School Times
School Times Have Changed for the 2023-2024 Schol Year!
Doors Open: 8:50 AM
School Starts: 9:05 AM
School Dismissal: 3:35 PM
Doors Open for Breakfast: 8:25 AM (This time is only for students who will be eating breakfast!)
The school office is open from 7:45 AM until 4:15 PM. Mrs. Baver is our school secretary and her email address is mbaver@qcsd.org.
*Please do not drop off students prior to 8:50 AM unless students are coming in for breakfast since there will be no adult supervision at this time!
Ozzie Our Therapy Dog
We would like to inform new families and remind returning families that we have the privilege of having a certified therapy dog who visits QE 2-3 days a week! Ozzie started coming to school in April 2023 and has had a profound impact on students, families and staff. We are excited for a new school year! Ozzie is a Bernadoodle and is owned by our School Counselor, Eileen Bruchak. He is 2 years old. They have worked hard in training and earned the Canine Good Citizenship and Certified Therapy Dog Certifications. Here is a presentation all about Ozzie. We wanted to share some information about the benefits of having a therapy dog in school as well as answer some potential questions and explore some concerns you may have. Here is the board policy regarding Therapy Dogs.
Benefits of a Therapy Dog
Increased self-esteem and confidence.
Decreased blood pressure and stress levels.
Increased social skills and problem solving skills.
Increased positive mood.
Increased overall well-being.
Concerns and Considerations
Ozzie will be groomed appropriately to decrease sensitivities for students with allergies. Ozzie sheds minimally but no breed is hypoallergenic. People with dog allergies who have interacted with Ozzie have not reported any issues.
Ozzie will only interact with students and staff who want to interact with him. This is to be mindful of people that may not like dogs or have a fear of them. Research has shown that work with therapy dogs often decreases one’s fear of animals. Once people see Ozzie they usually can’t resist him!
Students and staff will be educated about Ozzie’s role and how to interact with Ozzie.
Ozzie will be on leash and in handler’s control at all times.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. If you do not want your student interacting with Ozzie, please contact us.
Dr. Lesher, Principal (glesher@qcsd.org)
Eileen Bruchak, School Counselor (ebruchak@qcsd.org)
Student Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
In our effort to ensure student and staff safety, student arrival and dismissal at Quakertown Elementary School will resemble the same procedures utilized last school year, 22-23. Please see below for our student arrival and dismissal guidelines. It is our goal with student arrival, as with all other day-to-day aspects of school, to mitigate, minimize, and eliminate all potential safety concerns. With your help, support, and adherence to these measures, we will be able to safely and quickly have all QE students enter the building ready to learn, and students safely on their way home.
Please note that this system may change based on other factors and circumstances. As these changes come up, we will communicate them to you.
Student Arrival
Our QCSD Student School Day officially starts at 9:05 AM and ends at 3:35 PM.
Students may begin to proceed into the building at 8:50 AM.
Students should be dropped off or arrive as close to 8:50 AM as possible. Please note that there will not be supervision outside of QE prior to 8:50 AM.
If students are arriving by bus, a QE staff member will be present to greet them off the bus and support a safe transition to their homeroom.
For students that need to eat breakfast, we will still serve a hot breakfast. Breakfast will be served at 8:25 AM. Students will enter the building and proceed directly to our cafeteria where they will eat.
For inclement weather, please help your child dress accordingly.
Parents and guardians are reminded of the following general safety guidelines when arriving at Quakertown Elementary:
Please utilize the pedestrian walkway to cross streets.
Please do not double park and/or stop in the middle of the road
Please do not socialize too much. Drop off your child and vacate as quickly and safely as possible.
Student Dismissal
Our aim for student dismissal is safety First, and foremost, this will require patience. We appreciate this as this safety will require additional steps and measures that will likely increase the time needed at student dismissal.
Our students will be strategically dismissed via our PA system. There will be two school bells at the conclusion of our day. The first bell will ring at 3:32 PM and walkers and bus riders will be dismissed. The second bell will be at 3:35 PM. All students being dismissed to a parent, (K-5) will begin to exit the building following the 3:35 PM bell. If you are planning to pick up your child, please plan to be present at 3:35 PM for pick up. Students will exit the building through the doors as shown in the virtual below with their homeroom teacher. Our teachers will have orange clipboards to signify they are teachers and to record what adult is picking the child up. We ask that you remain back from these areas. The teacher will visually identify who you are and release the child to you. For each class, this will be done one at a time. Again, for the beginning of our school year, we should anticipate this taking additional time. This specific and strategic dismissal is done so that our students and staff are safe!
If your child is riding a bus, they will be dismissed from their homeroom at 3:32 PM to the gymnasium. They will safely exit our building by our bus loading doors and enter onto the bus.
As a reminder, please help us support student and staff safety by adhering to the following:
Please remain on the sidewalk
Please refrain from engaging in too much talk with the teacher as we want this process to run as smoothly and timely as possible.
Please utilize the pedestrian crosswalks to cross the street.
To ensure student and staff safety, below will be the designated exits we will use when dismissing from Quakertown Elementary School.
Front Doors
Kindergarten (Ms. McNamara and Mrs. DeStefano)
First Grade (Dr. Stabilit and Mrs. Altner)
Second Grade (Mrs. Rosica and Mrs. Yerger)
Playground Doors
Third Grade (Mrs. Goldcamp, Ms. Olchewsky, and Mrs. Riedi)
Fourth Grade (Mrs. Held and Mr. Wieand)
Fifth Grade (Mrs. Gerancher and Mrs. Pierce)
Sign Up for Band and Orchestra Lessons
This message is for families of students who are NEW to the band or the orchestra program only. Students who are continuing on their instrument from last year are already signed up for lessons on the instrument they learned last year. If your child is NEW to band or orchestra, interested in learning to play a musical instrument, and wants to perform in our school concerts, now is the time to sign-up and get your instrument supplies.
- Students in grade 3 can select an orchestra instrument to learn this year.
- Students in grades 4 and 5 can select from their choice of band instruments and orchestra instruments to learn.
- If your child is learning a NEW band or orchestra instrument, families must register their child for lessons by clicking the yellow registration form button at the top of the music department website here: www.qcsd.org/music
- Once you register for lessons, visit the STORES AND SUPPLIES page on the music department website to obtain an instrumental rental, lesson book, and folding music stand. Music store contact information is located at the bottom of the page for you to call and compare prices.
- If you have any additional questions visit the CONTACT page on the music department website to find your child's band and orchestra teachers' contact information.
Upcoming Important Dates
Monday, August 28 - The first day of school!
Friday, September 1 - No School!
Monday, September 4 - No School!
Wednesday, September 20 - Back to School Night (6:00 PM - 7:30 PM)
About Us
The children are our most cherished possessions. Please know that we will do everything in our power to make sure your child feels respected, safe, happy, and successful at Quakertown Elementary School. When we are working together; parents, teachers, staff, and students, we will come together to help each child reach their fullest learning potential.
