The Latest from SCS 2-7-18

 SCS Receives $60,000 New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Grant: Our school has been chosen to receive one of the most coveted grants in the region from one of the most prestigious organizations in the state.  Supporting early childhood education has become a major tenet of NHCF recently and as one of the largest and finest ECE Centers in the area, our school has become a very thankful beneficiary.  The money will be used mostly to support programming and Professional Development for teachers.  Thank you NHCF!

 Important: New date for Sunset Gala: APRIL 6th!  One of the most important Annual Appeal fund raisers of our school year is the fun and entertaining Sunset Over Portsmouth Event.  Recently we sent out a Save the Date reminder of this year’s gathering but  SINCE THAT TIME WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE EVENT AT THE LARGER 3S ARTSPACE SO THE DATE WILL NOW BE APRIL 6TH.  The event time will still be 6-8:30pm and more information will be on the way.  Please mark (or change) your calendars for this date and plan to attend - it will be a lot of fun for a great cause! 

TICKETS: https://sunsetoverportsmouth.eventbrite.com

 Jamie Schaaf Steps up:  With the leaving of Kelly Lee, the search to replace her as PEAK Program Director has led us to a pretty obvious choice.  Jamie Schaaf has been working at SCS for 16 years and in that time has been a mainstay of our before and after school programs.  As "field manager" to Kelly's programs, Jamie has worked with hundreds of children and dozens of faculty over the years. He played the important role of liaison to each of the public schools in which he was assigned, and often worked well beyond the call of duty to represent our needs.  Further, as leader of our Summer PEAK program for many years, Jamie showed his ability to be flexible, creative, and caring - all of which are traits he will need in this role.  Please join me in welcoming Jamie to this new position!

 Coats and Car Seats:  Many of you know that there is a new theory out there that coats and car seats don't mix.  I'll let you decide for yourselves about this, but there are companies now fashioning winter child wear so that the straps fit underneath a child's coat and tightly around them.  One of our parents shared this link that may be helpful:  https://saferide4kids.com/blog/winter-coats-and-car-seats/

 SchoolCareWorks rolls out:  With the new software affecting every aspect of life at SCS, parents will be experiencing differences in the systems we use here.  For example, starting today, all ECE parents will sign in and out only on the iPads.  The meal tracking is moving along well, and the batch email and emergency texting systems are ready too.  Since we always put your children first, keeping them, and your data safe is paramount.  Fortunately, Cirrus Software uses a redundant backup system that includes multiple layers of data protection on its servers.  SCS administrators can access the system from anywhere so in the case of an emergency everything will be protected and accessible.  You too can access information and keep it up to date from anywhere through the new Parent Portal named "Connect."  If you are an ECE family and have not received information about opening your Parent Portal account please contact the main desk immediately.  PEAK families should look forward to information about the portal coming their way soon!



 Dance Party a Rollicking Success:  Last Friday evening the SCS Parents Committee put on a fun dance party for everyone age 5 and below - and reports are that it was a ton of fun.  Special thanks go out to the moms who organized the affair and to the PEAK students who supplied fun dance ribbon sticks.  Apparently the dance floor was alive with moves bustin' out all over!