Palmetto Elementary

Since "Children are our Greatest Resource" we strive to educate and prepare them for the future.

📅 Weekly Attendance Goal

Our school goal is to maintain a 95% attendance rate each day.

🎃 Trunk or Treat Candy Drive! 🎃

Help us prepare for our Annual Trunk or Treat event! On tomorrow September 22, bring a bag of candy and enjoy a FREE DRESS DAY! 🍬✨

👗👕 Reminder: All clothing must be school-appropriate.

Thank you for your support in making this event a sweet success for our students! 🍬🚗🎉

🚨 EARLY DISMISSAL NOTICE 🚨 Please mark your calendars! Palmetto Elementary will have an early dismissal this Wednesday, September 23. ⏰

Dismissal Schedule:
🚌 12:00 Noon: First Bus Load
🚗 12:05 PM: Car Riders
🚌 12:10 PM: Second Bus Load

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the front office. Thank you for your support and cooperation! 🎒✨

🏈 Touchdown, mathematicians! Our Zearn Endzone Challenge is officially underway — students across the district are stacking up towers to score big on math skills this season. Log in, tackle those Zearn lessons, and help your school cross the goal line to the top of the leaderboard! 🎉📐 Help us by encouraging your student to complete 3 grade level lessons per week in Zearn.

Throughout the month, we will continue promoting a safe, respectful, and responsible school environment through our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program.

Each week, students and staff will focus on expectations for a specific school area. These expectations will be reviewed, modeled, and reinforced daily to help students make positive choices.

Focus Areas:

• September 1-4: Playground expectations

• September 8-11: Cafeteria expectations

• September 14-18: Sidewalk expectations

• September 21-25: Bus expectations

• September 28-30: Restroom expectations

During these weeks, students will participate in activities, discussions, and role-plays to demonstrate and practice the PBIS expectations for each area.

We encourage families to reinforce these expectations at home by talking with your child about what they are learning at school. Your support helps strengthen the connection between home and school and contributes to a positive learning environment for all students.

Thank you for helping make Palmetto Elementary a safe, respectful, and responsible place to learn and grow!

Morning Drop-Off Procedures:

• Bus drop-off begins at 7:00 AM.

• Car rider drop-off begins around 7:10 AM, after all buses have unloaded.

• If your child is eating breakfast, they should arrive by 7:30 AM.

• Please stay in your vehicle during drop-off. A staff member will assist your child.

• The Tardy Bell is at 7:40 AM - Students who arrive after the tardy bell must be signed in and receive a tardy slip. Classes begin promptly at 7:45 AM.

Afternoon Pick-Up Procedures:

• Bus dismissal begins around 2:55 PM with the first set of buses loading.

• Car riders are dismissed around 3:00 PM, after the first set of bus riders.

• Bus dismissal for the second set of buses will begin at 3:05 PM.

• Be respectful of others while waiting in line:

  • Stay in your vehicle.

  • Keep older children inside the car.

  • Avoid any actions that could cause damage or disturbance to others or their property.

Your cooperation helps create a safe and courteous environment for everyone. Thank you!

Bus Transportation:

• Students must ride their assigned bus route only.

• Due to capacity limits, students may not ride a different bus.

Lost and Found items are located in the office. If your child is missing an item, they can come to the office to check the lost and found.

In order to maintain a safe and secure environment for all students and staff, we kindly ask that all visitors report directly to the office upon arrival. A visitor’s pass will be issued if needed. For safety reasons, no one should walk around campus without a valid visitor’s pass. This policy helps us ensure that everyone on campus is accounted for, contributing to a safer school community. Thank you for your cooperation.

All students have been issued a student ID card. This card is needed for breakfast and lunch. If your child does not have their ID card, they will need to get a temporary ID. Each day they do not have their ID card, it costs $1.00 for the temporary card to be printed. If your child loses his/her ID card, there is a $5.00 replacement fee.

Monday --students must wear uniform polo shirt and uniform bottoms.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday - students may wear uniform polo shirt or a spirit shirt with uniform bottoms.

Friday - Jean Day for $1.00 each Friday. (unless you have paid for the year). Students may wear spirit shirts with their jeans. Jeans may not have rips or tears in which you can see skin underneath.

Please take the time to review SLPSB outerwear policy.

OUTERWEAR - Outerwear with a hood is only allowed for Pre-K through 4th grade students and shall not be worn indoors. Outerwear with a hood is not allowed for students in grades 5th - 12th. In cold weather, students will be allowed to wear the following over their school uniform:

A. SWEATSHIRT (without a hood 5th & 6th) - A sweatshirt must be waist length with a tight, ribbed elastic bottom, must be plain, solid colored in black, white, heather gray, or navy with no emblem, logo, or marking. Students can wear a sweatshirt in the optional school color with school logo.

