The Coop Scoop Handbook Edition

Hello Coopertown Families,

This Coop Scoop is to inform you of information regarding attendance, school procedures, and general information to help you prepare for the school year ahead. Please read it carefully and reach out to our fantastic school secretary, Mrs. Natale with any questions you have about the procedures or general information listed below.

I would highly recommend saving this Coop Scoop for future reference.

Thank you in advance for reading over the information provided!

Ms. Mastrocola

Our first day of school for all students, K-5, is September 3rd.

During the first week of school, extra aides will be available at the car drop off and bus drop off area to meet kindergarten and 1st grade students and walk the children to their classrooms.

Many helpers will be available to make sure that all of our students get to their classrooms on the first day of school, and teachers will be greeting the students at the classroom doors.

Here's a great tip- Parents are not allowed to walk their students to their classrooms. However, if you would like to take a picture outside of school on the first day, please park on Coopertown Rd. and cross at the crossing guard onto our campus. Walk up to the bike rack area. This is a great spot for first day pictures and a hug to wish them a great day!

School Hours

8:35 am - 1st Bell (students may enter the building, unpack, and prepare for the day)

8:45 am - 2nd Bell (learning begins)

3:30 pm - Dismissal

Kindergarten- Students enter the building at 8:35

AM: Students enter the building at 8:35. Instruction from 8:45 AM – 11:25 AM

PM: Students enter the building at 12:45. Instruction from12:50 PM – 3:30 PM

Classroom instruction begins promptly at 8:45 AM. All children begin the school day with Morning Meeting, and it is a favorite part of the school day! We value every minute of the school day with our students!

If your child's dismissal plan changes, call the front office and email the teacher. You must do both to ensure the homeroom teacher receives the message.

Arrival/Dismissal for 1st- 5th Grade Students

Kindergarten Families Will Receive a Separate Email with directions.

There are a few options for bringing your child to school:

1- Walkers and Drive and Park and Walk- If you want to drive but walk up to the school with your child, please park on Coopertown Rd. and walk down to the cross walk to the corner of our property. Come to the side of the building by the bike racks and glass door entrance. You can wait with your child there until the doors open at 8:35. Aides will meet the students right inside the doors to show them where to go.

2- Car Line Drop Off- Pull up to the front of the building and enter the car line on Highland Avenue. Stay in your car until a car line monitor asks you to unload. Parents stay in the car and children unload on their own. An aide or teacher will meet them right inside the doors to show them where to go. Please be sure to say quick goodbyes as the line will soon move out and cars cannot move around you. If a quick goodbye is not possible yet, please use option 1 above. Please do not pull out and around other cars in front of you. Please do not wait until you are in front of the entrance to have your child exit the car. They need to exit onto the curb where ever your car stops.The entire line of cars pulls out at the same time per the direction of our car line monitors. There are always 2-3 people outside directing the traffic. Please follow their directions. You don't want the principal speaking with you : )

3- Bus- Bus information/passes will be emailed to you. This email can arrive as late as the night before school starts. The bus pass will tell you where your bus stop is and the time for pick up. Check your bus drop off location and drop off time as well. If you ever have any questions about transportation, they can be called directly at 610-853-5900 ext. 5929 or emailed at transportation@haverfordsd.net.

When the buses arrive at Coopertown the children are met by several aides. Please see below for more information about bus behavior.

Dismissal- 3:25-3:30- We stagger with 1st-2nd being dismissed first. K follow after them.

Walkers and Drive and Park & Pick Up- Students are monitored as they exit to the Coopertown Rd. side entrance of the building. They will exit through the glass doors. Families are expected to be waiting for their students outside the doors promptly at 3:25. If you are running late, please call the office at 610-853-5900 ext. 3000. Your child will be brought to the office for pick up there. This should be an exception and not the rule.

Bus Riders- At the end of the day, all students are escorted to their bus and loaded onto the bus by aides and teachers. We carefully monitor students walking out of the building and onto the buses. Remind your child to listen for their bus number at the end of the day.

The School District is excited to announce the implementation of School Pass, an attendance system that will assist our school staff with tracking absences. SchoolPass will provide parents/guardians the ability to make attendance changes for their student(s) with the click of a button, without having to call or email the office. Click on the red label above for more information from our website.

Every day of the school year is an opportunity for our children to learn and grow. It is very important that students attend school every single day.

The District’s Attendance Policy may be read here.

Whenever possible, please try to schedule doctor’s appointments after school.

All student absences or late arrivals must be entered by our staff into PowerSchool by 9:30am. After this time, students who are marked Unexcused (U) will automatically generate the District to send a trio of alerts to parents/guardians via phone call, email and text message. If you receive these messages, please send us an email at coopertown-attendance@haverfordsd.net to let us know the reason for your students' absence.

Directions for Student Attendance

If your student will be arriving late or leaving early:

Please send an email to our attendance office at coopertown-attendance@haverfordsd.net AND the students' teacher/s. Please indicate the reason for the late arrival/early dismissal.

