Eagles' News Brief

• September 2: Labor Day Holiday (no school)

• September 3: Kindergarten Meet the Teacher (floating 11:30-1:00)

• September 4:
• First Official Day of Kindergarten!
• Tears & Cheers Breakfast for Kindergarten Parents *8am - 9am, Kinder Commons
• September 12: Curriculum SOAR Night (5:30- 7:00 pm)
• September 19: Fall Picture Day (these photos will be used in our yearbook)

• September 20: Teacher Workday (no school for students)
• September 23 - 27: Fall Book Fair

Communication is key and we do our best to keep our families in the loop with all things Vandora! Below are the ways we communicate with you and steps you may need to take to ensure you recieve our communication consistently.

• Opt-in to receive text messages, simply text YES to 67587
• Please be sure we have your most up to date contact information. Email our data manager cpeacock@wcpss.net if your address or phone number need updating.
• Update your School Messenger preferences click here!
• You should receive weekly school newsletters called "Eagles' News Brief" once a week. These are also shared on our school's website.
• Weekly folder and regular text/Talking Points communications from your child's teacher.

We LOVE Our Parent Volunteers!

• WCPSS has a system for volunteers called "MyVolunteer"
• Volunteers approved for the 2023-2024 school year WILL NEED to re-register through this new system.
• Click here for information about becoming an approved WCPSS volunteer and to go through the process.

Hello Eagles Families,

We are gearing up for our fall Scholastic book fair which will run from Monday, 9/23 to Friday, 9/27. Our theme is, "Wild About Books" and we are so excited! If you would like to volunteer to help at the fair, be on the lookout for a sign-up genius. Please make sure you register to be a WCPSS volunteer as soon as possible. Please contact the front office, if you need assistance.

For any information regarding the book fair, please check out our VSE Scholastic homepage! Lots of information will be added over the next few weeks! You will find book fair events, EWallet access, the volunteer signup genius, and a link to online shopping! You can start adding to your child's EWallet on Monday, 9/2! We will send home the Principal's letter in the second week of September which will include each homeroom teacher's preview/purchase times! Please reach out to me at aweaver@wcpss.net, if you have any questions. You can also view the Scholastic Homepage!

Hello Families! We are looking for volunteers for our Partners Read program for the 2024-2025 school year. The program runs for ten weeks and has a fall and spring session. Partners Read is a program funded by the WakeEd Foundation where community volunteers read to our 1st grade students once a week on Fridays from 8:00-8:30. Our students also receive one free book each week through this program! If you are interested in volunteering, please email our media coordinator, Amy Weaver, at aweaver@wcpss.net. Thank you so much for your consideration!!

• Can I Walk My Child to Class? Kindergarten parents may walk their children to class on their their first official day of school, (September 4).

• Should my student pack a water bottle each day? Please send your student to school with a labeled water bottle each day. Please also label any backpacks, lunchboxes, or jackets you send with your student.

• What is the best way for me to contact my child's teacher? Talking Points is direct communication between you and your child's teacher. There is a "Talking Points for Parents" app you can download to simplify this process. Messages will then go through the app.

Morning Drop Off

8:00-8:30 AM

• Beginning Wednesday, August 28, 1st-5th grade carpool families should remain inside their vehicles and travel through the carpool loop.
• We will have staff available to make sure your child makes it to class safely.
• To ensure that students are in class on time, settled, and ready to go, we encourage all families to drop students off between 8 and 8:20. This provides time for students to eat breakfast (if needed), use the restroom, walk to class, complete their morning work, and be ready to go when the tardy bell rings.
• After 8:30 students are marked tardy and families will need to park in a parking spot, walk their student(s) inside, and sign them in at the office.
• To keep carpool running smoothly, please be sure your child is seated on the right/passenger side of the vehicle with his/her materials ready to go.
• Please have your child ready to hop out of the vehicle once your car door is opened.
• We encourage you to teach your child to buckle and unbuckle his/her car seat or seat belt independently. If your child needs support with unbuckling, please try your best to take care of this before it is his/her turn to exit the vehicle.
• Here is a short video to explain how carpool works at Vandora Springs Elementary.

Afternoon Pick Up

3:00-3:30 PM

• Please be sure your carpool tag is clearly visible from the moment you arrive on campus until you are off campus. Various staff refer to this number throughout the carpool process.
• Anyone who is picking your child up from carpool is required to have a carpool tag.
• Please request a carpool tag here if you're not assigned to a yellow, cab or daycare van.
• Students who are not at their assigned cone when their car arrives, will be escorted to our waiting area to meet you.
• If your child is not in place, please patiently follow the directions of our carpool staff, and we will get your student to you as quickly as possible.

• Kindergarten & First Grade Students will ONLY be released from the bus to a responsible adult. If no adult is present when the bus arrives, the student will be returned to the school or the transportation office for immediate pick up.

