Principal’s Message

SUNNYSLOPE NEWS H O M E O F T H E S U P E R S T A R S

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September 25th: Fall Fundraiser

25th: Band/Orchestra Starts

27th: PTA Meeting 3:50 p.m.

29th: Super Hero Spirit Day

October 5th: Fire Assembly

9th: No School

Columbus Day

13th: Fall Fundraiser Ends

19th: Picture Retakes

20th: Rising Star Assembly

9:20 a.m.

27th: Monster Mash Dance

October 30th - November 3rd:

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Book Fair in Media Center

Early Release at 12:40 p.m.

No Late-Start Wednesday

Lunches will be served

Buses will arrive 3 hours earlier

November 10th: No School

Veterans Day

13th: Adopt-A-Family Begins

22nd: Early Release 12:40 p.m.

23th: No School

Thanksgiving Break

24th: No School

School Hours:

9:05 a.m - 3:40 p.m. Late Start

Wednesday begins at

9:50 a.m.

Greetings Sunnyslope Families,

As the Principal of Sunnyslope Elementary School, it is my sincere pleasure and

honor to welcome you to the 2017-18 school year. Our entire staff looks forward

to working in partnership with you in making this year and future years positive,

engaging and successful for all of our children. We are preparing for our ever

growing student population, based on the home development in the area. We

welcome you!

Thank you for all you have done to prepare your child for their transition. Whether

it is a new grade level/teacher, new school, or first time attending school, your

conversations at home about what to expect, how it is going, and encouragement for

the days ahead make a big difference. I encourage you to reach out to your child’s

teacher in this same way. Open, two-way communication is a key to our success in

educating each of our Superstars. We value you as partners in their education and

honor you as their first teacher!

Welcome to our new families, staff and community members. Feel free to visit our

school and experience the pride, the professionalism, and the culture that make

Sunnyslope truly an extraordinary place! Our efforts are bolstered by our numerous

community volunteers. Please consider volunteering and joining our PTA, an active

Parent-Teacher Association that is dedicated to supporting our students.

We will continue to focus on science and art integration this year. Educating the

whole child is a top priority for us at Sunnyslope. We have seen high levels of

student engagement through our new curriculum, Project Lead the Way-

Launch. This is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Curriculum that will support students in developing college and career ready

skills. This includes being problem solvers, critical thinkers, effective writers, and

inquisitive learners. A few of the new units we will explore this year include: Pushes

and Pulls, Human Brain, and Material Science.

We are excited to partner with Anchored for Life, the Trevor Romain Transition

and Resiliency Program this year. With over 130 students with active duty parents,

this is a fantastic opportunity to provide targeted positive support and

encouragement through the many unique challenges our military families face. This

program will focus on developing student leadership skills, enhance coping skills,

build confidence, reinforce team building and offer support.

I value your thoughts, insights, and encouragement throughout the year to improve

our school. Let’s make it a terrific year together!

Warmest regards,

Lisa Fundane’t

P A G E 2

Volunteer Corner We love having

volunteers at

Sunnyslope!

If you are interested in

volunteering in the classroom,

or for any school activity such

as a field trip, please make sure

you have a current background

clearance on file. This is

mandatory before you can

volunteer. All it takes is a quick visit to our

school office to fill out the required

paperwork. You will need to bring your

driver license or current photo ID.

Carol Ewalt

443-3513

ewalt@skschools.org

Stars in Action!

Carol Ewalt Volunteer Coordinator

Office News

P A G E 3 F A L L 2 0 1 7

Attendance Matters!

Help Your Child Succeed in School. School success goes hand in hand with being in school every day!

Each day a student is absent is a lost opportunity for learning. Too many absences not only can affect achieve-ment for the absent student but also can disrupt learning for the entire class.

Afternoon Transportation Plans:

If your child will need to go home a different way than their normal routine, please send in a note or call the office before 2:30 p.m. Please do not call teachers to inform them of transportation

changes. Be sure to include your child’s name, teacher and information such as bus number and stop.

Thank you Sunnyslope families for working with us. What a wonderful start

to our school year!

Our lost and found is

located in the Kids Café.

We want to connect all

lost items to their owner

before they are donated.

Parents are encouraged to

come check also.

Please remember to label

all backpacks, lunchboxes

and jackets! Many

classrooms have duplicate

items and we want to

make sure your student

can be reunited with lost

items.