If your student will be sick/absent (full day only):

Please use the School Pass App for all full day absences. School Pass takes time to sync with PowerSchool, so please do this as early as possible. If entered after 9:00am, it may not sync before the 9:30am calls go out. In addition, you may also send an email to the students teacher/s and coopertown-attendance@haverfordsd.net with any additional information you’d like us to know.

Allotted Absences:

• Students receive ten (10) Parent Excused Illness absences (PEI) per school year. After ten, you will receive an email from the District and further action may be taken if the number continues to rise. We ask that for student illnesses, you provide a Doctor's Note either via email (coopertown-attendance@haverfordsd.net) or hard copy to the office. Since Covid, many offices will send you a note if you have called in for the illness but do not require an in-office visit.

• Doctor Excused Illnesses (DEI) are unlimited for the school year so it’s best to always provide a note.

• Pre-Planned Educational Travel (PPET) - requests should be used for vacation days or when you are traveling. Students receive five (5) PPET days per year. Please complete the Pre-Planned Educational Travel request form and email it to Nicole Natale (nnatale@haverfordsd.net). Siblings can be included on one form. You may also email the teacher/s to let them know or if you have questions regarding school work. Once approved, you will receive confirmation and no further action needs to be taken on your part. Please do NOT use School Pass for PPET days as it will over-ride our system and change your child's absence.

Click here for the PPET: “Request for a Preplanned Educational Travel”

• Unexcused (U) absences are marked when there is no parental communication as to a students absence. All unexcused (U) absences will generate the trio of communication to parents/guardians.

All visitors to Coopertown Elementary School must enter through the main entrance and report directly to the office. All visitors must present a valid driver’s license that will be scanned and used to produce a visitor’s badge through the Raptor System.

Under no circumstances may parents enter the building without coming through the main entrance. Please understand that this is necessary for the safety of our students.

All students will participate in safety drills throughout the school year. Fire drills will typically be held once per month and there will be several lockdown drills during the school year. Teachers and staff will make every effort to prepare students for these drills so that all students know the procedures.

Please carefully review and update your contact information in PowerSchool to indicate your child’s dismissal plan in case of an emergency.

Please remind your child that students sit by grade level on the bus. K is in the front, then 1st grade with 5th grade having the back of the bus. Assigned seats will be used if students are not following the bus routines.

• No TECHNOLOGY- this includes tablets, chromebooks & phones.

• No food or drink.

• Students must remain seated in the same seat for the entire ride.

• Please remind them to be safe and kind with hands and arms in the windows, quiet voices, kind to others.

• If a child is unkind or unruly on the bus, they may be asked to sit in an assigned seat or be suspended from the bus for a duration of time. You will be made aware of bus incidents. We ask that you support us in emphasizing proper behavior at all times.

Bus drivers have the hardest job in our district! Their eyes are on the road!

Mrs. Erin Gietl and Erin Dougherty will again be our main nurse and MBNA at Coopertown. You are welcome to contact them directly if needed at 610.853.5900, ext. 3470.

Their emails are: Erin Gietl egietl@haverfordsd.net. or Erin Dougherty edougherty@haverfordsd.net

Prescription and over-the-counter medications may be administered by our school nurse only upon written order by the child’s physician. All medications must be in their original container and must be properly labeled when brought to school.

Please be sure that our school nurses are aware of your child’s medical issues, including allergies and potential reactions.

Medication may not be sent in a backpack with students. Parents/guardians may drop off medication in the original pharmacy container with the prescription from the doctor.

Students cannot bring medication to school in their backpacks. An adult must make arrangements to meet the nurse and drop it off in person. Please fill out this medication consent form in advance of drop off:

Tuesday, August 27th: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 29th: 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Tuesday, September 3rd: 8:00 a.m.- end of the school day

Students may bring lunch from home or purchase lunch from the cafeteria. A selection of additional snacks are also available for purchase, and they are typically offered after the first couple of weeks of school to allow for the food services team and the students to focus on lunches at the start of the year.

Read more information from our dining services director here: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1658506903/haverfordk12paus/fevybtjbhmveop8ddmus/BacktoSchoolParentLetterFall2022.pdf

Click the red bar above for access to the Food Services Website with all links to menus, how to order lunch directions to share with your child and the link to the School Cafe App to put money on your child's account.

The price of elementary lunch this year is $2.90. Families may apply for free/reduced lunch and this information is confidential. Click the link in the section below for more information.

Students purchasing lunch will use their 5 digit ID code. It will take our first graders and new students some time to learn their code, and that is okay! Our teachers are very helpful in preparing note cards for the children to practice with until they get it, and I try to help 1st graders at lunch for the first couple of weeks!

Please send your child to school with a healthy snack and reusable water bottle every day. They are encouraged to refill their water bottles throughout the day. We have water filling stations throughout the building. There are also water fountains located in the cafeteria and by the nurse's office bathrooms.

All students in grades K - 5 may bring a snack to school. Our students have breaks for an additional "snack recess" during the day. If your child is in a "nut-free classroom" due to a child's allergy, you will be alerted to avoid sending nuts as part of your child's snack.

