The Greencastle Gazette

Greetings Greencastle ES Families,

It is hard to believe the first day of school is right around the corner. Welcome to our new families and welcome back to our returning Knights! I am very excited to join you as your new principal. It was wonderful to meet so many of you during this summer's Meet and Greet event hosted at Paint Branch HS and our Popsicles with the Principals at the East County Recreation Center.

A huge thank you to Mr. Evans, our building service manager and his team for working around the clock to prepare and clean our building inside and out in the midst of our construction project and repair to several HVAC units. Our staff returned to the building this week and have been working hard unpacking boxes, setting up classrooms and learning spaces, and planning instruction for the first week of school. We hope you received your Teacher Reveal Cards and are as excited as we are to greet you during our Open House and Castle Resource Fair.

As we embark on a new school year, we want to remind you Greencastle Elementary School is a global community of lifelong learners that work together to provide a nurturing environment where everyone is respected and empowered to become their best selves.

This Welcome Back Newsletter contains a lot of helpful information, please read it carefully.

Welcome Back to School, Greencastle Families!

Mrs. Dean

Principal

Teacher Reveal Postcards were mailed on August 19th. Make sure you check your mailbox before attending the Open House so that you can check your postcard and scratch off the sticker to reveal your teacher. If you do not receive a postcard we will have classroom lists during Open House so families can find out the name of the teacher/s. Here’s a sample of the postcard.

Families and students are invited to an in-person Open House on Friday, August 23rd. Families with students enrolled in Kindergarten to Second Grade will attend Open House from 1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. and families with students enrolled in Third Grade to Fifth Grade will attend Open House from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. During the Open House, families will "meet and greet" with the principal, Mrs. Dean, assistant principal, Mr. Johnson, and assistant school administrator, Mrs. Hernandez, their new classroom teacher and staff members.

Due to construction, we no longer have a holding area for students that arrive on the bus. Students will need to enter the building immediately upon arrival for their safety. We have worked with transportation to ensure our bus riders arrive at school closer to our new start time – 8:40 a.m.

Students are tardy if they arrive after 9:00 a.m.

First day of school is Monday, August 26th.

Parents please make sure all students have information regarding how they are getting home the first day of school (bus, car, walker, KAH, East County Rec, daycare van.) Parents please ensure you have completed transportation home Google Form found below in this newsletter.

Please complete the SY24-25 Greencastle ES Arrival/Dismissal Form. We will share this information with your student(s) teacher. Teachers will collect your student’s Daily Arrival and Dismissal Plan during Open House. If you are unable to attend Open House, or do not get a chance to complete the form with your student(s) teacher, please complete the form below:

SY24-25 Greencastle ES Arrival/Dismissal Form: https://forms.gle/oSMYhyhJMW1yLr9e8

First Day Arrival Procedures

Doors open at 8:40 a.m. and students only will enter the building to meet their teachers. There will be staff and patrols stationed throughout the building to assist students reach their classroom.

Kindergarten students will be lined up at their arrival locations (bus rider, car rider, and walkers) and escorted to the multipurpose room (cafeteria) to meet their kindergarten teacher. The class will travel together to their class by 9:00 a.m.

Bus Riders will enter the building at 8:40 a.m. and enter the building in the former visitor's entrance door and proceed to their classroom.

Car Riders will enter the building starting at 8:40 a.m. through the stained glass entrance (new front entrance) and proceed to their classroom. Families that drive their students to school are strongly encouraged to use the car rider line. Do not park your car and walk your student up to the building.

Walkers will enter the building starting at 8:40 a.m. in their designated door and proceed to class. Look for signage for your new, temporary walker entrance.

BREAKFAST WILL BE SERVED ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Please review the bus times carefully, there have been changes to arrival times.

Bus route numbers and bus colors are linked HERE.

What You Should Know About Riding the Bus (English)

What You Should Know About Riding the Bus (Spanish)

A Message from the West Farm Upper Depot (English)

A Message from the West Farm Upper Depot (Spanish)

Due to the construction, there is a new entrance for car riders. Review the map included in this newsletter. We will have staff outside to assist families follow the new traffic pattern noted using the yellow and green arrows. The new traffic pattern will place students near the new front entrance. Follow the green arrows to exit the car rider loop. We will have staff positioned outside to direct traffic. As a reminder, there is no left turn on Robey Road when you exit the parking lot during arrival and dismissal times.

Here is a link with information about Remind. The Remind tool will allow families to receive and send translated messages on any device - even a simple text message from your mobile phone!

MCPS created Remind accounts for all teachers, staff, parents, and students ages 13 and above using data from Synergy. I encourage you to watch the Getting Started with Remind Video and review the MCPS Parent Remind Quick Guide to get more specific tips on how to use Remind.

Translated Remind Quick Guides
English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Amharic, Korean

• Fall Spirit Wear on Sale 8/26-9/13 (https://Greencastle2024.itemorder.com)
• Join the PTA for only $6 until September 6th as a Summer time Promotion. The price will increase thereafter. ( Givebacks)
• Cheer Madness sign up, Practice starts Monday, September 16th (Email: Admin@CheerMadness.net or call 240-408-0078)
• Kaizen Karate sign up Lesson starts October 4th (wwwKaizenFitnessUSA.com)

• Greencastle ES Open House - Friday, August 23 @ 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. (Greencastle ES)
  

• Kindergarten to Second Grade -- 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
• Third Grade to Fifth Grade -- 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

• Castle Resource Fair - Friday, August 23 @ 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Greencastle ES)

• MCPS Back-to-School Fair - Saturday, Aug. 24 @10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Westfield Wheaton Mall). Learn about the school system, and county programs and services. Enjoy free music, entertainment, giveaways and youth activities! Free immunization clinic and more. Free shuttle transportation available! Here is the link for more information: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/community-engagement/fair/

• First Day of School - Monday, August 26 @ 8:40 a.m.

• NO SCHOOL: Labor Day - Monday, September 2

• Greencastle ES PTA Meeting - Tuesday, September 3 @ 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

• Back to School Night for Kindergarten to Second Grade - Wednesday, September 4 @ 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (Greencastle ES)

• Back to School Night for Third Grade to Fifth Grade - Wednesday, September 11 @ 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

• Friday, September 27 - Early Release Day (Students dismiss @ 12:55 p.m.)

Visit our updated school website to find updated information about general school policies and procedures pertaining to the opening of school. Please review this information with your student(s) to ensure a smooth beginning. Please continue to check our website regularly for more information at: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/greencastlees/

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Open House and the Castle Resource Fair on Friday, August 23!

Mrs. Dean

Principal, Greencastle Elementary School

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