Weekly Update
Sept. 8th, 2024
Upcoming Dates
Sept. 10th | Bus Evacuation Drill @ 7:45 (HRs - video) | Progress Reports
Sept. 10th | Open House (9th -11th) & Senior Night @ 5:30 pm
Sept. 12th | Q1 Progress Reports
Sept. 13th | Picture Day (makeup pictures - all grade levels) | Friday Bell Schedule (clubs)
Sept. 17th | Voter Registration
Sept. 19th | Fire Drill @ 11:40 am
Sept. 20th | Friday Bell Schedule (clubs) | ACCUPLACER Retakes (10th Grade)
Sept. 20th | Educ. Psych & Teacher Cadet Field Trip
Sept. 27th | Friday Bell Schedule | ECHS & TTC Mental Health Fair (during Clubs)
Oct. 1st | ACT (Seniors) | Fire Drill @ 1:10 pm
Oct. 4th | Friday Bell Schedule (clubs)
Extracurricular Information
Senior Night - Aug. 10th!
Seniors and senior parents/guardians - mark your calendars now! Senior night is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10th at 5:30pm. This session will include very important information about the senior year timeline, events, processes, college applications, and a financial aid overview. Dinner will be provided and we will be raffling away gift cards, a prom ticket and more - you must be present for the event to win.
Voter Registration - Sept. 17th
Members from the League of Women's Voters will be campus on campus Sept. 17th. Student who are turning 18 years old by Nov. 5th may register to vote. Students will need to know their social security number to register.
Time: 10:30 am - 12 pm
Location: TTC Main Lobby
Mental Health Wellness Fair - 9/27
In partnership with Trident Technical College, Early College High School will be hosting a Mental Health Wellness Fair on 9/27 during club time. Our aim is to ensure students' understanding of the importance of mental health, and to be informed about local resources available to the community.
Point of contact: Rhiannon Rainsford
Message From the ECHS Health Clinic
In order to meet the demands of nursing documentation, clinic management and the need to have confidential communication with parents, doctors, etc., the Clinic will close daily at 2:00pm EXCEPT FOR EMERGENCIES.
EMERGENCIES include, but are not limited to, diabetic issues, symptoms of asthma/trouble breathing, signs of an allergic reaction, vomiting and bleeding.
NON-EMERGENCIES include, but are not limited to, headaches, stomach aches, old injuries, superficial cuts that just need a band aid (teachers can request some).
Please contact Nurse Horton or Nurse Varvaro for any questions. REMEMBER, although the Clinic will be "closed" at 2:00pm, we are ALWAYS HERE!!!
Dismissal & Front Office Reminders
We respectfully ask that students who are not feeling well be seen by Nurse Horton or Nurse Varvaro before calling a parent to pick them up.
Also, to ensure we are able to meet parent and student needs in a timely matter, we ask that students be signed out of the office no later that 2:00 pm.
Senior IGP Sign Ups!
Senior Individual Graduation Plans are upon us - this is your final IGP meeting and a very important time to discuss your plan for your senior year and beyond!
Parents/guardians of seniors, please follow the links below to sign up for an appointment slot.
Ms.Cuttino- last names beginning with A-L: Senior IGP Sign Up
Ms. Rainsford- last names beginning with M-Z: Senior IGP Sign Up
If you have questions about senior IGPs, please contact Ms. Rainsford or Ms. Cuttino.
Important Updates - Revised 8/23!
Buses - Route Changes - 8/27: First Student has assigned ECHS two new routes in the afternoons. This change impacts students on several buses (see above). Please also note that route 563 has been added in the mornings, and stops have changed for route 567. New routes will start on Tuesday, 8/27! As a reminder, all ECHS stops, including routes back to homeschools, are parent assisted stops. Students, therefore, being dropped off at Stall HS, or any other homeschool, should not board the residential buses at homeschool stops.
All ECHS Routes and Stops can be found a this - link. As a general rule, please ensure you arrive at your bus stop 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time.
Lunch Procedures & Bar Code Scanning: Early College High School is a part of Charleston County's Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 24-25 school year. This program requires cafeteria staff to track lunch choices and monitor students who take lunch in order to comply with the CEP guidelines. Although anticipated, scanning students IDs have created some delays in students receiving lunch as quickly as we would like. Our cafeteria staff has secured a second scanner in order to speed up the process. Students, as a reminder, ECHS student IDs must be worn at all times and will help facilitate a quick and speedy lunch service.
TTC IDs - TTC student IDs are issued through the TTC Support Center (across for the library). Students that did not receive TTC IDs during Fact and Fee may stop by the TTC Student Support Center during lunch to receive an ID.
