Hello Lister Families,

 

Today is the last day to register for Beyond The Bell. This program provides a set of fun and engaging after-school activities. Beyond the Bell activities, for students in kindergarten through 5th grade, take place from the end of the school day to 5:45 p.m., Monday-Friday. Pricing is flexible, based on your family’s need. Please pay outstanding invoice to be eligible for session 2. Families with outstanding Beyond the Bell invoices are now required to settle their balance in MySchoolBucks before registering for future sessions. Timely payments are essential to sustaining and enhancing these high-quality, affordable programs. Help is available. No student will be denied access due to financial need. Families can contact beyondthebell@tacomaparks.com for assistance.

Session 2 details:

·       Registration runs through Nov. 16

·       Session 2 dates: Dec. 1-Jan. 30

·       Register here: Compass

 

Please take a few minutes to review the information below. Have a great week!

 

-Principal Harris

 

 

Important Dates

November 25: Lion Pride Assembly - Optimism
November 26-28: No school, and school district offices will be closed for Thanksgiving Break

 

Important Information

 

Morning Arrival Update

All late arriving students, after 8:40 and 9:40, will line up at the “Late Cone” on the playground by the PE storage door. Once the “on-time” students clear the breakfast line, the “late students” will go through the line entering the cafeteria from the playground doors. Staff will be at the gate facilitating this process. Once they are done, they will close the gate so that any student arriving from that point on will enter through the main office.

 

Mark your calendar for no-school days in November 

Please note the days off school in November.

·       Monday, Nov. 10:

o   No school, and school district offices will remain open

·       Tuesday, Nov. 11:

o   No school, and school district offices will be closed in observance of Veterans Day. With respect and gratitude, we thank our veterans for their service to our country.
 

·       Wednesday to Friday, Nov. 26-28:

o   No school, and school district offices will be closed for Thanksgiving Break. (No school for IDEA, SAMI or SOTA students Nov. 24-28.)

 

Lister Gear Store Now Open

The Lister Gear store is open, now until November 30^th. Orders will be available for pick-up prior in the main office the week before Winter Break.

Store Link: https://listerelementary.allcolorink.com/

 

Picture Retakes

We will run picture retakes on Monday, December 2^nd from 9:00-11:00. Order online or pickup ordering packet from the main office.

Order Online-

1.      Go to www.mylifetouch.com  

2.      Enter Lister Picture Day ID: EVTWNHKW3

 

Tips for getting to and from school safely

With the days getting shorter, it’s a good time to remind kids about these safety tips they should use on their way to and from school:

·       Use the buddy system and walk in groups of two or more and don’t walk alone in the dark.

·       Immediately tell responsible adults about any suspicious activities or people encountered on the way to or from school.    

·       Make sure younger kids know their names, address, phone number including area code, and who to call in case of an emergency. Review how to use 911.

Find more tips and safe walking routes to school on our website.

 

Breakfast, lunch available to all TPS students at no cost

All Tacoma Public Schools students can enjoy breakfast and lunch at school at no cost. These meals are provided without an application or need to qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Meals are available to all students, even if they bring food from home. They just need to be at school at the times meals are served.

Need extra support?
Visit our Community Resources for Students and Families page for information about local food banks and other support options.

 

Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway

November 18^th at 11 am - Tacoma Dome

November 22^nd at 10 am - Eastside Community Center

November 24^th at 6 pm - People Community Center

 

Contact teachers through ParentVUE

Need to contact a teacher or other school staff member? ParentVUE is a great tool for that. Just log on and select your child’s current schedule to find the name of their teacher/s and contact information. ParentVUE - Tacoma Public Schools. 

 

How to check grades in ParentVUE

You can find your child’s grades, assignments and posted test scores on ParentVUE.  Check the app for directions: ParentVUE Help - Tacoma Public Schools (tacomaschools.org)

Do you know about the 10-school-day rule for grades and assignments?

·       Students have 10 school days from the original due date to turn in an assignment and receive full credit.

·       Students have 10 school days from receiving a grade on an assignment or assessment to request a revision, retake or correction. 

 

 Online tutoring available for TPS students 

TPS students in grades 3-12 can access free tutoring through our Pathway Partnership with Tacoma Public Library. Tutoring services are available every day from 11a.m. to midnight. on the Tacoma Library website. 

Students can get live homework help, skills building and writing workshops.

Students and staff can register for all Tacoma Public Library resources using their student/employee ID. Get more information here: Online Tutoring Support - Tacoma Public Schools

 

Free youth ORCA cards available 

Time to explore! Anyone 18 and younger can ride free on transit in the region.

They can use a Youth ORCA card (also known as a Free Youth Transit Pass) when they ride transit. Or, they can show their student ID to the driver as they board and to any transit official upon request.

Get more information here: Youth Ride Free - myORCA

 

When should kids stay home from school?

