Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe that the month of October is here.  The first quarter of the school year is passing by both productively and rapidly.  We are proud of our children's positive transition to a new school year.  The learning environment at Plain is extremely encouraging and enthusiastic.  Visitors repeatedly compliment our school community on our orderly, well managed, and happy instructional climate.  We appreciate your continued support and involvement.  It does take a village to raise a child.

The school's traffic flow is moving smoothly due to your attention and adherence to our drop-off and pick-up guidelines.  With little exception, our drop-off lines are clear before 8:00.  Thank you for respecting our traffic procedures which have been developed in the best interests of all students.

Teachers will begin scheduling parent conferences in the near future to discuss your child's progress during the first nine weeks of school.  We know that you will make every attempt to attend this important meeting with your child's teacher. We encourage your child to also be present to share his/her learning and behavior goals.

We look forward to an exciting and successful month of October.  Enjoy the fall splendor and the cooler temperatures.  This is my favorite time of year.  The change of seasons is always a fun time for children and their parents. 

Sept. 2011
Dear Parents and Students,

 It is with great pleasure and excitement that I welcome you to the 2011-2012 school year!  I am looking forward to working with each of you to ensure a positive year for your child. 

 We are ready to face the challenges and excitement of a new school year, and will continue to focus on academic excellence for all of our students.  This year’s theme is “Lights, Camera, Action!  Premiering Plain Stars.”  We will maintain our focus of creating an optimal learning environment that fosters tolerance and diversity while encouraging community involvement.  Our students’ safety and academic success will continue to be our top priority.  We remain committed to maximizing the performance of each child while building a strong sense of self-confidence.

 We are looking forward to the 2011-2012 school year. We ask your support, involvement, and commitment to the educational production that lies ahead.  Plain Elementary is thankful for our caring, collaborative, and positive school culture. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for continuous school improvement.
 

May, 2011

Dear Parents,

It is so hard to believe that we have less than a month of school remaining.  We are proud of the children’s accomplishments this year and the way everyone has remained committed to academic excellence.

As we prepare for our end of the year activities, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with specific information related to our grade level award programs.  Below you will find a list of each award being presented in the atrium on your child’s Award’s Day.  If you are not sure if your child will receive an award on this day, please contact the teacher.  Certainly, if you know your child will be receiving an award, you will want to make plans to attend on the scheduled day.  All programs begin promptly at 9:00 AM in the school atrium.

For the dates and list of awards for each grade level, see the starred link above.

Warm regards,
Mrs. Mihalic

April, 2011

I wish everyone a happy and healthy spring!  It is nice to have warmer weather and more daylight hours to spend outdoors during the late afternoon.  We have few excuses now to not take a walk, ride a bike, or visit the park.

It is hard to believe that we have less than 40 days of school remaining this year.  The next two months will be very busy with many activities including field days, awards days, spring carnival, PASS testing, and of course, our much anticipated Spring Break.  However, protecting classroom instruction will remain a top priority.  Please be mindful of our instructional day which begins at 8:00 and concludes at 2:30.  We encourage you to limit early dismissals for your child when possible and to have your child at school early enough for him/her to be in the classroom ready to learn at the 8:00 bell.  Thank you, in advance, for your help and support.  We must all stay strong in our commitment to educational excellence.

Have a fantastic month of April!  Thank you for being such a valuable part of our school family.

Live well!
Mrs. Mihalic

March 2011

It is hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the end of the third quarter of our academic year. While we all welcome longer, warmer days, springtime is always a busy time for elementary school children since extracurricular activities such as baseball and softball resume. Parents find themselves in full motion hustling from one event to another.  However, please remind your children that their primary focus needs to be academic performance in school.  Also, ensuring that children maintain a reasonable bed-time is critical to their health and ability to focus on instruction. Parents also remember to take care of yourselves as practices, games, and social events increase the demands on your time.   

Thank you for your continued support.  It remains an honor and a privilege to serve such a fabulous school family. 

Warm regards,
Mrs. Mihalic

February 2011
Dear Parents,

Thank you for a positive start to the second half of the school year. It
is hard to believe that we have only 80 days of school remaining. There
are many excellent learning opportunities still ahead, and we look forwardto working with you and your child for the common goal of increasedstudent achievement. Be sure to visit our web-site to see all
the exciting educational experiences happening at our school.
We appreciate your continued support and positive commitment to excellence.