Items not claimed will be

donated regularly.

conference week. Please

stay tuned for more

information as all

conferences will need to

be scheduled online. Our

PTA will be holding a

book fair in the media

center during conferences.

Conference week is

October 30th -

November 3rd.

All Sunnyslope students

will be released at 12:40.

Lunches will be served.

There will be no Late-Start

Wednesday during

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Lost and Found

CHECK OUT

PEACHJAR eFLYERS!

You may have noticed less flyers coming home with your student. That is because we now post all of our community/PTA event information electronically on Peachjar. If you are not signed up, signing up is simple. You may access Peachjar by going to the district’s website at www.skschools.org, click on Peachjar and follow the instructions.

South Kitsap School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or

the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. South Kitsap School District will also take steps to assure that national origin persons who lack English

language skills can participate in all education programs, services and activities. For information regarding translation services or transitional bilingual education programs, contact the Director of Special Programs at (360) 874-7060.

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Sunnyslope

Elementary

2017-2018 PTA Officers

President: Kenna Peterson

Vice President: Laura Tran

Treasurer: Jennifer Blythe

Secretary: Liz Atiz

New Sunnyslope Staff Christina Gurr (1st Grade) I am very excited to meet all of you! This will be my seventh year teaching and my first year here at Sunnyslope Elementary School. I am honored to have the opportunity to teach here. I love to camp, read, and run. Thank you for making me feel so welcome!

Rebecca Chandler (Nurse) My family and I just moved from San Diego. I have been a Registered Nurse for almost 12 years but this is my first year as a school nurse. I am also a proud Sunnyslope parent of a first grader. I am excited to be a Sunnyslope Star!

Erik Halverson (5th Grade) This is my first year at Sunnyslope, I previously taught at Manchester Elementary. I love to spend time with my wife, baby boy, and dog. I also love to go on long road trips. I am a huge Washington Huskies football fan.

Kokila Madan (2nd Grade) Last year, I taught 2nd grade at Mullenix Ridge. And now at Sunnyslope, I look forward to my journey as I grow as an educator and a life long learner. This will be my 3rd year teaching.

Clare Morrison (Kindergarten) I grew up in England. Upon graduating in 1999 with my Bachelor’s in music and German, I went to Japan to teach English as a Second Language to students aged 3 to 73 years old. After 6 months, our school received a memo that we were getting a new teacher from Alaska; it turns out, that's who I married! I've taught for 13 years, both in the classroom and outside of it as a professional development coach in the area of Social Emotional Learning, which I'm passionate about. We love to explore, hike, eat good food, listen to live music, and walk our dog Roger. I also love to cook, run, read, and - big surprise - I drink a lot of tea. I have taught in many places and to me, teaching is the best job in the world: It brings me great joy to get up and go to school. I’m over the moon to be working at Sunnyslope Elementary, and excited to get to know you all and become part of the Super Stars community. Cheers!

Betty Lash (P.E.) I have lived in Port Orchard since 1974 and I love being a part of this community. I graduated from South Kitsap High School and my three kids go to school in the district. As a family, we love outdoor adventures. Our favorite things to do are riding bikes, hiking, and kayaking. I am thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful school.

Deby Robinson (OT) I have been an Occupational Therapist for over 25 years. My job has taken me to some interesting places including England and Germany. I love working with a pediatric population best! Last year, I worked at South Kitsap High and Orchard Heights. This year the high school again, Marcus Whitman Jr High and Sunnyslope. My family consists of animals. I live on a small farm with chickens, horses, cats and Golden Retriever dogs. I breed my Goldens for use as therapy dogs as well as the usual companions. My hope is to one day use

my horses in a therapy riding program as well as my three dogs.

Sunnyslope takes great pride in its

tremendous PTA support. You can really make a difference!

Please consider joining the PTA.

Dues are $10 per individual and

$18 per family.

Orchestra and Band Information

Beginning orchestra is offered here at Sunnyslope before school on Tuesday and Thursday morning from 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Parents will need to provide transportation to Sunnyslope. This is for 2nd - 5th grades.

5th Grade Band/Orchestra: These programs take place at Cedar Heights Middle School 8:00 - 8:40 a.m. 5th graders may ride the AM middle school buses or have parent transportation. Students will be transported by school bus to Sunnyslope after class.

For more information please have your student pick up a packet from music class. (Mrs. Meadows or Mrs. Spitzer)

Thursday, September 21st, there will be a parent information meeting at the high school starting at 6:00 p.m.