THE SIGSBEE SCOOP

respect, responsibility, resilience

July 2019 issue

WELCOME BACK!

Upcoming events

Thursday, August 8th 1:00-3:00 PM Kindergarten Round Up 
(for accepted students only) Students will be with the teachers; parents will be with Mrs. Jannes, Sigsbee principal, for orientation

Friday, August 9th 9:00-11:00 AM Kindergarten Round Up 
(for accepted students only) Students will be with teachers.  This day is a drop off event for parents.  *Students should attend BOTH days of Kindergarten Round Up

Monday, August 12th by 5 PM: Class assignments will be available in Focus. 
If you are not set up with a parent account yet, look for a welcome message in your email from your teachers.

Tuesday, August 13th 8:30-10:00 AM: Meet the Teacher K-8- classrooms
Stop by and meet your children's teachers.  This is a drop in event for parents and students to familiarize themselves with the classrooms.  There are no formal presentations or individual conferences.  You may visit multiple classrooms within this timeframe and meet the staff and PTO. Students should be supervised by their parents during the event.

Tuesday, August 13th 10:15-11:15 AM: New Family Orientation with Mrs. Jannes- cafe

This event is for families who are new to Sigsbee or who would like a refresher on policies, expectations and routines.  School-aged children will be supervised on the playground while Mrs. Jannes talks with parents.  Younger children (0-4) should stay with their parents during this orientation.

Tuesday, August 13th . 12:00-12:45 Principal's Book Club (invited students): Great Books, Great Minds book club will meet in the library. Please bring your books and thoughts.  Note date/time change

Wednesday, August 14th First Day of School for Students
8:00 AM -12:00 PM grades  K-5

8:00 AM- 2:00 PM grades 6-8

12:00 PM-2:00 PM Enrichment 1 Begins for K-5

Wednesday, August 28th Back to School Night 5:30-7:15 PM 
(school-aged childcare begins at 5:15 PM)

This is one of the most important events of the school year! - for PARENTS/GUARDIANS only. School aged child care is available with our specialists if you need it. During this event, teachers will be reviewing classroom expectations, routines, field trips, schedules and curriculum. The two time slots will repeat the same presentation for parents with multiple children. This is an essential meeting for parents who want to stay "in the know." Slide presentations will be posted on the teacher's website after the event for your reference. Please keep children ages 0-4 with you during the presentation.  School-aged children may participate in child care.  

Monday, September 2 Labor Day Holiday (no school)

Friday, September 20 Family Meet-N-Greet 5:30-7:00 PM- Sigsbee playground
Bring your picnic to the playground and meet your child's new friends. This is an opportunity to socialize with families and exchange contact information, if you'd like.

Wednesday, October 2 K-4 Parent Conferences
Wednesday, October 9 K-4 Parent Conferences
You will be able to sign up for a conference slot during Back To School Night. Parent conferences in grades 5-8 are available upon request

Check our school calendar for additional dates.

CONGRATULATIONS SAILFISH

For the ninth consecutive year, our Sigsbee community worked together to achieve a school grade of A.  School grades are calculated annually by the Florida Department of Education, using measures including performance on state assessments, student learning gains, and course acceleration.  Earning an "A" provides additional funding to classrooms, teacher bonuses and more freedom to make instructional decisions based on the needs of our particular population.  Great job Sailfish!

RENOVATIONS ON CAMPUS

The SCS campus remains busy during the summer as this is the most efficient time to take care of our facility.  This summer's work includes installing shade sails on the playground, replacing the carpet in the media center, updating the stage floor, adding more grass between the instructional wings, fixing the roof over the middle school lockers, installing new windows in the library and office, and completing any outstanding repairs from Irma.  In addition, all of our classrooms and learning spaces are being given a thorough cleaning.  Thank you to our facilities crew and volunteers for all of this effort.

SUMMER LEARNING; SCHOOL ROUTINES

It's never too late to start implementing routines for school success at home.  The first weeks of school can be difficult if your child has not been keeping to a regular schedule during the summer.  Please start slowly introducing school routines as soon as possible so that his/her transition back to learning is smooth.  Be sure your child is reading, or being read to, every night.  Twenty to thirty minutes/night is a good guideline.  We also encourage you to build independent practical life skills.  Teach your child how to pack his/her own backpack, lunch, and snack.  Pick out clothing the evening before.  Use time after dinner to start the bedtime routine.  You will hear our teachers promote- bath, book, bed.  Notice that electronics are not included in this list.  We strongly suggest that you do NOT allow your child to have electronics of any sort in his/her bedroom.

WELCOME NEW FAMILIES

Our lottery was held earlier this month and we welcomed 165  new students from an applicant pool of 240.  This brings our total enrollment to 549, with still more students on our waiting list.  We will be hosting a New Family Orientation at 10:15 AM on August 13th, after Meet The Teacher.  If you are new to Sigsbee, please plan to attend.  We will review all the procedures and routines you need to know to make your transition seamless.  

