Julian Curtiss Welcome Back News!

Dear Parents and Families ,

Welcome to the 2024 -2025 school year! As the new principal of Julian Curtiss, I am thrilled to join this vibrant community and work together to support the growth and success of our Eagles. Our dedicated staff is eager to create a safe, positive and enriching environment for your children. We look forward to partnering with you to make this year a memorable and impactful one. Here's to a great start!

This Newsletter is designed to help you navigate all of the information you need for the start to an excellent new school year!

Please join me in welcoming new staff members:

Ms. Rachel Gryak - ESL Teacher

Ms. Bernadette Rivera - Spanish Teacher

Ms. Carol Verdugo - Special Education Teacher

Ms. Katherine Breen - Literacy Specialist

Mr. Ben Wisnewski - School Psychologist

Ms. Sarah Flynn - School Nurse

Ms. Jessica Livingston - Social Worker

Please be sure to read all of the information in this newsletter. Included is important information about New Student Orientation, the Back to School Picnic, the First Day of School as well as all of the forms and documents you need for your child.

Class lists are being sent out electronically today. Please call the main office if you do not receive the email by 2:00 PM today.

Please be on the look out for an email from School Dismissal Manager with instructions for activating and setting up your account for this year. This is the program that is used at Julian Curtiss to determine your child’s dismissal plans each day.

The CT Free Lunch For All Program is now over. Please submit an application at https://www.greenwichschools.org/departments/food-services/free-and-reduced-priced-meals if you believe your family will qualify. The cost for elementary school lunch is $4.15. Please use the link in the Back to School Documents section to locate the School Lunch Account Form on the Back to School Page of our website. You can use a form and submit a check to the cafeteria or set up and manage your child's lunch account on My School Bucks. The link to My School Bucks is also located on the School Lunch page.

Please don't hesitate to reach out at any time with any questions or concerns.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you very soon!

Soaring like Eagles,

Eduardo Calderon

Principal

All families with Kindergarteners and students new to JC this year, are invited to our New Student Orientation on Thursday, August 29th at 10:30AM.

All Kindergarten students and students NEW to JC in grades 1-5, and their families, will be met at the front door and brought to their classrooms for a brief visit.

All families with Pre-Schoolers will be contacted by the PreK team who will share specific times for visits with their families.

Please join us on Thursday, August 29th for our Annual Back to School Picnic on the field. We can't wait to see all of our families there! Feel free to pack a picnic lunch or buy lunch from one of the food trucks.

The First Day of School is Friday, August 30th and is a full day for grades 1-5.

Upon arrival, all students in grades 1-5 will be directed to the blacktop by the playground where staff and classroom teachers will be available to greet and direct our students. Parents are welcome to join us on the blacktop! We will walk into school together as a community of learners!

For the first day of school ONLY, all kindergarten and pre-k students will have a Special Welcome at 9:00 am on the blacktop.

Arrival Times for the rest of the year are: 8am for K-5 and 8:30am for PreK

Please click below for a list of classroom supplies by grade.

Classroom Supplies

Please follow the procedures outlined in this document for the safety and security of all of our students. We greatly appreciate your assistance in following them throughout the year. Be sure to read the information carefully and completely.

Grades K-5

School Hours: Arrival 8 am

Dismissal: 2:45 pm

Pre-K ONLY

School hours: Arrival 8:30 am

Dismissal 1:30 pm

Morning arrival:

• Staff will meet and supervise all arrivals outside of the building for grades K- 5 at 7:55 am Preschool will be met at 8:25 am

• Classrooms are open and teachers are ready to greet students at 8:00am.

• 8:00 am arrivals
  

• Students in grades K-5 arriving to classrooms after 8:15 am are tardy.

• Students driven to school are to be dropped off along the driveway in front of the school or the driveway on the gym side of the building and walk to the entrance.

