Goucher Charter Academy

Growing Together. Leading the Way.

Week of August 26-30, 2024

Morning Arrival and Afternoon Dismissal Procedures

Due to our increased enrollment, our morning procedures have changed.

The building will be open at 7:00 AM for morning arrival. Do not drop off your student before 7:00 AM or before a staff member is on duty. Students will either go to the cafeteria for breakfast or head to the holding area for their grade level.

Our classroom Morning Meetings begin at 7:45 AM. All students should be in their classroom by 7:45 AM. We stop serving our hot breakfast at 7:45 AM, but students can still receive cereal, pop-tarts, juice, milk until 8:00 AM.

Students are tardy after 8:00 AM. Please make sure that your child is on time each day. Our morning meetings are important for starting their day.

Morning Arrival Procedures

Now that we have completed our first full week of school, parents are asked to drop their children off in the car line. Parents will not be permitted to walk their students to class beginning Monday, 8/19. We will have staff members available to walk students to their class.
All students will use the front entrance for morning arrival.
4K parents will be able to walk their students to class this week only.
All cars should use the car loop to access the car line. We will only have 1 lane for morning arrival so students are not walking in front of cars. Students are not to exit their vehicle until all cars are stopped at the sidewalk. We will have staff members ready to assist students with opening/closing doors, exiting the vehicle, etc. once at the drop-off area. Students will exit vehicles beginning at the covered awning all the way to the front door.
All students should exit the vehicle on the passenger side.
Please make sure that your child is ready to exit the vehicle (backpack, lunchbox, etc.) BEFORE you arrive at the drop-off area.
Officer Parker will release the line once all students have exited the cars from the end of the sidewalk to the main entrance. For both student and staff safety, DO NOT pass cars that are in front of you.
Those who need to enter the building during morning arrival are asked to park in one of the parking spaces in the lot. Cars should not park in the loop, on the grass, etc.--only designated parking spaces. It will be communicated to parents if this procedure changes.
If your student arrives after 8:00 AM an adult is required to sign-in their child at the main office. Do not allow your child to enter the building after 8:00 AM without an adult.

Afternoon Dismissal

All car riders (K4-7th grade) will be dismissed at 2:20 PM each day. There will be two lines for afternoon dismissal. All car riders should be picked up by 2:50 PM. Those who are not picked up by 2:50 PM will be sent to the YMCA afterschool program on campus and the parent will have to pay the required YMCA afterschool care fee. Please contact us if you will be late due to unforeseen circumstances or emergencies.
Parents should have received at least 2 car tags with their student's number from Open House. If you did not receive your car tag, please make sure that you stop by the main office first thing in the morning. You are required to have the tag for afternoon pick-up.

If someone is picking up your child, but does not have a car tag or does not know the student's number, they will be directed to park and a call will be made to the parent/guardian to confirm pick-up by this particular person. We must have confirmation BEFORE the child is released. It is imperative that those picking up your children have a car tag or are aware of the child's number.

Each student is provided a number for afternoon dismissal. This number is unique to each student/family. Anyone picking up their child must have a car tag displayed on their rearview mirror for our staff to see at dismissal. Students will watch/listen for their number to be called and will be directed to the car line. Staff members will assist students with opening/closing car doors during dismissal.

4K/5K Dismissal

4K and 5K dismissal will be held at the Kindergarten wing (left side of the building). We will follow the same procedures as our front entrance car line procedures.
4K and 5K students who have an older sibling or student riding home with them will still dismiss from the Kindergarten wing. The older students will meet at Kindergarten hallway for dismissal. These students will still use this procedure even if their 4K or 5K sibling/friend are absent.
Please make sure that the child's car tag is visible at afternoon dismissal.

Upcoming Events/Important Dates to Remembers

Friday, 8/30:

College Colors Day (Wear your favorite college colors! Uniform not required.)

Monday, 9/2:

Labor Day (No School)

Monday, 9/9:

Grits with Grands (4K-2nd Grade)
6:30 PM-GCA School Board Meeting

Tuesday, 9/10:

Grits with Grands (3rd-7th Grade)
Grades due for Q1 Progress Reports

Thursday, 9/12:

Flag Retirement Ceremony (Time TBD)
Parent/Teacher Conferences (3:30 PM-6:30 PM)

Friday, 9/13:

Dot Day!
Q1 Progress Reports issued

Monday, 9/16:

Good News Club begins (2:30 PM-3:30 PM)

Thursday, 9/19:

Bobcat Ceremony (6:00 PM)

Grits with Grands

Join us on Monday, September 9th and Tuesday, September 10th, as we celebrate our National Grandparent's Day with "Grits for Grands"! We welcome you from 7:00 AM-8:00 AM.

4K-2nd Grade (Monday, 9/9)

3rd-7th Grade (Tuesday, 9/10)

Please return your "Grits with Grands" paper by Friday, 8/30. Those who have multiple grandchildren can choose to participate just one day.

Fall Book Fair (Cancelled)

On August 1st, the South Carolina State Board of Education passed SC-Regulation 43-170, which outlines new requirements for how instructional materials provided by schools or made available to students in school are selected. In order to ensure compliance with the new regulation, we have cancelled our Scholastic Book Fair that was scheduled for the week of September 9th.

Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for us to vet all book fair content after it arrives due to the short turnaround from the time it is delivered to displayed. We are working with other vendors to determine the procedures needed to offer a book fair to our families and remain in compliance with the regulation.

We hope to be able to offer a fair in the Spring and will share information with everyone once available. Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Amber Comer at (864) 210-9262 if you have any questions regarding SC Regulation 43-170.

We understand that several of our students are missing light blue polos due to them being on backorder. Please choose one of the other 2 colors to wear if you do not have light blue.

Uniform Schedule

Uniform Reminders

All students are required to wear their school uniform each day, unless it has been delegated as an uniform-free day.

Only khaki or navy blue pants, skirts/skorts, rompers and shorts. No jogging pants or jeans.
Tennis shoes are required for PE. Out of safety, students are not to wear crocs, slides, sandals, flip flops, etc. to PE--tennis shoes only!
Please dress appropriately for both cold and wet conditions. Students are allowed to wear navy or gray coats.

Monday

Shirt: Scouting T-Shirt