SNOWDEN SCHOOL
Something GREAT Starts at Snowden
1870 North Parkway
Memphis, TN 38112
(901) 416-4621
Randy Thompson, Principal
January 1, 2013
Dear Snowden Parents and Caregivers:
Happy New Year to all families in our school community! The New Year typically inspires us to review past
practices and set new goals for ourselves. Recent events emphasize the need for additional review and
emphasized focus on areas that ensure safety and prove beneficial for our children in their academic pursuits.
As we begin the New Year, please take time to review all school policies and procedures as stated in our
parent student handbook with specific emphasis on student/staff safety, arrival, dismissal, dress code,
absences & tardies, behavior, and academic expectations.
Student Safety:
 All students must use their designated grade level entrance and exit. All KK, 2 nd, and 3rd students are
to use the east KK entrance at the bell tower. The west (McLean drive) KK doors are for exit only!
 All students must wear their MCS issued ID badge in clear sight. ID badges for PK – 5th students will be
distributed and picked up by their homeroom teacher daily. Students in 6 th – 8th grade must wear
their ID badges at all times which are required for entry to the building each day. Parents please check
to ensure that your middle school student is in possession of their id badge before they leave home
each day and reinforce the requirement of wearing it all day, each day!
 All visitors (parents, community members, siblings not attending Snowden, vendors, etc.) must report
directly to the main office entrance, press the buzzer, identify themselves to school staff and share
purpose for visit. Once entry is granted by school staff, visitors are to report directly to the main
office, and sign in with a school staff member entering your purpose for visiting. You will be issued a
visitor’s badge by a school staff member. This badge must be visible at all times and then turned in
when you sign out upon leaving the campus. We welcome and encourage classroom visits and
observations by parents, however we must schedule these in advance in order to ensure safety and
uninterrupted instruction. Please call the school office to schedule appointments. All messages will
be returned within 24 hours. It is important that parents check to ensure students have all necessary
items prior to arrival each day (lunch or lunch money, projects, signed papers, permission slips, etc.).
This will eliminate the need for calling students down to the office and interrupting valuable
instructional time.
 Early dismissals or check-outs are not allowed after 1:30 p.m. daily. To ensure an orderly dismissal and
the safety of all students and staff, students may not be picked up at the classroom. Students will be
dismissed with their teachers to their designated dismissal areas.
Student Personal Appearance – Snowden School Uniform Policy – MCS Board Policy 6.310:
 Parents, please review the Snowden School Uniform Policy with your children – MCS Board Policy
6.310 in our Student/Parent handbook on pages 16 and 17. Please ensure that they are properly
dressed in school uniform before leaving for school each day.
On time arrival and attendance is the KEY!
 Please ensure your students arrive and have time to reach their homeroom by 7:30 a.m. each day.
Parents must accompany all students (grades PK – 8th) arriving after 7:30 each morning to the
attendance office for late check-in. Our final dismissal bell is 2:15 each day; however we have many
students remaining on campus after 2:45 each afternoon. If your student is not in an after school
activity they must be picked up by 2:45 p.m. Students on campus after 2:45 will be placed in our afterschool program for a one time drop-in fee of $20.00. Please help us out and ensure your children’s
safety by picking them up no later than 2:45 each day.
Cell phones are not allowed on campus and will be confiscated. Confiscated cell phones may be picked up
within 72 hours in the school office by a parent.
We have had a terrific first semester, and by starting off on the right foot, we can set the tone for a terrific
second semester. The following is from a publication entitled “It’s Not Too Late for your New Year’s
Resolution” as presented through Parents Magazine:
The start of a new year is a great time for kids to make some resolutions. There’s still time for a child to
pull up a low grade in math…get into the habit of doing homework without a fight…or read every day.
But if your child makes those resolutions, will he be able to keep them? A recent study conducted by
AOL found that only about 12 percent of adults make New Year’s resolutions---and less than half of
those keep their resolutions for even two months! Here are some ways you can help your children turn
their resolutions into reality:
• Be specific. There’s an old saying, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” So help your child see what
success looks like. What grades would he/she like to see on the report card? In what extracurricular
activities would he/she like to be involved?
• Write it down. Have your children write down their goals. Place them where they can see them every
day. This will help them stay focused.
• Eliminate obstacles. It’s hard to study if the desk looks like a blizzard hit it. Help your children think of
the things standing in their way. Then, one by one, help them tackle those problems.
• Start small. Help your children set a few small, achievable goals and work up from there.
On behalf the entire faculty and staff of Snowden we wish you all the best for a safe, healthy, and prosperous
New Year.
Randy Thompson (“Mr. T”)
Principal