Seven Oaks Elementary School
Learners today,
November 2011
leaders tomorrow…
Administrators’ Message
Time flies ! It is hard to believe the first quarter of the school year
is over already. We have had a productive start and are looking forward to
sharing your child’s progress with you at the upcoming conferences.
Notification letters will be sent home soon. Check those backpacks carefully
and please plan to attend this important home-school connection opportunity.
Sincerely,
Lisa Leitholf &
Principal
Alexis McKay
Assistant Principal
Harvest for the Hungry
Thank you for your generous support of the AACPS/Seven Oaks
Elementary Harvest for the Hungry food drive. The students of Seven
Oaks have collected hundreds of pounds of nonperishable items to donate
to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. During this time of year, when
we take time to be with family and friends and give thanks for what we
have, your kindness was heartwarming and a great way to show our
children the importance of sharing with those who are less
fortunate.
Muffins for “Moms”
On Friday, November 11th, Seven Oaks will be hosting Muffins
for Moms. This event is open to all of our mothers, and/or the
significant female figures in our students’ lives. The morning
will start at 8:00 in the school cafeteria with light
refreshments (for our “mothers” only) and a brief welcome,
followed by classroom visits from 8:15 - 9:30. This is a great
opportunity for you to get to know classroom routines and see
your child in action on a regular school day. Please keep an eye out
for a flyer coming home soon.
5K Family Fun Run/Walk
Earthquakes, hurricanes and now a winter storm warning in October…
The 5K Fun Run originally scheduled for Saturday, October 29th had to be
postponed due to the inclement weather. The event has now been
rescheduled for Saturday, November 5th. Doors will open at 8:30 for
registration and the 5K will begin at 9:00AM. If families cannot attend, Tshirts will be distributed to students in school on Monday, 11/7. In the
event of severe weather, the run will be canceled. A special thank you to the
committed SO staff volunteers who made this event possible ! We would also
like to thank the following businesses that made donations toward the Fun
Run:
Aquafit Physical Therapy
Fox First Construction
Gunsmoke Charters
McDonald’s of Odenton
Transformations
Weis
Waytoabexercise.com
Kathleen Johnson
Candice Warnock
Capitalist Investment Services
G & M Services
Carter School of Dance
Right Start Academy
Dunkin’ Donuts of Odenton
McCarthy Tire
Total Security Systems
Vincent and Patricia Johnson
Get School System Information through New E-Newsletter
Parents, students, and community partners now have another way to
get information about Anne Arundel County Public Schools delivered right to
their computer: AXIS, the school system’s new weekly e-newsletter.
Editions will be published each Friday, and will provide updates about the
important people, events, and initiatives throughout Anne Arundel County
Public Schools. In addition to news and feature items, each edition of AXIS
will contain dates for key upcoming events throughout AACPS, recaps of
recent Board of Education meetings, and explanations of current Board
initiatives, wellness information, and news from the Maryland State
Department of Education.
AXIS is designed to foster communication between the school system
and its many partners. Notification of the latest edition is emailed to
parents and others each week. If our school doesn’t have your email address
on file, please provide it to us and you’ll begin to receive the AXIS updates.
If you know of someone outside the system who would like to receive the
updates, ask them to send an email to AXIS@aacps.org.
School Attendance
It is very important for your child’s academic progress and success
that he/she attends school on a regular basis. If your child is absent, a
written note from the parent/guardian explaining the cause of the absence
is required within three school days, or the absence will be recorded as
unlawful. Students who are absent in excess of five days must bring in a
doctor’s note.
Some of the lawful reasons for absence for which make up work will
be provided include the following: illness of student, death in the immediate
family, observation of a religious holiday or court summons. Going on a
family vacation is not a legal absence.
Prompt arrival at school each morning is essential for a good start to
the day.
DON’T FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE
HOUR THIS WEEKEND ! DAYLIGHT SAVINGS
TIME ENDS ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6th!
Notice to Parents and Visitors
All parents/visitors must report to the office before proceeding
into the school. This helps ensure the safety of all of our children and
staff. In order to gain entrance into the school, you will be required to
provide valid, photo identification which will be scanned through our V-Soft
program. This software allows us to track who is visiting our school and
where they are going in the building. It also has the ability to provide alerts
about people who may jeopardize the safety of our students. After signing in
at the office, you will be asked to wear a visitor sticker or volunteer badge.
In order to help us better track and limit the number of visitors in the
building, we ask that you say your morning goodbyes at the front door and
allow your child to proceed to his/her class independently. We also ask that
you help your child be responsible for bringing all materials needed everyday,
including lunches, instruments and homework. Forgotten items can be
brought to the main office and will be delivered to your child by a staff
member.
