Coates Families,
What a great week! Thanks for coming to Back to School Night and for supporting your child and her/his teacher during the first days of school. After getting to know your kids, our staff is even more excited about the year ahead!
You are reading our monthly parent newsletter. Please look for a paper copy on the first Thursday of each month (in your child’s Thursday Folder). It’ll also be posted on Coates social media and on the Coates website. This issue is longer than usual – we try to keep it short and readable for you – but with this being the beginning of the year, we must front-load some important information.
We sometimes assume that parents know and understand how things work around here. My apologies for that! In an effort to not assume anything, here are the main things I’d like to tell you so that you can stay informed this quarter:
- Starting next week, look for a weekly communication from your child’s teacher. The teacher may use email or may use the Remind app to text you. If you missed Back to School Night, and do not know her/his system for communicating with you, please contact the teacher. All teacher email addresses are on the Coates website or you can send a note in with you child. Ask to be included in her/his weekly communication.
- Look into your child’s backpack every Thursday for their Thursday Folder. It should contain important notices from school plus some completed assignments. Empty the folder. Read the contents. Send the folder back. Repeat each Thursday.
- On October 3, all teachers will send home interim progress reports in Thursday Folders. The “interim” marks the mid-point of the quarter, and it’ll show you where your child may need to make improvements by the end of the quarter. During this first quarter of school, all students receive an interim report, even if they’re doing well in all subject areas. In later quarters, only students in need of improvement will receive an interim report.
- Your child’s quarterly progress report (“report card”) will come home in Thursday Folders on Nov. 14.
- We hope that you will participate in a parent-teacher conference this quarter. Teachers offered you the opportunity to schedule a time at Back to School Night. If you missed it, contact your teacher ASAP to set up a time. Many teachers hold their conferences on November 4, but they can often accommodate other dates. We want you to have the best information on your child’s progress at school!
Last thing: follow Coates on social media to get important reminders and gain insight into the many awesome things your kids are doing each week! Check out Coates Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
Please ask any questions. Don’t be a stranger. Recognize your child’s teacher as a partner.
Happy to serve,
Jesse Kraft, Proud Principal
Hello Coates Family!
Happy New (School) Year! We are so excited to jump right into some great activities for our students this year.
Next Friday, September 6th at 6PM will be our first General PTA Meeting and Free Movie Night of the year! Please join us as we start planning our Fall Festival, sign up for committees and enjoy Secret Life of Pets 2! Pizza and other concessions will be available for purchase.
*Saturday, October 19th from 10AM to 2PM will be our 2019 Fall Festival! If you are interested in obtaining a vendor space, please email us at coatesptapresident@gmail.com to learn more.
As always, please remember to add Coates Elementary School as your benefiting school for Harris Teeter, Giant, Safeway and Amazon Smile!
Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you next week!
Tisha Bowman
Coates Parent / PTA President
The Positivity Project
Coates is proud to begin our second year as part of The Positivity Project. Expect your child to learn about several character strengths this year in class. Traits like empathy, kindness, humility, perspective, leadership, and so much more will be featured.
All classes in K-6th will focus on a specific character strength each week beginning on September 9. Check out Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram to learn about that week’s character strength so that you can promote it at home.
Mark Your Calendar
Aug 30—Labor Day/Student Holiday
Sept. 2—Labor Day/Student Holiday
Sept. 6—PTA Meeting /Movie Night 6 PM
Sept. 11—Principal’s Coffee—Parents Learn about Coates Mission & Programs @ Coates, 9:15-10:15 AM
Sept. 26 —Fall Pictures
Oct. 3—Interim Reports sent home
Oct. 8 —-AAP Parent Information Night 6 PM
Oct. 9—Principal’s Coffee—Parents Learn about How Reading is Taught in School
Oct 14—Teacher Work Day (Student Holiday)
Oct 19—Fall Festival 10-2 PM
Nov. 1—End of First Quarter
Nov. 4 & 5—Teacher Work Days (Student Holidays)
Other News
Lots of Tech!
All 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th graders have daily access to a laptop during the school day! We achieved this 1:1 ratio last year through PTA fundraising, local church and business partner donations, and past Title I funds (note: we are no longer a Title I school).
Having this guaranteed access to technology enhances the educational experience for kids, but please know that we do not do EVERYTHING on our laptops. We use a blended learning model where we take advantage of tech only when it adds value to the lesson or assignment. Some instructional activities are more effectively completed the old-fashioned way! Bottom line: our teachers will be just as concerned about “too much screen time” as you!
Family Life Education
Next week in your child’s Thursday folder you will see opt out forms for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Family Life Education (FLE) program for all students. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year please complete the form and return to school ASAP. Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at on the fcps website. The human growth and development unit for grades 4-6 will occur the week of December 16-20.
We will also be holding a parent preview night of all materials in November. More details will be coming. We look forward to working as your partner in providing information that will help your child make healthy choices related to the exciting changes and new challenges he/she will be facing in the next few years.
Parent Handbook
If you’re ever curious about rules or procedures at Coates (e.g., sending in birthday treats, student dress codes, volunteering at school, etc.), simply call the office or check our Parent Handbook. Hard copies were sent home on the first day of school, and the online version is on the Coates website at https://coateses.fcps.edu/parent-resources
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