Drivers please follow this procedure:

1. Drive up to the white sign along the gymnasium side of the school or the stop sign in front of the school. Do not stop in front of the door. Pulling up to the top of the driveway will help keep the traffic moving.

2. Remain in the vehicle while students exit the car independently on the sidewalk side only.

3. Do not pass the car in front of you at any time. This is an extreme hazard and is strictly prohibited. Please wait in line, proceed around the loop, and exit onto East Elm Street or Milbank driveways.

4. Please refrain from using cell phones during drop-off.

Once a student has been dropped off, he/she MUST stay on grounds.

Please keep in mind that one of our goals is to maximize instructional time for students, so arriving on time will assist your child with organization and academics throughout the school year. Our goal is to have all students in their classrooms and ready to learn by 8:15 am.

Dismissal:

Dismissal for grades K-5 begins at 2:45 pm. Bus students, car riders, and walkers will be dismissed separately.

The front circle is restricted to buses from 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm.

Cars are NOT allowed in the front circle during dismissal/pick-up. Drivers should park outside the school and park or enter the Milbank driveway only.

• Car riders in grades 1-5 will be picked up on the gymnasium side of the building. There is no parking or standing. Vehicles must keep moving around the loop until their child is available for pick-up.

• Walkers being picked up by parents should be met on the black top by the playground.

• Older siblings will be able to meet younger siblings at their classroom with written permission from the parent.

IF there is a planned change in pick-up for your child, you must enter it in the School Dismissal Manager by 1:45 pm. Students will NOT be dismissed to an alternate party without written authorization from a parent/guardian.

Parking:

For parents and guests of the school, parking is available in the upper level of the back parking lot, along the east side of the driveway. Please note that cars parked in the 5 spaces immediately in front of the school in the afternoon will not be able to move until buses have departed. There is NO PARKING along the entire north (field side), along the entire south part of the driveway from Milbank to the Teacher’s lot and anywhere there is a NO PARKING sign.

We hope this outline of policies and procedures will assist you throughout your family’s time at Julian Curtiss Elementary School. Please remember to enter your child’s plan in the School Dismissal Manager.

Breakfast is offered between the hours of 7:30am and 8:00am for children in K-5. Children being dropped off for breakfast should be dropped off at 7:30am in order to leave enough time to eat their breakfast prior to going to their classroom. Remember that instruction begins at 8:15am. Families are required to sign up in advance for this program. Please complete this 24-25 JC Breakfast Opt-in Form to sign your child up for breakfast. The breakfast cost is $2.85 unless families qualify for free/reduced lunch.

School Dismissal Manager is used at Julian Curtiss School to ensure the safe dismissal of your child each day. For your child’s safety, the classroom teacher and office staff will abide by the dismissal instructions that you have listed in SDM so this is a mandatory procedure. (SDM will not be used for absences or early dismissal notifications).Office staff is available to assist you with any questions that you may have when setting up your account after receipt of the Introduction email you will receive on Monday, August 26th.

Welcome JCS Families!

On behalf of the Julian Curtiss PTA, we welcome all families to the 2024-25 school year!

If you haven't created an account with us previously, you can do so by clicking the register/login button below. You will need a family account in order to register for PTA and school events, as well as access our online directory.

If you registered for this website already, you do not need to create a new account but your family information and PTA membership will need to be updated yearly.

Join Today

Register » Login

Lastly, download the Membership Toolkit app for easier access from your mobile device!

If you have any questions regarding MTK, please don’t hesitate to reach out to jcptapresident@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Important August Dates:

August 29th: New Student Orientation at 10:30am

August 29th: Back to School Picnic for the entire JC Community at 11:00am on the field

August 30th: First day of School! 7:55am for 1st-5th graders on the blacktop

August 30th: First day of School! 9am for Kindergarten on the blacktop

August 30th: First day of School! 9am for Pre-K students on the blacktop

Important September Dates:

September 2nd: No School, Labor Day

September 13th: Ringing In Ceremony 9am

September 19th: Open House

September 20th: School Photo Day