Welcome Back Kerr Comets
2022-2023
Welcome Back!!
Dear Kerr Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to a new school year!! The Kerr staff is excited to welcome your kids back and are eager to make this year the best yet. We cannot wait to see the students’ smiling faces and embark on a journey of making lifelong memories!
Please join us on August 8th from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. for Meet the Teacher Night.
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 10th. Please utilize this newsletter to review important information about our Kerr procedures and the First Day of School!
Again, we can’t wait to get this year started and continue to build the traditions we have here at Kerr together. Please make sure to read all the information enclosed!
Sincerely,
Aretha Jackson
Principal
Kerr Elementary
Meet the Teacher August 8th 4:30-6:00
Rather than receiving a letter in the mail, your child’s teacher will email you to let you know the exciting news and to welcome your child to their classroom. In order to receive this email, you will need to complete the back to school forms through skyward.
This year Allen is also requiring a proof of residency to be uploaded into the system as well. You should have already received a letter explaining this process.
The deadlines for the forms to be completed and when to expect your child’s teacher email based on the time of completion.
If all of your back to school forms have been completed, you will receive your Meet the Teacher letter on August 3rd by 5:00. A second round of Meet the Teacher letters will be sent on August 5th by 5:00. If your forms have not been completed by the second round of letters, you will need to go to the library on Monday, August 8th during Meet the Teacher to find out your child's teacher. If you are unable to complete your forms, we will have devices and staff in the library to help complete the forms.
If you have any questions or trouble logging in, please contact Sheri Lein at sheri.lein@allenisd.org
Dismissal Change for 2022-2023
The 2022-2023 school year will bring about some exciting changes with our dismissal system. We will implement a system in which siblings are dismissed from the same location, and we will also use a numeric system for car tags.
At the start of the school year your child will be assigned a “family” number. This number will be the same number for all members of the family. This number will also be the same number throughout their time at Kerr.
Kindergarten through second grade will continue dismissal from their same location as last year. For families new to Kerr, K-2 students are dismissed on the west side of the building.The only change will be that if you have additional children at Kerr, they will also be with your K-2 student at dismissal! The exit for our K-2 carpool lane will be a left turn only.
Third through Sixth grade students will continue to be dismissed at their dismissal location used in previous years. New families, third through sixth grade students are dismissed on the east side of the building. The exit for our 3-6 carpool lane will be a right turn only.
We are hoping that this change will alleviate some of the congestion of our after school carpool line. Please see the map below for a visual of our new system.
Skyward Family Access
Please enter absence in SKYWARD or when your child returns to school, he/she will need to bring a signed note with the reason for the absence within 3 days of their return. Emails are no longer acceptable.
Student Hours
The building opens at 7:30. Student supervision begins at that time.
Student arrival time is 7:30 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Students will go directly to their assigned locations:
Kinder, First, & 6th will go to the cafeteria
Second through Fifth grade will go to they gym
All students should be in their classrooms by the 7:45 a.m. tardy bell. This means that students are in class, ready to learn, and that the academic day has begun. Morning announcements will start at 7:45.
Afternoon pick-up is at 2:55 p.m. Please ensure that your child’s teacher knows how he/she gets home each day. If there is a change in pick-up, please call the front office by 2:15 p.m.
First Day of School, August 10th
Teachers will be in classrooms at 7:30 a.m. ready to welcome students and parents.
Parents will not need to sign-in at the front desk if entering the building for morning drop-off on the first day of school.
Parents may walk students to their class. We ask that parents say their goodbyes when the tardy bell rings at 7:45 a.m. This will help students and teachers have a smooth transition into their first day together.
Please make sure that your child’s homeroom teacher knows how your child is getting home on the first day of school.
Second Day of School, August 11th
- Supervision in the morning begins at 7:30 a.m.
- Parents-We ask that you give hugs and kisses at the crosswalks or the doors.
- All students – We ask that students walk by themselves to their classroom from this point on.
School Supplies
- If you purchased school supplies from PTA, they will be delivered to your child's classroom.
- If you need to a list of school supplies to purchase, please visit the Kerr website. https://www.allenisd.org/kerres
Daily Items to Bring Each Day to School
- Please send a backpack with your child each day to school
K-1 Students: Change of Clothes
- Please make sure that you send a change of clothes in a Ziploc bag with your child in case of any accidents.
Refillable Water Bottle
- We ask that all students bring a refillable water bottle with them to school daily. Please label your child's water bottle.
Snack
- Please send a healthy snack with your child each day.
Volunteers
- There are lots of opportunities to become involved at Kerr. Please sign up to be a volunteer.
All volunteers will need to go to the AISD website to register to be a volunteer and complete a background check. This must be done each school year. https://www.allenisd.org/Page/214
Lunch Visitors
Attendance
- Please enter absence in SKYWARD or when your child returns to school, he/she will need to bring a signed note with the reason for the absence within 3 days of their return. Emails are no longer acceptable.
- If your child is absent for 5 or more days in a row due to illness, a note from the doctor is required.
Forgotten Items
Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast & Lunch Menu
- The lunch menu for the month of August can be found on the Allen ISD website under Departments, Student Nutrition.
- Breakfast is available every morning in the cafeteria. Please ensure that your child arrives early if you would like for them to get breakfast.
- Your child must make their selection between 7:30-7:45 am. If the selection is not made prior to 7:45 am, the student will not have time to eat breakfast at school.
