Letter from Dr. Bianco

Dear Lower School Families,

Welcome, September! I hope you enjoyed Labor Day weekend. A new month brings new opportunities and experiences as we start our second full week of school.

Specials Teachers

We're excited to introduce you to our incredible team of Lower School Specialists who will be working with your children this year! The educators teach art, music, physical education, library skills, literacy, social-emotional learning (SEL), Spanish, and STEAM. They play a vital role in your child's education throughout their five years in the Lower School. To help you get to know them and their exciting curriculum, Ms. Katy Deegan has created a special video.

Please take a moment to view a Meet the Specialists video at your convenience. 

Yearbook Photos on Wednesday

Wednesday is ES and Lower School Picture Day. All children’s photos will be taken for the Shorecrest "Crestviews" yearbook and school photo ID. Call or write Lower School Administrative Assistants, Emily Arthur or Marcia Johnston, if you have any questions.

Grade Level Representative Meetings

Grade level representatives help coordinate parent volunteers for class and grade level activities and events. Reps are asked to attend a few meetings with the teachers and the Head of Lower School. These meetings will take place in the Ohana Community Room on the second floor of Charger Commons. This time will be used to update representatives, check in with one another, share information, and plan. Meetings will start at 8:15am and end around 9/9:15am. Our first meeting is Thursday, September 4.

Town Meetings

Families are welcome to attend our Town Meetings on Fridays, 8:15-8:30am. Last Friday children learned that our weekly community meetings are a way for us to gather and share our learning. We also welcomed new students and faculty. Our meeting begins with a welcome, the Pledge of Allegiance, and our Lower School Motto (“We respect ourselves, each other and the environment.”) Songs, class shares and news are shared. We end with the charge to “Work hard, have fun and take care of each other.” 

Have Lunch With Your Child

At Back To School Night I mentioned that you are welcome to come have lunch with your child. When you arrive, please stop at the front office to check in with the receptionist (Emily Arthur). She will give you a lunch ticket to present when you pay for your lunch. For parents with children in grades K-3, please eat with your child at an available table under the Lower School canopy. This is a special time for students to enjoy lunch with their family, so we ask that they do not bring a friend on these days.

Lunch Schedule
11:00am Second grade
11:15am Fourth grade (in MS/US Dining Room)
11:35am Kindergarten
12:10pm First grade
12:45pm Third grade

Bay News 9 Teacher of the Week!

Third grade teacher, Khana Rebman '05, was nominated as a Spectrum Bay News 9 "A+ Teacher of the Week!" Each Tuesday the station highlights a local teacher who consistently goes above and beyond for their students and school community. To celebrate this honor, Bay News 9 came to Shorecrest last Wednesday, August 27, to film Mrs. Rebman in her classroom and to conduct a brief interview with her about what she loves most about teaching. 

It's clear why Mrs. Rebman stands out as an amazing educator. Her dedication and passion for teaching shines through in everything she does, and we are thrilled she is being recognized for her outstanding work with children. Khana is a Shorecrest Charger alumna from the Class of 2005. She earned her Master’s in Elementary Education from the University of New Hampshire. We love Mrs. Rebman! 

Lower School Parent/Guardian Book Discussion

Last year we had some great discussions around the book “The Anxious Generation.” This year we will start off reading “Raising Mentally Strong Kids” by Daniel G. Amen and Charles Fay. Jennifer Phelps, Kate Fierce and I will be guiding the discussion. The first meeting will be October 22.

Safety Drills

A part of our routine is ensuring students are prepared for an emergency. All of our teachers review and practice safety drills with students at the start of the year. We also conduct school-wide drills throughout the year to reinforce these important lessons.

Last week, we held a scheduled tornado drill. In the coming weeks we will be practicing our fire and lockdown drills. Our goal is to empower students with the knowledge of and confidence in our safety and security protocols. 

Schoology

Each week read your child’s teachers’ pages on Schoology to learn about what’s happening in the classroom. Read the Specialists' pages as well: Art, Music, STEAM, PE, Spanish, SEL and Library.

Final Thoughts…

Thank you so much for attending Back to School Night. I enjoyed seeing returning families, meeting new parents, and of course, being able to say a few words about the Lower School’s culture, teaching and learning of excellence. I hope the information presented by teachers was helpful, and that it was fun to be in your child’s classroom and to hear your child’s teacher talk about all the good things that we’ve planned for this school year. We are truly a school that strives to provide your children with an education of excellence in human thought, feeling and action. 

How are the children? All the children are well.

With great appreciation,

Lisa 

Dr. Lisa Bianco

Head of Lower School

lbianco@shorecrest.org  

727-456-7518

Lower School Town Meeting

Lower School Town Meeting is a weekly tradition that brings Shorecrest Lower school students, faculty and parents together. Each week during Town Meeting, classes or specialist groups take turns leading the event for their peers. Students and teachers share what they are learning, often in an engaging and participatory way, and each class has an opportunity to share. Parents and Shorecrest faculty and staff have an open invitation to attend. Town Meetings are on Fridays at 8:15am on the Weiss Family Pavilion. 

[KINDERGARTEN] Parent Presentation: Supporting Your Child's Early Literacy Development - September 11

Join us on Thursday, September 11 for a Kindergarten Parent presentation: “Supporting Your Child’s Early Literacy Development.” Presented by Literacy Specialist Kristin Silver and Assistant Head of Lower School Sarah Palazzolo. 

The event begins at 8:15am in the Ohana Community Room, 2nd Floor of Charger Commons.

[3rd - 8th Grade] Parent Presentation: ERB Testing Info Session - September 16

Join us on Tuesday, September 16 for a parent presentation for grades 3-8: “ERB Testing: Understand our school’s standardized testing and what this means for your child.” Presented by Assistant Head of Lower School Sarah Palazzolo and ERB Coordinator Mandy Howell. 

The event begins at 8:15am in the Ohana Community Room, 2nd Floor of Charger Commons. 

Community Committee on Diversity - Thursday, September 10

Please join us for the Community Committee on Diversity (CCD) meeting on Thursday, September 10 at 3:30pm in the Seminar Room, Charger Commons second floor. This group is open to all community members who are interested in learning more about and being a part of the diversity efforts at Shorecrest. It is also a forum for complex and engaging conversations around timely topics related to diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Additional information coming soon. 

Coffee Cart Fridays on Campus 

Join us Friday mornings for coffee on campus! Offered most Fridays throughout the school year, local vendors set up shop outside of the Raymund Center offering coffee drinks for purchase. Enjoy a coffee before Lower School Town Meeting, grab a coffee to go before a SCA meeting or Charger Chat, or take your coffee to shop at the School Store! 

Coffee carts are available roughly 7:15-9:15am.

All-School Calendar

Lower School Contacts