Keeping you plugged into the exciting things happening at the Lower School
Published August 20, 2023
Volume 183
Sherry Randolph - Early Learning & Lower School Principal
The Principal’s Piece: A Note From Mrs. Randolph
Last week we began Lower School Chapel! We had a wonderful time worshiping together. We have a few new things we are doing this year in Chapel that I hope your family will enjoy. We will be providing you with a family devotion that relates to each week’s Chapel lesson. This is a great opportunity to expand on what we are studying in Chapel and to make the lesson relevant to your child’s life. More details can be found below, including the link to our first devotion! We also began Connection Group Time in our Early Learning Chapel. Preschool and kindergarten students will gather together for Chapel to worship and learn that’s week’s lesson. Then, we will break into small groups (Connection Group Time) where students will go more in depth about that week’s lesson and complete an activity. We are excited about our Connection Groups time! Lastly, I have plans to start a 3rd grade worship team! More details coming soon. I am excited to provide leadership opportunities for our third graders to use the gifts and talents the Lord has given them to lead others in worship. Each week, be sure to read Inside the Pride’s Lower School section called “Last Week in Chapel” (located below) to be informed about what your child is learning each week.
Upcoming Events
August 21st - PICTURE DAY - More details to come soon
August 28th - HOUSE COLOR DAY for 1st-3rd (Students are encouraged to wear a House color shirt, regular dress code bottoms are required, no hats)
August 31st - FAVORITE FOOTBALL TEAM DRESS DOWN DAY (Students may wear their favorite football team jersey or t-shirt, No hats except for TCS hats)
September 1st - REMOTE LEARNING DAY - No School
September 4th - SCHOOL HOLIDAY - No School
Last Week in Chapel
We had a great time in Chapel this week! Mrs. Randolph began a series called CHURCH: A Fun Place with a Series Mission”. In last week’s lesson, the children learned the history of the CHURCH and why the church is so important in the life of a Christian. God created the CHURCH. God commanded that we be faithful to CHURCH. Most of all, we need the CHURCH to live a thriving life on mission.
Whatchagaddaknow: “God Made The Church For You And Me!”
Each week, we will share a digital link to a family devotion that correlates to the previous week’s Chapel lesson. We hope that these family devotions provide an opportunity for you to connect as a family, grow together spiritually, and help your children apply the spiritual truths we are learning in Chapel.
Staying Informed and Up-to-date with Classroom Happenings
To stay informed of what’s happening in your child’s classroom, please login into Blackbaud weekly. You will be able to see information such as weekly classroom announcements, upcoming events, weekly academic focus, grades, attendance, etc. This is the key to staying informed and replaces hardcopy newsletters. I encourage you to login each week. Information will be updated each Sunday at 5pm.
Accessing your child's class information weekly:
Login to your Blackbaud account and select your child's name under "Children".
Find your child's homeroom class under the "Progress" tab by scrolling down to where classes are listed.
After selecting the homeroom class, you will see the teacher's main class page where you will locate upcoming dates, class reminders and news.
Select the "Topics" tab to see specific information for each individual subject. Within each subject folder, you will see a plan for the week and upcoming projects and test information.
The "Topics" pages update each Sunday evening at 5pm and will remain current until the following Sunday evening.
Elementary Clubs
Our students love to participate in our elementary clubs. These clubs are designed for 1st-5th grade students and meet after school dismisses. Check out the main page of Inside the Pride for more information.
Important Dismissal Information For PreK4 and Kindergarten Parents/Students Only
Have you registered for PickUp Patrol? Have you confirmed your child’s default dismissal plan?
Getting started:
REGISTER: You will receive a registration email with a link to set up your account. The web app is free to parents and you can use it from your smartphone or computer.
For easy access, follow the instructions in your registration email for how to add it to your phone’s home screen (PUP is not accessed through the app stores).
If you are already registered (had a student here last year), you can log in to PUP and set your child's default plan.
ENTER DEFAULT PLANS: Once you register, log into your PickUp Patrol account by Monday, August 7 to confirm your child’s default dismissal plan. It’s important that you complete this step so that we can accurately dismiss your children.
How it works:
Your child's regular dismissal plan is entered into the system. This is called their Default Plan. Then whenever you have a change to the Default Plan, you’ll submit it through the PUP app. When the change is submitted, the school will be notified.
PLEASE NOTE: Changes must be submitted by 12:00pm on the day of the change. You will not be able to make changes after the 12:00pm deadline.
Important Dismissal Information for Main Campus Students (1st-3rd)
Parents, We have partnered with the company safeDISMISSAL.COM to facilitate our dismissal process for our Early Learning campus (PreK-3 through Kinder) and our Main Campus (1st - 8th grades). One of the many wonderful features of this dismissal process is that your children will remain comfortably and safely in their classroom until the moment they meet you in the "car loading zone".
Here are a few tips to follow during our dismissal process:
Please make sure to have your ‘pick-up’ card displayed in your front window when entering the dismissal line. Please keep your card displayed until your child has been loaded into your car.
Please stay in-line (no passing) during dismissal as the children will be instructed to walk to specific spots for loading.
To reduce your wait time, please keep up with the car in front of you. Stay attentive and focused on the car line.
If your student does not arrive at the loading spot before you do, you may be instructed to move to a "waiting" area where your child will be notified again. We ask you to move to this area so that we do not hold up the remaining dismissal line.
Please note: Your child is assigned to be picked up at a particular spot according to the order of cars in line each day. Please follow the car in front of you until the line stops, regardless of where you might or might not see your child. Stopping before the line has filled will cause the sequence to be thrown off and delay the line. We will get your child to the proper spot should they have gone to the wrong place.
Finally, we ask for your patience the first couple of weeks of school as everyone gets accustomed to the process. It will get faster/better each day!
The administrators and teachers are committed to making this process beneficial to all parties. Please visit www.safeDISMISSAL.com for more information. Below are a couple of helpful resources to further explain the process.
ADMINISTRATIVE Contacts
If you have any questions throughout the summer, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are happy to help! Please see the guide below to reach the most appropriate personnel.
LS Director of Student Life - Ashley Moore (ashley.moore@tcslions.org)
Mrs. Moore can assist you with general questions regarding the school calendar, uniforms, supply lists, etc.
LS Academic Dean - Leslie Cook (leslie.cook@tcslions.org)
Mrs. Cook can assist you with any academic-related needs for PreK-.3rd grade
Director of Skills Development - Jenn Opsahl (jennifer.opsahl@tcslions.org)
Mrs. Opsahl oversees our ELS and Skills Development Program
Director of LEO Program - Jenn Duncan (jennifer.duncan@tcslions.org)
Mrs. Duncan oversees our Learning Enrichment Opportunity Program
Lower School Principal - Sherry Randolph (sherry.randolph@tcslions.org)
