ELON PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PARENT INFORMATION 2015–2016
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ADDRESS:
11425 Ardrey Kell Road, Charlotte, NC 28277 TELEPHONE:
(980) 343-1440
FAX: (980) 343-1439
E-MAIL:
elonparkelem@cms.k12.nc.us
WEBSITE: http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/elonparkES/Pages/Default.aspx
OPERATING HOURS:
 Students:
8:15 am - 3:45 pm (regular hours).
(After 8:45 am a student is TARDY. If a student leaves for the day before 12:15 pm, he/she is marked absent.)
 Teachers:
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
 Office / Building:
8:00 am - 4:30 pm (6:00 pm for After School Enrichment Program)
CAFETERIA:
Parents cannot visit the school to have lunch with their children for the first three weeks of school as we are adjusting to school wide
routines during this time. While we know our students enjoy having parents join them for lunch, please adhere to the visitor’s guidelines posted in
the café. Also, please plan in advance and send your child’s lunch to school with them in the morning. We have a number of lunches dropped off at
the school each day. While the front office staff tries their best to deliver these lunches to students, we cannot guarantee your child’s lunch will get to
them on time.
 Breakfast: Served 8:15 – 8:40 am, Breakfast is FREE for any student that would like to eat.
 Bus students go directly to cafeteria
 Car riders arriving after 8:35 am WILL NOT be served breakfast.
 Lunch:
Classes are assigned a time to be served.
 Free and reduced lunch must be approved. All families may apply by completing an application form.
 When joining your child for lunch, only ONE family member may eat lunch in the cafeteria. Please sign in at the office and
meet your child in the cafeteria. Please sit in designated VISITOR tables (not with the class). Due to space constraints, only
your child may sit at these tables with you (no friends). Due to increased enrollment, further restrictions on lunch visits
may be necessary throughout the year.
 Cost:
o Breakfast:
Students
FREE
Adults
A la carte
o Lunch:
Students
$2.25 / $0.40 (reduced)
Adults
A la carte / Extra Milk
$0.60
Parents may prepay meals at any time. Please place your cash or check inside of an envelope and write your child’s name, teacher’s name, and
personal lunch number on the outside. You may also add to your child’s account online at www.paypams.com.
AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
BEFORE SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
 Hours:
3:45 - 6:00 p.m.
 Hours:
6:45 - 8:15 am
 Cost:
Weekly Fees: $ 45.00/child
 Cost:
Weekly Fees: $40.00/child
A $25.00 / family registration fee is required. To enroll in either program, email Susan Lew, Director, at susan.lew@cms.k12.nc.us
FIRST AID / MEDICATION
 The school strives to provide a safe environment for your child. If accidents do occur, a member of the faculty will render first aid. If it is of a
serious nature, the school will notify the parents. Any treatment beyond first aid will be the responsibility of the parent. In the event that a lifethreatening emergency occurs and parents cannot be contacted, the Principal and First Responders will make the decision to call EMS / 911.
Please make sure you complete the medical emergency form every school year. Notify the school when you change your address, physician,
or phone number(s).
 Medication, prescription and / or over the counter, will be administered ONLY after the proper form is completed and signed by the parent and
physician. Forms may be obtained from the office.
TRANSPORTATION CHANGES
 If you wish to change your child’s normal dismissal routine, a note should be sent to your child’s teacher by noon each day stating the change
and the date. E-mail notification must also be sent by noon, as teachers are teaching and cannot guarantee that they will have time to check
emails in the afternoon. Please advise your child of the contents of the note. NO STUDENT WILL BE ALLOWED TO CHANGE HIS/HER
DISMISSAL ROUTINE WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF HIS PARENT / GUARDIAN. It is your responsibility to inform the day care
center, baby-sitters, and / or carpool drivers of your plans. FOR LIABILITY PURPOSES, NO PHONED IN CHANGES OF TRANSPORTATION
WILL BE ACCEPTED.
