Welcome to the 2007-2008 school year at McWhorter Elementary. I am very pleased to serve as your principal and I look forward to getting to know your child and family.
BELOW ARE A FEW INFORMATIONAL ITEMS YOU WILL NEED TO GET YOUR YEAR STARTED.
School Hours: For their safety, students may not arrive on campus before 7:25 a.m. Free breakfast will be served from 7:25 a.m.-8:00 a.m. at no cost. Upon arrival, students must go directly to the cafeteria. We will do morning announcements in the gymnasium this year so all students need to be in there before the 8:10 bell.
Tardies: Students will be considered tardy if they are not in the gymnasium by the 8:10 bell. (Cafeteria doors are open at 7:25 a.m. to serve breakfast.) Remember three tardies will equal one absence. Students who are consistently tardy or absent are subject to disciplinary action as stated in the CFB student handbook. This could affect a student’s grade placement for next year because the state requires that students be in attendance 90% of the time.
Supplies: Supply lists are posted on the windows at school at the beginning of the year and a list will be available in the office. Pre-packaged supplies are for sale in the office.
Cafeteria: Lunch costs $2.00 a day. Milk is $.50 and extra treats are available at a cost of $.25 and $.50. Free and reduced lunch applications are available in the office. We highly recommend that you buy lunches by the week. A cafeteria staff person is available each morning to accept checks or cash for weekly lunch payments. We urge you to prepay. Students can only charge $5.50. If your child does not bring lunch money, he/she will be given a side dish, bread, and milk.
Nutrition: Nutrition is an important component to a child’s well being and disposition. We ask that you refrain from sending sodas to school in any lunch. If your child carries a lunch, please pack healthy, well-balanced meals. Limit the amount of candy, if any, that you send as a portion of your child’s lunch. There are strict nutrition regulation changes. Please see nutrition information included in your first day packet.
School News: The office will send home important notices every Tuesday in the Tuesday Folder. Please make it a part of your weekly routine to ask for this folder each week. Also, check out our web page as well and expect weekly correspondences from teachers.
Uniform Policy: The McWhorter parents and community have adopted a uniform policy. In addition, the Carrollton Farmers Branch Board of Trustees has made this policy MANDATORY. IT IS IMPERATIVE WE HAVE YOUR FULL SUPPORT IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT THIS POLICY. Students seem to follow the uniform requirement for the first few months of school and then they become lax. Students are to wear navy or khaki bottoms, and white, red, navy tops, or a spirit shirt.
Report Cards/Parent Conferences: Report cards are issued every nine weeks. Progress reports are issued at the end of each 3 week marking period for all students K-5th grade. The district requires at least one scheduled parent/teacher conference before the end of the fourth six weeks. Teachers will send out notices for sign up times prior to the conference date.
Visitors/Volunteers: Visitors and volunteers are always welcome to McWhorter. Everyone MUST report to the office ANYTIME he/she visits the building. You are REQUIRED to wear a visitor’s badge and to sign in and out. All volunteers in the classroom or on field trips must first attend a volunteer orientation, complete an application, and agree to a criminal background check.
Medications/Appointments: Please send all medications in their original containers and clearly mark it with your child’s name. Please consult your student’s handbook for specific directions. If at all possible, please schedule doctor appointments for non-emergency care after school hours. Our time with your child is important.
Dismissal: We will follow the schedule below.
3:00 – PPCD
3:05 – walkers, day care riders, and school bus riders
3:10 – car riders
For safety reasons it is extremely important that students leave the campus immediately. Please let your children know this. STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PICK UP SIBLINGS FROM OTHER CLASSROOMS. Parents need to help their children find a designated area outside the building to wait on siblings.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT PARENTS WHO PICK THEIR CHILDREN UP IN CARS FOLLOW PROCEDURES AS DIRECTED BY THOSE STAFF MEMBERS ON DUTY.
Send a note to your child’s teacher regarding how your child is to go home. If there is a change, send a written note notifying the teacher of the change.
Coyote Character Building: MAKE YOUR DAY has been adopted as McWhorter’s discipline management program. It is based upon the premise that “No one has the right to interfere with the, safety, well-being and life long learning of others.” We have developed a school-wide culture which fosters self-discipline and self-evaluation to develop the whole child for lifelong learning. Consistent and predictable expectations and consequences allow students to make informed choices to achieve their full potential every day.
Be a Coyote Support Difference Maker: Parents become involved! Volunteer, join the PTA or read to your child. The cycle of achievement will always begin at home and be cultivated in the classroom.
Thank you for being a part of Coyote Country. Together we can make then impossible possible!
Benita D. Gordon
Principal
