Inside the Pride Upper Elementary School News - Volume 228

Keeping you plugged into the exciting things happening at the Upper Elementary School

Published August 11, 2024

Volume 228

 

Adam Vinson - Upper Elementary School Principal

 

A MESSAGE FROM MR. VINSON

What a great start to the new school year! We had a blast at our Welcome to the Roar and Meet the Teacher days and our first week of classes has gone so smoothly as well. We are overjoyed to have your students back on campus and are already seeing the LORD working and moving amongst them. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if I can do anything for your child or your family

HOW ARE WE DOING?

Let me know how our team is doing in keeping you informed about your child’s education this year. If you are lacking communication regarding one of your child’s classes, please let me know so I can help! adam.vinson@tcslions.org

NEWS IN THE UPPER ELEMENTARY:


RIDING HOME WITH A FRIEND?

If your student will be going home with another student during dismissal, please send an email to receptionist@tcslions.org OR tiffany.mcburnett@tcslions.org.

BLACKBAUD CLASSROOM INFORMATION

Blackbaud is going to be your main source of information this year. Once you login, you will see a drop down arrow in the top left corner to choose which student’s information to look at. When you click on your 4th or 5th grade student, you will see summary information, and then when you scroll down, you will see each of your student’s classes. Each class is clickable. Please click on your student’s homeroom class to see the weekly newsletter for 4th or 5th grade. Once you are in your student’s homeroom class, it will open up the Bulletin Board. Here is where you will find the clickable link for the newsletter that will be added each week. Any important information for the week will be found here. 

To find information on each specific class, you will go back to the main page for your student and click on each individual class. Again, when you click on the desired class, it will open to that class’ Bulletin Board. Here you will find helpful information such as what to do should your student be absent. For information regarding lesson plans that will include the plans for the week, homework assignments, and any upcoming tests, quizzes, or projects, you will need to click on the “Topics” tab.

To recap:

  • Weekly newsletter is found on your student’s homeroom Bulletin Board.

  • Lesson plans, assignments, etc…are found in the specific classes Topic tab.

We are still able to make some adjustments and changes to your child’s schedule, but please be sure to communicate those desires this week as we are now getting into the normal content for each class. If you need to explore a specific change, please email Kristan Peavy (kristan.peavy@tcslions.org), our Director of Curriculum and Instruction, ASAP so we can get those fixed for you. 
Note: We will start electives this week. Our drop/add period for electives will end on Friday, August 30. If your child desires to make an elective change, please follow the same process by emailing Mrs. Peavy (kristan.peavy@tcslions.org).

ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES

The following steps should be taken for reporting absences for 4th - 8th grade:

  • Send excuses for absences, including doctor’s notes to attendance@tcslions.org.

  • Send PRE-ABSENCE REQUESTS (family trips, etc.) to Melissa Lanier (melissa.lanier@tcslions.org) via your child’s homeroom teacher. 

If your child has to miss class this year due to sickness, check out our process below for getting your child caught up on missing work and assignments. Please also notify the nursing team to make them aware of surgeries or long-term illnesses at nurses@tcslions.org.

  • WHAT IF MY CHILD IS ABSENT 1-5 DAYS? - Have your child connect with their teachers upon their return to the classroom. We will not send makeup work home for sick absences of this length through our Return to Academics program. 

  • WHAT IF MY CHILD IS ABSENT 5+ DAYS? - Reach out to Melissa Lanier (Return to Academics Coordinator) so we can best determine a makeup plan for your child. Mrs. Lanier will help collect makeup work for you to simplify the process. 

  • NOTE: If your child is sick, we want your child to focus on resting and healing before worrying about missing assignments. Please know our teachers will work diligently to help your child catch up once they are feeling well enough to complete assignments.

4TH GRADE CURRICULUM NIGHT

All of our 4th grade parents are invited to our special Curriculum Night on Tuesday, August 13 at 6:00pm when you will get to hear more from our 4th grade team about how to navigate the transition to Upper Elementary. Please meet in The Gathering Place (school cafeteria). We look forward to sharing with you more about our exciting program.

HOUSE REBRANDING: THE NEE HOUSE

We have chosen to rebrand the Nee House from purple to orange to give our students more variety when it comes to dressing up for our House Color days. Stay tuned for the date of our first House Color day and for options to purchase house shirts if interested. 

  • 4th GRADE = Nee House (Orange)

  • 5th GRADE = Wycliffe House (Black)

POTENTIAL CHANGE COMING: STANLEY CUPS

While we understand that Stanley Cups are a popular choice for transporting water to school, we have seen an increased amount of spills in hallways, classrooms and the gym as a result. We are closely monitoring the amount of cleanup our staff is required to do as we start the new school year. If the problems continue, we may have to require Stanley cups to be left at home. Please encourage your child to exercise caution and responsibility if they are currently bringing one of these cups to school each day.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS 

Would you like to celebrate your child’s birthday this year? Consider one of the following options as a way to make their day special. 

  • Purchase birthday cart treat items from our snack cart for your child’s homeroom class for $25. Email our Director of Student Life, Tiffany McBurnett (tiffany.mcburnett@tcslions.org), if you would like to schedule a day. 

    • PLEASE GIVE A 2-DAY NOTICE SO PREPARATIONS CAN BE MADE

  • Send in prepackaged birthday treats purchased from a store for the homeroom class. 

  • Join your child for lunch (beginning in September) in the cafeteria.

RESOURCES AND INFORMATION


THIS WEEK IN CHAPEL


Mr. Vinson kicked off the school year by drawing our students to Esther 1. In this passage we learn that King Ahasuerus spent 180 days drawing the attention of the kingdom to his greatness. In contrast, Mr. Vinson challenged our students and staff to spend our own 180 days of the school pointing others to the greatness and goodness of our own King, Jesus Christ!

LIONS OF THE WEEK

Students who have been recognized by their teachers for setting a good example and making right choices during the school day.

  • Beginning this week

THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE

As you may notice, our 4th-8th graders memorize the same verses each year. These memory verses are selected intentionally based on the promises and truths they contain that are so relevant for our students as they learn to follow Goodness. Our hope is that these 20 verses will be remembered for years to come after being memorized for multiple years in Upper Elementary and Middle School

I Thessalonians 5:23-24

v. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

v. 24 He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.

SUPPLY LISTS FOR 2024-2025

Check out the most updated supply lists to help prepare your child for the start of the school year.

UPPER ELEMENTARY HELPFUL LINKS

HOUSE SYSTEM COMPETITION

Check out who is leading the competition at www.tcshouses.weebly.com. 

24/25 SCHOOL CALENDAR - Stay in the know about upcoming breaks and holidays. 

PRE-ABSENCE FORM - Submit pre-planned absences 5 days ahead of time for approval.

DRESS CODE OVERVIEW - Check out this year’s guidelines.

UPPER ELEMENTARY ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM:

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

Principal 

Director of Academics and Student Development 

Director of Curriculum and Instruction

  • Kristn Peavy (kristan.peavy@tcslions.org) - Mrs. Peavy provides direction and guidance related to each grade level’s curriculum. 

Academic Coordinator

  • Melissa Lanier (melissa.lanier@tcslions.org) - Mrs. Lanier oversees our class placement and return-to-academics process for students who have been absent. 

Director of Spiritual Development