Published for the Arts Based School Community
October 10, 2024
No School Friday, Oct 11 -Teacher Workday
No School Monday, Oct 14-Indigenous Peoples Day
ABS Annual Giving Campaign
As our month-long push continues for Annual Giving, we hope it is a spirit of giving and gratitude that will occupy space in your mind. Yes, we ask for your financial support if you are able to share it. Yes, we count each family’s participation, and yes, we tally the dollars raised before we plant them back into the fertile soil of our school. But annual giving is not merely a series of transactions—it is an act of reciprocity, an exchange of gratitude. We receive all of our many gifts with open eyes and open hearts. Thank you!
Total School Participation to Date: 13%
Total Gifts to Date: $33,805
Voices of Support for the annual campaign:
The Arts Based school provides a safe, fun, and open learning environment for our two boys. The culture that leadership and educators foster everyday has created a school that exceeds every expectation we have. We could not be happier and prouder to be apart of the Arts Based School family.
-ABS Parent, Chris B.
We feel incredibly grateful to be part of the ABS community; it has become our second family. Our daughter is thriving, and watching her confidence grow is a joy. Our donation is just a small token of our deep appreciation for the love and care she receives from her amazing teachers, administrators, and aftercare staff. As she once said, 'I just love that place—right down to the floors!' -ABS Parent, Jill L.
I feel proud to support Arts Based because of the uniqueness of this school. Having a child with learning differences I have seen how hard folks are working to figure out how to support him. Our teachers and staff go above and beyond and I am happy to help support additional resources or needs that ultimately help our kids. -ABS Parent, Julie C.
HOW CAN I MAKE MY GIFT?
There are two simple ways to give:
Make your check payable to “The Arts Based School,” You can send it by mail, or drop it off in the front office. We also accept cash in the school front office.
You can make a secure gift online at our website
Pine Cone Project-4th Grade
-Trish Goldbert, K-4 Art Teacher North
Fourth grade begins their year in the art room focused on the state of North Carolina. Students learn about North Carolina State Symbols and the history behind them along with what components sets a symbol apart from just any other image. After this they create painted stained-glass symbols to adorn the music room windows in the school hallway, create a triptych featuring three state symbols of their choice, and have recently handbuilt pine cones from clay, representative of our state Pine tree. To bring their work out to our school's community, each student will hide a pine cone on the school grounds for anyone to find and claim. Each pine cone is numbered and the individuals who find them can retrieve an envelope from the front office in the MLK building for a personal note written by the sculptor. A folder for the yearbook of candid photos https://plicbooks.com/go/FACN4G has been created where the lucky finders can post pics of their triumph. Many fourth-grade students have included in their notes a request for finders "to stop by and see them in fourth grade" where staff can take a photo of the duo to share in the yearbook. Students worked meticulously to plan out their hiding strategies; developing a fair set of guidelines for all fourth graders to follow and eventually drew maps of their hiding locations. Pine cones were hidden this week so let the scavenger hunt begin! Fourth-grade students are giving us until the end of next week to find their treasures before they go out to reclaim them.
Pottery has a long-standing history in North Carolina and clay was a natural choice for celebrating our State Pine Tree. North Carolina's pottery tradition reaches back centuries--to the time native inhabitants formed local clay into functional pots and ceremonial vessels. Archaeologists have documented nearly complete pots crafted by Cherokee and other native makers that date from the early 1500s. The first potters from England moved to the Seagrove, North Carolina area in 1750 and have been there crafting clay ever since. You can learn more about the history of pottery in our state by checking out Seagrove Pottery for more information.
School Safety Grant
NC Legislation has provided funding for schools to support school safety through a competitive grant. Although we have applied for these competitive grants in the past, our school profile does not typically qualify for the funding. With the increase in funding support, we may be eligible. Senate Bill 105 outlines the details (starting on page 68). A committee will be working on this to meet the grant deadline of October 31. The grant requires a needs assessment, (with law enforcement), and an updated school risk management plan. Grant can cover equipment, services for students in crisis, and training to increase school safety. As part of the process, we are asking our community of parents, students and staff for feedback about our school safety. If you have ideas, suggestions, or concerns about ABS school safety that might be helpful in applying for the grant, please provide feedback here.
