Carkenord Chronicle

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! I hope the summer was enjoyable for all and allowed you and your child to prepare for a great start for the upcoming school year!

My name is Angela Szczepanski, and I am the proud principal of Carkenord Elementary. I look forward to seeing our Carkenord Families return to "The Joe" as well as meeting all of our new families! I will be at the Back to School Bash on Tuesday, August 20th. I hope to see you there too!

This year, the teachers and staff will be focusing on our school improvement goals in Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies. We are also working on an affective (behavior/social-emotional) goal and focusing on Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS). In reading, we will implement a comprehensive literacy approach, engaging students in guided reading, shared reading, read-alouds, and independent reading. All teachers work to assess students within the first 30 days of school to see exactly where they are performing. Then, we get right to work on planning specific reading instruction and intervention to help our students grow. In writing, all of our teachers will continue to utilize the MAISA Units of Writing to instruct our students in all components of the writing process. Math instruction will focus on increasing students’ number sense. All classroom teachers will be implementing a program called Bridges in addition to Number Corner, which started last year. Bridges has been adopted district-wide as our resource for elementary math. It will focus on inquiry-based learning, developing number sense, and applying math skills in real world situation. Students will learn through work places, which are kind of like learning games in addition to the direct instruction from the teacher. We are excited to continue using the resources for Science instruction, StemScopes. This will help us to implement an inquiry-based science model. Lastly, students will use close and critical reading strategies as well as explicit vocabulary instruction to help develop an understanding of non-fiction texts and topics in Social Studies and Science. With our PBIS goal, we are going to focus on building a strong sense of community within our school. We want every student to feel a connection with at least one staff member and his/her peers. We will work to teach our building-wide expectations and procedures to ensure that all students know what is expected of them throughout the school.

This edition of the Chronicle is VERY long and has a lot of important information to help you for the school year. Please read it carefully and refer to it throughout the year.

I look forward to meeting you and your children this year!

Teaching and learning cannot take place in a chaotic environment. As a school, we are working to focus in on our Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Plan. The basis of this plan are our 3 building rules which make up the Coyote Code. Students will be taught what those rules mean as well as how to follow those rules in all of the various locations of our school-including the bus. Students will be recognized for their adherence to the rules by earning Gotchas! Any staff member can give out a Gotcha to a student who is "caught" following the rules. Teachers are going to spend a great deal of time introducing the expectations of the building and classrooms as we get started this year.

The Carkenord Chronicle will be an electronic communication tool. It will appear on the school’s website as well as be sent home via our School Messenger System and posted on our Carkenord Facebook Page. Please be sure to watch for these and other various emails sent through School Messenger. We will have printed copies available in the main office.

To receive messages from School Messenger to your email or phone, be sure to update your student’s Student Verification Form. You MUST opt in to receive messages. Text messages will come from the number 68453. If you are NOT receiving messages from School Messenger, verify your phone number and email address with the main office. In addition, check the Spam or Junk folders in your email. Be sure to add L’Anse Creuse as a safe sender. On your cell phone, you should text Y to 68453 to opt in to our text messages.

In order to be compliant with the L’Anse Creuse rules and regulations, all exterior doors will remain closed and locked during the school day. Visitors may enter by being buzzed into the building at door number one. Please come prepared with your ID so we may verify who you are. All visitors MUST sign-in in the office and obtain a visitor badge. Only parents with a pre-scheduled appointment or volunteer time will be permitted in the classrooms during the school day.

We welcome parent volunteers, but times to come to a classroom must be pre-arranged with the classroom teacher. If you wish to volunteer at Carkenord, be sure to complete and return your Volunteer Form to your child’s teacher. These forms must be completed each year. Each teacher will have copies available at curriculum night, and will send out as needed throughout the year. Many teachers will have specific volunteer tasks that parents sign up to do. Ask about volunteer opportunities at curriculum night or via email.

Please be sure to communicate with your child and his/her teacher about typical dismissal routines.Your child's teacher will have a PINK REGULAR End of Day Routine form that we would like completed for each child. These will be in your folders at Package Pick up and may be returned on Open House, or on the first day of school. Should a change in dismissal occur, please be sure to send a note to school with your child or call the main office as early as possible so we can notify your child and his/her teacher of the change. Please do not rely on emails to teachers to communicate dismissal changes. All dismissal changes should go through the office in the form of a note or phone call. When possible, please communicate changes no later than 2:30 (1:30 on Wednesdays).

All students will receive Bus Tag that has their family number, bus name, and teacher name that MUST be attached to their backpacks. If a note is not sent into school (or a phone call made before 2:30 pm), we will send the child home using his/her normal dismissal routine (from the sheet you fill out). This tag also has your child's teacher so that staff may assist your child upon arrival in the morning, whether they are parent drop off or bus.

