Comet Connection
Summer Edition- August 11, 2023
Popsicles with the Principals!
Important Dates
August 21- First Day of School for Kindergarten and First Grade Students
August 22- First Day of School for Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Students
September 1- No school
September 4- Labor Day- No School
September 22- Interim Report Day
Registration
Transportation
Lunch Information
Before the 2023-24 school year begins, please take one of these two steps:
- Complete the free or reduced meals application (steps immediately below).
- Ensure your student has money in their account through LINQ (the new name for Titan, our vendor). Here is an FAQ document for the LINQ portal. Please note that money from your student’s account last year transfers to this school year.
To complete the free or reduced meal application, please follow these steps:
- Review the qualifications.
- Complete the application. Again, here is an FAQ document to help with the LINQ portal. Please note that paper copies of the application are available at your student’s school as well. If you need any assistance during this process, please contact the School Nutrition Department at 804-365-4566.
Meal prices for the coming school year are available on our website. As mentioned above, we will continue to utilize LINQ for prepaid meal accounts and à la carte items, to allow you to find our menus, make payments toward your students account, and more. If you wish to send cash or checks with your student, we will continue to accept those in the cafeteria as well. Please note that to find your school’s menu, simply open LINQ, search for Hanover County Public Schools under District Name, and select your child’s school.
Our entire School Nutrition Team looks forward to serving our students again this school year. We greatly appreciate your support.
Lunch Visits
We look forward to welcoming our parents and guardians for lunch this year beginning the week of September 11th. Please allow us the first few weeks to establish routines and procedures with our students in the cafeteria. All visitors must check in at the office with a valid ID to receive a visitor pass. We will have designated tables directly on the outside of the cafeteria for parents to eat with their children. Friends or other classmates are not allowed to join outside guests for lunch. If relatives other than parents/guardians such as grandparents, wish to eat lunch with students, parents must send a signed note in to school. A photo ID is required for all guests visiting our cafeteria and classrooms. More guidelines about lunch visits.
Attendance Matters
School Hours- 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Attendance Reminders
When your child is absent, we must receive communication within three days of the absence for it to be recorded as "excused." Absences that are not substantiated by a note or phone call to the office within three days of the absence will remain "unexcused."
- At 5 unexcused absences, you will be contacted to develop an attendance plan to resolve attendance concerns
- At 7 unexcused absences, an attendance conference will be held to discuss continued attendance concerns
- If attendance does not improve, a referral may be made to School Social Work Services for additional support
Tardy Students:
Parents, please remember that if your child is late (after 8:00 a.m.) you will need to come into the office to sign them in on the designated form. Your child will receive a tardy pass which they will give to their teacher upon arrival to class.
Change in Dismissal
Early Dismissal for Appointments
If your child has a medicl appointment that requires and early dismissalm please send a note to make your child's teacher and the office aware of the change. Parents who wish to pick their children up prior to the regular dismissal time, should do so before 2:00 p.m.
Volunteers
PTA Officers 2023-2024
President - Jana Howell
Vice President - Cameron Cole
Treasurer- Cheron Smalls
Secretary - Dominique Robertson
PTA Membership and Volunteer Opportunities
PTA Membership:
Welcome back families of Kersey Creek Elementary School! We are thrilled to start another year and get back into the business of helping our kids with excellence. The PTA is excited to get this year started - let's do it with memberships!
Membership form: https://forms.gle/3RE2rTKhjVnYHXjq8
PTA Volunteer Opportunities:
We are excited for your interest in supporting the Kersey Creek Elementary School PTA. The PTA runs on volunteer power! Please take a moment to complete the form and let us know how you might be interested in helping out this year. There are a variety of opportunities to be involved.
Volunteer form: https://forms.gle/hj8cQJwASv665dS77
The House System
House Sorting
All kindergarten and new students will be sorted into their Houses in September.
House Pep Rallies/Unity Days
We will have a school-wide Pep Rally/Unity Day each quarter where we will highlight and celebrate one of our six Houses. Students will also have an opportunity to interact and participate in engaging activities with students in their House.