• Bus Tags MUST remain attached to your student's backpack. We will provide bus tags to registered students on the first day of school. Students without a bus tag, following the first day of school, may not be allowed to ride the bus.

• Please plan to be at the bus stop 10 minutes before the assigned time in the morning and 10 minutes past the assigned drop off time in the afternoon.

• Some buses will have to make two separate runs in the morning and/or the afternoon and are expected to be delayed.

• Some buses may not be able to run at all on a given day because of the bus driver shortage. Schools and parents will be notified by the WCPSS Transportation Department as quickly as possible when that is the case.
  

What Can You Do?

• ALL bus riders MUST be registered and confirmed by WCPSS Transportation before they may utilize bus transportation.

• Make sure you review the bus route information for your student. This information was emailed directly to registered bus families last week.

• Everyone is strongly encouraged to sign up for the Here Comes the Bus app, which allows you to track your student’s bus in real time. It helps to take the guesswork out of when the bus will arrive at your stop. Visit wcpss.net/herecomesthebus to learn more and download the app. It only takes a few minutes.

• Families are encouraged to check this link twice daily (morning & afternoon) for bus delays or cancellations.

• If you do not wish to use the bus service this year, please let us know by declining bus transportation here: wcpss.net/declinebus

If you live within a mile and a half from our school or are designated by WCPSS as living in a "No Transport/Walker Zone", it is possible for your child(ren) to obtain walker status in the morning and/or afternoon. If you're interested in applying for your child(ren) to be considered for walker status, please email Ashley Byars abyars@wcpss.net. Your proximity to the school will be reviewed by a team and a decision will be made to ensure safety for all students. Students who are not approved to walk to school will need to utilize bus transportation or carpool.

Students who are granted a walker pass should enter the school building through the front doors by 8:25am. For dismissal, a staff member will dismiss walkers at Eagle Landing (silver picnic tables to the right of the school). Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students will require an adult (not older sibling) to pick them up and must be on the approved pick-up list which will be validated by proof of photo ID. Please pick up your walker(s) at 3:00 pm each day.

Walkers who are picked up in a vehicle will have their walker pass rescinded and will be encouraged to sign up for bus transportation or carpool.

Walker Process:

• Email Ashley Byars abyars@wcpss.net to request walker approval. In the email, please be sure to provide the following information:
  • Student's first and last name
  • Address
  • If you're requesting walker status for arrival, dismissal or both
• Ms. Byars will contact families to share if their request is approved or denied.
• Once approved, students will be provided a walker tag that must remain on their bookbag at all times.
• All K-5 walkers will meet at Eagle Landing at 3:00 pm each day.
  • K-3 students will be dismissed to an approved adult (photo ID required to pick up student)
  • 4-5th graders will be dismissed to walk home independently

We offer our before and after school care program through the YMCA!

• Before School Care
• Located at Timber Drive Elementary School
• M-F from 7:00 - 8:00 am
• YMCA transports students from Timber to Vandora Springs

• After School Care
• Located at Vandora Springs Elementary
• M-F 3:00 - 6:00 pm

• There are discounts for YMCA members
• For scholarships, please click here!
• Click here for more information and to register!
• Financial assistance is offered for families who qualify.

Early Check Out

• The latest time that you can pick your child(ren) up early is 2:30pm. Please do not arrive after that time to pick up early.
• If the office calls to share that your child is sick, please make arrangements to pick them up by 2:30pm. If they are not picked up by 2:30pm, please join our carpool line and we will bring him/her out to you safely when their name/number pops up.

Transportation Changes

Please communicate all transportation changes to the front office by 2:15pm. The number to the front office is 919-662-2486 (press 0). Please do not communicate transportation changes through Talking Points or to classroom teachers. They are teaching and may miss the message. If they receive the message, the office is missing it and has a specific system in place to ensure each child goes home the correct way. With more than 550 students going different directions each afternoon, we have to keep it safe and organized. Thank you for your help with this!

Thank you for your support with the items shared above.

Student Cell Phones

As we work to limit classroom distractions, we are asking that student cell phones be left at home. If you feel your child must have a cell phone at school, please remind him/her that cell phones should remain off and be stored in a backpack during the school day. If a student’s cell phone disrupts instruction, it will be confiscated and held in the office for parent pick up. Thank you so much for your help with this!

Toys from Home

Outside toys from home, have also disrupted the learning environment. Please leave all stuffed animals, Pokemon cards, Beyblades, and all other toys from home at home. Thank you for your help with this as we work to protect the learning environment for our students and teachers.

Email: rcurtis@wcpss.net
Website: https://www.wcpss.net/vandoraspringses
Location: 1300 Vandora Springs Road, Garner, NC, USA
Phone: 919-662-2486
Twitter: @vseeagles