August 14, 2017

Dear Parents:

Welcome back to a wonderful school year at Amboy Elementary. My name is Allen E. Pennington, and I am excited to serve as your child’s principal.

Your child's safety is very important to us. We have put systems in place to promote safety for every student. With your assistance and cooperation, this should be a successful process.

ENTERING THE BUILDING:

ALL visitors are asked to go to the office first, sign in, and obtain a visitor’s pass in order to go throughout the building. Pre-K parents may escort their student(s) to the outside classroom doors and sign them in. Parents that arrive after 7:50 p.m. must enter the office, sign the student(s) in tardy, and escort the student(s) to the outside classroom doors.

MORNING ARRIVAL:

*7:00 a.m. – 7:50 a.m. Breakfast/Morning Routine:As you enter the building, feel free to escort your child to the cafeteria to eat breakfast or to their grade level wing to be seated on the floor. Feel free to drop off any materials to the class room. There will be staff members in various areas to assist. After Wednesday, August 16, 2017, each visitor will be required to stop by the office, sign the visitor’s sheets, and get a pass before having access to the main areas. All students will go to the cafeteria to eat breakfast if desired. Students arriving on buses will enter the school through the single door under the awning. All other students will enter the front of the building and walk in a single-file line to the cafeteria for breakfast. As your child arrives daily, they are encouraged to enter the building in an orderly manner. If they are going to eat breakfast, they will go directly to the cafeteria. If they choose not to eat, they must go to their grade level wing and be seated quietly in the discovery area until their teacher arrives to escort them to class. There will be duty staff to receive them each morning. If you are bringing your student to class in the morning, please help us and the flow of traffic by parking your car in a parking space out of the drop off lane. Remember to sign in on the visitors’ sheet and get a pass. To ensure safety for students, any adult without a pass will be instructed to return to the office to obtain one.

Parents of car riders are asked to drive in the drop of lane in front of the school to drop-off your student(s). Please pull up as far as possible. There will be morning duty staff there to assist with the flow of traffic and to ensure your child enters the building safely. Please refrain from exiting your vehicle or parking in the drop-off lane. This slows up the flow of traffic.

*7:50 a.m. -2:30 p.m. Instructional Hours: If you need to visit with a teacher, please call the office to schedule a conference. Feel free to also reach teachers via email and phone calls. If your child arrives after 7:50 a.m., a parent or guardian is required to come in the building and sign them in at the office. If you choose to visit the classroom, you are only allowed to visit no more than fifteen (15) minutes. Remember, this is instruction time, not time to hold a conference or evaluate the teacher (that is my responsibility). This is your opportunity to observe your child.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES:

2:30 p.m. End of Instruction/Dismissal:When the bell rings, any student that is riding buses and daycare vans will be seated in the cafeteria. They will wait until given permission to exit the back of the building by duty staff. Parents are asked not to drive to the back to get any students. In order for our buses and daycare vans to have a clear path to leave, please refrain from parking near the curb near the back of the school or in the flow of traffic. Please utilize available parking spaces. We also ask all parents of students that walk to remain outside by the flagpole or near the back doors to receive your student(s). They will be escorted out by a member of the staff. During inclement weather, please feel free to wait under the awning and against the wall not to block the flow of traffic coming out of those doors.

Car riders will be seated in the main hallway near the office and K-1 wing. They must wait until the duty staff calls their name to exit the front of the building. Parents are asked to drive in the pick-up lane near the curb, closest to the building,to receive your student(s). You will receive a decal with your student(s) name on it to display in your front windshield to help us identify your child quickly. Students will be waiting inside until they are called by a staff member to exit the building and load into their vehicle. Please refrain from exiting your car and walking to the building to receive your child.Please remain in your vehicle.Once you leave the parking lot, please exit to the right that leads to MacArthur Drive in order to ensure a steady flow of traffic.

Any changes in transportation must be in writing and must include your signature, date and given to the students teacher.

Student Checkout:

When checking out a student, you will need to present valid identification and have to be listed on the student’s contact information. If you do not have appropriate identification, the student will not be released to you.

For safety reasons, we are asking that the building is clear of parents between 2:20 p.m. -2:30 p.m. Pre-K parents must park in available parking spots to avoid slowing down or stopping the flow of traffic.

Please remember that every child's safety is our first priority. Again, your assistance and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your cooperation in order to keep everyone safe!!!

Sincerely,

Allen E. Pennington

Amboy Elementary Principal