EC Principal Letter
Dear ANCS Elementary Families,
We are all excited about our upcoming fall break starting next week. While students are off for the full week, teachers will enjoy a morning together on October 17th as a full K-8 faculty and staff and then teachers at the EC will have time to finish parent conferences and work in their classrooms in the afternoon. Every time we have a break we see an uptick in students being checked out of school early on the Friday before. If you are planning to pick up your child up early on Friday, please do so before 2:10. The end of the day is a very busy time for us and adding a lot of early check outs can make it more hectic. It is also helpful to let your child’s teachers know if you are planning an early pick up so they are prepared. Thank you for helping us with this.
It was great to see so many folks come out for our Conscious Discipline Parent Workshop last Thursday evening. I hope you found the workshop informative and were able to leave with strategies you could implement at home to support a more peaceful and productive environment. I do want to apologize for scheduling that event on Yom Kippur. That was an oversight on our part. Because of that, our Conscious Discipline consultant, Nicole Mercer, has agreed to offer a Zoom workshop for parents/guardians that were unable to attend in person. The date will be October 29th from 6:00-7:30 PM. We will send the link and details about how to join that workshop once the date gets closer, but please mark your calendars if you would like to attend. Finally, you can find the handouts that Nicole Mercer referenced in her workshop in the courier under the Elementary Campus heading. You can also find loads of information on the Conscious Discipline website.
When we return from break, we will be getting ready to host Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Friday, October 24th. This is a time for all students to have someone special come to school to see the classroom and be an honored guest. It is not a time for parents to visit classrooms or for siblings who are here at the elementary campus to go to their brother or sister’s classroom. If you need support, we have a lot of staff who can be a special friend so nobody is left out. Just let your child’s teachers know, and they will work to find someone to be with your child. RSVP here.
If you want your child to leave with their special friend at the end of the scheduled events, you will need to let the teachers know in advance. Teachers will not have time to call or text you the day of, so please communicate with your child, the teachers and the special friend so everyone is on the same page. This really helps to alleviate disappointment and sadness. Here is the schedule for Grandparents and Special Friends Day:
- 8:30–9:00 am: K-2nd – Registration
- 9:00–9:30 am: K-2nd – Special Program for Guests (all chorus members)
- 9:30–10:15 am: K-2nd – Classroom Visits
- 9:45–10:15 am: 3rd-5th – Registration
- 10:15–10:45 am: 3rd-5th – Special Program for Guests (3rd-5th chorus members)
- 10:45–11:30 am: 3rd-5th – Classroom Visits
I hope you all have a wonderful, peaceful Fall Break! As always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Take care,
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.
