From the Principal….                                August 25, 2009

 

 

Dear Parents,

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  We honestly can’t thank you enough for volunteering your time to cover lunch on a daily basis.  Your response has been overwhelming.  I want to extend a very special thank you to Katina Gunion, Rebecca Britt, Dagmar Fahr and Michelle Beard for organizing the comprehensive lunch coverage plan that is now in place.  Before the plan was in place, there were so many of you who reached out directly to your child’s teacher and volunteered to cover the class and for that we are extremely grateful.  On behalf of the teachers and myself, thank you for your willingness to step up immediately and help us with this problem.  Believe me, we know how fortunate we are to be at a school where we can count on parents to assist us in tough times.

 

Since my last note to you, the State Budget passed (Aug. 7), Wake County Schools received its allotments from the N.C. Department of Instruction (Aug. 14), and year round schools’ allotments were reconciled (Aug. 14) based on tenth day numbers.  Given the many different scenarios that could have played out, I am feeling very relieved.  The State cuts were not as severe as expected.  The cuts to education ended up being approximately 4.80%, which was slightly less than the 5% cut Wake County Schools had prepared for and expected.  In the final State Budget, K-3 class sizes were maintained and 4-5 class sizes were increased by 2. On the tenth day of Track 4 (Aug. 7), Mills Park’s student population was 776 students, which was over the projected number by 45 students. 

 

The combination of K-3 class sizes staying the same and an increase in our student population (compared to the projected number) resulted in Mills Park gaining additional teachers.  As I mentioned in my July letter, there was a strong possibility of changes occurring after the school year began because of the uncertainty of the State Budget.  The school leadership team has met and made a plan on how to best utilize these new teacher positions.  We have decided to add another kindergarten class and second grade class to reduce the class sizes on these grade levels.  In the next few days, I will send a letter home to all kindergarten and second grade parents outlining our plan and the process for creating the new classes.  I understand creating a new class at this point in the year may cause some apprehension and anxiety, but we strongly believe that in the long term, creating a new class is what is academically best for the students.

 

Thank you for your continued support. 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Michael Regan

Principal

                                                                                                                                                                                   

                                                           

           

 

Traditional School and Buses….

 

Traditional calendar schools began today.  As a result, we may feel the impact with our bus routes.  Over the next few weeks, we may see some delays in the morning and afternoon routes. 

 

Birthday Celebrations and Food….

 

If you send in birthday treats for the class, they must be store bought.  Due to health issues and concerns, items prepared at home are not allowed.  WCPSS follows the recommendation of the Wake County Health Department not to serve home prepared items since we cannot guarantee proper food preparation procedures.  Birthday treats will be served during lunch or class snack time.  Parents please do not send other birthday recognition items to the school such as flowers, balloons, etc.

 

Information on Swine Flu (H1N1)….

Wake County Public School System works closely with Wake County Human Services on any cases of communicable diseases or viruses. WCPSS and Wake County Human Services are carefully monitoring the situation and will keep parents and the public updated. With Year-round schools in session and with the start of Traditional schools on Tuesday, Aug. 25, taking simple steps to protect your health are very important.

As with any virus, cold or other illness, students and staff with cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, fever or feverishness, tiredness, body aches, headache, chills, diarrhea and vomiting should stay home from school/work until they have recovered. 

CDC recommends that people with influenza-like illness remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F [37.8°C]), or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) H1N1 (Swine Flu) Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu, is updated frequently and is the best source for general information. Information can also be found by contacting the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services CARE-LINE at 919-855-4400 (English/Spanish).