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2016-17 school year kicks off with 41,000 students in 48 schools!
July 6, 2016
Year-round students will head back to school on Monday, July 11.
This year more than 41,000 students will attend our 48 year-round schools - 37 elementary and 11 middle.
Students at year-round schools attend class the same number of days and receive the same instruction as students at traditional schools. A year-round school is simply a rescheduling of the standard 180-day school calendar to keep the learning process continuous and to maximize the use of school facilities. Students have periodic, short breaks rather than one long summer break.
Our newest middle school - Pine Hollow - opens
Pine Hollow Middle is the first of five new schools that will open this year. Andrew Livengood is principal of the new school located in Raleigh.
Pine Hollow is a multi-track year-round middle school for students in grades 6-8. This year we will have students on all four tracks at sixth and seventh grade and students on tracks one and four at the eighth grade.
Walk in the front door and the first sight is the media center, located at the heart of the school. The new 149,505-square-foot school provides 59 teaching spaces in a three-story building that accommodates 1,280 students.
Each classroom has flexible furniture that can easily be moved depending upon the learning activity. The integration of technology across the campus is another key feature with a 3:1 student-to-device ratio.
Motorists, be alert
With the return of students to schools, motorists are asked to drive safely and obey all traffic laws around school buses and bus stops. Drivers will notice traffic shifts with the opening of the new Pine Hollow Middle School. The school is located in Raleigh near the busy intersection of Leesville and Strickland roads, near the Leesville interchange for 540.
School meal prices have increased
The Wake County Board of Education approved price increases for 2016-17 school meals, the first price increase in six years.
Even with the price increase, school breakfast and lunch continue to be a great value. Meals are nutrient-rich and include low-fat dairy, whole grains, lean meats, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables with a variety of offerings for students to choose from daily.
At elementary schools, full-paid meals will increase 25 cents to $1.25 for breakfast and $2.25 for lunch. At middle and high schools, full-paid meals will increase 25 cents to $1.50 for breakfast and $2.50 for lunch.
Families can contribute to their child’s school meals account at www.MySchoolBucks.com or call (855) 832-5226.
Families can also enroll in a no-cost, secure service sponsored by MySchoolBucks to receive email alerts when their child's account balance is low and to ensure their child always has funds to make meal or other item purchases. This service does not require online payments.
Check bus routes, as many stops have changed
Our transportation website is a one-stop resource for bus routes and customer support. Check routes prior to the first day of school as changes may have occurred since the last school year ended. Routes are updated regularly.
Tips for new bus riders
During the first few weeks of school, families are asked to practice patience as bus routes stabilize.
- Students should arrive at the bus stop 15 minutes early. Buses sometimes run off schedule during the first weeks of school as students and bus drivers settle into the routine. Please be patient.
- Parents should be present at the child's bus stop to ensure the child arrives and departs safely.
- In the afternoon, drivers will discharge pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade students only when a responsible person is present to pick them up. If no one is present, the child will be returned to the school or district office.
- Parents and children should memorize bus route numbers and stops. Parents will need these in the event of an emergency.
- If children need to cross the street to board the bus, parents should teach them to wait until the crossing control arm is completely deployed, to look and listen to make sure all vehicles are stopped, and to cross the street in front of the bus.
(A note about our year-round calendar for newcomers: A few of our year-round schools are ‘single track’, which means students at these schools won’t officially start until August 1.)