Eagles' News Brief

• January 20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, No School
• January 21: Teacher Workday (No School for Students)
• February 17: Teacher Workday (No School for Students)
• February 19: Soccer Club Starts (Register here)
• February 10 - 21: Apex Leadership Program
• February 21: Fun Run
• February 27: Math SOAR Night (5:30-7:00 pm)
• February 28: Black History Month Read-In (Sign up to volunteer here)

Wake County Health and Human Services offers a variety of programs that can provide assistance to families. Programs and assistance include benefits such as employment assistance, energy assistance, child care subsidy, food assistance, Medicaid, seasonal programs, transportation, Work First/CCS and other programs. Families can apply for multiple programs with one application: NC ePASS. This application is available in many languages and interpreters are available to assist families in completing the application if needed. More information about available programs and eligibility can be found here: https://epass.nc.gov/login.

Eagle Families,

As you know, our school receives additional funding to help us meet our students’ needs. This year, we are using that funding to provide 3 full-time classroom teachers above our state allotment. We are also using the funding to provide essential planning and professional development resources for our teachers.

The amount of additional funding we receive each year is based on the number of students in our school who access support services through the NC Department of Health and Human Services. (https://www.ncdhhs.gov/)

This includes programs like:

• SNAP (food stamps)

• WIC (supplemental nutrition for women, infants, & children),

• TANF / Work First Family Assistance (job training & employment services), and

• Medicaid (health insurance for eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities.)

Currently, we are only 4 students away from qualifying for the next tier of funding. To help us best support our students’ needs, we encourage all parents who believe their family may qualify for any of the services above to apply right away using the links above. Our funding for next school year will be based on DHHS program participation for our students in February.

The percent of our students who participate in these programs also helps us maintain our ability to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision.

Please reach out to our school social worker, Rachel Buth, via Talking Points, rbuth@wcpss.net, or (919)662-2486 EXT. 26157 if you need help applying for assistance.

Order your yearbook NOW to guarantee your yearbook arrives the first week of June. Waiting until later means you'll have to pick it up during the summer, and why wait when you can have it sooner?

🎨 Customize your yearbook with 2 FREE personalized pages featuring your favorite photos of your student(s)! It's a unique keepsake they'll treasure forever.

Have questions? Feel free to reach out to Ms. Schuh at kschuh@wcpss.net and she would be happy to help! 📚✨

Student Devices

As we work to limit classroom distractions, we are asking that student devices (wireless earbuds, phone, smart watches, etc.) be left at home. If you feel your child must have a device at school, please remind him/her that the device should remain off and be stored in a backpack during the school day. If a student’s device 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.

Attendance

• It is imperative that students, who are not sick, are at school on time every day.
• We really need all students, who are not sick or attending an essential appointment, to remain at school for the duration of the school day.
• Students who consistently arrive late or regularly leave often are missing instruction. While students may be able to make up assignments, rich class discussions, demonstrations, and unique learning experiences cannot be duplicated.
• Our goal is 100% growth and continued proficiency increases. To reach this goal, we need all students, who are not sick, at school all day every day. Thank you so much for your support.

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 as you will be asked to get in the carpool line.
• 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.

If you're a parent in Wake County and you're concerned about a bus not showing up, you can call the Wake County Schools transportation customer service number at (919) 805-3030.

Also make sure that you're signed up for Here Comes the Bus which allows you to track your child's school bus in real time. See Here Comes the Bus flyers in this newsletter for more information.

Talking Points, an online texting app, is the primary way our teachers and staff communicates with families. It is imperative that we maintain two-way communication between the home and the school to ensure student success. PLEASE download the Talking Points app if you've not already done so. Please also update your phone number with the office if it has changed since last school year. Thank you! (cmpeacock@wcpss.net or 919-662-2486)

We LOVE Our Parent Volunteers!

• All WCPSS parent and community volunteers are required to register through the MyVolunteer system.

• The volunteer renewal process is quick and simple for all volunteers who were approved for the 2023-24 school year. The renewal window is now open through Oct. 1, 2024. Go to the MyVolunteer Volunteer Renewal site to renew your volunteer status today! The process should only take a few minutes.

• New volunteers: Click here for information about becoming an approved WCPSS volunteer and to go through the process.

• PLEASE go ahead and register now, so you'll be cleared and good to go as events come up throughout the year!

Email: rcurtis@wcpss.net

Location: 1300 Vandora Springs Road, Garner, NC, USA
Phone: 919-662-2486

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