Help keep students and staff safe by limiting the spread of infectious illnesses and keeping your child home from school when they are sick. Students should stay home if: 

·       They are too sick to participate in normal activities

·       They need a level of care or observation not manageable at school

·       They create an unhealthy or unsafe environment for others
 

When children have respiratory virus symptoms, including cough, fever or chills, health care authorities recommend they return to normal activities when both of the following are true for at least 24 hours:

·       Symptoms are getting better overall, and

·       No fever (and not using fever-reducing medication)

Get more information on our website. Questions? Contact our School Nurse Heather Guthrie at 253-571-2900

 

You can support classroom projects using Donors Choose

If you’re looking for a way to support work going on in our classrooms, consider Donors Choose. It’s an online platform through which teachers can post a classroom project and people can donate any amount to help bring that project to life. Donations fund materials not typically purchased by a school's budget. Materials will be shipped directly to the school. Take a look at project requests from across our school district: Tacoma Public Schools | DonorsChoose 

 

Safety Reminders

·       Follow safe walking routes to school.  Suggested Walking Route Maps - Tacoma Public Schools (tacomaschools.org)

·       Sign up for valet if you drive to pick your child up from school. This will free up the front parking lot for buses and preschool families. Talk with your student’s teacher or the front office to sign up.

·       Keep your students off the red brick walls in front of the school. Students walking on them could result in falls and injuries.

·       To access campus, enter through the front entrance and check in with the office before going about your business. More information below.

·       Encourage your students to refrain from sharing their food with classmates. This will help us prevent accidental exposure to foods students are allergic to.

·       We do not have microwaves at school. Please encourage students to bring non-microwaveable food or eat school lunch.

·       Please refrain from smoking while on campus. We are a smoke free zone.

 

Rules for building visitors during school day

We want to ensure that all of our buildings provide a safe, welcoming environment for students, staff and visitors.

If you visit our school during the day, please:

·       Enter through the main entrance and sign in at the main office

·       Provide a form of identification

·       Follow all posted signage related to prohibited activities on school property

For safety and security, please enter the main door and check in at the front office if you need to walk your student to class. Please refrain from entering the building through the playground/cafeteria doors. You are more than welcome to walk your student through the main door, down the main hall and into the cafeteria to pick up breakfast.  It takes a group effort to ensure we stay safe. Thank you for working with us to make this happen.

Thank you for your help in keeping our school safe.

 

Building positive relationships at home

At home, it's important to talk to your child about small ways to show kindness, such as helping a friend or offering a compliment. 

Building positive relationships with children at home is essential for their emotional well-being, self-esteem, and social development. Positive family relationships help children feel secure, valued, and supported, which contributes to better behavior, resilience, and academic success. Create those relationships at home by:

·       Spending quality time together

·       Showing active listening

·       Showing appreciation and affection

·       Setting boundaries and routines

·       Encouraging open communication

Get more ideas here. 

 

Teaching empathy through simple actions

In addition to teaching academic skills at school, we try to nurture emotional intelligence in children. Our Whole Child team put together a plan that can help families do this at home, too.
At home, you can help your child foster empathy. Encourage your child to think about how others might feel in different situations. 

·       Try asking questions like, “How do you think your friend felt when that happened?” This helps children develop emotional awareness and improves communication skills. 

Follow the link for more ideas on fostering empathy: Take a look at more practical tips, insights and activities to get started. 

 

25-26 Bell Schedule

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday	Wednesday
§  8:10-Student arrival. K-5 students must wait on playground. §  8:40-School Starts, breakfast is served §  3:10-School Ends	§  9:10-Student arrival. K-5 students must wait on playground. §  9:40- School Starts, breakfast is served §  3:10-School Ends

 

Arrival and Dismissal is the process of dropping students off in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon.  

1.      Arrival:

Headstart students will enter through the preschool playground gates. TK students will enter the main entrance and go straight to class to start the day. Breakfast will be served in the classroom starting at 8:40 on M,T,TH,F and 9:40 on Wednesday.

Kindergarten, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade students will line up on the playground by class starting at 8:35/9:35. At 8:40/9:40, each class will enter the cafeteria from the playground. Teachers will lead each student through the breakfast line so they have an opportunity to grab breakfast. Once each student moves through the line, they will report to their classroom to eat and start the day. Students that show up after 8:40/9:40 will be directed to the playground. Students will enter the building after all classes have made it through the breakfast line. This delay is necessary to ensure we get an accurate count of students eating breakfast.

NOTE: Students should report to the playground no earlier than 8:10 on Monday Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. 9:10 on Wednesdays. We will not have staff on duty before these times. Driving families should use the bus lane to drop students off starting at 8:10. Street parking is available as well as behind the school. Please do not park in the bus loop or behind parked cars. This created a lot of issues last year, so we need everyone’s help with sticking to the process so we can keep the school community safe.

2.      Dismissal:

Valet is our afterschool pickup process for driving families. Students line up in the hallway and are walked to their parent/family’s car in back of the building by staff. We encourage all driving families to sign up for valet by contacting the main office or your student’s teacher. Please use street parking if you plan on walking up to the playground to pick up your student. The front lot is open to driving families between 2:55 and 3:15 on a first come first serve basis. Please do not block 44^th street or the center lane of the parking lot. If the front lot is full, please use street parking.