 Our afternoon bus ridership increases greatly as the year progresses. We will NOT be able to grant permission for children to ride home
with friends on another bus due to CMS transportation changes. Please do not assume that this can occur.
TELEPHONE MESSAGES / FORGOTTEN ITEMS—Books, Money, etc
 Due to the large number of children at Elon Park School, we ask that you not telephone the school to leave messages for students. If your child
has forgotten his/her lunch or lunch money, you may bring it to the school office and the secretary will see that it gets to him / her. Please do
not bring forgotten homework, book bags, gym shoes, jackets, etc., as it is your child’s responsibility to remember the items he/she needs
during the school day.
EARLY DISMISSAL BY PARENTS
 Only a parent or guardian may check a child out of school early. Secretaries must have your written permission in advance if any other person
is to pick up your child here. This rule is necessary to protect the child and the school. Adults asking for a child must show a valid photo I.D.
Students are only dismissed through the office. Stop in the office upon your arrival, state the reason for checking out early (medical or dental
appointment), and sign your child out. One of the secretaries will call the classroom for your child to be sent to the office for dismissal. Please
ask for an early dismissal only when absolutely necessary as your child will be missing valuable instructional time. Absolutely no early
dismissals will be granted after 3:00 PM.
 The instructional day ends at 3:45 p.m. Students signed out before 12:15 will be marked absent for the day if they do not return.
 If you have special court documents that restrict persons from contact with your child at school, contact the principal immediately to
protect your child and to minimize confusion. A copy of any custody papers or restraining orders must be on file in the school office in
order for the school to prevent the release of a student to a non-custodial parent. In the absence of such legal documentation, the school
must release a child to either parent.
 Ten (10) early dismissals and / or tardy arrivals which are reported on the attendance record will result in loss of perfect attendance awards.
ABSENCES & TARDIES
 Students are expected to be on time under normal circumstances. The time to initiate and practice good school habits is at the beginning of
school. Students are marked tardy after 8:45 am. Please take into account that we have a large number of car riders in the a.m. (300+)
and plan to leave your home accordingly. We strongly discourage unsafe driving in our parking lot and contact law enforcement as
needed to ensure that our students stay safe. Students who are tardy must get a tardy pass from the office to enter class.
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When a child is absent, he is expected to bring a note written and signed by the parent on the day he returns to school, giving the date of
absence and the reason for it. Student illness or a death in the family are the only lawful reasons for absence allowed by the state. If a note is
not received, the absence is considered unexcused.
EARLY DISMISSAL OF SCHOOL FOR AN EMERGENCY
 If school must dismiss early due to an emergency, you will be notified through the media and Connect Ed. Students will be sent home by bus,
car, or day care van according to their normal mode of transportation. The school cannot be held responsible for students whose parents wish
to pick them up rather than place them aboard the bus. It is best to allow your student to ride the bus rather than try to arrange alternate
transportation. We cannot get messages to students nor be responsible for returning telephone calls on a day when we must dismiss early.
 Our primary concern is safety for all our students. An unusual amount of traffic will hamper us from being the most effective in our efforts. All
parents should develop a plan with their children to handle emergency dismissal. There may be times that the buses will deliver your child at
home before you could arrive from work. Share your plan with your child and your child's teacher. We need your support!
EDUCATIONAL LEAVE / REQUEST FOR ABSENCE FOR VALID EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
Absence from school for reasons other than illness is strongly discouraged at Elon Park. In the event that such absence is deemed to have
substantial educational merit, a parent may apply, at least 3 weeks in advance of the absence, for educational leave for a student. This process
requires the completion of a pre-approved independent study contract, involving a project, journal, or presentation in addition to completing all make
up work upon the student’s return to school. Upon satisfactory completion of the contract, an excused absence will normally be allowed for no more
than one occasion per school year. Teachers are not expected to provide assignments in advance; make up work should follow return to
school in accordance with policy.
LOST AND FOUND
Items will be kept outside the entrance to the cafeteria. Please check before or after school for any item that may be lost. Each quarter, excess
items are donated to local charitable groups.
TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent-teacher communication is vital to your child's education. Teachers are willing to conduct conferences before and after school hours when
scheduled in advance. TEACHERS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION OR CONFERENCE DURING THE INSTRUCTIONAL DAY.
This results in a great loss of instructional time for all students. When you need a conference, please call the school or e-mail the teacher. A
message will be left in the teacher's mailbox to return your call. You are welcome to have lunch with your child at school, visit on special occasions,
attend PTO meetings, and volunteer for special projects.
VOLUNTEERS / VISITORS
Volunteers are encouraged and welcome in our classrooms. Prior to volunteering or chaperoning on a field trip, all parents must go through the
required CMS Volunteer Screening Procedures which can be found at www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/vp/Pages/VolunteerScreening.aspx
 Volunteers are to arrange their visits with the classroom teacher and / or staff member, sign in at the office, and take a sticker before proceeding
to the classroom. Due to liability issues, children who are not students at Elon Park may not accompany volunteers during their time at the
school.
 For non-volunteers, our Parent Visitation policy requires that parents wishing to visit their child’s classroom during school hours—8:45 am to
3:45 p.m.—arrange their visit with a member of the administrative team. This policy is in place in an effort to minimize interruptions to our
students’ instructional day and to allow teachers to make the absolute most effective use of the instructional time that they are given each day.
Accordingly, walking down to the room or “drop-in” visits are not permitted. This simply allows us to coordinate visits if several parents want to
come in on one day in order to minimize distraction in our classrooms. Please call to set up a time if you would like to visit your child’s class
and we will be glad to accommodate your request. Thank you for cooperating with us in this matter to ensure that our teachers deliver quality
instruction to all students.
 We do make an exception to this rule and permit parents to walk students to class the first week. (Parents of Kindergarteners may do so the
first 2 weeks due to staggered entry). We encourage parents, however, to let their students walk in by themselves from the very first day as
parking is a major issue at the school and a substantial number of walk-ins significantly slows the arrival process. All staff will be on duty
throughout the building to ensure that your child finds his or her classroom. Please assist us by letting your child walk in alone. After this time,
the above policy will be in place and walk-ins will cease in order to reduce traffic in the building and facilitate a smooth flow of our car
rider line.
STUDENT DRESS
Extreme styles in clothing and grooming may be detrimental to the maintenance of discipline and morale in school. The principal and staff are
responsible for determining and enforcing regulations governing proper dress and grooming of students. Any attire that causes a distraction will not
be allowed. Students should not wear attire that exposes large amounts of skin. Shoes are required at all times. Thong sandals and flip flops are
safety hazards. No Heelys, wheeled-shoes, flip flops, or rolling book bags are permitted. Students need to wear rubber soled shoes for
physical education.
SPECIAL EVENTS: CLASSROOM PARTIES AND THE SCHOOL ROCK
 Classroom parties are held 2 times during the year (Fall and End of Year) and are coordinated by the PTA. Room parents will call to make
arrangements. No siblings may attend parties. According to CMS regulations, only commercially prepared foods may be served to
students. Birthday parties for students are not permitted; however, if you wish to send a special snack for your child’s birthday, you may send
a commercially prepared simple treat that can be quickly passed out in the cafeteria following lunch. Due to a non-competition policy tied to
the federal funding of our free and reduced lunch program, pizza cannot be ordered for an entire class unless the delivery occurs
after the last lunch is served in the cafeteria. Wedding / baby showers, birthday parties for teachers, other parties, etc. are not
permitted.
 The school rock may be painted to celebrate student birthdays, etc. This is a very popular thing for our parents and students and the calendar
fills up rapidly. Please sign up to paint the LARGER rock on the Elon Park website under the School Rock Sign-up link. The rock must be
painted after school hours and parents must supply the paint. Please review all instructions on our website before signing up for the LARGER
rock. There is no sign up for the SMALLER rock and it may be painted at any time.