It is a pleasure to be an official member of the Lower Allen and Rossmoyne Elementary School family! It is an exciting time of change and transition. As we work to prepare for the upcoming school year, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself and personally invite you to be a part of my transition to Lower Allen and Rossmoyne Elementary Schools.

I have been West Shore proud for three amazing years! I am joining Lower Allen and Rossmoyne after serving as principal at Newberry Elementary for the past three years. I have a total of eight years experience in administration. Prior to my experience in administration, I taught and supported students with special education needs for several years.  My passion is to work closely with the students, teachers, families, and the community to allow for a seamless support system for our children. I have a son who is almost two years old and will proudly share pictures of our lovely family. I am also an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan and will chat about football anytime!

We are excited and looking forward to the opening of school on Wednesday, August 23rd. This year, we have several areas we will focus on at Lower Allen and Rossmoyne Elementary Schools. Our first goal will be to focus on student achievement and growth. It is imperative that we celebrate the successes of our students. We have very determined students and should certainly recognize their hard work and dedication. We will also continue to analyze our student data and provide a quality education geared toward individual achievement. Our teachers have been very busy this summer studying student outcomes and data. This year we are adopting the English Language Arts resource Benchmark Literacy. This resource has been a successful support for our students in grades three through five, and we are eager to implement this resource for our kindergarten through second grade students. Lastly, we are refining our support systems within the building called Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS). We have strong systems in place designed in a multiple tiered system to support all learners through a team of professionals.

Another area in which we will be focusing will be family involvement. As you know, it takes a village to raise a child. We need your assistance in making every child and family’s experience at Lower Allen and Rossmoyne Elementary a success. We appreciate our volunteers and the many ways they are able to assist in that goal. We value the families who are involved by helping their children with homework and reading at home, reading our newsletters, reviewing our website, or simply eating with your child at lunchtime.  It is our goal to continue to make Lower Allen and Rossmoyne Elementary Schools a welcoming place for all of our students and their families. Please consider coming to a PTO meeting and being involved. There are many ways you can help, from planning and preparation of activities, volunteering at our book fairs, or helping out at our several family events.  We need you to make these events a success, and genuinely welcome and appreciate your dedication on behalf of all of our children.

A final area of focus this year is our “engagement”. Engaged students are studying, researching, reading, practicing, and embracing challenging opportunities. Engagement for our teachers and staff means clear and constant communication. It means listening to you and your child’s needs, providing a quality education, and positive service-oriented interactions. Engaged families are involved through volunteer opportunities, attending PTO meetings/functions, and offer clear and consistent communication with teachers and staff. Our teachers are excited to engage you in the many opportunities this school year has to offer. Please take a moment to visit your child’s classroom teacher website for a welcome letter, encouraging your engagement.

It is with a strong focus in the three aforementioned areas of student achievement, family involvement, and engagement that we can ensure a successful 2017-2018 school year.

Below are several important dates and information you will find helpful for you and your child:

Calendar Information

• Kindergarten Open House will be held on Tuesday, August 15^th beginning at 5 p.m. This is an informal visit for you and your child to meet the kindergarten teacher and see the classroom. There will also be an opportunity for students and families to participate in a bus safety program which includes a short bus ride.

• Back-to-School Night for ALL Lower Allen Elementary Students will be held on Thursday, August 17^th at 6:00 p.m. There will be a “General Session” for all families in the cafeteria promptly at 6:00 p.m. Following that session, parents and families will have the opportunity to tour the building, meet their child’s teacher, and explore the tables of information in the lobby.

• New family orientation will be held on Tuesday, August 15^th @ 6:30 p.m. following our Kindergarten Open House. This session is for any new families with children of any age scheduled to attend Lower Allen and Rossmoyne Elementary Schools this year. We will begin our visit at Lower Allen Elementary. If there are families interested in touring Rossmoyne we will transition there following our visit at Lower Allen. 

• Back-to-School Night for third through fifth grade will be held on Tuesday, August 29^th at 6:00 p.m. There will be a “General Session” once again for parents and families beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. Following that session, parents and families will have the opportunity to tour the building, meet their child’s teacher, and explore the tables of information in the lobby.

• Transportation information, as well as classroom assignments, will be shared via a BlackboardConnect email on August 11^th. This information will also be available to families through the Parent Portal in PowerSchool on August 14^th. Please review your child’s bus information carefully.  Please call or stop in the offices with any questions or concerns prior to the first day of school. Also, if you have not created a Portal Account for your child(ren), please stop by the office for the information.  Due to the confidentiality of passwords, etc., this information must be obtained by the parent(s) on record in person.

• There is no school on Monday, September 4^th.

• Our first PTO Meeting will be held on Monday, September 11^th @ 6:30 p.m. at Rossmoyne Elementary.

• Picture and class photo day for Lower Allen Elementary is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12th.

• Picture and class photo day for Rossmoyne Elementary is scheduled for Friday, September 15^th.

• Parent/Teacher conferences for kindergarten students are scheduled for November 17, 20, and 21. Conferences for students in first through fifth grades are scheduled for November 20 and 21.

 Morning drop-off procedures *CHANGES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED ON THE FIRST DAY* - All doors will be locked and no supervision will be provided prior to 8:25 a.m. at Lower Allen. All doors will be locked and no supervision will be provided prior to 8:30 a.m. at Rossmoyne Elementary.  

Lower Allen drop off occurs at the main entrance, door 1.
Rossmoyne drop off occurs at the back of the school.

Children being dropped off should exit from the side of the car closest to the curb/sidewalk. Parents should remain in their cars during drop off. If you would like to walk your child to the drop off entrance please park your vehicle in the parking lot and walk to the drop off area.

Afternoon pick-up procedures at 3:30 p.m. – We ask you to write a note if you wish to pick up your child at the end of the school day.

Lower Allen students can be picked up at the lower front entrance, door number 2, by the playground.
Rossmoyne students can be picked up at the back of the school.
All parents must sign their child out. The sign out clipboard is kept in the office at both buildings from 3:00 through 3:25 p.m. After 3:25 p.m. students can be signed out at the pick up door location. 

Breakfast & Lunch - The cost of breakfast is $1.60, lunch $2.65. Checks can be made payable to the WSSD Cafeteria.  Menus are located on the District website www.wssd.k12.pa.us  under the Food Services tab.

Start Time – Students must be in their classrooms by 8:45 a.m. Students should NOT be dropped off prior to 8:30 a.m. Afternoon kindergarten begins at 12:45 p.m. Dismissal is at 3:30 p.m.  If you plan to pick up your child, please send a note indicating such.

Volunteering – Effective July 1, 2015 the District revised the procedures for volunteering in all schools to meet requirements of the Child Protective Services Act of 2014. Please visit our school website under the “community” tab for additional information and links. We also have a new system called School Gate Guardian for all visitors to our school. All visitors must have a driver license or state-issued ID card. All identification will be run through the system and checked against the sex offender database. All visitors will have a printed self-expiring ID badge to be worn while visiting the schools.

Please enjoy the remainder of your summer and give us a call or stop by with any questions. We will see you soon! 

Sincerely,

 Amanda Lerew