Letter from Dr. Bianco

Dear Lower School Families,

We are thrilled to invite you to our annual Fall-O-Ween Costume Parade, on Friday, October 31 starting at 8:45am. This event is an evolution of a cherished Shorecrest tradition that brings together Experiential and Lower Schools’ students for a fun-filled morning of celebration. (Note to returning families, some details of this event have changed from our former Fall Festival of prior years.) Please read the following details to ensure a safe and smooth event for everyone.

Student Arrival and Dismissal

The school day begins as usual, but in costume. Drop your children off in carline wearing their costumes and with a change of clothes for later (fall themed top and denim jeans). By 8:35am, LS classes will start to line up, so please have your student dropped off by 8:00am. Then find parking if you plan to view the costume parade. 

Families can view our Fall-O-Ween costume parade, go to work, pick up students for early dismissal (ES at 11:30, LS at 11:45am) and then have an amazing Halloween evening! After the parade, Lower School students will attend class studies as well as enjoy fall related activities.

Costume Guidelines

Costumes should be appropriate for the school environment and considerate of young children. No scary costumes, toy weapons or sight-obstructing masks. It is important that your child’s costume allows them to comfortably and safely walk the distance of the parade route and back. When considering the choice of costume take into account your child’s ability to walk with their class and other children without costume support. 

Visitor Parking

Please view the attached map for parking locations. Upper School parking spaces and event parking will be available. Staff will be directing cars. Please park only in designated areas - NOT in the front parking lot. Carpooling is strongly encouraged.

Parade Viewing

The costume parade will begin at 8:45am. ES and LS will parade together. Alpha and JK will start in front of Charger Commons at Charger Blvd. The Lower School will assemble beginning with Kindergarten and be joined by each of the Lower School grade levels in ascending order as they process. Check the map for great spots to view the parade. We will have photographers along the route.

Extended Care

If you require childcare after the early dismissal, Extended Care will be available from 11:30am-6pm at a cost of $70. Students must be pre-registered to attend. You can register at the following link under the “Extended Day” season: https://shorecrest.campbrainregistration.com 

What if it RAINS?

• It will be a regular arrival drop off.

• If there is rain, there will not be a costume parade. LS students should leave their costumes at home.

• Students may wear fall themed T-shirts with uniform bottoms or jeans.

For more information or assistance, please call the Lower School office at 727-522-2111 ext.400. I look forward to seeing you on the morning of October 31st and your students in their costumes.

Hispanic Heritage Month

We are excited to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with your students! This special celebration runs from September 15th to October 15th every year. It's a time for all of us to learn about and honor the amazing histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States.

Carline Safety

On Friday two siblings, a second grader and a kindergarten student, rode their bikes to school with their mother. It was the first time that the five year old rode his own bike to school. I was so impressed. Then another family, two boys and their mom, pulled in after them. Wow! I suspect with the weather getting nicer, more families may be riding their bikes to school.

Please remember to be aware of bicyclists on campus. When you exit, have in your mind that there may be a five year old on his bike. Be careful, please.

The Balance Project

Check out, “One Communities Experiment With a Phone-Free Childhood” by Charlotte Alter. Parents in the story read Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt and built on the ideas of Let Grow by working with other families to make their community safer for children and that would allow them to be more independent.

Homecoming Week Fun Days for ES and LS

Homecoming Fun Days are around the corner. 

10/20 - Pajama Day
10/21 - Crazy Socks Day
10/22 - Fun Hair Day
10/23 - Favorite Sports Team T-Shirt Day
10/24 - Class Colors 

Class Colors: In the spirit of school unity, all grades are invited to wear their class color on Class Color Day of Homecoming Week, which promotes class unity, and connection to older peers who share the same class colors. The class color travels with the student as they progress through Shorecrest. The colors assigned to be worn by each class are intentionally not Shorecrest green and gold, which are reserved for green and gold day celebrating ONE Shorecrest!

Class of 2034, 4th grade - red
Class of 2035, 3rd grade - purple
Class of 2036, 2nd grade - blue
Class of 2037, 1st grade -orange
Class of 2038, Kindergarten - red 

The Kind Mouse

We will kick off our Kind Mouse  food drive October 20 - November 14. (More information to come.) 

Picture Retake Day

Every once in a while photographs from Picture Day do not come out well. We will have picture retakes on Wednesday, October 29.

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…

This summer, our Lower School library underwent a significant rearrangement to accommodate a new Alpha classroom, which required building a new wall adjacent to the library. To facilitate the changes, we had to box up almost half the book collection. When school resumed, Mrs. V. (Alexis), along with incredibly dedicated volunteers, including Kelly, Tani, and Christina, expertly organized the space for our students. It's been a pleasure watching Mrs. V. teach essential library and research skills, introduce great books, and observe the children as they happily search for the perfect read.

Happy first day of fall! Have a great week!

From the Clinic - Nut Allergy Awareness, Reminder

We are asking families to be mindful that we have many students with peanut and tree nut allergies which are life threatening. Please refrain from sending any peanut and or tree nut products to school for the safety of all the students. This includes but is not limited to peanut butter, Nutella, and granola bars containing any kind of nut. Thank you! 

Shorecrest Vaccine Policy 

Recently proposed changes to State of Florida vaccine mandates do not apply to private schools. Shorecrest has no intention of changing its vaccine policy for students. 

Early Experience with Shorecrest College Counseling 

The Shorecrest College Counseling Office offers comprehensive programming to support students and families throughout the college search and placement process. While many College Counseling events are tailored toward particular grade levels, all interested Shorecrest families are invited to attend these College Counseling events this fall: 

Sophomore Strategies 

Tuesday, September 30 @ 6pm
Location: Janet Root Theatre
Dedicated programming for tenth grade students and their families

The Shorecrest Advantage: Exploring Shorecrest's Upper School

Wednesday, October 15 @ 7pm
Location: Virtual
Dedicated programming for families of seventh and eighth grade students 

All-School Calendar

Lower School Contacts