Dear SLS Families,

Happy New Year, and Welcome Back!

UPCOMING EVENTS

       

1/15 - Monday. School Closed in observance of
          Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

1/19 - Friday. Early Dismissal. No After Care.

          Professional Development

 

 

INCLEMENT WEATHER NOTICE

We are coming upon that time of year again!  St. Leo’s School takes the safety of our staff and students seriously and will utilize snow days if we have any concerns about the safety of our students.  Please note that we DO NOT USE robocalls.  All inclement weather and/or emergency closings will be sent to your email no later than 6 am the day of the closure.  In most situations, we will close the evening before.  In addition, all closures will be listed prominently on our website. 

 

 

 

 

PARKING REMINDER

 

Please see the important notice from Chief Foligno regarding parking around St. Leo’s School.  Please be sure to adhere to Elmwood Park’s parking guidelines. 

 

 

 

NEW MAKER SPACE!

 

Student Government is excited to kick off our “official” Makerspace during Catholic Schools Week.  A Makerspace is a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials. We would greatly appreciate your donations if you have anything around you no longer need. Please bring them to the Main Office labeled “Makerspace.” Below is a list of items we will accept:

 

● Ribbon, yarn, string. Twine, fishing line

● Legos, Knex, Blocks

● All types of paper (Wrapping paper, card stock, construction paper, printer  paper, scrapbook)

● Markers, Pens, Crayons (used are preferred)

● Aluminum foil

● Cardboard of any kind, ranging from boxes like cereal to large appliances (flattened please)

● Cardboard tubes (wrapping paper, toilet paper, paper towel, etc.)

● Play-Doh

● Craft supplies (cotton balls, popsicle sticks, paint, tape (duct, masking, clear), low temp hot glue gun, glue gun sticks, regular glue/sticks, toothpicks, rubber bands, child scissors)

● Storage Containers - tubs, baskets

● Dominos, marbles

● Playing cards (used for building items)

● Batteries (various sizes)

● Old jigsaw puzzles

● Popsicle sticks

● Clothespins

● Toothpicks

● Scraps of wood ends

● nails

● Felt scraps

● old magazines

 

 

FUNDRAISERS

 

3rd Annual Paws  - (waiting for flyer)
One of our most successful fundraisers is back for a 3rd year.  Proudly show your SLS pride by purchasing a small or large paw to be displayed in the lobby.  Details below.

 

Mermaid Movie Night - SLS is hosting a movie night to support our “Little Mermaid Musical.” Click here to order tickets. See the attached flyer for more information.

 

Spirit Wear - Please see the new easier order form attached  https://forms.gle/BKEvZs7amDGuBmpk7

 

 

SLS LUNCH PROGRAM

 

 

The first come, first serve was stated for emergencies only. We do not have enough extra pizza to cover those who simply have pizza, although they missed the deadline.  Moving forward, we ask all families who missed the deadline to please send their child to school with lunch and money to purchase pizza. If we have enough surplus on that day, we will sell the extra slices available.

Francesca's Lunch Program: https://elmwoodparkpizza.com/st-leos-lunch-program

NO PIZZA WILL BE SERVED ON HALF DAYS.

Please remember, SLS does not allow FAST FOOD, GrubHub, Uber Eats, or ANY FOOD DELIVERY service to students.  If you are in a situation where you forgot lunch, students will be provided with a muffin and juice.  If you need to drop something off, sandwiches, bagels, and salads are acceptable.  Thank you for understanding.  

 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Tricky Tray Committee

As noted last Spring, St. Leo's School Tricky Tray, organized and run by SLS parents, made a historic profit of $30,597. Thank you all for your generosity.

To achieve this level of success again this year, we ask all of our SLS parents to commit again to the planning and preparation for this pinnacle event. 

 

Tricky Tray Volunteer Sign-up Form 

Click here to volunteer  https://forms.gle/3pZ5iRSRfuDjdC8X7

 

TUITION PAYMENTS:

December payments are past  due; if you still have issues with Smart Tuition or payments, please contact the school office. 

 

“THE LITTLE MERMAID” PLAY PRACTICE

Please see the attached practice schedule for all cast members of the play. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. N at anarmontaite@stleosschool.org

 

ELMWOOD PARK/ELK’S CLUB - 

Sunday Breakfast - please see the attached flyer for more information. 

 

Housekeeping Items (PLEASE CHECK FOR ANY ADDITIONS OR UPDATES):

Email Correspondence - It is beneficial to our school staff and teachers to include your child's name and grade in your correspondence; many families have different last names or just provide an email, making it difficult to determine who the child is.

School Payments  - Please be sure that all payments to the school are separate; we cannot make changes, and monies go to different organizations (HSA, School, Classroom, Sports Group, etc.)  Any funds received as a "grouping" or need will be returned to the family.  We will assume any extra money is a donation. 

Deadlines - We cannot express enough the need to adhere to deadlines and cut-off dates.  Starting October 1st, any payments, notices, etc., that are received after a deadline will be returned to the student.  Our school, parents (HSA), and teachers work very hard to ensure that fundraisers, lunch orders, etc. are correct. When deadlines are not followed, mistakes may be made.

Nut-Free School - Remember, SLS is a nut-free school. Parents should check the contents of their lunchables and other pre-packaged items. We want to ensure the safety of every child. 

Visitors to the school - all visitors to the school, including parents, HSA, vendors, etc., must sign in at the front desk and receive a visitor's badge.  It just provides us another level of safety for our students and staff to be sure that anyone who is visiting the school is allowed to be there and, in the event of an emergency, an accurate audit of who is in the building.

Aftercare - This service begins at 3:45 daily and ends 6pm.  Parents must sign out their child at pick up and pay promptly the day after receiving their statement.

Late Arrivals - Any student arriving after 8 AM without previous authorization will be marked late.  ALL Parents MUST come into the building and sign their child in; students are not permitted to sign themselves into school.

Daily Drop Off - 7:45 - 8:00 AM Thank you for driving safely and being on time.

Recess Equipment: Students can bring their recess equipment daily; however, it must be safe and approved by the student's HR teacher and shared at Recess. SLS is not responsible for lost equipment (i.e. balls in a dumpster or on the roof of the building). 

PowerSchool Access - All students have a PowerSchool account.  This is where you will check grades, progress reports, report cards, etc. New students will be provided access to PowerSchool within the first week of school. 

Drop-Off Guidelines We have received many positive comments about the increased safety of our new drop-off procedure.  I have a few requests to ensure that it remains timely since being on time is a Life Skill that will serve your students well moving forward.

1. Please drive all the way to the end of the building (Last Year's Lower School Entrance). "Stairwell B" gives Middle School students direct access to their classrooms.  Having them walk a short distance further to their homeroom upstairs will help expedite the drop-off process. Another option would be to drop your children off before entering the line so they can walk independently on the sidewalk into the building. 

2. Currently, we have cones to mark the drop-off path; as soon as weather permits, we plan to paint a line marking this drop-off path. For safety reasons, we ask that you only allow students to exit from the passenger side of your vehicle (nearest the building) and that you do not try to pass a stopped car.