August 2019
Dear Newmark School Parents/Guardians:
On behalf of the staff at Newmark Elementary, we are happy to welcome you to the 2019—2020 school year. We are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure our scholars can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school, our children need support from both the school and home. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our scholar’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that he/she:
- Attends school daily and arrives on time, ready for the day’s learning experience.
- Completes all homework and classroom assignments given by educators.
- Reads daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills.
- Informs you if he/she needs additional support in any area or subject.
- Shares AVID Agenda/Calendar and school experiences with you so that you are aware of his/her school life.
- Knows that you expect him or her to succeed in school and graduate college/career-prepared.
Our Kindergarten program will be half day (8:50 a.m.—12:10 p.m.) for the first trimester (August 5 to November 8, 2019). During the first trimester, Kindergarten scholars can attend CAPS after school and can be dropped off at 3:30 p.m. to participate. Kindergarten will be a full day program (8:50 a.m.—3:30 p.m.) during the second and third trimester (November 12, 2019 to June 4, 2020). Scholars will continue to be eligible to participate in CAPS during the second and third trimesters.
Our staff strives to provide you with excellent customer service. We have 19 classroom educators, 1 Preschool educator, 1 support educator, 1 RSP educator, 1 PE educator, 1 instrumental music educator, 1 choir educator, 1 resident guest educator, 1 counselor, 1 speech pathologist, 1 school psychologist, 1 registered nurse, 5 college scholar interns, 1 Spanish instructional assistant, 1 RSP Aide, 3 SDC Aides, 2 Preschool Aides, 1 bilingual secretary, 1 bilingual clerk, 1 health aide, 1 library assistant, 1 bilingual micro-computer specialist, 2 custodians, 3 recreational aides, 4 kitchen staff members, 3 Sunrise staff members, 7 CAPS staff members, and 1 administrator. We are a strong team that is only made stronger with your support.
We are excited about construction that will be taking place on our campus during the 2019—2020 school year to provide a single point of entry for visitors to our school. Our office has been temporarily relocated to the former library. The temporary office location has a door that is accessible from the parking lot on the west side of our school. We will no longer leave the gates open during the instructional day. The gates will remain locked starting at 8:47 a.m. Our library has been relocated to room E3. Signs will be posted to help you find your way.
We are celebrating our certification as an AVID Elementary schoolwide school. Scholars in grades TK through 6 will utilize organizational materials (binders and Nicky folders), take 3-Column notes in Math, and have an agenda/calendar. We are also thrilled to have a 1-1 technology program for our scholars in grades 1—6. Scholars in grades TK—K have access to integrated technology lessons to build foundational skills. Lastly, we offer an enriching before and after school program. The before school program is called Sunrise and the afterschool program is called CAPS. These can be very popular programs that have a waiting list—applications are available in the front office.
Regular attendance is critical to your child(ren)’s success. We have incentives for individual scholars and classrooms to help promote good attendance. Scholars with perfect attendance (no tardies, no absences, and no early dismissals) are eligible to receive additional incentives. There are interventions at the school level when there are attendance concerns: truancy letters (first and second notification) and School Attendance Review Team (SART). If you need support with your child(ren)’s attendance, please contact the school’s Counselor. The San Bernardino City Unified School District requires all schools to refer scholars to a District meeting at Youth Services when a scholar accumulates 10 unexcused or 15 excused absences. This meeting, called the School Attendance Review Board (SARB), will require parents to sign an attendance contract.
For the safety of our scholars, our school is a closed campus before, during, and after school hours. Scholars may begin arriving to school at 8:00 a.m. Scholars are greeted at the front gate by the staff and can enter the campus at 8:15 a.m. The staff will close the front gates at 8:47 a.m. All scholars arriving after 8:47 a.m. will need to enter the campus through the main office. Scholars will be considered tardy if not in their classroom seat at or before the 8:50 a.m. bell.
Visitors, volunteers, and parents are welcomed at our school, but each person must check in through our front office using the Raptor system. In order to check in and enter campus, you must bring a photo ID with you each time that you wish to come on campus. The office staff will scan your ID and create a visitor’s pass. All visitors, volunteers, and parents are required to wear a visitor's badge during their time on campus. During awards assemblies, celebrations, parent/educator conferences, etc. it will take a significant amount of time to check in each visitor, volunteer or parent. Please plan to arrive early so that you have time to check in, receive your badge, and find your seat. Entry through any one of our gates is not permitted.
We are building a parent volunteer program. If you are interested in volunteering, please obtain an application from the office. You will need to bring a photo ID and a copy of a clear TB test. All visitors and volunteers must contact the school and/or educator 24-hours, in advance, before volunteering in the classrooms or visiting the classroom. Minors (under the age of 18) are not permitted to enter the classrooms during the instructional day. Administration and the office staff will not permit visitors to the classroom or campus unless it was authorized in advance.
We offer many opportunities for parents and families to be involved in the education of their child as well as help make important decisions about our school. We have three parent advisory groups on our campus: School Site Council (SSC), English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC), and African American Parent Advisory Council (AAPAC). ELAC and AAPAC look at our scholar groups to determine actions and services to meet their needs. ELAC and AAPAC advise our SSC. As a school wide Title I school, our SSC is the parent council that approves the federal Title I budget and the school’s Single Plan for Scholar Achievement. In addition to the parent groups, we host monthly parent workshops in room E-6. Finally, we will also host exciting events such as Math and Reading Night, AVID Night, Book Fairs, and much more! We are excited to share in the fun with you this year!
If you have questions or would like to speak with the school counselor, support staff, or administrators, please visit or call our office to make an appointment. We have dedicated time to meet with parents in order to protect our instructional time. We thank you for your support, in advance, and look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
Kimbre Sargent
Principal