Our theme this year is " Adventure Awaits, Ready, Set Learn". We are doing something fun with our theme. In the past we had parents ask us why our student spirit shirts similar to the staff shirts. This year they will be! The only difference is the color. We are very excited about this opportunity. We are going to do one large pre order. More information will come from PTA and at our Open House.

We have so much good news to share about last year and what is coming this year. As you may have heard we are an "A' school. I can tell you we have been giving a "A" level instruction all fourteen years your child has been here, but it has been eight years since we received this recognition. Covid knocked us down, but we are coming back strong. We scored 25th out of 148 elementary schools in Hillsborough County. It is not easy to get an "A" anymore and all 100 of our staff members were very focused on this work. We had many volunteers that supported our efforts as well.

We have a completely new media-center and we hope you can drop by to see it during Open House. The county feverishly worked to give us a whole new media center as well as the KIDS morning show equipment.

We have sent our forty-five thousand dollar check downtown, and the process of ground-breaking for our covered playground should be starting soon. The process I am told takes a few months. I am hoping for the price it can withstand a Category five hurricane. Although now that i say that I don't want a Category five hurricane to come to us. I lived through that once, and I don't want to again.

We are very excited about the school year starting and cannot wait to have our kids back on campus. Look for these newsletters at least once a month. During the beginning of school you may get another newsletter with more updates. This newsletter can be translated into over 100 different languages at the very top.

We will mail home post cards on Friday, August, 2, 2023(Today). That post card will have your child's class number. You will then go on the school website to see which teacher that number corresponds too. Our class rosters get changed all the way up until Friday. I try to wait until the last possible second to send out the class rosters for that reason.

Open House will be on campus this year. Please plan to attend at the below times. This a great time to get to know what your child will be learning, the supplies they will need and how you can help us to make sure your child has an excellent learning environment.

We will have plenty of staff on campus to help you navigate our campus. There will be different locations you will want to stop by to make sure you have all your needs met. We are going to give every family a CurbSmart number this year even if you never plan on picking your child up in the car line. It makes it much easier in the event that you need to go through the car line.

PTA will also be selling t-shirts, and other Claywell items. Please join our PTA. it is 10 dollars per parent. We can use all the support we can get and funding is a big part of what we can offer our students. The cafeteria should also be on the list. We have many area partners that will be set up there so please stop by.

Schedule for Open House Monday, August 8th-

We are simply here to help our families to help our students reach their full academic potential. Our entire staff is here to support your child. Th buck stops with me. If you want to chat feel free to make an appointment and we can get your questions answered. If I cannot answer your question I will direct you to someone who can.

I am beginning my 28th year as an educator and twenty of those have been as an administrator. I love working in this community. You all have been very good to Claywell and it is unlike any other school I have been too. Everyone is very warm and welcoming and genuinely helps out where they can. It is a privilege to start my fourteenth year at Claywell and we are very proud of the education we offer.

If I haven't met you yet, I look forward to seeing you at our open house on Thursday. Please enjoy the rest of your time with your child. Time goes extremely fast. It was just yesterday that my daughter was in VPK and now I am sending her off to high school. Let me be the last to judge. I hope we can all live in the moment moving forward.

As the Assistant Principal at Claywell Elementary, my role is to be part of your child's educational journey and assist in creating an environment that promotes success. I am available to meet with parents, students, and stakeholders to address concerns, both academic and behavior, provide positive recognition, and resolve discipline and learning issues. In addition, I can answer questions regarding standardized testing, school-wide events, transportation, class schedules, and so much more. I am an outlet for students to talk to, have a safe space to just regroup, and celebrate achievements. My goal is to help students have a great day, every day!

As the ESE Specialist I coordinate, organize, and supervise students with disabilities and impairments at Claywell. I provide information to students, parents and teachers on how to appropriately implement accommodations for students with Individual Educational Plans (IEPs). I obtain, review, verify and document students’ IEPs and I also keep abreast of all changes in ESE state regulation and provide training on ESE strategies and best practices to ensure student success and district compliance. At Claywell I communicate regularly with parents of students with disabilities to ensure that their accommodations are being met and are addressed in a timely and appropriate fashion. I am here to provide support to teachers, families and students to help create successful learning experiences for students.

The best way to care for children is to care for families. As your school social worker, I provide resources and referrals for clothing, food and housing assistance, parenting support, and community based mental health services. Whatever challenge your child or your family may be facing, you are not alone. It would be my honor to speak with you about ways we can ensure your child AND your family have a great school year!

Email address Kelli.Wild@hcps.net

Hello! My name is Ms. Trozzi, and I am the new school counselor at Claywell Elementary. As a school counselor, I strive to create a warm and safe environment for all students to express their concerns. My goal is to support all students in reaching their academic and social/emotional goals through individual, small group, and classroom lessons. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at kayla.trozzi@hcps.net

I’m delighted to introduce myself as the School Psychologist at Claywell Elementary School, bringing years of experience and a warm approachable presence to our school community.

I am dedicated to supporting student’s emotional well-being and assessing academic needs. I look forward to collaborating with parents and school personnel to ensure every child thrives both in and out of school classroom.

