Friday, July 29, 2005

Summer Letter from Principal Caren Trantas

(posted at Mrs. Trantas' request)


THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
C.W. HENRY SCHOOL
Carpenter Lane and Greene Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19119

Caren M. Trantas, Principal
Telephone: (215) 951-4006

August 1, 2005

Dear Parents/Guardians:

At this mid point of the summer, I hope that you and your family are enjoying the warm weather and leisure time. We are looking forward to seeing you again on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 when school begins. The staff and I appreciate your confidence in the Henry School and the School District of Philadelphia and pledge to do our best for your child.

Our mission is to provide every student with the educational skills and tools they need to be productive and engaged citizens. That means we will dedicate ourselves to giving your child quality instruction in preparation for a bright future. Our classrooms will be the center stage and our students the stars.

We will strive to keep our school a safe and orderly place for all our students. As school safety is everyone’s responsibility, if you wish to report any suspicious activity in or around our school, please call the District’s Safe Schools hotline at 215-299-SAFE. That line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and callers do not have to leave their names.

In accordance with our efforts to keep our school safe, we have a strict visiting policy in effect. All visitors to our school must enter through the main entrance on Carpenter Lane and be identified using our camera/phone security system. All visitors must report to the main office and identification passes will be issued before you may proceed to any classroom or other part of the building. These procedures are in place for the safety of all of us and we appreciate your cooperation and support. In addition, for safety reasons, children may not enter the building through the front doors on Carpenter Lane unless they are late. All children must enter and exit the building through the schoolyard. Cars dropping or picking students up may never enter the schoolyard.

In an effort to provide a quality education for your child, we will not call the classroom during instructional time. We will be happy to leave a message for your child or the teacher asking that she/he contact you later in the day. The staff and I are anxious to meet all of you and are pleased to assist you in any school related need. Please stop in to see me or call to make an appointment with the staff. If we are unavailable due to our responsibilities with students, please leave your name and telephone number. We will call you back as soon as possible, normally within the same day, sometime after school. If your call is an emergency, please let Mrs. Williams, our secretary, know so that we can be reached immediately.
To help you and your child prepare for the new school year, we’ve listed some reminders to assist you as you shop for school clothes and get your schedules ready.

· Registration for the upcoming school year begins on August 19th. If you have new neighbors with school age children, please let them know.

· We have space in our kindergarten classes and will begin registration again on August 19th.

· Our school hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:09 p.m. Please do not send your child to school before 8:00a.m. as they will be unsupervised. Students are reminded to be at their classroom lines by 8:25a.m. Teachers arrive to pick up their classes at 8:30a.m. Students are considered late if they are not in line at 8:30 a.m. and do not enter the building with their class.

· All students are encouraged to participate in our breakfast program. Breakfast is served each morning from 8:00a.m to 8:20a.m. in the lunchroom for those students who qualify for a free or reduced breakfast, or for a nominal fee.

· Lunch is also available for those students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch, or for a nominal fee.

· Student behavior and discipline is detailed in the School District of Philadelphia Student Code of Conduct. You will receive a copy in the fall once school has begun. You may also find a copy on our web page which can be accessed at www.phila.k12.pa.us/schools/henry. All students are expected to follow all school rules. Bullying is strictly forbidden!


· Uniforms are mandatory. The Henry school uniform is:

White, light blue or navy blue golf type shirts preferably with collars and buttons

Navy or Khaki pants or skirts

In cool weather students may wear navy sweaters or sweatshirts

On gym days, students should wear sneakers and gym clothes in red, white, or blue.

Please, no flip-flops or rubber slides. They are dangerous in our school setting.

NO T-SHIRTS OR OVERSIZED CLOTHING

NO CELL PHONES or PAGING DEVICES ARE ALLOWED

· Each month a calendar and newsletter will be sent home detailing important dates, news, and information. A school calendar listing important dates, school closings and early dismissal dates is attached. You can also visit us at http://www.knowinghenry.blogspot.com/.

Some important dates to remember:

August 23rd and 24th: join us in helping to spruce up our school before students arrive on the first day of school. Parent volunteers and staff will plant and trim shrubbery and trees.


First day of school is Tuesday, September 6, 2005 for grades 1-8. It is a full day with food services.

First day for kindergarten students is Tuesday, September 13, 2005. Parents with children registered for kindergarten will be called with the date and time prior to September 13th for an appointment/conference with the teacher.

Finally, I would like to let you know a few new and exciting news items happening at Henry School. More information will follow as it becomes available:

Please welcome our new Resource Room Teacher, Ms. Sandra Jewett. Ms. Jewett comes to Henry School with 27 years of experience in the School District and will be a welcome member of our Special Education Team.

Henry School is one of 10 schools chosen to sponsor and implement Springboard. Springboard is a program designed around the rigorous College Board Standards for College Success. It stresses math, reading, and writing standards to prepare students for participation in Advanced Placement programs and college.

We are pleased to announce that we are the recipients of a $150,000.00 music grant from the Presser Foundation. This grant will be used to establish a program of integrated curriculum-based music units. Classroom teachers will collaborate with performing artists from the Delaware Valley to co-plan and co-teach rigorous and innovative lessons that integrate music into the core curriculum.

I’m looking forward to seeing and meeting with you during the school year. I invite you to become an active participant in your child(ren)’s education. Join our Home and School Association, become a parent tutor or volunteer. Let us know if you have a particular interest or talent that may be beneficial to our students. We need your help and support. Together we will strive to continue to make Henry the very best school.

Please feel free to call me when the school office is open on August 18th should you have any questions or concerns. For your convenience, the school calendar can be found below.

Sincerely,

Caren M. Trantas
Principal


School Calendar 2005-2006

2005:
September 6 - First day of Elementary/Secondary Pupil Attendance
September 6-12 - Kindergarten parent/teacher conferences
September 13 - First Day of Kindergarten Pupil Attendance
October 4-5 - School Closed in Observance of Rosh Hashanah
October 10 - School Closed in Observance of Columbus Day
October 13 - School Closed in Observance of Yom Kippur
November 11 - School Closed in Observance of Veteran’s Day
November 24-25 - School Closed, Thanksgiving Holiday
December 26 - January 2, 2006 - Winter Recess – Schools Closed

2006:
January 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday – School Closed
January 17 - Staff Only – Professional Development Day
February 2-3 - Staff Only – Professional Development Days
February 20 - President’s Day – School Closed
March 3 - Staff Only – Professional Development Day
April 10-14 - Spring Recess – Schools Closed
May 29 - Memorial Day – Schools Closed
June 20 - Last Day for Pupils

Early Dismissal Days (12:09 p.m.)

September 16, 2005
September 30, 2005
October 18, 2005
December 9, 2005
March 17, 2006
April 28, 2006
May 12, 2006
June 19, 2006
June 20, 2006

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