We welcome classroom observations. In order to get the most from
your classroom visit, we require that you make advanced arrangements with
the teacher.
The office is open daily between 7:30 and 3:00. Your cooperation
with these efforts is greatly appreciated.
Behavior to and from School
Student safety and behavior before and after
school is a parent/community responsibility. Whenever
possible, parents should accompany students on the walk to
and from school to monitor behavior and ensure safety.
Students are reminded that our school rules should
continue to be followed during their walk. Several
concerns about teasing and unsafe play have been brought
to our attention from worried community members. Please
talk with your child(ren) about showing respect for
themselves, others and property as they travel to and
from school.
Addressing Bullying – A Barrier to Learning
Seven Oaks Elementary has a strong commitment to providing our
students with a safe and caring environment in which to learn. The Anne
Arundel County Public School system has been implementing a Bullying
Prevention Initiative for the past five years, to support this commitment.
This initiative focuses on teaching students skills to avoid being victimized
by bullies and empowers students to take a stand against bullying in our
school.
To assist schools in gathering data about bullying in each school, the
county will be administering a web-based bullying survey to all students in
grades 4 – 10. The survey will be also available on-line for parents at this time.
Parents can access this survey on the Anne Arundel County Public Schools
website or at http://survey.aacps.org . The passcode for parents for this
administration is nq38dp.
Results from the survey will be available to the school immediately
after it is administered, to be used in developing individual school plans to
address bullying.
This program is most effective when the parent community,
administration, staff, and students all share the belief that kindness and
respect contribute to a positive environment that supports increased
academic success for all students. Bullying and aggressive behaviors do not
have a place in our school. When we have a common language for discussing
these issues, our efforts to increase respectful behaviors and decrease
incidents of bullying will have great results.
We appreciate your support, encourage your participation in the
survey when it is available on-line, and welcome your questions and comments
Arrival and Dismissal
School hours are from 8:00 until 2:25. Students who walk, or are
driven to school should plan to arrive between 7:40-7:55. All students are
expected to be in their classrooms by 8:00 so as not to be marked tardy.
Please help us teach our students good habits. Getting to school by 7:55 will
give everyone enough time to walk to class, visit lockers and prepare for the
day without rushing. No one likes to start their day stressed because they
are late. We expect all students to be in their homerooms, seated by 8:00
ready for our morning announcements and instruction. We are asking parents
to help us with this by leaving home at a time which will allow for an on-time
arrival.
We ask all parents to be cautious when driving around the school. As
the cold weather approaches, more cars will be on the roads and in the
parking lot. The only permitted drop off zone is in front of the school. Cars
are not permitted in the bus loop or the back lot as it is not designed for
drop off. Please be mindful of traffic on BlueWater waiting to enter the
driveway. Do not park on Town Center to drop off or pick up children.
Remember that children are not to cross the parking lot unless accompanied
by a parent. Please help us keep the traffic moving by having your child
ready to exit the car as soon as you pull into the hug and hop lane, i.e. coat
and back pack on, lunch in hand and seated on the passenger side of the car.
If you need to exit your vehicle to assist your child, please park in a space
and escort them to the front doors instead of using the hug and hop lane.
Please remember any changes to your child’s dismissal routine should
be done in writing, or in person, and occur prior to 2:15. Without a note
from home, your child will not be permitted to change from his/her normal
procedures. In order to help us maintain a safe and secure environment,
phone calls regarding changes will only be permitted in emergency
situations. Thank you in advance for adhering to this policy.
November
4th
5th
8th
Mark Your Calendar
Kindergarten Awards, 1:30, Cafeteria
5K Family Fun Run, 8:30 registration opens, run at 9
PTA Meeting, 6PM followed by Parent Workshop- Bullying
PTA Hardees Night
th
9
Two Hour Early Dismissal – Attacking the Gap
Professional Development
th
11
Muffins for Mom, 8:00-9:30AM, starting in SO cafeteria
Grade 2 Awards, 1:45, Cafeteria
Report Card Distribution
th
15
Gr 5 Awards, 1:40, Cafeteria
th
16
Picture Retakes
Gr 4 Awards, 1:45, Cafeteria
th
17
Gr 3 Awards, 8:15, Cafeteria
st
21
PTA Chick-fil-A Night, Arundel Mills
21-22nd SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR ALL STUDENTS –
Parent-teacher conferences
Book Fair Open
th
23-25
ALL SCHOOLS CLOSED – Happy Thanksgiving!
th
30
Gr 2 Field Trip