keith Bull, Heather Kane, and Casey Fenton to our Student Services Team! We have increased our school psychologist positions and now have at least one full-time counselor and one full-time social worker in each of our buildings. The development of this team shows ECS’s dedication to supporting the whole child and aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals #3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and #16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). For more information on the preventative and responsive services offered at ECS, visit our website and reach out to a team member at any time throughout the school year. We are here to help!
The ECS School Counseling Team focuses on preventative skill building for school success and overall wellness.
Beth Flynn, Primary School (K-2) Counselor
Cylie Snyder, Intermediate School (3-5) Counselor
Andrea Szolna, Middle School (6-8) Counselor
Jen Bruni & Keith Bull, High School (9-11) Counselors
The ECS School Social Work Team focuses on home-school-community connections, supports attendance needs, and aims to break down barriers for school success.
Heather Kane, Primary School (K-2) Social Worker
Jessica Segal, Intermediate School (3-5) Social Worker
Vanessa Veltre, Middle School (6-8) Social Worker
Sofia Massaro, High School (9-11) Social Worker
ECS School Psychologists complete evaluations and collaborate with building-based teams to determine student needs and develop support plans that help students succeed in school.
Casey Fenton, Primary School (K-2) and Middle School (6-8) Psychologist
Alexis Pasi, Intermediate School (3-5) and High School (9-11) Psychologist
Attendance Matters
Regular school attendance is much more than just a state law. Attendance patterns in elementary school can have lasting impacts on student achievement in middle school, high school, and beyond. While missing one or two days a month may not seem like a lot, within a school year, that student will miss out on 10% of learning opportunities. If you need help establishing routines around attendance, please reach out to your school social worker for support: Jessica Segal (3-5) x9431, Vanessa Veltre (6-8) x9312, or Sofia Massaro (9-10) x9251. Attendance Matters
Go Guardian: Beacon
Beacon is a suicide and self-harm prevention tool that our student services team will be utilizing to monitor and proactively identify at-risk students. If a student searches a concerning topic on a school computer, the parent/guardian will be directly notified. Please reach out to your building’s school social worker or school counselor with any questions.
In Case You Missed It
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9/20
9–925 - KA
9:25–9:50 - KB
9:50–10:15 - KC
10:15–10:40 - 1A
11:05–11:30 - 2A
11:30–12 - 2B
9/21
9–925 - 1C
9:25–9:50 - 1D
10–1025 - 1B
10:25–1050 - 2C
10:50–1115 - 2D
ALL STAFF NEED A PICTURE :-)
Parents will be notified about ordering pictures after the pictures are taken. All will be digital.
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Please send in a water bottle to school with your child. We are outside often and students need to be able to bring water along.
Please put sunscreen on your child prior to school as it may be sunny while we are outside!
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Arrival
Students being brought or bused to school will be accepted between 8:10 and 8:30 a.m.
Students will be accepted at the back and front doors only.
Do not stop or park on South Braddock Avenue; South Braddock Avenue is for buses only.
If you are driving by to drop off, please turn onto Brashear Street and drop your student off at the back gate.
If you do not see an ECS staff member at the gate, please find a parking space and walk your student to the back door
If you are walking your student to the front or back door, please park either on East End Avenue or Waverly Street.
If you arrive after 8:30, you must sign your student in at the front office. When ECS operates as a closed campus due to high community spread, families will sign students in at the table in the front vestibule.
DO NOT obstruct or park in neighbors’ driveways and do not double park on the street.
Dismissal
Students will be dismissed between 3:30 and 4 p.m.
Do not stop or park on South Braddock Ave; South Braddock Ave is for buses only. All pick-up students will be dismissed from the playground space behind the school.
Please park on either East End Ave. or Waverly St.
Do not park on Brashear Street.
Do not block the ECS gate/driveway.
Do not obstruct or park in neighbors’ driveways and do not double park on the street
No child will be permitted to go to an idling or unparked car.
Make sure to bring your dismissal sign. Your child will not be released to an adult without this sign. When you see your child please make sure the supervising adult knows you have taken your child before you remove them from the backlot.
Please arrange for early dismissals prior to picking your student up prior to 3:15 p.m. Once at school, please ring the front door and sign out your student in the office. ***Please note: When ECS operates as a closed campus due to “high” community level, families will sign students out at the table in the front vestibule.***
We will NOT dismiss any student from the front doors after 3:15 p.m.
During severe weather incidents (such as thunderstorms) families should still report to the rear of the building. Students will be dismissed from the two classrooms inside the two back doors.
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Breakfast
Regular: $2
Reduced: $0.30
Adult: $2.50
Lunch
Regular: $2.85
Reduced: $0.40
Adult: $4.10
Juice and/or milk can be purchased for $0.35.
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Lunch money is collected online. No cash is accepted at school as lunch money. Schoolcafe.com is our online payment portal. You will need your student’s ID number to add funds to the account. You may also obtain your student’s lunch ID by contacting Niki Hutcherson directly at niki.hutcherson@ecspgh.org. To assist in our record keeping and accounts, ECS strongly encourages families to add funds to your child’s account (suggested $20.00) to help cover last minute purchases. Families who require an alternate payment method can email payments@ecspgh.org or contact Sarah Kegarise in the Business Office at 412-247-7970 ext.9304 Meal participation invoices will be sent out monthly. Parents may also set up balance reminders on scoolcafe.com. Small negative balances can add up, and we appreciate your help in keeping our accounts up to date.
To find your student’s id, please log on to Alma.
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If a child forgets a lunch at home, he/she/they will be provided with an ECS school lunch. Families can then add money to the child’s account. Students will not be denied a meal or given an alternate meal due to a lack of funds on the account.
Primary School Hawk Highlights from Last Month!
We have been having tons of fun to start the year! Here you will find pictures that show recess, free play, measuring in math, singing in literacy, face making in Thinking Lab, sharing in Kindergarten, reading stories, and singing in music.
Important Dates
9/5: No School–Labor Day!
9/7: PCO Volunteer and Activity Fair at 6 p.m. at Intermediate School
9/23: Half Day dismissal 11:30
9/20–21: Primary Picture days
9/26: No School–No School - Rosh Hashanah
9/28: Back to School Night 5:30–7:30
10/5: No School–Yom Kippur