Office of the Principal Ceres%Elementary%School% August 1, 2013

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Office of the Principal
August 1, 2013
Dear Ceres Families,
I want to officially welcome all of you to the 2013-2014 school year! Summer has come and gone and we must
now move forward with many exciting changes to follow. We have been very busy throughout our campus this
summer with the integration of our East Whittier Early Childhood Pre-school. Everything is progressing smoothly
to a great opening of school on Wednesday, August 14, 2013 .
I am privileged to have the opportunity to return this school year as your Principal and I feel honored to work
with our highly qualified and dedicated staff, our wonderful students, and all of the supportive parents. The
elementary years are critical times of development for students and families and I look forward in working with all
of you to make this school year successful. I am a lifelong educator and I am committed to students and families
as well as a love for learning.
Our Ceres campus has undergone a series of changes. We rearranged some classrooms to prepare for our
Preschool needs, and we now have some wonderful and colorful beautification murals that you will notice
throughout our school. This project would not be possible without our hard working PTA support and your
fundraising contributions. Thank you ALL! You will also notice some facility changes and improvements to
accommodate our entire student and staff needs. Also, please help me welcome our new faces on campus who
will be working closely with our ‘Junior Seagulls’ in the Pre-school. We look forward to sharing many school
memories together.
This summer, our teachers have been preparing for the arrival of our Common Core Standards. They have
attended Professional Development trainings and are prepared to implement many new strategies to differentiate
the instruction for all of our student’s needs. Our teachers have been working hard in preparing their classrooms
and lesson plans that promise to make for another exciting and productive year at Ceres. We give many thanks to
our site custodian, Mr. Russ and the District’s entire maintenance crew who have been working diligently to
prepare our campus for the start of the new school year. All we await for now, is our fabulous Seagull students.
I’d like to invite you to soon visit our school’s website. This will serve as a resource tool for all upcoming events,
student/parent handbook, important reminders and you can catch up with our monthly “Seagull News”
newsletter. This school year we will encourage our entire Ceres community to demonstrate our Ceres pride by
wearing our school colors on Fridays! We will incorporate many other school spirit events, and we will continue
to use our Tele-parent message board for reminders of upcoming events and you can also check our monthly
calendar.
In closing, please enjoy the remaining days of summer. I look forward to seeing many new and familiar faces on
our first day of school. Our vision of success begins August 14, 2013.
Warmly,
Mrs. Julie Gonzalez
Ceres Elementary Principal
Ceres%Elementary%School%
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Important Reminders & Procedures
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The first day of school is Wednesday, August 14, 2013. Parents you are welcomed to walk
your child to his/her class on the first day of school ONLY. We understand that it is a special day and
it will alleviate some anxiety from both parties!.
Ceres school hours will be:
(Kindergarten). 8:10 a.m.- 2:20 p.m. Tuesday dismissal is 1:20 p.m.
(1 -5 grade), 8:10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Tuesday dismissal is 1:30 p.m. Classroom assignments will be
posted on the day before the first day of school (Aug. 13 th , 2013 at 6 p.m.)
Closed Campus Policy & Procedures
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As you are aware, student safety continues to be a high priority at Ceres School. Therefore, we will continue to
implement our “Closed Campus” guidelines. In the interest of security and safety for students and staff, our
campus will continue to be locked and fully secured. Please help us by following these guidelines and reviewing
them with your child.
PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW:
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Only students may enter the school through the student entrance gate located on the north side of the
cafeteria from 8:00 A.M. to 8:10 A.M. The gate will be locked at 8:10 A.M. and all students who are not on
campus by that time will need to enter through the office and be marked tardy. STUDENTS
ARRIVING TARDY MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT AND SIGNED IN.
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Supervision is provided starting at 8:00 A.M. Please do not bring your child to school before that time
since there is no supervision.
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All parents/visitors must report directly to the school office. The office personnel will provide information
and assistance in an effort to keep classroom interruptions to a minimum.
The gates will be unlocked at1:30 p.m.-Tuesdays and 2:30 P.M. M/W/Th/F for student dismissal.
Kinder students will dismiss in the kindergarten gate area
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MINIMIZING CLASSROOM INTERRUPTIONS
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Every effort is made to minimize classroom interruptions. Please help us with the following guidelines:
• Make sure your child is well prepared for school each day. Classrooms are not interrupted to deliver
homework, lunches or messages.
• Classroom treats/birthday celebrations need teacher approval (please notify teacher 24 hours in
advance). With teacher approval, snacks will be given to students during recess. Note: Due to allergies,
some snacks may be DENIED
These procedures will be effective on Wednesday, August 14, 2013. Thank you for your cooperation,
patience and flexibility.