Email-LindaO.Hill@hcps.net

Parent Link is the only way I can get in contact with the 2100 people associated with Claywell quickly. We had to use it during bad thunderstorms stopping the car line and other times when information needs to be relayed. If you opted out and want to opt back in then call the school. There will be time periods of the year when you will get a lot of texts or phone calls. I try to limit the phone calls because I know they generally aren't listened to. Texting is the way I usually will send information. Sometimes the text are short or words are abbreviated because I only have 280 characters I can use at a time. If I do send a phone call that means there is a lot of information to convey. I appreciate those who give me grace because get a lot of interruptions as I am composing the communication. Now that I have pulled back the curtain on Parent Link you can understand a bit more about the program.

We still have a few parents that call in every time I send out a Parent Link. Please read the text and you generally will not need to call in to ask what they Parent Link was about. Our website is awesome. Lexie, our Media Specialist organizes the webpage. All of my Tweets are uploaded on the website too. It is a great resource for so many questions you may have.

During arrival and dismissal there are many moving parts and it is extremely important that our procedures are followed. The safety of everyone on our campus is our first priority. More information how to bring your child on and off campus is below.

Arrival in the morning

Bus- Please make sure your child is at the bus stop at least 10 minutes prior to the designated time. The bus shouldn't be early, but sometimes traffic patterns will dictate the bus being early or late.

Car Rider- This is our preferred option. It takes a bit more time, and our car line will be lick clockwork. Please make sure your child exits on the right side of the vehicle and on the sidewalk. During inclement weather, please make sure they are dropped off under the cover on Shillington. All car drop offs in the morning are on the Shillington car loop. There is no parking in our parking lot during arrival and dismissal. Please remain in your cars.

Walkers- Walking is a great option. Please make sure an adult accompanies your child on their walk home.

Northdale Golf Course- This has been a luxury for us and not a right. This is only an option if you are parking in a designated spot and walking your child across the street. There are no drop offs here.

Dismissal

We have designated times when we release our students. Please be patient with the process and do not be one of those parents that tries to sign their child everyday. Every minute of instruction is important.

Bus- Our students simply get on the bus. We release the buses at 2:00 to leave Claywell. Riding the bus is a privilege and not a right. Buses are like classrooms on wheels and again we need a safe environment for our students and bus drivers.

Walkers/Northdale Walkers- We will have staff walk our walkers across the street. The students will be walked to you. Please do not come on our campus in the afternoon.

Shillington Walkers- Some families live on the other side of the school and it makes more sense to pick up on that side of the school. We ask that you wait off campus on the sidewalk. We will release your child to you.

Car- We use the Curbsmart system. Every family will get a number. You will display that number so our staff members can easily see them. One of our staff members will type in your number and that number goes to your child's teacher so they can release them. The person punching in your numbers will hold up their hand to let you know what cone your child will be waiting at. If you pass the person that is putting in the numbers then there will be a delay. By the time your car gets to the cone your child should be at the designated cone. Please stay in your car and we will put your child in the car.

Daycares- Our daycare and VPK pick up in the front of the school. Not all daycares are the same. Make sure your child's daycare is picking up on time from our school. We had the experience of daycares being late picking up and I think as a parent you should know how your money is being used.

HOST is the only daycare program on campus. We have morning and afternoon HOST. Please call our school and we will get you in contact with HOST. You cannot put your child in HOST until they are approved.

We almost have this perfect at this point. Please follow the map. This helps us to create the safest environment for our community. Like most procedures they are not always convenient. Our goal is to not have anyone turn on to Shillington from Northdale. I do not have the ability to get in the car with you, so I ask that you honor our way of work. Drive to the next entrance which is Sapwood. Drive to Southbreeze and take a left, and finally take a left on to Shillington. Then you take a right on to our campus. The map below is currently in the running for the best map ever made. Ha ! You get the idea of what we are trying to do.

When you exit our campus everyone takes a right on Shillington and another right on Northdale. During arrival and dismissal there is a sign that states when you can and cannot take a left on to Northdale. During arrival and dismissal all turns should be right on to Northdale to keep the flow of traffic going smoothly.

Monday- 7:40-12:55 (Early release starts the first day of school)

Tuesday- 7:40-1:55

Wednesday- 7:40-1:55

Thursday- 7:40- 1:55

Friday- 7:40-1:55

Shirts, red, white, or blue top.

Shorts/pants- khaki(tan) or navy blue

Shoes- Your child will go out to play everyday. Send them to school in sneakers.

Please do not have your child wear a jacket or sweater with a hood. We do not wear hoods or hats in school.

PTA has asked me to get our Dad's Club back to its previous prominence. I will start the club off, and help a dad or a few dads to take this project on. The group is formed to bring more people on campus to volunteer and help out around the school. I ran the Northwest Elementary when I was a teacher and I met a lot of people. It is a fun way to become a part of your child's academic journey.

We are moving more and more to technology at Claywell. Your child will need wired earbuds or headphones throughout the year. I know some students like their very own. If there is an investment you would like to make extra wired earphones or earbuds would be AMAZING!

Our teachers need to get off to a great start. There are always items that they need that will make your child's learning experience better. There is no pressure, but if you can help they would appreciate it.

Below are various forms that will help you to plan and navigate your time at Claywell and in Hillsborough County.