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 at 9:10 am. AM classroom room reps. and party volunteers may begin decorating classrooms at 10:00 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 (PM Kindergarten & 1st-5th Grades)
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 to 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 (1st-5th)
Students going home for lunch on this day will be dismissed from the front doors at 12:10 pm. Parents do not need to come into the office to sign their child out as the Halloween permission slip will serve as the sign-out. Students must return to school no later than 1:10 pm. To ensure proper supervision, students may not exit cars until 1:05 pm. They may line up outside their regular arrival doors (PM kindergarten, 2nd & 5th at door 7 and 1st, 3rd, & 4th at the front doors) to wait for the doors to open at 1:10 pm.
Students that stay at school for lunch will have an opportunity to eat and then change into their costumes at 12:40 pm. Food service will offer only the Zip Line lunch bag for lunch on Monday, 10/31 due to the low Halloween participation. The only two lunch options on 10/31 will be 1) yogurt, string cheese, bagel stuffed w/cream cheese, fruit, two vegetable choices, & milk or 2) turkey and cheese deli sandwich, fruit, two vegetable choices, & milk.
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 2:00 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
Per a letter from Dr. Bein, posted on the OMS blog on 10/23/16, food will not be served during classroom celebrations. Also per the district, please do not send any food items to school for distribution to students. Our Halloween parades and classroom parties will focus on the fun of celebrating together through holiday games, crafts and activities.
Permission Slip
All classroom teachers will email families a link to a Google Forms Halloween Permission Slip. AM & PM kindergarten parents will be asked to indicate their child's parade/party plans and 1st - 5th grade parents will also be asked to indicate their child's lunch plans on the permission slip. Please respond to this form by Monday, October 24th for EACH of your children as this is how you give permission for EACH of them to participate in activities on Halloween.
Safety & Supervision
We will have extra supervision in place on 10/31. 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!
