A Message from the Principal

Dear Parents,

Welcome to an exciting year at John P. Thomas Elementary School. The staff and I are very excited that you have entrusted your child's education to us. We will make every effort to help your child achieve academically and socially this year. It is our goal to create an enriching learning environment that engages the student.


As an educator, I will make every effort to ensure that every child is treated with respect and is safe at school. I am committed to making our school the best possible place for children. Our faculty and staff are in agreement that our mission is to teach children not only academic skills but interpersonal skills as well. Academic, social and emotional well-being will be fostered at John P Thomas Elementary. We strongly encourage our students to wear school uniforms. As you shop for school items, please consider the school uniform of navy and white and khaki and white for both boys and girls. All boys are required to wear a belt, too. We strongly encourage our students to come dressed each day in their uniform.

At John P. Thomas, we believe it is important for families and schools to work together and share responsibility for student success. We value parent partnerships and want to show our students the importance of schools and families together supporting their work at school. As a part of this goal, we will emphasize some of the two- way communication tools and shared activities. You will be hearing more about these in the next few weeks.

They are:
Classroom two- way communication tools such as student agendas, communication folders, etc. (these vary by teacher and grade) so that you and your child's teacher(s) can share successes and concerns in an ongoing manner. This allows for early intervention if your child is struggling.
Different learning opportunities for families and staff on various topics throughout the year. Some of these opportunities will be at school and others at various places in our community.

In addition, we are continuing our implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI), which provides a continuum of support for students struggling in academic and behavioral areas. In RtI, families and teachers team together in intervention planning, monitoring and decision- making as to needed student support.

Collaboration, cooperation and open communication between home and school are keys to building a strong foundation for a successful school year. I encourage and invite parent and community involvement in an effort to build a positive and successful educational experience for each of your children. So, in an effort to begin this partnership, we encourage you to be active in our Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings and your child's education. "Parents lay the foundation for their children's lives; teachers help support the structure."This is a great way to get involved at John P. Thomas, meet other parents of students from the various communities that attend our school, and to plan for a great year together. With a strong home- school connection your child will grow and flourish into successful adults.

The Parent-Student Handbook contains information about the school day and policies that are necessary in its day to day operation. The goal of our school is excellence, and striving to reach this goal is a cooperative effort on the part of the students, teachers, administrators, parents and community. We would like parents to become actively involved in all school activities.

We will encourage all of our students to strive for academic excellence, to model attributes of good citizenship, and to be an active participant in school activities. Students will be expected to demonstrate good conduct and to be responsible for completing class work and all homework assignments. Only with parent cooperation can we continually assist your child in obtaining a high quality education.

I strongly encourage parents to be active in school activities, to volunteer in the classroom when possible, and to stay informed about your child's progress at school. We will communicate with you regularly through the agenda, notices and announcements, phone calls, the school newsletters, the district's auto-dialer, e-mail, etc.

Please read this handbook very carefully with your child(ren). Your knowledge of the material in this handbook can help eliminate misunderstandings that could develop during the school year. For those families who use Internet regularly, sign up for our school's list serve. Instructions as to how to do this are included in your child's first day packet. If you have questions or concerns regarding the operation of our school, please contact a staff member or me for further clarification. I also invite you to visit our school's web site and to e-mail the teachers with your questions. I look forward to your support for a great year of learning at John P. Thomas Elementary School.


Sincerely,

Selina P. Latimore
Principal