The Reverend Pinckney College Readiness Program - Application Open!
Attention Juniors: The Reverend Pinckney College Readiness Program Application is now OPEN. This is a wonderful college readiness program that has the potential to turn into a scholarship; ECHS has had at least one student each year earn this scholarship, which is up to 10,000 a year towards college.
Additional information and the scholarship application are linked here.
Please see Rainsford or Cuttino with any questions about this opportunity!
Student Dress Code
General Rule = Clothing must cover areas from the neckline down to mid-thigh. Please see the CCSD Dress Code Policy for all guidelines regarding appropriate dress.
Vending Procedures
ECHS students may purchase items from Trident Tech vendors (SPOT Cafe, TTC Bookstore, and TTC vending machines) during lunch. The purchase of vending items during instructional time is reserved for ECHS students who are on break from Dual Credit classes on the 1st floor. ECHS students are not permitted to leave the 2nd floor (library or otherwise) to go to vending areas on the 1st floor. This is considered out of area. ECHS students purchasing vending items are encouraged to do so during lunch.
Yearbook Sticker and T-Shirt Shop
Yearbook is proudly sponsoring a year-round Sticker and T-Shirt Personalization shop! You can locate flyers with more details on the school bulletin boards, and place your order by scanning the QR code at the bottom. You are also able to click this link that will take you directly to the order form as well. Stickers come in black or white, are matte, and easy to place or remove! If you have any questions or concerns, please email Ms. Grant at brenna_grant@charleston.k12.sc.us.
Parent Resources
CANVAS - Allows parents to view student assignments, due dates, and teachers' lesson plans.
Parent Portal - Stay up to date with your student's grades, attendance, and assignments.
Important Reminders & Quick Links
ECHS Calendar Crosswalk
The ECHS/CCSD Calendar Crosswalk is linked here. Please refer to the ECHS/CCSD Calendar Crosswalk for the correct date should you receive a PowerSchool notification for an absence.
ECHS Student Parking Application
Returning student drivers will need to submit a new application and provide updated documentation in order to drive for the 24-25 school year.
Important Reminders
AM Drop Off - The Palmer Campus opens to ECHS students at 7:25 each morning. Please do not drop students off before 7:25 am. An ECHS staff member will signal when morning drop begins. For student safety, students should be dropped off directly in front of the school.
IDs - All students have received a new ID and lanyard. IDs and ECHS-issued lanyards must be worn at all times while on campus. If a student forgets their ID, the student will need to pick up a temporary ID from their homeroom teacher or a Student Concern Specialist. On the third occurrence, students will be issued a new ID and will be charged $5. A second ID and lanyard will be provided to all students to start the spring semester.
Important: 24-25 Student Registration
ECHS Families,
The student registration window for the upcoming school year is now open. Returning students will be able to use the PowerSchool Parent Portal to register student(s) for the 2024-2025 school year. You will need to log into your Parent Portal account and update the information in your account.
Please note that completing annual registration is essential as it allows schools to obtain your most up-to-date information, including emergency contacts and student medical updates. Registration and proof of residency are required for each child you have in a CCSD school, for both new and returning students in all grades, Early Head Start through 12th grade.
You can go to the district website at ccsdschools.com/parentportalvideos to watch videos that explain how to create and access your Parent Portal account including resetting your password.
Transportation
Coastal Buses Remind Text Alerts
First View App ECHS Code: GF8G
ECHS Bus Routes and Important Information
Please see this link for a list of ECHS bus stops and pick up times.
ECHS utilizes CCSD magnet bus stops and transportation procedures. Student addresses are provided to the transportation office by ECHS. Bus stops are routed to centralized meeting points.
CCSD policy establishes that magnet stops are routed within 5 miles of the students' home addresses. Families, therefore, are responsible for getting students to and from stops.
The CCSD Bus Stop Locater is can be found at this link. ECHS and CCSD stops will be available for view on July 23rd. Once published, if you do not see a ECHS stop within five miles of your home address, please complete the form at this link.
Pro Tip: Students may ride any ECHS-designated bus to and from school.
If you have any bus-related complaints throughout the year, please use this link to log your complaint. This is the way that CCSD tracks bus issues and shares them with First Student.
When using the School Bus Locator, be sure to use the Magnet Bus Stops Near Me tab. Please se the picture below for reference.
Point of Contact: Mr. Tomasello at james_tomasello@charleston.k12.sc.us
Early College High School
Website: https://www.ccsdschools.com/earlycollege
Location: 66 Columbus Street suite 210a, Charleston, SC, USA
Phone: (843) 720-5701