Principal’s Newsletter 11.29.22 – Ardmore Elementary School

Principal Message:

Happy Tuesday Ardmore Families!

Hope this letter finds you warm and cozy through the cold, snowy, rainy days ahead. The end of November was short, but sweet with many fun memories. We were grateful to see so many family and friends join us as we honored our veterans, especially those in our own community and had so much fun seeing all the colors during Color day!

With just 3 weeks before winter break, we want to provide you with a lineup of events and activities happening through December!

November 28^th through December 1^st:Scholastic Bookfair at Ardmore Library

November 28^th through December 16: Ardmore Toy Drive for Seattle Children’s Hospital

*see details below

December 1^st: Picture Retakes

December 9^th: PTSA sponsored Movie AND Family Technology Informational Night at Ardmore

December 13^th through December 16^th: Ardmore Spirit Week-

Tuesday–Career Wear Day

Wednesday–Favorite Story Character War Day

Thursday-Backwards, Inside Out, Mismatch Wear Day

Friday–Pajama Wear Day

December 16^th through January 2^nd:

Winter Break and school will resume on January 3, 2023

Warmly,

Brenda Gasaway

Ardmore Principal

arroyob@bsd405.org

ARDMORE TOY DRIVE Now through December 16, 2022

Our 5^th Grade Student council presents this year’s Ardmore Toy Drive for Seattle Children’s Hospital. Our season of light and love has approached, and our students recognize that for many children their age, this may not be a happy time of year. They have decided to bring light and love to children at Seattle Children’s hospital during the holiday season. Ardmore students will be collecting all donations from friends, family, and community members able to donate a toy. Each classroom’s goal is to fill one box that will be delivered to Seattle Children’s Hospital over the winter break.

New toys can be donated and dropped off at Ardmore Elementary Monday through Friday from 7:30-4 pm every day! Students will take home flyers to spread the word and help 5^th grade collect as many toys as possible.

As our partners, we ask that you help us by also spreading the word and sending the flyer to others that might be interested in donating!

Thank you in advance for helping us collect as many toys as possible!

~5^th Grade Student Council

Native American Heritage Month

This month, we celebrated Native American Heritage month. In some spaces, we learned more about the contributions and long held traditions of our Native American community. Since last year, at Ardmore, we have begun to recite a land acknowledgement.

November is a time for the USA to pause in grateful reflection. It is also a time to consider the history of this nation. Those of us who live in the Puget Sound Region are on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish, Coastal Salish, Snoqualmie, and more Indigenous Peoples. Ancestral lands mean this area was cared for by Native American people for thousands of years before others came to know the Seattle area as home.

The Duwamish Tribe social media shared information about the Thanksgiving feast celebrated in Seattle. Please consider adding acknowledgement of our home’s history to your Thanksgiving tradition this year.

A Duwamish Giving Thanks

Link to original content

Land Acknowledgement Family Activity

One way to recognize the collective history of this area is to complete a land acknowledgement with your family. A land acknowledgment is a statement that expresses gratitude for Native American people who took care of this land for thousands of years and to recognize that these Peoples still live here.

Click here for instructions to create a land acknowledgement with your family.

Click here to see a 2 minute video of an elementary school land acknowledgment.

Too Sick for School Guidance

A negative COVID test does not permit students to come to school sick. We are finding that many ill students who have tested negative are coming to school still sick. It may be necessary to pick them up if they come to school when they are sick. View Covid guidance here. Symptoms must be “significantly improved” to return to school. Consider testing more than once in a 24-48 hour period if symptoms persist – a negative test can become a positive one.

There are many reasons your student may be too sick for school other than COVID. Keeping ill students at home protects everyone, including teachers and classmates with medical conditions. Although coughs and runny noses may linger, it may be necessary to keep your child home or pick them up if they have continuous coughing or runny nose, even if it has been lingering for several days.