Click above for the Free & Reduced Lunch Application. If you have any questions about the application, please contact Mrs. Millie Cerone, Food Service Specialist, mcerone@haverfordsd.net or (610) 853-5900, ext. 7142.

Recess is a very important part of the school day! Students in grades 1 - 5 have recess for 25 minutes right after lunch each day. Kindergarten students have a designated time to play each day as well! Movement, play, social interaction, and brain breaks are very important for all children, and our teachers are intentional about providing these for our students every day.

Parents and guardians are invited to volunteer during our lunch and recess time. A Sign-Up Genius will be shared in the Coop Loop soon.

We enjoy recognizing and celebrating our children on their birthdays. However, no food may be distributed for student birthdays. We also ask that gift bags with pencils, erasers, or small tokens are not distributed to children. Instead, think about donating a book to the classroom library with an inscription from your child.

Birthdays are announced every morning and students are invited to come to the office for their birthday pencil and be recognized. We recognize summer birthdays during the last few weeks of school!

Communication from the school including a principal letter at the start is sent each Friday evening to inform parents of schoolwide events and important information.

Communication from the teacher should be frequent and timely; your child’s teacher will share information about when and how you should expect to hear from them at Back to School Night.

This was the first summer in a long time that our school remained intact during the summer! Instead, we were able to do our deep clean earlier than usual.

Our all-star custodial crew worked extra hours all summer to have our building looking great! We appreciate Mike Bond, Gregg Mcghee, James Emery for their constant dedication to making sure our school sparkles.

The Board of School Directors supports the use of computers, the Internet, and other network resources in the District’s instructional and operational programs in order to facilitate learning, teaching, and daily operations. Please refer to School Board Policy 815 for more information and forms.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

We are required under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to supply parents of students under the age of 13 with our list of commonly used educational applications. This information is available on our District website under Technology - Parent Resources - COPPA COMPLIANCE

Students at the elementary level should leave cell phones and other personal electronic devices (iPads, Apple/Smartwatches, Gizmo Gadgets, other electronic devices, etc.) at home. If a parent/guardian chooses to send an electronic device with their child to school, they must be stored in the student’s backpack and silenced. These personal devices are not to be used during the school day.

Below are the expected behaviors that each homeroom teacher will be reviewing with our students during the first weeks of school. We revisit this when we return after winter break. Feel free to review at home as well. Thank you!

Please label your child’s personal belongings. We will have a “Lost & Found” space right outside the gym and will periodically try to send you photos of the times collected so that you can help to identify your child’s lost belongings.

We will periodically send you photos of the items in the lost & found and we display them during school events and parent conferences in the hopes that items will find their way home. We end up donating many unclaimed items each year. Please label your child's belongings! We check the items for names as they are put in the Lost and Found!

August 26th:

5:30-6:00- Kindergarten Popsicles on the Playground (see invite below)

6:00- 6:45- New Families Popsicles on the Playground (this is for new families only- invites were emailed to the families)

August 29th:

12:30-1:00- Sneak a Peek- All students and families are invited to see their classroom and meet their teachers.

September 3rd:

First day for ALL students : )

September 11th:

6:00-7:30- Back to School Night for all families

6:00-6:20- All families meet in the gym for intro by Ms. Mastrocola/Meet PTO Co-Presidents

6:25-6:55- Session 1 (meet teacher of one child)

7:00-7:30- Session 2 (meet teacher of second child)

September 12th:

5:30- 6:30-Ice Cream Social on the playground sponsored by the PTO

September 16th-20th

School Spirit Week! Activities to be decided by 5th grade but expect a mismatch sock day, hat day and what I want to be when I grow up day, maybe?

A huge thank you to our PTO who is already organizing many fun things for our Coopertown community for the 2024-2025 school year! Click on the picture above to be sent to their website.

The School District has also created a handbook for our families to reference. It can be used to reference more of our policies and districtwide events.

Click on the picture above to see our website. There are plenty of parent resources here as well.

In collaboration with the entire school district, Coopertown Elementary will be working towards the district's goals of Diversity and Inclusion, Social/Emotional Wellness, and Preparing Contemporary Citizens. Teachers and administration continue to attend district professional developments to enhance our approach to these goals. We are excited to implement this work in our classrooms and throughout our learning communities this year!

Coopertown Elementary School

800 Coopertown Rd.

Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

Main Office:

Mrs. Nicole Natale, Building Secretary; nnatale@haverfordsd.net

Mrs. Anita Newby, Office Assistant/Attendance; anewby@haverfordsd.net

(610) 853 - 5900, ext. 3000

Attendance:

coopertown-attendance@haverfordsd.net

Please email all full day absences, late arrivals, early dismissals, &

pre-planned educational travel

Assistant Principal:

Mr. Jerry Ummarino

(610)853-5900

jummarino@haverfordsd.net

Principal:

Ms. Elizabeth Mastrocola

(610) 853 - 5900, ext. 3500

emastrocola@haverfordsd.net