If you are picking your child up from school, please have your pick-up pass ready (Given at Package Pick Up). Every family is assigned a family number that is printed on their pass. Please arrive and wait in line outside of door 3. A staff member will be out to check you in, and then once we begin dismissing students, your child will come outside to meet you.

Dismissal is at 3:55 pm (2:55 pm Wednesdays). Please be prompt in your pick-up or plan to send your child to SACC. Thank you for your cooperation. See the note that was included in the pick-up folder for more information about Parent Pick Up. It is also attached HERE for your convenience.

If parent pick-up is not your child's normal routine, you MUST notify the office that you need your child sent to the parent pick-up location. Please send in a note or call. Just standing in line, or having a staff member punch in your family number does not ensure that your child is in the parent pick-up. This will help us get you your child in a timely manner and allow us to send busses home on time.

Parents may begin lining up at 3:45 (2:45 Wednesday) on full days of school and at 12:00 on half days.

If you need to pick your child up prior to dismissal, it is most helpful if you can do that no later than 3:30 (2:30 Wednesdays). If you come after 3:30, we may need to pull your student off his/her bus if they didn't know they were going to be picked up. We appreciate your patience as the end of the day gets quite busy in the main office.

Due to lack of supervision, students are not allowed to be dropped off at school earlier than 8:46 am unless a parent waits outside with the student. The first bell will ring at 8:46 and the doors will be opened for students to enter at that time.

All students being dropped off will use the main entrance off 24 Mile Rd.

Parents using the drop-off lane MUST be prepared to have their child(ren) exit the vehicle unassisted and in a timely manner. If your child needs extra time or needs your assistance to exit the vehicle, please plan to park your car and walk with your child across the parking lot, following the directions of the crossing guard.

Parents may not walk their students to class. The beginning-of-the-day routines that the staff has established are crucial to student success. Staff will be available to assist students who need help finding their classrooms. This starts the first day of school.

Parent Drop off Procedures

It is essential for all parents to closely follow the Parking Lot Procedures to keep everyone safe.

* Drive to the right through the parking lot so that traffic flows ONE WAY.

* The Drop off zone will be lined with cones. All students will be dropped off along the curb in front of the building.

*Please pull all the way up and allow your child to exit along the curb ONLY.

*If you need to exit your vehicle to assist your child out of the car, PLEASE park your vehicle instead of using the drop off zone.

*If you park your car, please walk with your child to the crosswalk by the crossing guard.

*Do not allow students to walk across the parking lot without an adult.

*Follow all directions of the crossing guard.

*Please stay within the cones when using the drop off zone. Do not drive out of your place in line. Wait until you can pull all the way through the zone to the exit.

*At the end of the day, there is not a crossing guard in the parking lot because parents should be walking with their child(ren) back to their vehicles.

*Be patient. Drive slowly. Safety is EVERYONE'S responsibility.

Keep in mind, the first day/week of school tends to have many more parents using the drop-off and pick-up procedures. This, in addition, to new families learning procedures can cause delays and congestion in the parking lot. It is STRONGLY encouraged to follow your typical routines for arrival and dismissal starting the first day of school.

ONE Breakfast and ONE Lunch are available for FREE daily for our students.

ALL Families are all asked to complete the Education Benefit Form.

We are a Title I School, and we rely on federal funds as well as state funds, through the 31a grant to support programming with our students. Some of those funded programs include:

• Instructional supports (staff, supplies & materials, etc.)
• Non-instructional services (counseling, social work, health services, etc.)
• Professional Learning for staff
• Parent and Community engagement supplies and activities
• Technology

SACC, or School Aged Child Care is available daily from 6:30 am until 6:00 pm. Registration may be done online. Visit https://www.lc-ps.org/programs/sacc/before-and-after-school-care/ and click on "Enroll." You will have to completely register and pay a $25 registration fee before your child may use SACC. All registrations must be completed online, and take 48 hours to process.

NEW This year: Space must be reserved in Eleyo in advance for children attending SACC to allow sites to be staffed appropriately. Reservation changes can be made up to 24 hours before the session, at no charge.

ADDITIONAL FEES

• $4.50 (one hour) fee for not attending a reserved session

• $10.00 fee for attending a non-scheduled half day session

• $10.00 fee for not attending a reserved half day session

See more information in the SACC Parent Handbook

Carkenord”s Parent-Teacher Committee (PTC) is Carkenord’s parent group, and we need YOU! PTC helps our school fundraise so that we are able to hold many fun-filled events for the students and their families throughout the school year. As a member of our PTC, you can help be part of the decision-making process to plan events, what fundraisers to do, and more. It’s a great way to meet other parents and network with one another.

Our meeting schedule is listed below, and is posted on our building webpage, on our Facebook Page, and calendar. In addition, be sure to check out the PTC Bulletin Board in the main hallway. We hope to see you there!

