Carpenter Families,
Welcome to the first week of school of the 24-25 school year for Tracks 1, 2, & 3! We are excited to welcome you back tomorrow! If you’re new to Carpenter, welcome! We are excited to have you join our school community this year. Every Sunday afternoon, I will send a message similar to this one. I encourage you to read it so that you are aware of the upcoming activities that will be taking place at school. If students were unable to join us at Meet the Teacher last week, we will help them find their new classroom. See you in the morning! It’s going to be a great year. Our theme for the year is Learning is an Adventure, and we are excited to begin our Adventure together for the 24-25 school year! 😊
Safety and Security Update
Over the last several weeks, I have partnered with our school’s Security Administrator and our School Resource Officer to complete a Safety Assessment of Carpenter. My top goal as the leader of the school is to ensure the safety of everyone in the building. One of the increased security measures that will be most evident to parents is that after the first week of school, parents will not be able to walk their child to their classroom in the morning. Parents are still welcome to come to lunch or to school for other volunteer activities but must sign in at the front office. I know this will be disappointing to many but please know that it is a decision that is made to protect all students and to be in alignment with the other schools in the county and with the county’s safety procedures.
School Hours
Our bell schedule is 8:45 am to 3:45 pm. Students can arrive as early as 8:45 am but need to be in their classrooms by 9:15 am when the instructional bell rings. Chameleon Time is from 8:45 to 9:15. During this time, students can receive interventions, complete morning work, or get other academic assistance from their teacher. Students will be dismissed at 3:45 pm.
Checking Students Out Early
If your child has an unavoidable appointment, be sure to check him/her out of the office by 3:15 pm so that it does not interfere with our carpool traffic. The front office will not allow students to be checked out after 3:15. Students must be picked up from the carpool line if they are not picked up prior to 3:15 pm.
Carpool
Families that want to drive their children to school can easily do so in the mornings but will need a carpool number in the afternoons to pick them up. The same carpool numbers that students obtained last year will be their carpool numbers this year. Click this link to secure a carpool number if you are new to our school.
Remember to practice with your child getting in and out of their car seat so that the flow of carpool is not halted with you getting out of the car daily to buckle your child in or unbuckling them. Students should only get out of the passenger side of the car.
Kindergarten Staggered Entry
This week- Kindergarten students will only come for one day of school.
On your child’s staggered entry date, please have your child bring a change of clothes, a towel for rest, a snack, and a lunch if your child is not buying school lunch.
During staggered entry, your child will tour the school, go to specials, have a snack, read stories, play in centers, eat lunch in the cafeteria, go to recess, have rest, and complete entry-level assessments such as letter recognition/sound, number recognition/writing and rote counting. We look forward to meeting you and your child during our staggered entry!
Kindergarten Meet the Teacher
After staggered entry, students will be split into classes if there are multiple track classes. Meet the Teacher provides an opportunity for students to meet their child’s teacher, classmates, and tour the classroom. This is when students should bring his/her school supplies. Students will not attend school that day but are invited to come to Meet the Teacher.
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Tracks 1, 2, and 3 |
Track 4 |
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Friday, July 12th Time 10:00-11:30 (drop in during this time) |
Friday, August 2nd Time Last Name 10:00-10:30 A-F 10:30-11:00 I-P 11:00-11:30 Q-Z |
First Day of Kindergarten
This is the first day that the entire class will be together. Please make sure that contact information, allergies/medication, and transportation is communicated to your classroom teacher before the first day of school. We look forward to our first day together.
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Tracks 1, 2, and 3 |
Track 4 |
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Monday, July 15th |
Monday, August 5th |
New Bus Delay Notification System
Starting the 2024-25 school year, families of bus riders will be sent text and email notifications in the event of bus delays or cancelations. These messages will be sent as soon as transportation staff learns of a disruption. The system is designed to more quickly notify parents so they can make alternate arrangements when necessary. You can still track your child’s bus using the Here Comes the Bus app. There will also be a link on our school website (go to transportation, then under Live Bus Updates on left side) that will display bus delays.
To receive these messages, you will need to make sure you have given permission to receive text and/or email notifications via SchoolMessenger. This is the same system used for school and districtwide messaging, separate from TalkingPoints or other communications services. If you receive the weekly district-wide message sent on Wednesdays, you should be able to receive bus notifications without taking any further action. If you do not receive those weekly messages, go to wcpss.net/schoolmessenger to learn how you can sign up to receive notifications. The simplest option may be to simply text YES to the number 67587. That should automatically allow you to begin receiving text notifications.
PTA:
The Carpenter Staff is so thankful for our partnership with our Parent Teacher Association (PTA). These volunteers are always so helpful and supportive. We could not have close one school year and opened another without their support! They were integral in the 5th Grade promotion ceremonies that were so special and then welcomed our staff back the next week with breakfast, lunch, and new Carpenter Staff t-shirts. Throughout the year, we will partner together to make Carpenter an awesome place for every student to thrive! If you have not joined already, please consider joining to become a part of this fantastic organization.
Get Approved to Volunteer!
We are asking all parents/guardians to complete the WCPSS volunteer application at wcpss.net/volunteers. Families who were approved to volunteer in the 2023-24 school year received an email on June 1 outlining the simple volunteer renewal process for the 2024-25 school year. Please renew your volunteer status during the renewal window, July 1-Oct. 1.
Upcoming Events/Important Dates
- July 8- First day of school- Tracks 1, 2, & 3
- July 8-11: Tracks 1, 2, & 3: Kindergarten Staggered Entry Days
- July 12: Meet the Teacher- Kindergarten Tracks 1, 2, & 3
- July 25: Meet the Teacher- Grades 1-5, Track 4 10:00-10:30
- July 26- Enjoy Track Out, Track 3!
- August 2: Meet the Teacher- Kindergarten Track 4
Important Links to Access:
Carpenter's Breakfast and Lunch Menu
Yours,
Kim Collins
Carpenter Principal