B. SWEATER (without a hood 5th & 6th) - Crew neck, V-neck, or cardigan style (those that button or zip from the bottom) sweaters must have sleeves, must be waist length, must be plain, solid-colored in black, white, heather gray, or navy with no emblem, logo, or marking. Optional school color with school logo and school-issued sweaters are permitted.

C. LIGHTWEIGHT JACKET/WINDBREAKER/COAT (without a hood 5th & 6th) - All outerwear, except for sweatshirts, must zip, button, or snap from top to bottom and must not be longer than upper mid-thigh.Outerwear must be plain, solid-colored in black, white, khaki, heather gray, or navy with no emblem, logo, or marking; however, jackets in the optional school color with school logo and school issued jackets are permitted.

NOTE: No leather, synthetic leather, corduroy, or suede will be allowed, unless school issued.

KNIT CAPS (Beanie) (without a face covering, ear flaps, or poms) - allowed as head gear and must be removed when entering school buildings/classrooms. Optional school color with school logo and school issued beanies are permitted.

Students are expected to be in attendance every school day scheduled by SLPSB. In order to receive a high-quality educational experience, students are encouraged to be in school each day. When students are absent, they miss a lot. When a child checks in late or checks out early, instructional time is missed.

The St. Landry Parish School Board Student Handbook states that Pre-K through eighth-grade students will not be allowed to exceed ten (10) absences each school year. The responsibility for a student attending school lies with the parents or the legal guardian. If the student is chronically absent or chronically late (tardy) to school or class, the parent and/or student shall be referred to the Office of School and Home Relations (Child Welfare and Attendance). If attendance does not improve, the parent shall be referred to the St. Landry Parish City Prosecutor and Opelousas City Court. You are encouraged to send in excuses on days when students have to be absent. Communication will make a difference.

Parents will be contacted via telephone, letter and/or home visit on the 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, etc. absence and/or tardy. We are mandated to report every fifth (5th) absence and/or tardy to the St. Landry Parish School Board Office of Child Welfare and Attendance. If attendance does not improve, the parent shall be referred to the St. Landry Parish City Prosecutor and Opelousas City Court.

Louisiana law mandates compulsory school attendance and every parent or legal guardian of a student shall enforce and be held accountable for the attendance of their child for every day scheduled by the School Board until their 18th birthday, unless the student graduates before their 18th birthday. La. R.S. 17:221(A)

Attendance is critically important for all students, especially in elementary school, where they are building essential foundational skills. Students are expected to be present every school day, as absences can cause them to fall behind and miss vital learning. Even being just a few minutes late can result in missing key information.

School starts promptly at 7:45 AM every day. Students are expected to be in the classroom by 7:40 AM daily.

Early Checkouts: Please refrain from checking out students early unless it’s for a doctor’s appointment or illness. Leaving early causes students to miss important lessons and disrupts their learning.

Attendance Policy Reminder:

• Unexcused Absences: After five (5) unexcused absences, an LA15/FINS referral will be completed, and you may be reported to the Office of Child Welfare and Attendance. Additionally, any student with more than ten (10) unexcused absences may be retained in their current grade.
• Chronic Absence/Truancy Law: According to Louisiana’s Chronic Absence and Truancy Law (R.S. 17:233), habitual absence or tardiness may lead to a referral to juvenile or family court. A student is considered habitually absent or tardy if:
  • Efforts to correct the issue have been exhausted.
  • There are five unexcused absences or tardies within a month.
  • A pattern of five absences is established.

Compulsory Attendance Law: The State of Louisiana mandates that students cannot have more than ten (10) unexcused absences in a school year. Any student with eleven (11) or more unexcused absences may be retained in their current grade.

We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring that your child attends school regularly, arrives on time, and is present for the entire school day. Together, we can support your child’s success and meet our attendance goal.

Parents have access to the Student Progress Center. You can check your student's current grades at any time. If you need instructions on how to create an account, please contact the office or an administrator.

Registration Fee for the 2026-2027 school year is $25.00. This fee includes technology, home to school communication folder, student's initial ID, student incentives, classroom supplies, copier supplies, copy paper, and other various student needs. You must pay online or by money order.

Act 422 of the 2023 Regular Legislative Session mandates that students in traditional public schools must meet specific literacy proficiency standards to be promoted to the fourth grade.