EC Principal letter
Dear ANCS Elementary families,
Happy return from a beautiful fall break! I hope you all enjoyed some extended time with your child(ren). My daughter was also on a break from college, so we enjoyed time camping on Cumberland Island and unplugging for four days. It was amazing.
Now that the weather has cooled off and students are wearing jackets and coats to school more often, it is super helpful to make sure that your child’s belongings (jackets, scarves, hats, water bottles, lunch boxes, etc.) are labeled with his/her full name. Things often get left around the school and are taken to lost and found whenever possible. However, it is always best when we can just return an item to its owner, which is what will happen if it is labeled.
As Halloween is quickly approaching, there are signs and events popping up all over town. Consequently, our children are becoming more and more excited about the big day, which, unfortunately, is on a Tuesday this year. This is a fun time of year, but we ask that children do not wear their costumes to school or bring candy from their trick-or-treating loot. We will not have class parties on Halloween, but teachers may do some fun activities with the class. We are hopeful this will help us keep an atmosphere of calm and learning here at school and respect the members of our school family that do not celebrate Halloween. Thank you in advance for helping us with these efforts.
We are really looking forward to Grandparents and Special Friends Day on October 27th from 9:00-11:00am. This is a tradition that we haven’t been able to enjoy since pre-Covid, so this is a big deal! We work hard to ensure that each student has a guest. Please make sure that you have RSVP’d for your guest here. If you don’t have someone who can come to school for your child, please let your classroom teachers know so we can work to find someone here at school to participate. Additionally, we have traditionally had many students leave with their grandparent or special guest after the day’s festivities are over. If you want your child to leave early, you need to let the classroom teachers know ahead of time. We will not allow a child to leave unless you have given your permission for that to happen.
As I mentioned in my last courier letter, October is Digital Citizenship month. We are doing a lot around the school to increase our students’ awareness of online safety. We hope you can join Ms. Rogers, Ms. Shelley, and Ms. Tottenham for our next Parent University: Digital Life and Learning: Digital Citizenship in 2023, on October 30th right after Morning Meeting, 8:15-9:15am. We are planning an informative, interactive event where we will be talking about all things digital citizenship including: Wellness, Safety, Using Tech for Good, School Resources, and more. We hope to see you there.
Finally, just another quick reminder that I will be out on medical leave from October 20th until after Thanksgiving break. Everything will continue to run smoothly here at school with our wonderful Assistant Principal, Nicole King, taking the lead. She will have support from Ms. Laurent and Dr. Pullen.
As always, I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Have a wonderful remainder of your week!
Wishing you well,
Lara
Lara Zelski
Lara Zelski began working at ANCS in 2007. Previously, she worked at the Howard School and taught art, Spanish, reading and math. She taught 6th, 4th, and 2nd in DeKalb County. She taught 4th and 5th grade in Decatur and then moved to Title One reading and math instruction for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. She taught 5th grade at the ANCS elementary campus for two years.
