Summer Principal's Message - June 27, 2008

Dear Hall Students and Parents: I hope this letter finds you enjoying your summer break. We wanted to share some important information with you now and hope this will allow your family to plan ahead. 5th Grade WEB Orientation All fifth grade students will participate in an orientation led by eighth grade students, known as the WEB Program, on Friday, August 22. Fifth graders will participate in activities from 9:00 to 11:00 in classrooms and throughout campus. After the program ends, their parents can join them to pick up their schedules and purchase their Binder Reminders ($8.00). Class lists for fifth grade will be posted outside of classrooms at 11:30 am on Friday. 6-8 Schedule/Uniform/Binder Reminder Pick-Up Sixth, seventh and eight grade students may pick up their schedules, purchase a Binder Reminder ($8.00) and a new PE uniform ($26.00) on Friday, August 22 at their appointed time. These can be paid for by cash or by checks written to Hall Middle School. You will need to write separate checks for the Binder Reminder and PE uniform. Please remember to bring more than one check.    Last Name A – L:   12:00 – 1:30                        Last Name M – Z:   1:30 – 3:00 The first day of school will be Monday, August 25. It will be a regular bell schedule day. Picture day will be on Wednesday, August 27. Lunch Program The lunch program at Hall will look different this coming fall. Like Neil Cummins, we will be using Good Earth to supply healthy lunches to our students. The lunch program will begin on the first day of school. Therefore, orders must be placed over the summer. The district office will be sending out order information, so please make sure that you fill out and return the appropriate documents. Transportation We are pleased to continue our relationship with Marin Transit and will once again offer Golden Gate Transit bus service. In an effort to allow all students access to public transit, the Larkspur School District will once again offer families a subsidy on Youth Tickets and the Marin Youth Pass. Also, families may be eligible to participate free of charge in the Marin Transit Youth Pass Program. To learn more about the program and download the appropriate forms, please check the transportation page HERE. New Faces at Hall I am excited to announce new additions to the Hall staff for the upcoming year: Nate MacDonald and Rebecca Newburn will be joining our sixth grade team and teaching math and science. Jennifer Weltzien will teach fifth grade. Carolyn Dahlman and Amy Holst will both be returning to Hall to share a sixth grade language arts/social studies assignment. Back-to School Night Back-to-School night will be held on Thursday, September 11 at 6:30 pm. Site Council We are looking for one parent to participate in school leadership on the Hall School Site Council. The council is composed of parents, students, teachers, classified employees and the principal, and it meets the third Thursday of the month from 3:30 – 5:00 pm. The council’s purpose is to continually improve the educational experience for students at Hall. Parents are elected to the site council and serve a two-year term. If you would like to run for Site Council, please let me know. Supplies I recommend that students purchase a small book bag or backpack that they can use to carry their school supplies to and from school. Backpacks and book bags are not allowed in classes (except for fifth grade), so they must be able to fit into a Hall locker The lockers are open during the summer if you need to size your new purchase. In addition to the backpack, 6-8 grade students will need a three-ring binder, a three-ring bag that fits in the binder for pencils and pens, binder paper (not spiral), pens and pencils with erasers. On the first day of school each teacher will identify which other supplies are needed for their class. Supplies for fifth grade students will be provided. Summer Reading A summer reading list compiled by librarian Carol Halpern is available on the Hall Library page HERE. Students are to read at least one book from this list over the summer and write a one-paragraph review to turn into their language arts teacher the first day of school. Students who complete three reviews will get a special treat from the PTA. Binder Reminder Information The updated Binder Reminder/Student Handbook is available for viewing HERE. Please review it with your child prior to the start of school. Drop-Off and Pick-Up In order to reduce the number of cars on the road and on campus, it is important that students walk, bike or carpool to school. If you are driving a student to school, it is imperative that you follow our procedures. You can drop off your student on Larkspur Plaza Drive (it is designated as a passenger loading zone), or park off campus and have your student walk to school. Cars may only enter campus at the signboard entrance. Parents are not permitted to use the Piper Park Drive entrance to school. Seventh Grade Immunization Seventh graders must have proof of Hepatitis B immunization in order to start the first day of school. A second MMR is also required and a tetanus booster is recommended and may be required. California state law requires that schools exclude 7th graders who do not have these immunizations. These students will not be allowed to be at school unless a parent has signed a waiver. The office will open again on August 11. I look forward to seeing you all next fall.   Sincerely, Daniel Norbutas Principal