First Day of School –Wed, August 21st
Don’t Miss our Parent Workday!
We need YOU!
As an ABS parent, you’ve agreed to volunteer one hour per week per child. That’s roughly 39 hours per school year for each of your children. If you’re a working parent and it’s difficult to volunteer during school hours, this is great opportunity for you to rack up your volunteer hours before school begins.
Please join me…
Date: Saturday, July 27
Time: 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
(Help for as little as 20 minutes or stay the entire time. Whatever amount of time you give is greatly appreciated and does make a difference.)
What we’ll do (pick an area):
-OR-
2.) Clean out the basement – strong backs are needed for this and children are NOT allowed in the basement. We’ll have a dumpster set-up at the basement doors.
Things to consider:
- This is a DOUBLE VOLUNTEER HOURS For every hour you volunteer, you’ll record 2 hours!
- When you volunteer, it helps us receive grants! Many of the grants we apply for ask for our parent volunteer participation rate.
- I’ll bring doughnuts and coffee…YUM!
PLEASE RSVP to slefever@artsbasedschool so we can map out our plan for the day.
Kaleideum’s Peppercorn Theatre presents
Stoo’s Famous Martian-American Gumbo
Don’t miss the last shows this weekend- July 26-28
Performed at The Arts Based School (1380 N Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Winston-Salem)
An out-of-this-world new play for Young Audiences! Now that Stoo’s family lives on Earth, he can’t grow his favorite fruit from Mars. Together with his friends Kacey and Billy, Stoo is out to invent a brand new special food using delicious things from Earth! Recommended for ages 6 & up. Kaleideum Members: $10/person; Non-members: $12/person. For showtimes and tickets, visitpeppercorntheatre.org.
Welcome
Tashina Fielding joins the ABS kindergarten team as Mrs. Rudd’s assistant teacher. She is originally from Vermont but has made North Carolina her home for the past 10 years. She spent the past three years teaching preschool and is very excited to formally become part of the ABS family. You may recognize her, as she is the mother to a rising 2nd grader!
Food Allergies at ABS
You’ve all read the headlines and seen the news stories: food allergies are a growing concern in schools across America. Millions of children – children who are perfectly healthy and normal in every other way – must watch every single bite they eat, or risk suffering a severe or even life-threatening reaction. In fact, food allergies claim over 200 lives and are responsible for over 30,000 emergency room visits each year. A major health issue such as this one needs to be taken very seriously, and it has always been the policy of this school to make the safety and well-being of our students our top priority. If a student in your child’s class has a life-threatening food allergy you will receive this information in a letter. We ask that you pay careful attention to the food restriction and accommodations that the school has put in place to keep these students safe. We work closely with parents of these students to tailor the requirements based on the student’s 504 or medical plan. For some students, the allergy is with ingestion only but others can suffer symptoms from contact or airborne allergens. If you have any questions or concerns about food allergies or packing your own child’s safe lunch, please contact your classroom teacher.
Parking Lot Safety
- Please drive slowly and cautiously through school parking lot at all times.
- Do not use cell phones while in our parking lot.
- Watch for children and adults in parking lot, especially the first few days when many parents will be parking and walking their child into the school.
- Please allow extra time the first week as parents and children become accustomed to the routine.
- Please be kind and courteous to parking lot helpers.
- Please cross on crosswalks when walking children into the building.
- Please be responsible for explaining the drop-off/pick-up procedures to your afterschool daycare vans or anyone else who may be picking up your children.
Remember to enter only on Chestnut St. (by white church) during pick-up and drop-off.
Afterschool Care at ABS
ABS Before and Afterschool Care Program was created out of a need for high-quality care with a flexible, convenient schedule for working parents. We look forward to providing a safe and fun-filled environment where we focus our efforts on the social, emotional and physical development of your child. We’ll do this by nurturing strong relationships and offering your child choices that reflect his/her individual needs, interests and abilities. The onsite child care will be staffed by ABS teachers and staff with Stephanie Lefever as the Afterschool Program director. Registration will open July 22 on the ABS website.
ABS Family/Student Directory
To be sure we have accurate contact information for the ABS family/student directory, each family received a confirmation email to verify the information that will be printed in the directory. This confirmation will also list your child’s teacher. Families that do not want to be published in the ABS directory should email Principal Hollis at [email protected] before August 9.
Class Representatives Needed
We are currently recruiting class representatives for all classrooms at ABS for the upcoming school year. It’s a great way to get your volunteer hours for the year and to be more involved with our amazing school. If you’re interested, please contact Jennifer Bender at [email protected]. Thank you so much for your willingness to volunteer!
Back to School Night-Save the Date!
ABS Back to School Night is scheduled for Monday, August 19, 5-8pm. To ease parking, we will have staggered sessions. More details soon…
Who’s My Teacher?
Classroom teachers met with the grade level team before school was out to create the class rosters for next year. They use all that they know about your child’s academic, social, emotional, and behavioral qualities to determine which classroom is the best match. Class placement will be sent to parents in late July. Supply lists will be posted on our website under “students”. www.artsbasedschool.com
New Parent Orientation
Save the Date- Wednesday, Aug 7 at 10am for the New K-4 Parent Orientation at ABS. This program is designed specifically for new families in grades K-4th at ABS to support your transition into ABS and to answer your questions. Please mark your calendars and join us!
Middle School Orientation
Save the Date-Wednesday, Aug 7 at 5pm for Middle School Orientation. For new parents (grade 5-8) and also for parents new to middle school. This program is designed to answer questions about how our middle school program works (grades 5-8) and what to expect.
Special Visits
Educational research shows that the relationship between the student and his or her teacher is one of the most important factors in a student’s academic success. This critical relationship is enhanced by our small class size and our educators’ commitment to children. In support of the teacher/student relationship, our teachers will be offering a Special Visit before school begins. A Special Visit is simply an opportunity for your child to meet his or her teacher in a familiar setting, a chance to learn a bit about the class and what to expect in the coming school year. The Special Visit can be set up to occur in your home, here at the school, or on the phone. This year’s scheduled days for Special Visits are August 15 and 16, 2019. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you to schedule a 15-20 minute appointment.