Enjoy the longer evenings of daylight. I believe we are all looking
forward to warmer days, more sunshine, and the beauty of spring.

Warm regards,
Mrs. Mihalic

January, 2011
Dear Parents,

I wish you a healthy and a happy New Year.  It is amazing to think that we are already beginning the second half of the school year. Time certainly continues to pass by very quickly.

Encourage your child to set high academic achievement goals as we enter the second semester. Also, please continue to support your child’s teachers and maintain open lines of communication between home and school.  There are many exciting learning opportunities ahead, and we look forward to a very successful and productive 2011! 

Thank you for working with our Plain Family and being positively committed to excellence in doing what is best for all children.

 Warm regards,
Mrs. Mihalic

Dear Parents and Students,

        During this holiday season we wish you many special moments with family and friends.  This is truly a season to be thankful for the gifts we have in our lives.  Thank you for sharing your most precious gift with us each day – your child.  We are truly blessed to work with such a supportive and caring school community.

Season greetings!

Mrs. Mihalic & Mrs. Hellams

November 2010
Dear Parents,

I hope you have had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall season with your family.   As we begin the month of November, I would like to remind you of several safety guidelines that must be followed by everyone who enters our school campus.  These rules are in place for the safety of our Plain Community and our children.

§All parents & visitors entering the building must sign-in using the Simple Track Computer System in the front office and wear a name tag while in our building. 
§Visitors must communicate to the office staff the specific reason for their visit. 
§All classroom visits must be prearranged and scheduled with the teacher.  Instructional time will always be protected at Plain. It is important that we prevent unnecessary disruptions in the classroom and uncomfortable situations for our children.
§Lunch guests should meet children in the cafeteria.
§Smoking is prohibited on the school campus.
§Cell phones should not be used in our drop-off or pick-up lines.  The driver’s complete attention must be focused on the safe drop-off and pick-up of all children. 

Our children’s safety and academic success will continue to be our top priority.  Thank you for your support of our school policies. 

Please continue to stay actively involved in your child’s education and assist in our parent volunteer program when possible.  We have had a productive and positive first quarter of the school year and we remain grateful for your support.  Enjoy the beginning of the Thanksgiving season!

Respectfully,
Mrs. Mihalic

OCTOBER  2010
Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe that the month of October is here.  The first quarter of the school year is passing by both productively and quite quickly.  We are proud of our children's positive transition to a new school year.  The learning environment at Plain is extremely encouraging and enthusiastic.  Visitors repeatedly compliment our school community on our orderly, well managed, and happy instructional climate.  We appreciate your continued support and involvement.  It does take a village to raise a child.

The school's traffic flow is moving smoothly due to your attention and adherence to our drop-off and pick-up guidelines.  With little exception, our drop-off lines are clear before 8:00.  Thank you for respecting our traffic procedures which have been developed in the best interests of all students.

Teachers will begin scheduling parent conferences in the near future to discuss your child's progress during the first nine weeks of school.  We know that you will make every attempt to attend this important meeting with your child's teacher. We encourage your child to also be present to share his/her learning and behavior goals.

We look forward to an exciting and successful month of October.  Enjoy the fall splendor and the cooler temperatures.  The change of seasons is always a fun time for children and their parents. 

Respectfully,
Mrs. Mihalic           

AUGUST 2010

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I welcome you to the 2010-2011 school year.  I look forward to working with each of you to ensure a productive and positive school year for your child!

 We are ready to face the challenges and excitement of a new school year, and will continue to focus on academic excellence for all of our students.  This year’s theme is “Exploring Oceans of Success.” We will maintain our focus of creating an optimal learning environment that fosters tolerance and diversity while encouraging community involvement.  Our students’ safety and academic success will continue to be our top priority. 

We ask for your support, involvement, and commitment to the educational journey that lies ahead.  You are encouraged to become actively involved in our parent volunteer program, as there are endless opportunities for involvement at Plain. 

 Thank you in advance for your contributions, ideas, and suggestions that will lead to continuous improvement of our school

 Positively committed to excellence,

Mrs. Mihalic