Olive-Mary Stitt Elementary School is a collaborative school community with responsible students who are passionate, global learners.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Halloween 2015 A to Z

To help you get ready for this fun-filled day, we offer the following Halloween A to Z:

AM Kindergarten Halloween Plans
Kindergarten teachers will send out Halloween information via email to all families. AM Kindergarten students should be dressed in their costumes when they arrive at school. As a reminder, parents of AM Kindergarten students are welcome to congregate in the Commons beginning at 9:05 am for the AM Kindergarten parade. AM Classroom Room Reps. and Party Volunteers may begin decorating classrooms at 10 AM while the students visit other classrooms. Only parents on the volunteer list that have a visitor’s badge will be allowed to leave the Commons to help in the classroom. Volunteers – please make sure you leave plenty of time to pick up your visitor’s badge in the main office before you head down to the classroom.

Classroom Room Reps and Party Volunteers  
Just like last year, you may arrive anytime after 12:15 PM to begin setting up for the classroom parties. Please make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time to pick up your visitor’s badge in the front entryway before you head down to the classroom. We will have pre-printed badges for all volunteers that have previously had their licenses scanned. If you have not yet had your license scanned, our office staff will do this when you arrive. Only individuals that are on the volunteer list and have a visitor’s badge will be allowed access classrooms. We appreciate all that you have done to plan for a great day!

Costumes
Please help your child choose a costume responsibly, understanding that we wish to promote safety while having fun.  Please be sure that students do not bring weapons (real or fake) to school or wear costumes that include blood or depict violence.  Please also exercise caution in selecting a mask, as students will not be able to wear them during the parties and may be asked to remove them if they make walking in the parade unsafe. 

Lunch 
Your child should have brought home a Halloween lunch permission slip today. Please indicate your child’s plans and return the form to your child’s classroom teacher by October 23rd.

Students that will be going home for lunch on this day will be dismissed from the front doors at 12:10 PM. They may then return at 1:05 PM and will line up outside the kindergarten door (PM kindergarten), in the gym (1st & 2nd grade), and in the commons (3rd-5th grade) 

Students that stay at school for lunch will have an opportunity eat and then change into their costumes at 12:40 PM. Food service will offer only the Zip Line lunch bag for lunch on Friday, October 30th due to the low Halloween participation. Two Zip Line choices will be available: a Yogurt or a Turkey/Ham & Cheese Wrap.The Smart Snack line will also be open.

Parade (Indoor) 
If it rains/snows or the temperatures are too cold, we will parade inside the Commons of our school. Parents of PM kindergarten, 1st & 2nd-grade students are welcome to congregate in the Commons to view the indoor parade, beginning at 1:30 PM. Parents of students in 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade are welcome to congregate in the Commons to view the indoor parade, beginning at 2:00 PM. Students in the first parade will enjoy their classroom parties immediately following their parade. Some classrooms in the second parade may begin their parties prior to the 2 PM parade and resume the festivities following the parade. We appreciate you understanding that we are not able to accommodate parents in the school prior to 1:30 PM, as our custodian will be cleaning the Commons after lunch. Also, so that every parent has an opportunity to see their child in the parade, we respectfully request that you only congregate in the Commons during your child’s parade.

Parade (Outdoor)
If the weather cooperates, we will have our annual parade through the neighborhood, beginning at 1:30 PM. We will exit the building through the front doors and head towards Thomas Middle School via the west side of Belmont Street. We will cross Belmont at Thomas Street and return to school via the east side of Belmont Street. In the event of rain, we will bring the parade indoors. If we have to move inside, an email will go out to families around 12:50 pm.

Party Food Policy
Classroom teachers will send a notice out to parents describing the “menu” for the party.
Per district policy, treat bags may not be sent home with students.

Safety & Supervision
We will have extra supervision in place on 10/30. We also ask that our parents be extra mindful of all safety procedures around our school on this day, as extra traffic, excited students, and rushed parents can result in a very dynamic parking lot. Thank you in advance for your respect of the dismissal procedures at lunch and at the end of the day.

Zero
The chance that it is going to rain on our parade! :)

We know that our students are very much looking forward to this event. 
Thank you for helping to make this a great day for them!