In addition, there is a Closed Group for Carkenord Parents on Facebook. Check it out by clicking the link below: PTC Facebook Page

Meetings will be held at 6:30 pm in the Carkenord Media Center. Childcare is available for students ages 3 and up. We typically have middle school or high school students volunteer to supervise.

• September 10
• October 14
• November 12
• December (NO MEETING)
• January 16
• February 11
• March (NO MEETING)
• April 8
• May 8

Coffee and Conversation meetings are informal meetings for parents to attend. Angela Szczepanski, the building principal, will be at the meetings to sit and talk with parents and answer questions. This is a great way to learn more about Carkenord, get to know other parents, and get to know your child's principal in more of an informal setting. Meetings will be held at 9:00 am in the media center. Coffee will be provided. The first meeting will discuss information regarding the upcoming bond election.

• September 18
• December 11
• February 26
• May 14

L’Anse Creuse Public Schools has developed an Attendance Policy that all buildings must follow:

· Students who arrive at school after the posted start time (8:51) will be marked tardy.

· Students who arrive 90 minutes after the start time (10:21 or later) will be marked absent for 1/2 day.

· Students who leave school 90 minutes prior to dismissal (2:25 or earlier) will be marked absent for 1/2 day.

· Students who leave prior to dismissal (3:55) will be marked as parent withdrawal.

Any student who is absent for 10 school days will receive a letter. A doctor’s note is required between the 10th and 15th absence. If no doctor’s note is provided after the 15th absence, the county truancy officer will be contacted.

As a general rule of thumb, if your child sees a doctor (dentist, orthodontist, or other medical professional) please request a doctor's note and submit that to the office, even before your child reaches 10 absences.

· Student use of school telephones is carefully monitored and generally discouraged. It is the responsibility of the parents and students to complete after-school arrangements, homework, books, snacks, notes, lunches etc. prior to arrival at school.

· Cell phones, smartwatches, and other communication devices, if brought to school, must remain turned off and in the student’s backpack.

• Students with devices on will be asked to turn them off and store them in backpacks. If this continues, phones or smart watches may be sent to the office and held for a parent to pick up.
• Students use of personal devices to record at school or on school busses is prohibited

· If you need to speak with your child’s teacher, please leave a message on the teacher’s voicemail, send an email requesting a phone call, or leave a message in the school office. Phone calls are not transferred to the classrooms during instructional time.

Cell phone use, including texting parents, and communicating through smartwatches, or other devices is not permitted during the school day.

Students are not to bring any toys, electronic games (including cell phones, fidget spinners) or any other personal belongings to school or on the bus, unless there is a special day at school or prior permission has been granted.

The primary reasons for this policy are as follows:

· These items are very distracting and disruptive in an educational setting.

· Often times these items get broken, misplaced or vanish and the school cannot be responsible to determine the whereabouts of these items.

· These items may be expensive and the school cannot be responsible for paying for replacements.

This policy includes bringing in balls for recess. Our PTC has funded the purchase of recess balls for lunchtime as well as individual recess bags for classrooms.

To see the elementary handbook in its entirety, please see it HERE.

Starting our school day with routine is crucial in setting the tone for a structured learning environment. Teachers are expected to greet students and welcome them as they enter the classroom. Teachers will assist students in getting backpacks and materials where they belong in the classroom. This is not the time for teachers to have conversations with parents. Please help us allow the teachers and students to begin each day the best way possible by not walking your child to the classroom. If you need to speak to your child’s teacher, please call or email to set up an appointment. Staff is available daily to help students find their way to class. Even on the first day of school, we ask that you do not walk to class with your child. Starting the first day the way we begin every day will set up the appropriate expectations for our students and prevent disappointment later.

Thank you for your help and cooperation.

• August 20- Package Pick up 10:00-12:00, 1:00-4:00 and 5:00-7:00
• August 20- Back to School Bash 5:30-7:30
• August 21- Kindergarten Orientation 5:30-6:30 pm
  
• August 22- Open House (1st-5th Grades) 5:30-6:30
• August 26- First Day of School (12:10 dismissal)
• August 27-29th-FULL Days of School (3:55 dismissal)
• August 30- No School
• September 2- No School, Labor Day
• September 4th Begin Wednesday Early Release Days (2:55 dismissal)
• September 10- PTC (Parent-Teacher Club) Meeting 6:30 pm
  
• September 17-Constitution Day (Wear Red, White, and Blue)
  
• September 18- Coffee and Conversation (Bond Election Information)
• September 20- PTC Sponsors Breakfast with a Buddy (RSVP event-more info to come)
• September 24- Picture Day
• September 25- No School (professional development)
• October 2- Count Day
• October 4- Fun Run