Winter Updates

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

To the Families of Murphy Elementary School:

The cold weather and snow are slowly coming our way.  Knowing that the seasons and weather are going to be drastically changing, I would like to take a few moments and share a few items to help our school families prepare for the weather.

The first item is related to what time the front doors will be unlocked.  We have staff on hand to supervise children starting at 7:40 each morning.  The front doors are locked until that time.  Although I understand that sometimes the doors are open and staff are here earlier, as the Principal, and as a parent, I need everyone to know that you can count on 7:40.  For the safety of our children and the building, I have reminded our custodial staff of this time and the doors will remained locked until 7:40.  If you were in the habit of arriving earlier, please note the listed time and plan accordingly.

For recess, all of our students (K-4) are expected to wear the appropriate winter clothing including a hat, coat, gloves/mittens, snow pants, and boots.  We can assist anyone that needs cold weather clothing, however we need you to let us know.  If the weather were too cold to be outside without the item they forget we would have them stay inside.  We want kids to be safe and at the same time work on responsibility in remembering their clothing.

In closing, if your family is in need of any cold weather items (boots, hats, mittens, snow pants, …) please let Carla or I know and we’ll figure something out.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,
Sean Martinson
Principal – Murphy Elementary School
327-5880
smartinson@isd318.org

 

 

The message above is a pretty standard message that I send out and/or post each year.  This year however I wanted to include what has been communicated to staff as well (in case there were questions).

The following message was sent to all Murphy Staff on Monday, November 25th at 10:39am

Cold Weather Reminders

Please note the following as some general guidelines:

• No mittens: stay on tar or cement so they can still move around and stay warm.
• No boots: until the snow gets deeper they can play anywhere.
  • When it gets deeper, stay on the tar where it is plowed, again so the kids can at least move to keep warm.
• No hat: remind them of the logical consequences: it’s a bummer that you’re going to get cold.  I hope you remember your hat tomorrow.

As far as standing on the wall:

• Don’t do it for cold weather items.
• It doesn’t accomplish our goal of getting the children moving and active and the longer they stand still the colder they get rather than keeping moving.  Let’s face it.  The kids are rarely as cold as we are.
• If they get cold they will remember their things the next day and/or talk to family and start to figure out what they need to do for cold weather gear.
• If it’s a danger issue they should be sent inside and not on the wall.

Logical, logical consequences:  “sorry you are cold, keep your hands in your pockets or cover your ears with your hands/hood…..  I’m sorry your shoes got wet, I wonder if it would help to wear boots (or stay out of the snow)?”

Again, if it’s a safety issue they should be inside.

Sean

I’ve included our handbook language below.

Dress / Clothing

Students will be expected to go outside after lunch so they need to dress appropriately for the  weather.

We ask you, as parents and guardians, to guide your children in dressing appropriately for the  weather conditions and for the learning environment. Boots, hats and mittens are necessary during the cold winter months (for outdoor use ~ hats are not to be worn inside). Students should have snowpants. Please label your child’s clothing and boots for easy identification in case they become lost or misplaced. If you are missing something, remember to stop by and check the “Lost and Found” items in each school.

Children are not allowed to wear “spaghetti” straps, short shorts or open midriff tops. It is necessary for students to dress so as not to draw excessive attention to themselves or distract others from  being able to focus on learning. Good judgment is an important skill they will use for a lifetime!

Parents should guide their children in selecting clothing/jewelry. Be sure attire is not hazardous in various school activities such as gym or recess.

Weather Policy

Children will go outside for recess and physical education unless temperatures of 0°F or -10°F windchill are reached.

 

 

 

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