Nottingham Knightly News, Sept 5, 2018

Important Dates

• 12 September, Wednesday – Back to School Night, 7:00PM
• 12 September, Wednesday – PTA Meeting, 8:05PM
• 26 September, Wednesday – SCA Spirit Day
• 2 October, Tuesday – PTA Meeting, 7:00 PM
• 8 October, Monday – Professional Learning Day (NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS)
• 10 October, Wednesday – ASPAN Walk-a-Thon, 8:00AM
• 10 October, Wednesday – Early Release, 1:26 PM

2018-2019 Early Release Dates: October 10, October 25, December 12, January 16, February 13, March 7, March 13, June 5, June 12. Students will be dismissed at 1:26PM.

We are combining our newsletters! The combined newsletter will be sent from APS School Talk on Tuesdays every week. In addition to the weekly newsletter, please check the PTA website, www.nespta.org (as well as our Facebook and Twitter feed) and Nottingham’s school website https://nottingham.apsva.us/ to stay current with what is going on at school.

Kudos and Appreciation
We would like to thank our volunteers who have helped the PTA throughout the summer and during last week’s teacher work week. Thank you to:

• Katia Smith-King who coordinated the summer kindergarten playdates;
• Lisa Solinger for ordering and setting up the staff welcome back breakfast;
• Elissa Ghosh, Andrea Kaplowitz, Angela Na, Ewa Schweitzer, Stacey Stump, Jim Wisniewski and Colleen Wright sorting and delivering school supply kits; and,
• Maureen Bouda, Elissa Ghosh, Andrea Kaplowitz, Angela Na, Stacey Stump and Colleen Wright for sorting and delivering APS first day packets.
• Stacy Rosenthal for helping welcome and transition new leadership, counselor and other staff so seamlessly.
• Stacy Rosenthal and Stacey Stump and the PTA for putting together the fabulous staff luncheon last week!

From the Principal
Thank you all for a great start to the year! I am so thrilled to be a part of the Nottingham community and look forward to everything we plan to do this year. As with all change, there are bumps and stumbles. I really appreciate how flexible, patient and adaptably everyone has been as we endeavor to streamline processes and procedures to ensure ours is a well run program. You may already have heard about a few:

• The Halloween Parade will be on Halloween! More details will be forthcoming once Halloween is closer, but since this is a BIG change, we wanted to alert you sooner rather than later.
• 4th and 5th grade is departmentalizing (switching classes) for content. Our students will be ready for middle school and all the transitions they will face in grade 6
• We will be spending a great deal of time experimenting and evaluating what works to build our exemplary project “STEAMing Ahead” and look forward to seeing where Kristin Muller, Exemplary Project Coordinator takes us.
• Recess is now 30 minutes at every grade level (more if they finish lunch a little early).
• Dismissal changes have been implemented and I apologize for not getting the information to you sooner. See below for specifics.

It’s been an exciting transition and again, I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know all our students and families. Hope to see you all at Back to School Night next week.

Eileen

Here’s a few reminders and updates about arrival and dismissal….School begins at 9:00AM and students are welcome to arrive at about 8:40AM. Students should sit outside the classroom (MaryBeth Johnson’s students should sit outside the art room near the back door). Students in grades 3 and 4 who have classrooms on the lower level can also sit outside classrooms with 2 exceptions. Ms. Ready’s class should sit across from the library by Mr. Jones’ counseling office. Students in Ms. Foeckler’s class should sit outside the art room storage closet. Signs will be posted and staff will be available to assist. Breakfast will be served to any student who would like to have some.

We’ve adjusted the dismissal process to streamline and build student independence. You may have already received my note, but just in case…

• Walkers in grades K/1 will meet a parent or designee on the front blacktop.
• Walkers in grades 2-5 will dismiss through the door closest to their classroom or near a point of pickup that families have agreed upon.
• Bus riders will line up in the hallway or on the front steps to await arrival of the bus.
• Extended day students in K/1 will be escorted to Extended Day.
• Extended day students in grades 2-5 will be dismissed directly to Extended Day.

Safety is of the upmost concern and children and families should obey and follow all posted signs, staff and crossing guards. If you are driving your child to school, please follow directions from Ms. Pugh, Mr. Giusto and the patrols for kiss and ride. Please make sure you are parking legally around the neighborhood if you plan to walk your child in to the building. At the end of the day, please be mindful of the parking signs and do not park illegally around the school. This presents safety hazards and confusion. Thanks for your cooperation on this.

Back to School Night is September 12 at 7:00PM. This is the perfect opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher, if you haven’t already, and to learn about the great things happening at Nottingham. First, you will view a short video from your principal and PTA President, Stacy Rosenthal. Parent-teacher conference sign-ups will also be available. There will be two sessions for parents to attend. Specials teachers and specialists will be in the library should you have any questions.

Finally, please join us for the PTA Meeting at 8:05AM for some important information and to establish plans for the year.
VERY IMPORTANT…Please “Opt-In” and grant APS permission to share your student information with the PTA. If you want to be included in the student directory, please check “yes” in Part I on the 2018-19 Release of Student Information Form included in your child’s APS first day packet.

From the PTA President
Welcome back, students! Didn’t we just say “have a great summer” and now our kiddos will join our wonderful faculty and staff at Nottingham for a new school year. I hope everyone had a terrific first day of school!

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we will be over-communicating with you during the upcoming weeks and a lot of information will be headed in your direction – both electronically and hard copy. Please keep a lookout in your inbox and child’s backpack.
I would like to welcome Dr. Megan Lynch, who was appointed at last week’s school board meeting, as our new Assistant Principal. She has hit the ground running and we welcome her to our school community.

A few September reminders:

• Back to School Night (BTSN) is Wednesday, September 12. At the conclusion of BTSN, please join me for a brief PTA meeting in the multi-purpose room. We will have a few announcements and vote on the 2018-19 PTA budget.
• If you have volunteered (or plan to volunteer) to be a room parent, please plan to attend a room parent orientation on Tuesday, September 25 at 7:00 pm in the Nottingham library.
• Please go to www.nespta.org and update or create your PTA account with your child’s class assignment. While you are there, you can join the PTA, pay the bulk supply fee, make a donation and/or let us know where you are interested in helping out
• Please “Opt In” and grant APS permission to share your student information with the PTA. If you want to be included in the student directory, please check “yes” in Part I on the 2018-19 Release of Student Information Form included in your child’s APS first day packet.

Last, but not least, please update your calendar to reflect the Halloween parade will actually take place on Halloween, DURING the school day (in the afternoon). As always, I welcome your comments, questions and feedback at president@nespta.org.
Thank you,

Stacy Rosenthal
PTA President 2018-19