August 9, 2021
Dear Parents, Families and Students:
I do hope this letter finds you well and that you are enjoying a healthy and fun summer!
We are excited to welcome you back to our new school, Sanford Pride Elementary School!
Welcome Kindergarten!
This will be our first year with kindergarten students’ and their families; again, we are very excited to have you with us. Below is information for your kindergartners:
Kindergarten first day of school is Weds. Sept. 1st.
Bus Tag (for kindergartners)
Enclosed you will find a bus tag that will contain information about your student (name, address or sitter information, teacher’s name and bus number). Each tag will contain a dot that corresponds to the color of the room that your student has been assigned. All of our kindergarten classes will be marked with a matching color visual outside their classroom.
* Please check your address, and sitter information (if applicable) to assure that they are correct, and notify us immediately if there are any changes. All bussing is based on addresses, so it is imperative that it is correct for the beginning of school.
*Please attach your child’s bus tag to your child’s backpack so it is visible to both the driver and staff members. If you are able, please practice with your child their bus number and teacher’s name.
*Please send in a note or call the school if your child goes to a different address or will be picked up.
Bus Information
If you have any questions regarding your pick up times or locations, please contact Ledgemere at 324-4888 or visit the Sanford School website for bus information. Please note that pick-up and drop-off times are approximations. The first few days are when the bus drivers are finalizing their run times. It is good practice to have your child at the bus stop 10 minutes before pick-up time. Ledgemere Transportation has a very strict policy regarding an adult meeting a kindergarten student at the bus stop. The policy states that a kindergarten student will not be permitted off a school bus unless an adult is waiting for the child at the bus stop. If an adult is not present, your child will be returned to school at which time the parent is notified.
Additional highlights for all K-4 students
Dates:
Thursday, August 26 from 5:30-7:00 Open House for grades K-4
Monday, August 30th First day of school for grades 1-4
Wednesday, Sept. 1st – First day of school for kindergartners
Friday, Sept. 3rd – No School
Monday, Sept. 6th – No School
Tuesday, Sept. 7th – school resumes for all students, K-4
Sept. 8th – all students dismissed at 2:00PM, First Early Release Day
Service Dogs - As some of you know, we have been very fortunate to have service dogs as part of our school community for the past three years. We are planning to have our service dogs continue their important work at Sanford Pride for this school year. Our service dogs are: Willow and Ory (handler is Christen Suratt, special education teacher), Dodger (handler is Liz Cyr, social worker) and Luna (handler is Laurie Keene, guidance counselor).
Service animals are working animals, not pets. Our service dogs will provide support throughout our school. Service dogs provide companionship, affection, security, calming influence, and function as an additional aid throughout our school community.
While at school, students and staff are encouraged to greet our service dogs and also may request to have a service dog visit a classroom. The students will be made aware of how to conduct themselves around our service dogs and learn that they are not pets while they are working but rather a tool to help students improve academic, social and independent functioning skills.
Should you prefer that your child not touch or come in to contact with our service dogs, please complete the form included and return it to the school on the first day. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Student Drop Off
Students should be dropped off at school between 8:05 and 8:25 am each morning. As a friendly reminder, our start time is 8:25 a.m. Any students arriving after 8:25 am will be marked tardy.
Early Release Days
Early Release Days will continue to take place on Wednesday afternoons and students will be dismissed at 2:00 pm. The first Early Release Day will take place on September 8th.
Arrival and Dismissal
For those students who will be dropped off and picked up each day, we ask that you follow the guidelines below:
Please use the lower parking lot (nearest to Memorial Gym) to drop off and pick up your child each day.
During the first week of school, parents and families will be given a yellow tag to display in their car window. The information includes your child’s name and 2 emergency contact names. Thank you for displaying this in your car window as we dismiss students in the afternoon.
Bus information
Bus information for your child can be found within this packet and on the Sanford School District website. If you have any questions regarding your pick up times or locations, please contact Ledgemere at 324-4888. Please note that pick-up and drop-off times are approximations. The first few days are when the bus drivers are finalizing their run times. It is good practice to have your child at the bus stop 10 minutes before pick-up time.
Walkers –
2nd, 3rd or 4th grade walkers:
1. A child who leaves the school at regular dismissal time
2. Will walk to their parent who is waiting outside of the building or walk to their after-school destination
3. Has WRITTEN permission from their legal guardian (the note can be given to the office on a day-to-day basis for out-of-the-ordinary situations, or the note can be given once at the beginning of the year stating that the child will be a walker on a daily basis)
1st grade walkers:
1. Leave the school at regular dismissal time
2. Will be escorted outside by one of their classroom teachers
3. The classroom teacher will report with the children to the same location outside everyday
4. Have WRITTEN permission from their legal guardian (the note can be given to the office on a day-to-day basis for out-of-the-ordinary situations, or the note can be given once at the beginning of the year stating that the child will be a walker on a daily basis)
5. The classroom teacher reserves the right to request ID from ANYONE who is picking up a child from school
6. If no adult is outside to pick up the child at dismissal time, the child will return to their classroom with their classroom teacher
Visitors and/or parents, families in the building
As you may know, we need to limit the amount of people in our building at this time. If there is a circumstance that requires you to pick-up your child during the day, we ask that you:
- Pull into the front of the school and park
- Call our office phone and let us know you are here to pick up your child
We do appreciate planning ahead and sending in notes with your child for those times that he/she will be dismissed early.
On behalf of our staff, I thank you in advance for your support as we begin a new school year. Please contact me with any questions, concerns or ideas.
Gratefully,
Susan Inman, Principal