Below are illness symptoms that require students to stay home from school even if they test negative for COVID:

Appearance, Behavior – unusually tired, pale, lack of appetite, difficult to wake, confused or irritable, glassy red eyes
Eyes – white or yellow drainage, vision change, and/or redness of the eyelid or skin around the eye, itchiness, pain or sensitivity to light. This may be a sign of “pink eye” (conjunctivitis) and needs medical evaluation. May return to school after 24 hours of appropriate treatment with antibiotics
Fever – temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Students need to be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school, without fever reducing medication
Ear Pain With or Without a Fever
Persistent Nasal Drainage and/or Chronic Cough – may need to be seen by a health care provider. These may be signs of a condition that may spread to others and require treatment
Sore Throat – especially with fever or swollen glands in the neck. A student with a confirmed diagnosis of strep throat may return to school after 24 hours of appropriate treatment
Diarrhea – 3 or more watery stools in a 24-hour period, especially if the student acts or looks ill
Vomiting – vomiting 2 or more times within a 24-hour period. Keep home if the student act or looks ill
Rash – body rash, especially with fever or itching. Exceptions are rashes due to heat, diapers, and allergic reactions which are not spread to other

Parents Night out! Sponsored by Bellevue High School

Hello amazing Parents of the Bellevue School District! Would you like some time off from all of the hard parenting work you do for a couple of hours? Well, you are in luck! The Bellevue high school freshmen class of 2026 is hosting their very own “Parent’s Night Out”! You can trust us to keep your children in our care for a couple of hours while you go shopping or have some alone time with your partner! There will be around 35 High School students, 5 adult chaperones, and 7 leadership students making sure that your kids are safe and inside, having the best night ever! There will be fun games and activities with food (snacks/pizza) provided. The event will be held at the Bellevue High school commons/cafeteria from 5:30-9:30. Tickets are only 30.00$ per child! Make sure to get one before they are gone, there are only few spots available. Fill out the forms and bring 30$ in CASH on parents’ night out!

Questions?

Email: gagerti@bsd405.org

Please fill out the attached waiver (print and bring on the night of) AND Microsoft form:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=OUFKmQZ8HkmAmHkAbVdd4IHdc_FREfdMhphKfUoIkApUODhBVFcwRE9IMTFOQTE5RURVSUY1S05BRy4u
Sincerely,
Bellevue High School
Freshmen Class Officers

PTSA sponsored Movie Night and Family Technology Night

It is important for parents, family members and/or guardians to have full access to their student’s education. This includes progress reports, teacher newsletters, school website, school emails, educational online resources and more. Join this evening if you would like to learn how to navigate these tools. At the same time, join our PTSA for a family movie night. While students have a chance to watch a movie on our big screen in the cafeteria, adults can join our tech info sessions throughout the evening. Please see flyer for more information.

December 9^th starting at 5:30 pm at Ardmore Elementary.

There is still time! Reflections Project

Ardmore PTSA is bringing a national PTA program to Ardmore. Each year, over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. This 50+ year-old program helps them explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.

Students participate in the appropriate division for their grade: Primary (Pre-K – Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Special Artist (All grades welcome).*

Ardmore students will have a chance to submit their own works of art throughout November. Please watch for more information, and visit Reflections Arts Program | National PTA to learn about the program.

~Sponsored by PTSA

Please help keep our PTSA alive & healthy, and consider joining! Here’s how:

Become a member by:

Scan the QR code
OR
Join online at https://mp.gg/jtce0
OR
Fill out a Join PTSA form (available in the Ardmore main office) and return to the office. Attach payment OR check the box to request FCC assistance. (If paying by check, make check out to Ardmore PTSA.)

Ardmore Scholastic Book Fair Now until Thursday, December 1^st!

Through Thursday, December 1^st

^{ONLINE starts Tuesday, November 22nd and ends on Monday, December 5th}

FIRST, students can shop DURING the School Day when they attend their Library class;

SECOND, for this wonderfully fun Scholastic Book Fair, there is an eWallet that can be used to load money onto an online “wallet” for students to use, visit our Online Homepage to add funds or you can send cash (NO CHECKS ALLOWED). It’s always best if there is exact change. Also, remember that there is a 10% sales tax on all purchases – you can always round up to help buy even more books for our Library!!!;

Tuesday, November 29^th – 3:00 – 5:00 pm

Wednesday, November 30^th – 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Thursday, December 1^st – 3:00 – 5:00 pm

Online Shopping starts on November 22^nd and goes right up until December 5^th – the books come right to your door plus there are thousands more to order from – here is the link: Online Homepage;

Finally, I couldn’t do this without volunteers DURING SCHOOL and AFTER SCHOOL. Please sign up here: Book Fair Volunteer Sign Up;

I need lots of help after school and during class times – remember you have to be an approved BSD volunteer to help & you will need to sign into the Lobby Guard system each time you volunteer as well.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at danielsonjo@bsd405.org. Versión en español al dorso.

Happy Reading, Mrs. Jolyn Danielson, Teacher Library Specialist