Lunch
Our cafeteria manager, Ms. Jenn will have a table in the cafeteria to receive account payments and answer any questions that you have on Meet the Teacher night. If you are unable to come to Meet the Teacher night, you may pay for your child’s lunch in the cafeteria on the morning of the first day of school. A collection “box” is available in the cafeteria for lunch money drop-off every morning, and there is also an online option.
Online credit card payments can be made by registering on www.paypams.com. PayPams is an online system in which parents can add funds to their child’s cafeteria account, view purchases and the account balance. There is a $1.95 transaction fee for each online deposit, per student account. Please allow 24-48 hrs. for the online payment to be posted to your student’s account. You will need your child’s date of birth and first and last names to register on the PayPams website. Call the Student Nutrition Office at 972-727-0544 for assistance.
If your child forgets his/her lunch, please bring the lunch to the reception area and your child will be allowed to pick it up at an appropriate time. We request that all items be dropped off by 10 a.m.
Free & reduced price meal application will be available online on the Allen ISD Student Nutrition webpage.
Students will continue to use their ID number for their cafeteria account. Please make sure they have their ID card with them at all times.
Grade Level lunch times will be communicated by the homeroom teacher prior to the first day of school.
Safety and Security
Allen ISD campuses have a receptionist to greet parents and visitors as they enter the building. All campuses will be using the Hall Pass visitor identification program.
Visitors to the school will be asked to show photo identification upon requesting entry to the building (driver’s license, state ID card, or military photo ID). Once buzzed in, the ID will be scanned into the system and a visitor’s badge will be issued if there is no alert indicated on the database. Although the visitor will need to check-in with the receptionist each visit and receive a badge, he/she will only need to present the photo ID for scanning on the first visit at each campus. Please always bring photo ID for entry to the building. We thank parents and visitors for their understanding and patience as we continue working to provide a safe and secure environment for all students, staff, and visitors.
We greatly value our parents, families, mentors, and community volunteers. We are grateful that all those who visit our campuses understand our need to safeguard our students and our staff. It is our expectation that our security systems will not hinder parents and volunteers, but will add to the security of the school.
Arrival
· The building opens at 7:30 am with supervision in the cafeteria for K, 1st and 6th graders and in the gym for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Please do not drop children off prior to 7:30 am.
· We encourage students to meet their classmates in the designated areas by 7:40 am. Teachers will pick up their classes form the cafeteria and gym at that time.
· Please see arrival map for the drop off locations. Only the arrival designated doors will be open from 7:30 – 7:45. All campus doors will lock at 7:45 am for security purposes.
· If you walk your child to the cafeteria or gym doors for drop off, please make sure to park in a designated parking spot and not in the carpool line.
· Be a great role model - use the crosswalks!
Dismissal
There are choices for how your child is dismissed at the end of the day. It will be important to choose one and be consistent each day or each week. It can be confusing for both your child and the teacher if there are regular changes. We know that there might be times that a change is necessary. Therefore, in the event of an emergency or an unexpected change to your child’s afternoon pick-up, please send a note to the teacher with your child or contact the office no later than 2:15 p.m. This will allow school personnel adequate time to get information to the classroom teachers and students.
Please help us to eliminate any confusion that occurs while staff is trying to locate your child who may be waiting at a different pick-up area. We want to ensure that pick-up time is safe and orderly, and communicating changes will ensure that the staff is focused on the students they are monitoring and on traffic. On Meet the Teacher, you will complete a student dismissal form.
In the event of severe weather, an ‘inclement weather’ dismissal will be followed. This allows students to exit the building only when the vehicle is ready to load.
Please see the dismissal map for pick up locations.
Car-line
Students in grades K-6 who are picked up in the car-line will be waiting with their teachers in their designated areas-See map below
Staff members will call numbers via walkie talkie, and teachers will assist students in locating and boarding their vehicles. Please help us to expedite this process by having the “pick-up” tag with your child’s number. If your tag is lost, please park your car and come to the front office to get a new tag.
To avoid congestion in the parking lot and the car-line, parents are encouraged to stay in their vehicles, travel through the pick-up line, and pull forward as space allows.
Kids Club
- Students who will be staying in after school daycare at Kerr (Kids Club) will go to the cafeteria.
AISD Bus or Daycare Buses/Vehicles
- AISD and daycare buses/vehicles will pick up students on the north side of the building.
Bike Riders, Walkers, Scooter, Etc.
- Students riding bikes or scooters will exit out the gate next to the gym.
Students walking will exit out the gate by the city park or the gate near the church.
If you ask your child to meet you somewhere off campus, your child is also considered a walker.
Students must walk bikes, scooters, and skateboards while on school grounds.
Bikes must be locked on the bike rack next to the gym during the school day.
Walkers must cross the street at designated crosswalks only.
Inclement Weather Dismissal Procedures
In the event of inclement weather (heavy rain, storm, ice, snow…), the decision will be made by 2:40 p.m. to determine if the school will follow regular dismissal or inclement weather dismissal procedures. Please ensure that your child knows how they will get home on inclement weather days. If students do not know the arrangements and teachers have not been provided with the information, it creates confusion and slows down dismissal.
If there are any changes to your pick-up arrangements please call the office no later than 2:15 p.m. This will allow school personnel adequate time to get information to classroom teachers and students.
Kerr Office Staff
Katie Ponce, Assistant Principal katie.ponce@allensid.org
Demetrial Wright, School Counselor demetrial.wright@allenisd.org
Haley Raney, School Nurse haley.raney@allensid.org
Julie Spielman, School Secretary julie.spielman@allenisd.org
Sheri Lein, School Registrar sheri.lein@allenisd.org
Ashley Houck, School Receptionist ashley.houck@allenisd.org