MUSTANG NEWS

Happy Friday Mustang Families!

I hope that you are enjoying your final summer moments as the first day of school is quickly approaching! I cannot wait to have our Mustangs back in the building! Provided within this newsletter is additional back to school information for Fulton County Schools and Cliftondale Elementary School. These items will help you to with preparing yourself and your student for the school year ahead. Please review these items at your leisure.

Open House/Meet & Greet: Our Meet and Greet will take place on Thursday, August 4th 12:00 pm-1:30 pm for 3rd-5th grades & 2:00 pm-3:30 pm for PK-2nd grades. During this time, parents will have time to meet our staff, visit the classroom, join PTA, and engage with afterschool providers. During Open House, parents should make sure that teachers have the most up-to-date contact information (phone numbers and email addresses) and make certain to communicate how your child will go home daily.

Class Assignments: All student assignments will be posted within Parent-Portal in Infinite Campus for all FCS students on August 4th. If you have not established your parent portal account, teacher assignments will be available during Open House.

Cell Phones & Other Personal Communication Devices: FCS has updated its 2022-2023 Code of Conduct which is linked at the bottom of this newsletter and will remain a part of my weekly newsletter for the full school year. Please make sure that your review the full Code of Conduct with your Mustang. I would like to highlight (2) items around cell phones. Personal communication devices, to include cell phones, tables, and any other recording device, will be prohibited for elementary school students while at school. All personal communication devices are required to remain in student’s bookbags in the “off position” during the full school day. In addition, inappropriate recording and sharing of inappropriate & misconduct (via airdrop, social media, nearby share, etc.) will be a Tier 3 offense with a consequence of up to 5 days of out of school suspension.

Morning Arrival: Morning arrival is 7:10 am-7:40 am. Students arriving after 7:40 am will be marked tardy as the instructional daily begins promptly at 7:40 am. Breakfast is available for purchase 7:10 am-7:35 am.

Parents are asked to use the designated car rider loop for morning drop off. For the safety of your child, please refrain from releasing your students from the parking lot to run across the street. Students should only be released from your vehicle under the awning in front of the school where designated staff members are available to support your child with safely exiting your vehicle. Please also be cautious of other students exiting from their parents’ vehicles and our staff members.

I am happy to share that this year, parents will be able to walk their students into the building each morning from 7:10 am to 7:35 am. Please understand that this is not time for parent/teacher conferences or extended conversations with teachers as our staff members are supervising students. All visiting parents will be required to exit the building using the front office entrance no later than 7:35 am. Parents will not be permitted to walk a child to class beyond 7:35 am. Parents visiting the building during morning arrival (7:10 am-7:35 am) should use the appropriate visitors parking spaces labeled in the front of the school.

School Uniforms: Cliftondale remains a uniform school, and we continue to encourage all students to wear our school uniform. Our uniform consists of a navy blue, yellow/gold, or white top with khaki or navy bottoms. An embroidered school logo is not required.

Transportation Changes: Please keep in mind that changes in transportation must be in writing and shared with your child’s homeroom teacher and the front office staff. Please do not depend on teacher e-mail or Dojo messages as some teachers do not have an opportunity to check e-mail/Dojo during the school day. Also, when picking up your student early for appointments, you will need to present your driver’s license for safety and security. Early checkout will end at 2:00 pm daily.

Dismissal: Parents can check students out early anytime up until 2:00 pm. If you wish to check your student out early, please report to our front office with identification. Our students will only be released a bus rider, car rider, afterschool, or van. We DO NOT release students as walkers nor will we accommodate parent walkups. If your child is a car rider, you must join the car rider line. It will be long as we many of our students are car riders, and we thank you for your patience and your cooperation.

Bus Riders/Bus Stop Info. - During Open House, parents can verify their child’s bus assignment and bus stop times. All stop times are approximate times. If you have questions pertaining your child’s assigned stop or assigned bus, please contact FCS Transportation Department. I encourage all parents to download the “Here Comes the Bus” app using the QR Code below. This application allows parents to track the bus in real-time.

