Carpenter Families,

This week our Kindergarten students on Tracks 1, 2, & 3 will be joining us full time! Carpool will be a little busier and perhaps a little slower the first few days as our youngest students find their ways to their cars. However, carpool should still be complete by 4:00 so please arrive by 4:00 to pick up your child since dismissal is at 3:45. 

 

Mark Your Calendars- Curriculum Night

Carpenter staff will host its Curriculum Night for Tracks 1 and 2 on August 1^st.  Track 1 will begin at 5:30 and Track 2 will begin at 6:15. Teachers will share details with parents about the curriculum being taught in their classrooms this year.  

 

 

Apply for Free and Reduced Price School Meals

At WCPSS elementary schools, full-paid breakfast is $1.75 and lunch is $3.50.  This is an increase of 25 cents this year.

 

To receive free or reduced-price meals for the 2024-2025 school year, families must submit a meal benefits application online at MySchoolApps.com. For families who completed the 2023-24 meal benefits application, the benefit continues only for their child's first 30 school days of the 2024-25 school year. 

 

 

Safety and Security Reminder

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 receive academic enrichment 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. 

 

 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.

  

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 25: Meet the Teacher- Grades 1-5, Track 4 10:00-10:30
• July 26- Enjoy Track Out, Track 3!
• August 1- Curriculum Night- Tracks 1 @ 5:30 and Track 2 @ 6:15
• August 2: Meet the Teacher- Kindergarten Track 4

Important Links to Access:

2024-2025 Year-Round Calendar

Carpenter's Breakfast and Lunch Menu

 

Yours,

 

Kim Collins

Carpenter Principal