Windy Hill Weekly

Welcome to a new school year! We are thrilled to have your children back and are excited to embark on another year of learning, growth, and discovery together.

Our team has been busy preparing for a year filled with engaging lessons, new friendships, and memorable experiences. We are dedicated to providing a supportive and nurturing environment where every student can thrive.

Your involvement is crucial to our success, and we encourage you to stay connected with us throughout the year. Whether it's through attending school events, joining the PTO, or simply staying in touch with your child's teacher, your partnership is invaluable.

If you have any questions or concerns as the year begins, please don't hesitate to reach out. Together, we can make this school year an amazing journey for your child.

Here's to a fantastic year ahead!

Monday, August 26:

• 1:00- 1:30 pm Students with last names beginning with A-L: Greet your Seat
• 2:15-2:45 pm Students with last names beginning with M-Z: Greet your Seat

• Greet your Seat is a drop in window to:
• drop off school supplies
• see your child's classroom
• meet your child's teacher
• This is NOT a time to:
• hold teacher conferences
• ask teachers who else is in your child's class
• visit past teachers which takes time and attention away from incoming students

Overflow parking is available in the middle school parking lot.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students in Calvert County are having a “Staggered Start” again this year. This means that during August 27th and 28th, individual families will conference with the teacher. This is a great way to reduce anxiety for students and a provide time for families to talk with the teacher. Families will be asked to sign up for a time slot. Be on the lookout for an email from your child’s teacher. Then, about half of the class will attend school on Thursday, August 29th (students whose last name begins with A-M) and the other half will attend on Friday, August 30th (students whose last name begins with N-Z). Teachers will share the assigned day at the conference.

All Kindergarteners and Pre-Kindergartners will attend school on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Click HERE for the staggered start calendar.

Homeroom teachers for students in grades 1-5 can be seen in HAC (Home Access Center) online beginning August 20th.

DISCLAIMER: As staffing changes for WHES, homeroom assignments may also change. Changes could be made at any time, even after the school year has begun. Kindergarten students will be notified of their homeroom teacher via e-mail, and students new to Calvert County should call the school to obtain the student ID number and then follow the directions for accessing HAC.

• August 26: Grades 1-5 Greet Your Seat
• August 27: Grades 1-5 First Day of School
• August 27-28: PreK and K Conferences
• August 29-30: PreK and K Staggered Start

• September 2: No School-Labor Day

• September 3: All PK/K students attend school
• September 11: Two-hour Early Dismissal
• September 18: PreK - Grade 2 Open House 5:30-6:30pm
• September 19: Grade 3-5 Open House 5:30-6:30pm
• September 27: No school for students or teachers
• September 30: Two-hour Late Arrival

Windy Hill Elementary PTO strives to build a sense of community among parents, teachers, and students. They organize social events, family-oriented activities, and collaborative projects that bring people together. There are several ways to support the PTO and WHES. Joining the PTO allows you to IMMEDIATLY start supporting WHES, the family events and projects for the staff, students, and families. Volunteering is optional and not required as a member. Fun volunteer opportunities pop up throughout the year, so keep your eyes peeled. We are excited to see you this year!

Calvert County Public Schools participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs and offers nutritious meals every school day. Both breakfast and lunch service are available at all school locations. School meals offer a variety of food choices and meet nutrition standards established by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act and the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Elementary Cafeteria Prices

Breakfast $1.65

Lunch w/ Milk $2.80

Milk & Water $0.60

Free and/or Reduced Price Meal Eligibility (FARMs)

Some students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Eligibility is typically determined by household size and income. Household Meal Benefit Applications are sent home with each student at the beginning of the school year and are available on the school system website. Parents need only submit one application per household if they believe their children qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Please feel free to submit a Free and Reduced Meal Benefit Application any time during the year!

Volunteer with us! CCPS uses the Raptor system for volunteers and visitors to sign in and out of schools. All volunteers (anyone interacting with children for activities such as field day, field trips, VIP Day, etc.) will need to review the volunteer handbook, watch the volunteer training video, and apply to be an approved volunteer each year before volunteering in any school. Click HERE to become a volunteer!

The Online Volunteer Application works best on a laptop or desktop computer. Completing an application on a mobile device will not properly submit and could cause an issue with your application being received and/or approved.

1. Read the volunteer handbook.
2. Watch the volunteer training video below.
3. Complete the online application using a laptop or desktop computer.