*Kindergarten parents who attended orientation need not attend the New Family Orientation.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

We take pride in providing all initial school supplies for students at no cost to parents.  We know how stressful it can be to find just the right folder or brand of glue stick on a small island.  There are a few items that students typically bring from home.  Those are listed on our grade level websites.  You can click on any teacher in the grade level to see the items . Most grade levels require:

a backpack (must fit in cubby or locker)
a filled reusable water bottle
a lunch box (if bringing lunch or snack)
earbuds or headphones
water shoes
combination lock (middle school)
uniform shirts (middle school)

Please make sure all items are labeled with the child's first and last name.

In addition, the websites contain lists of items that parents may donate.  We appreciate your generosity.  *Note- websites will be updated in early August, during pre-planning.

CLASS LISTS

Class lists will be made public on Monday, August 13th.  You will be able to access your child's schedule and list of teachers through Focus.  If you do not have a Focus account, look for a welcome email from your child's teacher.  

Class lists are not finalized until this time due to many transitions over the summer.  

STAY CONNECTED

To stay current and informed on all things Sigsbee, please be sure you have done the following:

1.  Bookmark the Scoop blog for weekly updates: http://sigsbeescoop.blogspot.com/

2.  Make sure you have a FOCUS account to access calendars and grade books

3.  Join our Remind text messaging group for emergency texts  (On your phones, enter 81010 and text this message: @c6b86e)

4.  Follow us on Twitter @ElisaJannes

5.  Like our PTO Facebook page @SigsbeeCharterPTO

6.  Once school starts, be sure you are able to get into your child's Google Classroom accounts.

WEDNESDAY ENRICHMENT

Registration for classes will be available in the first Scoop in August.  Please register early since spaces are not guaranteed and some classes fill up quickly.  Enrollment is not established until all fees are paid.  We are looking forward to providing some great classes this year.

VOLUNTEER HOURS

As part of our commitment to each other, there is a 10 hour/year volunteer requirement for each family at Sigsbee Charter School.  Volunteer opportunities will be posted in the weekly blog and communicated via email through each child's teacher.  Most of your hours can be completed just by attending/completing the following requirements:

1. Complete the online registration for each child before 3rd (1 hour/family)

2. Attend Meet-The-Teacher (1 hour/family)

3. Attend Back To School Night (1 hour/family)

4. Fill out your Impact Aid form in October (1hour/family)

5. Attend 2 parent conferences (fall and spring) in grades K-4 (2 hours/student)

Other frequently accessed volunteer opportunities include the following:

1. Providing class or FSA snack

2. Chaperoning a field trip or school event

3. Volunteering with and/or attending a school event to support your child

4. Joining a PTO committee and giving time to school events and fundraisers

5. Attending SCS Board Meetings

6. Attending SCS PTO Meetings

7. Organizing a fundraising activity (must be approved through PTO)

8. Assisting teachers and staff when requested

9. Supervising/assisting at lunch and recess

Volunteerism is very important as Sigsbee as we participate in many events and activities that go beyond a typical day at school.  These experiences would not be possible for students without the help and commitment of our families.

Special Note:  Due to changes in Florida legislation, monetary donations may not be used to replace volunteer hours.  However, we hope you will continue to support our classrooms when teachers have specific items they would like donated.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

To help keep safety a priority, please make sure that you are signing in at the office and that you receive a visitor's sticker whenever you arrive.  Please do not enter hallways or linger outside of classrooms during instructional hours (8:00 AM- 3:00 PM). Be sure you are familiar with your base pass privileges and that you have your base pass and identification ready for the sentry at the gate.  This allows our morning and afternoon car lines to run smoothly.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Please don't forget to stock up on your SCS Middle School uniform shirts.  These can be purchased at Ramona's (in the Searstown Shopping Center).  Remember, only 8th graders are permitted to wear black (a right of passage).  The uniform policy can be found on our website.

SIGSBEE SCOOP

The Sigsbee Scoop is a weekly blog that gets published every weekend during the school year.  It is the central source of communication from the principal to families and staff and includes a weekly calendar, lunch menu, news updates, community and school events, links to permission slips and photographs.  We expect all families to read the Scoop as soon as it is received.  Other sources of communication such as our PTO Facebook page, Twitter, teacher communications and emails should be seen as supplementary.    The Scoop includes a search feature that allows you to find information that you may need to revisit.  Thank you for giving the Scoop your attention.

Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday August 6-9, 2019

During the #BacktoSchool2019 Sales Tax Holiday Aug. 2 through Aug. 6, qualifying items will be exempt from tax including: certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item as well as clothing, footwear, and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item; and computers and certain accessories selling for $1,000 or less per item, when purchased for noncommercial or personal use. For more information and a list of qualifying items, visit www.floridarevenue.com/backtoschool.

SUMMER READING

We are proud to promote ourselves as a reading community, not just in terms of our students, but as a whole staff.  The most effective way to keep your child learning over the summer is to enforce a daily reading routine.  To encourage your child, make sure that you are posing as a strong role model and advocate for literacy.  Here are Mrs. Jannes's summer reads for those who inquired....