Dear Parents:

This is the time of year when the larger portion of my message centers on safety issues.

 Student safety with traffic is a heightened issue because of increasing lack of sun light.  This is a reminder for Upper Campus parents that student drop-off and pick-up should be done on Washburn Avenue.  For parents picking up their children when parked on the west side of Washburn, please ask your children to cross the street at the corner.  Children J-walking out to cars parked on the west side of Washburn are putting themselves in danger of being hit. This danger will only increase as winter snowfall creates mounds along the curb. We appreciate your support in keeping your children safe.

Upper Campus students are not supposed to play games on the playground that involve tackling or taking another child down to the ground. That type of play lends itself to injuries.  Students arriving to school before 9:20 and playing on the playground still need to follow the playground safety rules. I point this out because we are experiencing an increase in injuries from this type of activity and it is primarily coming from before the start of the school day.

Once the snow plowing on the playground builds up piles along the walled edges of the playground, we will again institute the “no play zone” on the hills between the two basketball hoops. This practice has helped prevent students from sliding down the hill and becoming injured on the cement edge of the retaining wall. We have greatly reduced the number of injuries requiring stitches by this winter safety practice.

This is just a reminder for students who walk to school, if they choose to eat school breakfast they may enter the building at 9:20 instead of 9:25   School breakfast is free for all students.

Also, our Lost and Found has quite a few very nice jackets that have not been claimed by their owners. If your child is missing items, please check the Lost and Found boxes on the ground floor and on the middle grades second floor.

The Upper Campus physical education bowling unit culmination for grades 3-8 at the bowling lanes is set for Friday, December 21, right before Winter Break. Please remember that Winter Break is shorter this year than in the past. Students return to school on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

Sincerely,

Mary Rynchek

Principal