I wanted to also remind you that next Friday, July 29 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. the district is holding a special Registration Day for parents to register new and transferring students before school starts. Registration Day will be held at Langston Hughes High School - 7510 Hall Road-

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For more information about registering your student, visit fultonschools.org/registration or call us here at the school (470-254-4070). Plus, do not forget to join us for the sixth annual First Day Fulton on Saturday, July 30! Visit fultonschools.org/firstdayfulton for information.

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Lastly, we look forward to seeing all Mustang Families at our Back 2 School Bash! There will be FREE FOOD & FREE FUN for all!

I am looking forward to meeting each of you and establishing long-lasting partnerships together.

Kind Regards,

A. Nicole Canty
Principal
Cliftondale Elementary School

• July 19th- FCS Board Meeting @ South Learning Center
• July 30th- First Day Fulton @ Banneker High School 10:00 am-2:00 pm
• July 31st- Back to School Bash @Cliftondale 3:00 pm-6:00 pm
• August 4th- Cliftondale Open House/Meet and Greet
• August 8th- First Day of School
• August 24th- School Governance Council (SGC) Meeting at 6:00 pm via Microsoft Teams
• September 5th- Labor Day- School is closed.
  
• September 6th- Remote Learning Day- Students learn from home.
• September 8th: Boy Scouts Parent Meeting and Registration 5:30 pm-6:30 pm in the cafeteria.

Join us for our annual Community Back 2 School Bash on Sunday, July 31st 3:00pm-6:00 pm. We will have free food and free fun for all! See you there! :)

We are excited to welcome each of you in the building for Open House! During this time, all parents with have the opportunity to meet their child's teacher, meet Mrs. Canty, engage with our SGC, join PTA, engage with after school care vendors, and verify transportation bus stop information. We will receive parents/students at the following times:

Third-Fifth Grades: 12:00 pm-1:30 pm
PK-Second Grades: 2:00 pm-3:30 pm

Safe Haven registration opens on July 10th. Please CLICK HERE to get your mustang(s) registered.

The First Day Fulton Back-to-School Pep Rally is a free back-to-school event for parents and students to attend on Saturday, July 30, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will take place at Banneker High School and North Springs High School.

At this event there will be free school supplies, (while supplies last), a FCS department expo, free grocery giveaways, a health fair, and much more!

2022-2023 Bus Stops are now available via WebQuery. This tool allows parents to verify their child's assigned bus stop. Parents are also provided with an approximate time their student will be transported to and from school on his/her assigned bus. If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's assigned bus or bus stop, please contact FCS Transportation Department at 470-254-6060.

Additionally, all parents are strongly encouraged to download the "Here Comes The Bus App". The tool is a free, easy-to-use website and app that enables you to see the location of your child’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. This way, you know when the bus is near your stop, so you can send your child out at just the right time. No more worrying about whether your child has missed the bus!

FCS adopted a new Grading and Reporting Policy.

Are you registered for your Campus Parent Portal Account? If not, REGISTER TODAY! Everything you need as a parent is contained in the parent portal. You can monitor your student's grades throughout the school year, review your child's schedule, download progress reports and report cards, update your contact information, register other students within your household, withdrawal your student and so much more! If you already have an account, you do not need to register again. New users should click the link provided to register: Parent Portal Registration

*Please note, if you DO NOT have an email address on file, you will be unable to register via the provided link. Please call the school and ask for our Data Clerk, Ms. Allen.

Free & Reduced Meal Applications SY22-23

The Free & Reduced Meal Benefits Program is a part of the National Child Nutrition Program. This program makes Free or Reduced priced meals available to qualifying households. Qualifications are based on the gross income of all household members and the number of persons living in the house. A new application must be completed every school year. If there is an interruption in benefits or the household does not reapply, the household is responsible for payment of meals until the Free and Reduced Application is approved. Free & Reduced Meal Applications are available in the cafeteria and anytime online beginning August 1, 2022. Visit www.fulton.schoollunchapp.com to begin the online application process.

Looking for Cliftondale Spirt Wear? Then look no further! Visit our PTA's School Store for all spirt ware and uniform needs.

Do you need HELP? Do you need RESOURCES? It's available to you through CONNECT FULTON. Search and connect to: financial assistance, food pantries, medical care, and other free or reduced-cost help.