Calvert County Public Schools’ transportation services are available to every student enrolled in the school system. The Department of Transportation strives to provide economical and efficient transportation for all students which is safe, both physically and emotionally.

Here Comes the Bus Instructions

1. For the Here Comes the Bus® app to work properly, please verify student transportation data. Parents & guardians are asked to visit Home Access Center (HAC) to verify student transportation data, specifically the "To School" and "From School" Stop Locations. This information can be found by clicking on the "registration" icon within HAC.
2. If there is a necessary revision to the "To School" and/or "From School" stop locations, parents & guardians must contact their school's office to have the revision made. The Transportation Department does not have permission to make changes to student data, only the school has access to do so.

Download Here Comes the Bus App

After parents/guardians have confirmed the accuracy of their student's "To" and "From" transportation addresses in HAC, they are ready to download the app for use on a smartphone or tablet. Download on the App Store or get it on Google Play. Alternatively, you can visit Here Comes the Bus to create an account and begin using the system from your personal computer. In order to create an account, you will need to know your child's ID number and the school district activation code 87557.

• There will be two (2) drop-off lanes in all three rows of the parking lot (white arrows).
• Please do not arrive in parking lot prior to 9:00 to support traffic flow.
• Staff will be out to receive students starting at 9:15. Please wait for staff/safety monitor's signal to release your students.
• Once all of the cars in a row are unloaded, staff will direct each lane to exit, please look out for the stop/slow signs. Only one row at a time will be dismissed by staff.
  
• Students will walk towards the school using the cross walk with the support of safety monitors.
  
• If students are refusing to exit the vehicle, please park and escort your child into the building through the front entrance.
• Any students arriving after the arrival window of 9:15 - 9:25 will be required to park and sign their student in at the main office. Please do not park on the “downhill” at any time (red bar/ bus exit route). All parking MUST be in parking spots.

Parent pick-up will take place in the cafeteria. Parents are asked to park and come into the cafeteria, with ID to pick up students.

Cafeteria doors will open at 3:55pm

Students must be picked up by 4:15pm

The parent/guardian should write a note with the child’s first and last name, teacher’s name and include on the note who will be picking up the child. In the case of an emergency, please call the main office prior to 3:30pm.

For information about family events and youth activities taking place in our community, click the Community Events button, below. Please note: These events and activities are not sponsored by the Calvert County Board of Education or Calvert County Public Schools. We provide equal opportunities to outside agencies to distribute materials that offer opportunities to students and/or their parents, but that permission should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement by the school district.

Calvert County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, ancestry or national origin, familial status, marital status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or genetic information in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

• Director of Student Services
• Director of Human Resources

443-550-8000

For further information on notice of non-discrimination, visit the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Assessment System at: https://ocrcas.ed.gov or call 1-800-421-3481.

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Anti-sexual, Anti-racial and Anti-disability Harassment Statement
Discrimination can manifest itself in behaviors such as bullying, harassment, or intimidation of individuals.

Calvert County Public Schools does not tolerate any form of harassment including, but not limited to, sexual, racial, or disability. Any individual (student, employee, or community member) who believes that he or she has been subjected to any form of harassment is encouraged to report the allegation of harassment. Students, parents, and community members may report allegations of harassment to: Ms. Cecelia Lewis, Director of Student Services, Calvert County Public Schools, 1305 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678

Employees may report allegations of harassment to: Mr. Zachary Seawell, Director of Human Resources, Calvert County Public Schools, 1305 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678.

Calvert County Public Schools is committed to conducting a prompt investigation for any allegation of harassment. If harassment has occurred, the individual will be disciplined promptly. Disciplinary actions for students found to have engaged in any form of harassment may result in suspension or expulsion. Disciplinary actions for employees found to have engaged in any form of harassment may result in suspension or termination.

Calvert County Public Schools encourages all students, parents, employees, and community members to work together to prevent any form of harassment.

For further information on notice of non-discrimination, visit the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Assessment System at: https://ocrcas.ed.gov or call 1-800-421-3481.

Calvert County Public Schools Antiracism Statement

Calvert County Public Schools explicitly denounces racism, bullying, discrimination, white supremacy, hate, and racial inequity in any form within our school community. Furthermore, CCPS will not tolerate the values, structures, and behaviors that perpetuate systemic racism.

Each member of the district, individually and collectively, is responsible for creating and nurturing a safe, antiracist learning environment where each student, staff member, and community partner is a respected and valued member of the CCPS community.