Parent Council Notes:
New-ABS Parent Council Newsletter comes home today in your Thursday packet! Hang it on the frig for easy reference. Here’s the recording from today’s PC meeting. Next Parent Council meeting is scheduled for November 18 at 7pm.
SAVE THE DATE-October 19 for Fall Fest! We are looking forward to an amazing afternoon of community, fun, games, vendors and food. Please join us!
ABS Book Fairs Oct 15-21
The Scholastic Book Fairs are coming!! Exciting news! We will have a fair set up at both North and South Campuses and the North Campus will also open the Fair at Fall Fest which will be a great way to shop early AND enjoy Fall Fest!
We will NEED YOUR HELP! Volunteer signup is LIVE! This is a really fun opportunity to get volunteer hours during the school day and during Fall Fest.
Sign up to volunteer here for North Campus: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4AA4AC23A02-51296008-absnorth
Sign up to volunteer here for South Campus: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4AA4AC23A02-51605729-abssouth
Please visit the links below to sign up for an E-Wallet account*, see the fair schedule, view the book fair flyer, or shop our online book fair.
North Campus Book Fair link: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/ABSNorth
South Campus Book Fair link: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/ABSSouth
*Set up an E-wallet account so your student can shop the Fair cash-free. If you have multiple children, you must create a separate account for each child, be sure to use the correct fair link.
Every purchase you make at the book fairs earns money towards new books for ALL CLASSROOM libraries and BOTH SCHOOL LIBRARIES! More than half of all dollars spent at the book fairs go directly to purchase books for the school!
Questions can be directed to Kristen Faulkner, Book Fair Chairperson at [email protected]
ABS Sweatshirt and Totes
Sweatshirts, t-shirts, and totes are coming home this week. Please write your child’s name on the tag so they don’t get mixed up in the Lost and Found. On these cool mornings and warm afternoons, students often remove their sweatshirts and forget them. Now they all look alike, so a name on the tag inside will help us get it back to the right kid. This works well for other outerwear as well.
Picture Day-Oct 23
Smile! October 23 is Picture Day! All students will be photographed to be included in the school’s yearbook. To order pictures online, please visit www.strawbridge.net, click the red “Order Pictures and Yearbooks” button, and enter code FM445730. To qualify for free shipping, you must place your order no later than Oct 23. More information will be coming home soon.
Halloween is Coming
Please do not send students to school in costumes. We all enjoy the fun and excitement of Halloween but find that costumes and accessories make it very difficult to concentrate. Also we do not want students to bring candy in their lunch bags for snacks. Although it can be delicious, high sugar snacks should not replace a healthy snack. Thanks for your help!
Prospective Parent Tours
School tours for prospective parents begin in October. They are scheduled weekly on Tuesdays at 9:30am at South Campus and Thursdays at 9:30am at North Campus. Each tour is limited to 10 adults in an effort to limit the disruption to our students and teachers in the classrooms. Parents interested in learning more about ABS and how to enroll their child, should contact the front office to sign up for a tour. 748-4116 ext 1023. Applications will be accepted beginning January 1. The lottery will be held the second Tuesday of February.
Save the Date- Saturday, November 2nd, 10-1 Parent-Child Retreat at ABS!
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Parent-Child Retreat with former ABS counselor Scott Ertl on Nov. 2 from 10am to 1pm! This special event is designed for you to spend quality, meaningful time with your child while engaging in fun, interactive activities. Together, you'll explore new ways to communicate, strengthen your bond, and reminisce about special memories. In our busy lives, we depend on routines to make things predictable. This retreat will provide an opportunity to see if any morning, mealtime and/or bedtime routines could be more enjoyable and effective. Take this opportunity to step away for a few hours, reconnect with your child, and enjoy a day of learning, laughter, and love. Spaces will be limited to 50 parent-child pairs, so don't miss out! Cost is $10 per family which includes pizza lunch and will take place at the North Campus 1380 N MLK. Payment can be made in cash at the ABS front office. Sign up today and reserve your spot!
School Calendar and Important Dates
The approved 2024-25 school calendar is available here, on our website, or Student Calendar Here is a copy of the updated Parent Student Handbook
Around Town:
Save the Date-WS Holiday Parade December 7, at 5pm. Hosted by the WS Ambassadors.