More details about Open House-Back To School
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Kersey Creek will be combining the Open House and Back-to-School visits this school year. This will include a 40-minute visit to include a 20-minute teacher presentation about the grade level and class routines for the school year, and then time for students to unpack student supplies and parent/guardians complete required forms. There are two time choices for students/families to visit the teacher.
The combined Open House and Back-to-School events will take the place of the former Back-to-School in September. We hope you can join us!
*Kindergarten: 10:00-12:00p.m
Kindergarten students and families will attend one of two sessions.
Session 1: 10:30-11:10
or
Session 2: 11:20-12:00
STOP 1: Gym - Get the Teacher Name and room number. Arrive 15-20 minutes early to be on time to your session. There will be lines to get the Teacher Name(s).
STOP 2: BUS INFORMATION/TRANSPORTATION FORM - This will eliminate any anxiety about transportation on those first days of school. If this is complete, leave with the teacher. If you have questions, see Mrs. Ford Assistant Principal.
STOP 3: Visit the Teacher to Learn about classroom routines and expectations, and then drop off supplies
Teacher/School Open House packet with forms for parents to complete during visit
Drop off Classroom supplies when you visit your student’s teacher
MEDICATIONS: Parents can stop by to see school nurse, Teresa Nelson or email @tnelson@hcps.us
Pay School Fees in the Library or get information to complete online
*Grades 1-5: 2:00pm-6:00 pm
Last Names A-L
Session 1: 2:30pm-3:10pm
or
Session 2: 3:20 pm-4:00 pm
Last Names M-Z
Session 1: 4:30pm-5:10pm
or
Session 2: 5:20-6:00 pm
Students and families of students in Grades 1-5 will attend one of two Teacher Presentations/visits of your choice during your designated time. We recommend you arrive 20 minutes prior to the Presentation Session to allow time to check transportation information and get Teacher Name and Room Number in the Gym.
The Teacher Presentation will be the first 20 minutes of each session, and the last 20 minutes will be student supplies organization and parents complete necessary forms for the teachers.
*If you are a parent of a special education student, don’t forget to meet your child’s Special Education Case Manager.
SPECIAL NOTES:
**If you are NEW to KCES and have not registered for school, you will not have a teacher assignment. To register your student(s) please call our Registrar, Karen Jennings @ (804) 723-3440.
SPECIAL NOTE:
**If you are new to Kersey Creek and have started the registration process, please be sure that all registration items (ex. Immunization forms, health documents) have been submitted by August 16th so that you will not be impacted on Open House Day.
STOP 1: Gym - Get the Teacher Name and room number. Arrive 15-20 minutes early to be on time to your session. There will be lines to get the Teacher Name(s).
STOP 2: BUS INFORMATION/TRANSPORTATION FORM - This will eliminate any anxiety about transportation on those first days of school. If this is complete, leave with the teacher. If you have questions, see Mrs. Ford Assistant Principal, in the main lobby.
STOP 3: Visit the Teacher to Learn about classroom routines and expectations, and then drop off supplies
Teacher/School Open House packet with forms for parents to complete during visit
Drop off Classroom supplies when you visit your student’s teacher
MEDICATIONS: Parents can stop by to see school nurse, Teresa Nelson or email @tnelson@hcps.us
Pay School Fees in the Library or get information to complete online
If a student/parent does not attend Open House/Back-to-School, the teacher will contact the parent by phone call to welcome them and introduce yourself by Friday, August 18, 2023.
If a parent/student cannot attend Open House/Back-to-School, the student can bring supplies on the first day of school or you are welcome to bring student supplies to drop at school between August 10-August 18, 8:00am-2:00pm. Please make sure the student’s full name and grade is clearly on the outside of all bags. Materials will be delivered to the teacher who will call the parent by Friday, August 18, 2023.
Other Documents
(please be reminded to use transportation notes to communicate changes with your child's dismissal plan)
Kersey Creek Elementary
Email: mtownes@hcps.us
Website: https://hanoverkces.ss12.sharpschool.com/
Location: 10004 Learning Lane, Mechanicsville, VA, USA
Phone: (804) 723-3440