Jackson Park Summer Newsletter

I really hope everyone is having a great summer! The entire Jackson Park community certainly deserves it. Now that we're in Mid-July, even though the start of school is about four weeks away, I wanted to make sure you all still felt in the loop and had all your questions answered.

I've tried to address some of the questions we thought you might have in this newsletter, but please don't hesitate to give us a call anytime Monday through Thursday, from 9:00 - 2:00, and we can answer any specific questions you have.

Monday, August 12th will be Jackson Park and Kannapolis City Schools' first day of school. Additionally, Jackson Park's Open House will be on Thursday, August 8th from 4:00 - 6:00.

Open House is the big afternoon where students and families learn who their new teacher will be! As always, this will be a great opportunity to meet your child's teacher, get transportation information, see the classroom, and just be back in the building to experience all the things that make Jackson Park so special. We look forward to seeing everyone!

And for your reference now and moving forward, here is a link to the entire 2024-25 KCS School Calendar.

Our school hours will continue to be the same this year. Jackson Park's school hours are still as follows:

- Doors Open: 8:05am

- Tardy Bell: 8:35am

- Dismissal: 3:30pm - 3:50pm

We're very excited to welcome our youngest Panthers to Jackson Park! It's been wonderful getting to know our rising kindergarteners as they register.

Kindergarten Staggered Entry will be over three days during the first week, with some of our Kindergarteners coming on Monday August 12th, some coming on Tuesday August 13th, and some coming on Wednesday August 14th. And then, all our Kindergarteners come back on Thursday, August 15th! I think I've connected with most every rising kindergarten family, informing them of which day is their child's staggered entry day. But, if you have any questions about staggered entry or anything at all, give us a call here at school. We'd be happy to help.

Jackson Park and Kannapolis City Schools are excited to again offer Before School Care to all of our students. For families registered in our Before School Care program, students may be dropped off as early as 7:00 am all the way until our school officially opens at 8:05. The cost of our Before School Care is $65 per month, and you’ll be able to register on the KCS website beginning on Monday, August 5th.

And in addition, Jackson Park and the YMCA will be again partnering to offer After School Care for our students right here on our campus. Holding it here at Jackson Park will save our students the long bus ride to the YMCA, and also offer convenience for our families as they can pick up their children right here at school. Please contact the YMCA for more information, and for how to register. (704-939-9622)

Here are the school supply lists for each grade level. They can also be found on Jackson Park's Website for easy reference.

While we’ll of course be sharing more detailed information as the school year gets closer, I figured it is still a good idea to keep this “top of mind” as it is one one the major topics on the first days of school. Jackson Park is pleased to offer four separate dismissal modes of transportation to accommodate all of our families, and provide an efficient, helpful and safe dismissal process. Families have the option of denoting their children as a bus rider, car rider, walker, or "back door", all of which have separate locations for dismissal.

1. Bus Riders- Bus Riders need to be registered to ride the bus, and all returning students who were registered to ride last year will automatically be registered. Additionally, all new students who indicated they need bus transportation on their initial enrollment will be registered for a bus if they’ve enrolled before July 26th. However, after that, it can can take up to 10 days to generate a new bus stop, so it’s best to have this set up ahead of time. Also, there is an area in close proximity to the school that is designated the “Parent Transport Zone”, in which students aren’t eligible for bus transportation. Please, give us a call here at school if you are new to Jackson Park and have questions about whether your child is eligible to ride a bus or not.

2. Car Riders- Car pool will still work much the same way it has in the past, with students being dismissed at the same location as in years past. If you'd like for your children to be car riders, please register and get a car rider number at Open House in the Cafeteria, or in our Front Office any other time.

3. Walkers- Walkers are escorted off campus by a Jackson Park staff member, and led around the perimeter of our campus on Jackson Street, Ruth Avenue, and Venus Street for a safe hand off to parents. Much like Car Riders, please register them as a walker at Open House or contact our Front Office.

4. Back Door- Our Back Door dismissal is an alternative to the car rider line for parents preferring to walk up to our back door near our playground. If you'd like for your children to be part of Back Door dismissal, please register and get a Back Door number at Open House, or in our Front Office any other time.

While there will be ample time to register for the mode of transportation you’d like for your child during Open House, please feel free to reach out now with any questions or getting your student set up. You might be glad you did when you see some of the lines at Open House!

I know this was a lot of information, but I figured it was all worth sharing. And if you have any questions about any of this or anything else, please give me a call here at school. I’d be glad to hear from you!