Sunday Greetings!
With just two weeks remaining in 2024, we are committed to making each day purposeful, engaging, and fun! As always, we lead with love and prioritize people over paperwork, ensuring every student has the opportunity to find, enhance, and showcase their unique light.
Cafeteria Lunch Table Update
To create a more personal and meaningful experience, we have moved the parent lunch tables outside the cafeteria. This change reduces cafeteria noise and ensures that parents enjoy a special moment exclusively with their child, without interactions with classmates or other students. Our goal is to make this time a memorable and intimate experience for you and your child.
Outdoor Recess Update
As shared in the December 6 episode of Spilling the Tea, we trust and support each teacher’s decision regarding outdoor recess based on the weather. Recess remains a 30-minute daily part of our schedule, and we aim to provide students with outdoor time whenever possible. However, recent wind chills and harsh weather conditions have made this challenging. Please know our incredible staff is committed to ensuring students have meaningful recess experiences, whether indoors or outdoors.
Thursday Communication: Appreciation and Comments
We are analyzing our teacher’s weekly communications from December 5 and December 12 to better understand the analytics, including how many families view the messages and engage by showing appreciation or leaving comments. This feedback helps us evaluate the effectiveness of our communication and ensure we’re reaching and connecting with our community in meaningful ways.
Winter Party Reminders
Room parents will send information this week about the Winter Party, a tradition organized by parents with teacher support. Most classrooms plan activities like crafts, 1–2 winter games, and peanut-free snacks. In addition, students will participate in our annual Blankets of Love community service project, creating blankets for the Children’s Hospital and others in need. We encourage all parents—not just room parents—to contribute materials or assist with the event.
We understand attending in person may be challenging, but there are many ways to support this special day. This event can not happen without your support. The Winter Party is an opportunity for families to celebrate the season together in our classrooms, strengthening the bond between school and home. These moments create lasting memories and send our students home with joy, ready to return with excitement in January 2025.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, December 12: PTA Meeting and Chiming in the Season Performance
PTA Meeting: 6:00 PM
Performance: 6:30 PM, featuring 1st and 4th-grade students with instruments, guest speakers, and more. Please inform your child’s teacher if your family cannot attend.
Thursday, December 12: Spirit Day - Reindeer
We are encouraging all students and staff to dress up like reindeer! We will have some fun games played during lunch with our reindeer!
Friday, December 13:
Gator Bash (2nd & 5th Grades): 7:20–7:50 AM in the gym. Students can join or stay in their classroom for Morning Choice.
Home Connection Glow Report: The second Glow Report will help guide conversations at home about our Gator Values. Please return by Thursday, December 19. This is very important.
Talent Show Practice: 7:20–8:00 AM in the music room. Punctuality is key, as students will rehearse their acts 1–2 times. We’ll use additional spaces like the art room, lab, and library to maximize practice time, ensuring every act is performance-ready.
Spirit Cart Update: Open to 2nd–5th-grade students.
Tuesday, December 17: Talent Show Dress Rehearsal
2:00–3:30 PM in the gym. All participants must stay after school as we finalize the flow of the show to ensure the performance stays under one hour.
Thursday, December 19: Tacky Light Tour
Selected students will join the administrative team for a Richmond-area tour. Permission forms are due by December 12.
Friday, December 20: Action-Packed Day
Math Awards Ceremony: 7:20–7:50 AM
Talent Show: 8:15–9:15 AM
Math 24 Tournament: 9:30–10:15 AM (3rd–5th-grade competition; top players advance to the 804 Tournament)
Winter Party: 1:00–1:45 PM. Families are welcome to join this special event organized by Room Parents.
December 23–31: Winter Break
Schools will be closed.
School Songs
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our students and school community. Let’s make these final weeks of 2024 memorable!
Keep shining your light!