Published for the Arts Based School Community
August 18, 2022
How We Do It and Why
By Mary Siebert
"In order to create, there must be a dynamic force, and what force is more potent than love?" - Igor Stravinsky
Welcome, familiar friends and new! Our first day of school breezed by smoothly. There was joy in the air! I am the Arts Director at the Arts Based School, and nearly every Thursday you will find an article from me about our unique methods, the research supporting our philosophy, and inspirational moments in the classroom and school community.
We believe that our approach “levels the playing field” so that your child has many options for appropriately challenging learning and accomplishment. We continually assess and reconsider our work with this important goal: helping your child become a successful student who loves learning. We focus on meeting each child where they are, and moving forward from there. Beyond that, we want our students to become confident, inspired, curious, creative problem-solvers. Sometimes, you are the missing link. Based on current research, here is how you can give your child the opportunities they desire and deserve. Make sure your child:
- Gets 10 hours of sleep every night. (That’s right…TEN!)
- Eats a nutritious breakfast every morning, avoiding sugary foods.
- Brings a healthy snack and a water bottle, every day.
- Arrives at school on time, and avoids early departure.
- Gets outside and exercises after school and on weekends.
- Has restricted, supervised screen time
- Reads at home daily. (Read aloud together!)
- Talks with you about school and enjoys your help with learning, daily.
- If your child takes medication, administer it appropriately and consistently. Make sure you send any meds, even cough drops, to the front office of your building with a medication form completed by the doctor.
- Even on difficult mornings, send your child off with a hug and loving words.
No amount of creative, dedicated, brilliantly-taught lessons or technology can replace the love and care you provide. Please, partner with us to make your child’s year at ABS the best it can possibly be, and we pledge to do the same!
Lunch Program
In an effort to provide expanded daily lunch options for our families, we're launching a new online lunch ordering system. Our caterer this year is Goodness Gracious (M-Th) and Papa John’s for Pizza Friday.
Meals are $5 per day, and orders must be placed by noon the day before in order to be counted. This information and links are also available at the Parent Portal on our website.
To order:
- Go to www.MyMealOrder.com and register for a free account.
- Add your student(s) using their student ID (the same as your PikMyKid ID#), last name, and school.
- Select your meals in a week view or a month view and complete the checkout process with your credit/debit card or electronic check.
If you have any questions or need help, please contact Angela Garner: [email protected]
Additional Parent Resources:
MyMealOrder Ordering Instructions
Would You Like a Part-Time Job at ABS?
The ABS Aftercare program is seeking additional part-time employees who love children and would enjoy supervising ABS students during after school hours: 2:00-4:00 p.m. weekdays, with a possible extension to 6:00 p.m. if interested. To learn more, email Ashley Tate at [email protected]
Fall Enrollment Forms for All Returning and New Students due Now
We ask all families to please take a moment to register your ABS student(s) for the new school year. ABS is using the software platform Enrollease to facilitate this process this year. Please register with Enrollease here. Once you have an account, you will login here, and then please complete the 2022-23 Required Student Form for each of your children who attend the Arts Based School. The required Student Form is now. Thank you!
Bus Service Available
For the 2022-23 school year, ABS will offer a new morning and afternoon bus service with dropoff and pickup locations of: Winston Lake YMCA, Hanes Mall, and Sherwood Plaza. If you completed the interest survey form at the beginning of the year, you received another form (below) with more information required to start transportation on Monday.
We are still working on the times for each pick up and drop off. Mr. Smitty, our bus driver, is running those today and tomorrow.
ABS Transportation Preference 22/23
Bus service is scheduled to begin Monday, August 22. Please email Ms. Leab if you have any further questions: [email protected]
PikMyKid App
In our ongoing efforts to enhance safety, we will continue using the PikMyKid dismissal app. All new families will need to download the PikMyKid parent smartphone app. Once you have downloaded the app, you will press the “Register” button and follow the prompts to sign up. When you have successfully registered, please log in, allow notifications, and check to make sure that you see your ABS student(s) listed. If you do not see your child’s name, it is likely because we do not have your mobile phone information. Please contact Donna Brown at [email protected]
If you do not have a smartphone or are unable to download the PikMyKid app for any reason, please email Leah Lavin so that we can help.
Value of Volunteering
Of course, each of you knows that volunteering is an important commitment that each family makes to our school. We ask each family to volunteer one hour per week for each child enrolled at ABS. We welcome and encourage parents to volunteer in a variety of ways—we know that you are people of many talents! If you'd like to help in your child's classroom, please reach out to your classroom teacher or class rep. Ongoing volunteer opportunities are also posted throughout the year in our Thursday Notes. If you have questions, ideas, or you'd like help getting started, please contact Leah Lavin.
Current Volunteer Needs:
Traffic Volunteers are needed for school days. Please email Donna Brown ([email protected]) if you can help tame the traffic in the mornings (7:45-8:15 am) at your campus.
Pizza Volunteers Needed
Our students look forward to ordering pizza on Fridays. We need parent volunteers to assist with separating lunches into baskets and delivering the pizza to the classrooms. If you can help with this volunteer need, please email Donna Brown: [email protected]
Time frame needed: 10:30 to 12:00
Locations: both the MLK building cafeteria and the 7th St building
ABS Family Portal Access
Access to our ABS Family Portal are now switching over to new credentials for the 2022-23 school year. Currently enrolled families have received login information via email. The ABS Family Portal is your source for a great deal of information that is not publicly available on our website, including class lists, a family directory, links to videos of our past productions, and more. If you need help logging in, please let us know!
Ways to get involved and learn more about ABS:
- Follow us on Social Media
- Catch up on Thursday Notes you may have missed
- Explore the ABS website
- Make sure we have best contact information so that you receive all communications