Parents Offer Time, Talent and Energy to School

"What can I do to help?"  Matthew Margolis asked after he dropped his children off to school one day last week.  I knew, because of our work together on the School Site Council, that he had expertise with technology.  "Really, can I give you project?" I asked. 

Emerson is working to expand our students' use of computers during the school day as well as for homework.  We purchased dozens of HP Notebook computers that we hope to deploy to both classrooms as well as to selected students' homes.  We received the computers but they still needed to be set up (with software and security). We knew that dozens of computers would take us several days or weeks to prepare.  I was thinking about this project just when he asked to help.

Another parent, Mrs. Bertha Santos, saw how busy Mrs. Gina and Mrs. Marie were in the office and she stopped in to ask how she could help. 

This photo shows her collating documents for us in the staff lounge. Many families and teachers will benefit from the work of parents like Bertha Santos and Matthew Margolis willingness to find a need and then to fill it.  If YOU ask, "What can I do to help?" we will try to find the perfect job for you.   As a school, we currently need classroom helpers, PTA volunteers, playground volunteers, office help (i.e. making copies), reading volunteers, PE assistants, garden helpers and more. 

Back to School Night

When Back to School Night is held during the first week of school, it gives the parents and staff an opportunity to start the year off with a face-to-face meeting.  Students get to tour their parents around their classrooms, showing them where they spend 25% of their day.  At Emerson we have a dinner (I know hot dogs are not really dinner) so that we can build the family atmospere that we hope to have at our school.  We introduce our new teachers to everyone so that you'll be able to make connections with other staff who may be able to help you.  Our PTA also holds an annual meeting which is required to establish a budget for the year.  I always go into each classroom and am excited to hear the teachers explaining the basic procedures of their class.  If you have two children, we ring the bell at 7:30 so that you can go to another classroom presentation as well.  I look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night!
Thursday, August 26
5:30-6:30 Dinner- $5 includes 1 meal and a PTA membership.  Additional per person donation is $2
6:30 Introduction of Teachers
7:00 Classroom Presentations

First Day Success!

Cautiously I report that our first day of school was a resounding success!  Here are a few things that I observed on campus:

• There were very few students who arrived late to school.
• Students and parents were excited to see the progress that has been made on the construction of the library, the parking lot and the two new classroom buildings.
• Teachers took the students to the lunch court for group instruction about school procedures.
• Many students remembered to respond in complete sentences!
• Despite the fact that we still have buses using our upper parking lot, parents seemed to be very patient with the delay in opening the lower parking lot to bus traffic. 
• Students were excited to meet several new teachers including Mr. Cortez  (6th), Mr. Watring (6th), Ms. Eaton (5th), Mrs. Tenette (4th), Mrs. Arnaiz (3rd), Ms. Bekkedahl (LA), and Ms. Wagner (SDC).
• Students and staff were thankful that all of the school A/C's were working on such a hot day.
• Students had a great time getting re-acquainted and talking to new friends out on the playground. 
• The front office experienced very few registration problems despite the closing of the district's Centralized Registration Center. 

Photo Update-

No Joke, Emerson Will Be Ready!

For the past two days the electricity, internet and phone systems have only worked intermitently. Today a load of manure was dumped just a few feet from the front office door. Really! It was not my idea of an opening-of-the-school-year prank for Mrs. Marie and Mrs. Gina either. It really was just soil ammendment for the new median in the parking lot. Despite all of the work still underway, we will be ready for students on Monday, August 23 to start school.

Last year you may remember that we officially started this construction project by (unfortunately)scaring the new kindergarten students with jackhammers on the first day of school. While I can't promise that we won't have any disruptions this year on the first day, we are making sure that the campus is safe.

For the rest of this week, the front parking lot still may not be accessible due to landscaping, fencing, and the re-striping of the parking lot. If you need to visit the office, please park across the street or enter the school through the utility gate where the "temporary school entrance" is displayed. The soil ammendments' (manure) smell won't be quite as strong if you enter from that side of campus! :)

Even though the construction work is not complete, we can tolerate a few inconveniences because we are excited about all of the benefits that the project will bring, right?

Kindergarten Orientation

If your child is coming to us as a new Kindergarten student, we welcome you! There will be a kindergarten parent orientation meeting on Friday, August 20 at 1:30 p.m. Bring your child with you to meet the teachers, see the classrooms and check out the playground. The teachers will give you some general information about getting started at Emerson.

As the principal, my first priority is your child's safety. We are currently still under construction all around the kindergarten classrooms and playground. I will continue to work closely with the contractor to make sure that children will only be allowed back onto the playground when it is safe.

We will also have Back to School Night on Thursday, August 26 (The time will be announced, but it probably will be at about 6 p.m.) Both of these dates will be great opportunities to help you get oriented and ready for the new year. We look forward to seeing you at the kindergarten orientation on Friday the 20th at 1:30 in room 2.

When will the offices open?

If you have driven by the front of the school lately, you're probably wondering if Emerson can possibly open for classes in twenty-something days. I assure you that we will.

The front of the school is still a fenced-off construction zone, and if you absolutely must go to the office, please don't try to go through the front parking lot. The offices will be open again starting on Monday, August 2, but for now, the entrance is marked by a "Temporary School Entrance" sign by the cafeteria gate. Please call first (788-7462 ext 0) before you come in, maybe we can save you a trip. Beside being an active construction zone on all 4 sides of the office building, the front office staff is working to implement a new student information system as well as adjust to the closure of the Centralized Registration Center.

Students and parents naturally want to know who their teachers will be. Class lists/ classroom assignments will not be ready until a couple of days prior to the start of school. We ask that you not call to ask, but instead that you wait until Thursday, August 19, and then come check out the new front entrance of the school and find out your child's teacher. This will allow the front office to work on registering new students and helping the staff get settled into the new school year.

I look forward to seeing all of you soon. Enjoy your last few weeks of summer vacation!