Welcome Back! We are excited to kick off the 2022-2023 school year with our scholars and you! It was a pleasure to see all of our scholars and families during Meet the Teacher and the Back to School Rally!

I hope you find the information in this newsletter helpful as we begin the new year. If you have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to call our front office at 972.291.4231.

I look forward to partnering with you to provide our scholars with a quality education in a safe, welcoming, and positive learning environment, the Bray Way!

Humbly,

Dr. Amanda McCarther

#GreatThingsHappenHere

#OneVoiceOneSound

Follow us on Twitter @brayelementary

Issuing car tags is a precautionary measure we take to ensure the safety of all of our scholars. We began distributing car tags for car riders on Meet the Teacher Night this past Thursday. Beginning August 15 on the first day of school, you can also pick up a car tag from the front office for your scholar between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. each day. Bring your ID as we have to verify information before we distribute car tags. Make sure your car tag is in your window during dismissal. If you do not have a car tag on the first day of school or any day thereafter, you will need to park in the parking lot and come in the building to present your photo ID.

Lunch cost for this year is $2.75

Arrival: Doors open from 7:45 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. If a scholar arrives before 7:45 a.m., they are expected to remain in front of the school until the doors open. They may sit on the pavement under the awning, on the bench, or they can choose to stand until the doors open. They should not touch the windows or doors of the building or block entry into the building for staff. Breakfast will be provided until 8:05. Additionally, if you park in the parking lot during the morning drop off, we ask that you walk your child through the parking lot and to the crosswalk so that we can secure his or her safety.

Right at School: Scholars enrolled in the Right At School program may enter as early as 6:30 a.m.

Tardies: School starts promptly at 8:05 a.m., and instruction begins immediately following the morning announcements. Scholars are considered tardy if they enter the building at 8:06 a.m or any time after. Parents must accompany scholars who are tardy into the building to sign them in for the day. The scholar will receive a tardy pass and then proceed to class. When the scholar has reached 10 tardies, he or she will be required to serve 1 hour of Saturday School to make up for lost instructional time.

Dismissal: There are four modes of transportation for dismissal: car riders, walkers, bus riders, and daycare riders. Please refer to the map below for an outline of the multiple lines of traffic Bray families take along city streets during school dismissal. For this reason, parents cannot walk to the front door to pick up scholars. When parents walk to the front door, it delays dismissal procedures. Therefore, we ask that you stay in your car to expedite dismissal procedures.

Dismissal will begin at 3:35 p.m. Parents/guardians must present a car tag to pick up scholars.

Car riders

For the safety of our scholars, we must verify the identity of anyone who picks up a scholar without a car tag. If you do not have a car tag to pick up a scholar during dismissal, you will be asked to park and go to the office for an ID check. Please take a picture ID into the office, and someone will assist you.

Additionally, we begin dismissing scholars at 3:35 and continue until 3:55. This time will change after the first several weeks of school. Scholars who have not been picked up at 3:55 will be escorted to the foyer at the front of the building for pick up by a parent or guardian.

Daycare and Bus riders

Bus riders will dismiss from the library. Daycare riders will dismiss from the door by the gym.

Walkers
Walkers will dismiss from door 18 and meet the crossing guard at the intersection between Roberts and Bennett Road. Walkers must use the crosswalk to cross the street in order to maintain their safety. Parents/guardians may meet scholars at the crosswalk where the crossing guard stands when we dismiss them. PreK-1st grade scholars must have an older sibling or family member with them to walk home.

**Parents & guardians: If you do not want to wait in the car line during dismissal, you can elect for your child to be a walker, and meet him/her at the intersection between Roberts and Bennett Road where the crossing guard stands. Please be sure to cross the street to collect your child so he or she does not have to walk through the parking lot on their own.

Thank you in advance for adhering to these procedures and processes.

We will continue to work diligently to streamline all arrival and dismissal procedures. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the front office at 972-291-4231.

Parents/guardians must sign out scholars who need to go for an appointment in the main office by 3:15 p.m. Scholars will not be released from the office after 3:15 since this is transition time for us.

Changes in Transportation

If there will be a change in how your scholar will go home, please call the front office and email your scholar's teacher by 3:00 p.m. This will ensure that your scholar gets home safely in spite of changes and in the manner you choose.

**If your child is a bus rider and you want to allow him or her to exit the bus with another scholar on the bus, you must provide a written note outlining the change in your child's transportation. The scholar will give the note to his/her teacher, and the office will ensure he or she receives a temporary bus pass. Be sure to include the dates that you would like the change to be implemented. Temporary bus passes are valid for 30 school days.

**If you are wanting someone to pick up your child who is not on the approved list in Skyward, you will need to communicate this to your child's teachers and Ms. Amadi, the campus secretary via email by 3:00 pm. In this communication, you will need to include your name, your child's name, who will be picking your scholar up and a picture of your photo ID. This email communication will take the place of a car tag and your scholar will be released in the car line.

**If you have approved for someone else to pick up your child, but a change of transportation email has not been sent by 3 pm, that individual will need to park and come into the building before the scholar is released to the individual. At this time, office staff will call you and ask that you send an email granting permission to the individual along with a copy of your photo ID.

It is vital that scholars are at school every day. According to compulsory school attendance, students are required to attend school 90% of the time and should not miss more than nine days of school per semester for a total of 18 days for the year. When scholars are absent, send a note to the school indicating why the scholar was absent. If absences are due to COVID, please communicate with our school's nurse aide.

We will recognize individual scholars for perfect attendance and classes with the highest attendance rates. Classes will receive a trophy, tangible rewards, and bragging rights! Please help us with this by bringing your scholar to school on time every day. When scholars are not at school, they miss valuable classroom instruction. Please note: If your scholar is sick, please keep them home; however, please send a note when your scholar returns.