Dear Maude Wilkins Families,
At this point in the summer, I hope that you and your family have been enjoying the summer months with some relaxation time. We are looking forward to greeting our students on Thursday, September 6, 2018, which is the first day of school. The first day of school is a full day of school. The staff and I appreciate your confidence in Maude Wilkins Elementary School and the School District of Maple Shade. We pledge to do our best for your child(ren). Maude Wilkins is a very special place! This year the students are placed in heterogeneous mixed-ability classrooms. The majority of our students will not switch at all. I would like to take this opportunity to share some important pieces of information with you.
Paperless Forms, Student Schedules, State Testing Reports
In an effort to streamline the yearly paperwork and help with the district’s Green initiative, we will not be sending home student schedules or State Testing scores. On August 20th the Genesis Parent Portal will be open for you to fill out forms electronically and view your child’s state testing results from the 2017-18 school year. It is important that you take the time to review these forms and follow directions listed for each one. Be sure to update your contact information, including current phone numbers, and your email address. The Maple Shade Student/Parent Handbook will also be located on the Portal. Please read this carefully to become familiar with the policies and procedures of the school. You will be able to access your student information, including a class schedule after all the forms have been completed. Our target date for the forms to be available on Genesis is August 20th. If you do not have access to a computer you can come into the Maude Wilkins School and use a computer during the time of 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, August 27th through August 30th. If you require a paper copy of your child’s schedule after August 30th, please call the office at Maude Wilkins to make the request.
The First Day of School, Thursday, September 6, 2018:
The morning line-up on September 6, 2018 will be outside on the blacktop adjacent to the playground at 8:10 a.m. In case of bad weather, morning line-up will be held in the gymnasium. This is a full day of school; breakfast and lunch will be served.
Arrival and Dismissal, Regular (Full) Days of School:
After the first day of school, students can arrive and enter the building after 8:10 a.m. Each morning, students will enter the building and line-up outside their classrooms. Students will read a book as they wait for their school day to begin at 8:18 a.m. Dismissal on a full day of school will be at 2:40 p.m.
Late Arrivals:
If your student arrives to school after 8:18 a.m., the car drop off doors will remain open until 9:30 a.m. After 9:30 a.m., please bring your child to the main office to be signed in. If your child is going to be arriving after 9:30 a.m. and would like to order lunch that day, please email or call Mrs. Cray at kcray@msemail.org or 856-779-1129 ext. 3000 with your child’s lunch order.
Bike Racks/Building Entrance for Students:
Bike racks are located at the back of the building. Please remember to bring a lock. All children must wear helmets every day they ride their bikes to school. Bikers enter the building using the door next to the bike racks. Walkers enter the building using the door by the main office.
Student Drop-Off/Student Pick-Up:
Our car riding procedures will be the same as in previous years. All parents will enter the big parking lot from Forklanding Road and weave through the parking lot. Drop-off will occur at the curb next to the building. Signs indicate drop-off location. Staff will be present to assist students out of the cars and into the building. Please review the attached letter for morning and afternoon drop off/pickup. It is very important to follow these procedures for the safety of everyone.
After school, pick-up will occur at the same location. Cars can idle along the curb and wait in line until students are dismissed. Students will not be allowed to walk through the parking lot to a car! Once cars have moved away from the curb, other cars in the line will proceed forward. Parents will exit by making a right turn only onto Forklanding Road. Staff will also be present to help with the flow of dismissal. Please do not park in our small parking lot in the front of the building or on Cutler Avenue. Our walkers are dismissed from this area of the building, and we are also trying to be considerate of our Cutler and Mill Road neighbors.
New Staff Members:
- Mrs. Nicole Schwartz ~ Mrs. Schwartz will be our new Autism Teacher
- Mrs. Christine Fernandes~ Mrs. Fernandes will be a third grade teacher coming to us from Yocum
- Mrs. Jennifer King ~ Mrs. King will be an educational assistant coming to us from Yocum
- Mrs. Lelania Wells ~ Mrs. Wells will be an educational assistant coming to us from Steinhauer
- Mrs. Shannon Mills ~ Mrs. Mills will be a cafeteria/playground educational assistant
Online Backpack at the Maude Wilkins School Website::
This is a shareable Google folder with some school and community information inside it. We still send home paper copies, but we will also be utilizing the Online Backpack that will include: Bell Schedules, Calendars, Upcoming Events, Fundraiser Information, Little Shaders information, Supply List and Community Fliers.
Important Items:
As we approach the start of the school year, I wanted to share additional important details with you.
- Back to School Night will be October 2nd, 2018. I look forward to greeting all of our Maude Wilkins families.
- The Student-Parent Handbook will be available online. Please take the time to closely review its contents. The handbook contains important information about the school and our procedures.
As parents, please stay involved with your child’s education throughout the school year. Communication is an essential component of a truly successful school and parent partnership. I encourage you to establish positive communication with your child’s teachers. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the school at any time. We appreciate your feedback. At Maude Wilkins, we value your input, and we will assist you in any way we can.
Have a wonderful end of the summer.
Educationally yours,
Steven Ormsby,
Principal
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Please click the logo below to access the School Report Card for Maude Wilkins:
ONLINE BACKPACK
This is a shareable Google folder with some school and community information inside it. We will still send home paper copies, but we will also be utilizing the Online Backpack. The link below will take you to the Online Backpack. We will be sharing important documents such as:
Click below to see the contents.
Online Backpack
REMIND 101
This application allows you to receive text reminders about upcoming events at Maude Wilkins. Although this application allows for you to receive texts, it will not be set up for you to respond to the text.
To Sign up for the REMIND 101 Text Feature,
Please text the message @wilkins28
To the number 81010