Back-to-School Parent Update
Welcome to the 2021 - 2022 School Year!
Dive in to the new school year!
Class Assignments
Careful consideration was given to your child’s placement. Classrooms have been balanced academically and socially. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Moving students is difficult without causing imbalances and inequities. Thank you so much for being positive with your child and helping him or her understand that it is impossible to place all students with a preferred best friend or teacher. ALL our staff works hard to make school a positive experience for ALL students. We are eagerly looking forward to enriching your child’s life. Thank you for understanding that it can take a few weeks for a child to acclimate to a new grade, peer group and teacher.
Class assignments will be posted in Focus/Parent Portal by end of day 8/4/21. All assignments are subject to change prior to the start of school and within the first 5-10 days of school. Additionally we will have class assignments posted for our Meet the Teacher Event 8/10/21.
Meet Our New Staff
Curriculum Specialist
1st Grade
School Counselor
Kindergarten Teacher
PreK
Other New Staff
Plant Operator Ms. Cheryl Randale coming to us from All Children's Hospital
Arrival & Breakfast
Where do students get dropped off in the mornings?
Arrival Designated areas:
PreK in the PreK drop off area south of our main building
K through 5th grade - car circle (see map on school website) or walk up gate (between the garden and science lab portable)
Walkers - front office
Office Entrance - The only parents entering are ones that need access to the school DMT (Tiffany Knight) or the school Nurse
Where do the students go for arrival and breakfast?
- Breakfast will be served through the existing serving lines with reminders to discourage students from clustering around the serving area
- Students will eat breakfast in the cafeteria sitting at the ends and middle of each table. Outside benches will be utilized as needed (weather permitting)
- All breakfasts will be “Grab and Go” meals which are pre-packaged and available via a bag, clamshell box or a wrapped serving plate
- Students will have a choice of a hot or cold entrée, choice of milk flavor, fruit choice and orange juice
- R’Club - Students will be dropped off and checked in by R’Club staff using the back door in the Cafeteria. They will be released by 8:20 a.m. to report to the classroom
- VPK and PreK - Assistants and CDAs will assist signing in students at the PreK entrance door. PreK students will continue to eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms
Where to students go if they are not eating breakfast?
- Students who arrive between 8:00 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. and do not wish to eat breakfast will be seated on the covered court until the 8:20 bell. They will be dismissed to walk to their class by the supervising staff members on duty
What time are students allowed on campus?
8:00 a.m.
What if students arrive at school prior to 8:00 a.m.?
Students who are observed arriving at school prior to 8:00 a.m. will be reminded of this expectation and provided with additional resources, if needed
Will students get breakfast if they are tardy?
Yes, students will receive a “Grab and Go” breakfast to take immediately to the classroom.
Lunch
Do students eat in the cafeteria?
We have set up our lunch tables for three students per table to allow for maximum distance between students. We have adjusted the schedule because of the size of our cafeteria. Each teacher will have an assigned area/tables for their students for lunch
Teachers will walk their students to the cafeteria. Teachers will pick up their students from their assigned table
- Lunch with your Dolphin - Parents may join their child under the Banyan tree, during their lunch time, beginning Monday, 8/30. Adults must sign in at the office with a valid ID and must also be listed on the clinic card as an approved contact. Visitor badges must be visible at all times and must be returned to the office prior to leaving campus. Parents are not permitted to enter the cafeteria or sit inside the cafeteria with students. Additionally, parents are not permitted to wait at the classroom door hallway or stairwell as they wait for their child to have lunch. Parents must wait under the banyan tree at the center of our campus for your child's class to walk by. In the event of inclement weather, we will not be able to provide an area for parent/student lunches
Student Dismissal
How will students be dismissed?
Students will be dismissed from the covered court when the parent, carpool, or van arrives. We will use our microphone system to call for students to be dismissed to their car. The walk-up gate between the garden and science lab will reopen this school year. Please ensure that you keep your child's teacher informed of the way your student will be going home
Kindergarten Students will be walked out, by their teacher, to sit on the court the first 2 days of school only August 11th and 12th by their teacher. We will pair staff with each teacher to assist each Kindergarten student leaving through the walk up gate. Friday August 13th, Kindergarten students will wait on the court and listen for their name to be called for car circle. Walk up gate kindergarten students will be monitored as the stand and wait at the walk up gate for their parents. No student will be allowed through the gate unless a parent is at the walk up gate. Multiple staff members will be on duty during the first days of school and beyond to assist with dismissal and supervision.
Please be patient during our first few days of dismissal. Like the start of every school year, dismissal can seem a bit chaotic. As your principal, I truly appreciate everyone’s smile and understanding. Please remain in your car during dismissal.
Students will be dismissed through the car circle as a "car rider" or a "van or afterschool bus rider" unless they are a " gate walker".
TAGS FOR CAR RIDERS: You will be given a name tag sign to display/hang tag to assist staff with calling for your child as you arrive in the car line for dismissal each day. It is imperative that your name tag sign is hanging from your rear view mirror upon arrival.
As with this past school year, parents may not walk onto campus to pick-up students. All students not leaving campus in a car or van are considered ' gate walkers'. Staff members will accompany walkers to the PARENT MEETING POINT by 2:45. Please be on time to pick-up students. Parents may meet their walkers at the PARENT MEETING POINT in area near the garden and science lab outside the gate. Please make sure your student knows how they are going home each day. Please inform your child's teacher, via the agenda, of any changes in how he/she will go home on a given day. Parents who walk-up to pick-up their students from the carline will be redirected to join the car line in their car. Students will not be called to meet walking parents as it will interfere with the efficiency of the car line.
All parents must use the car circle to drop-off and pick-up students daily if their student is not a ' gate walker'.
No early dismissal after 2 p.m. as it interferes with closing instruction and dismissal routines.
Cell Phones / Watches
First day of school
Clinic & Medications
- THE CLINIC: If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home. If a student gets sick during the school day, our nurse will assess your child as in the past and consult with you. If a student exhibits illness beyond the normal stomachache or minor injury, we will request that you pick your child up. I strongly encourage you to make back-up plans for pick up and provide the front office with several people for us to contact on your behalf. Students will be isolated if they exhibit Covid -19 symptoms and will only be released to a parent or designee. They will not be able to be released to an aftercare program or on an after-school bus.
- MEDICATIONS: If your child will need to have a medication administered (OTC or prescribed) during school hours, it is important for you to visit the front office PRIOR to school starting. ALL types of medications require additional paperwork that must be completed by a parent and/ or doctor. Students MAY NOT transport any medications to school.
Masks
Cleaning
Visitors
After-School Activities & Tutoring
In case of Emergency
Important Upcoming Events
Meet the Teacher Event
Please respect the teacher’s time so she can meet all the families who attend. Conferences can be scheduled at your request, on a different day. Also, please note that rooms may not be completely set up. Teachers have been taking training and won’t have put the final touches on their classrooms.