The Cardinal Connection

Dear Parents and Guardians of William F. Cooke, Jr. Elementary Students,

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! We hope that you are enjoying your summer vacation. You and your family are invited to meet your child’s teacher at our Cooke Walkthrough event on August 27th from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Student homeroom assignments will be located in each hallway that afternoon beginning at 3:30 p.m. Please do not call the school for your child’s classroom assignment. Please note that class lists are a work in progress and will be finalized on 8/26/26. Families are encouraged to bring any supplies from the Elementary School Supply List to this event, rather than having students transport on their first days of school. See the list below.

All car rider families will get an updated car tag assigned (2026-2027) and new car tags will be issued to all incoming Kindergarten and new Cooke families. These will be available to be picked up in our office starting on 8/10 or during our Cooke Walkthrough event. If you have not had a car tag in the past, but need one for this coming year, email Desiree.Nabors@redclay.k12.de.us. All NEW tags must be picked up no later than the first day of school so that everyone is prepared for the school year to begin on 8/31.

Bus schedules and transportation information will be emailed directly to families. Transportation details will also be available through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. This will be available starting August 24th.

The Red Clay Nutrition Department is committed to providing access to nutritious, delicious meals to as many students as possible. All Red Clay elementary students are able to receive a free school breakfast and lunch each and every day school is in session. The Nutrition Department will be providing a FREE dinner for all students who attend our Walkthrough event on 8/27 as well as a sample portion for all adults. Stop by the cafeteria that evening and experience the wonderful offerings that our Nutrition staff offers our students!

All students in grades K-5 will keep Chromebooks at school starting this year. More information will be forthcoming for a 4th or 5th grade student that may elect to take a Chromebook home.

All students will be issued a lanyard and badge. All students will wear this daily and use this to badge on and off of the bus in the AM and PM and also to get breakfast and lunch. These lanyards and badges will be available to pick up from your child's homeroom at our Cooke Walkthrough event.

For students in Grades 1-5, your child’s first day of school is August 31st. Kindergarten students have a “Split Start”. Kindergarten students with the last names A-L will have their first days on August 31st and September 1st (and will not attend on 9/2 & 9/3) and Kindergarten students with last names beginning with M-Z will start on September 2nd and 3rd (and will not attend on 8/31 & 9/1). There is no school on Friday, September 4th and Monday, September 7th in observance of Labor Day, for all students.

Please take note of our school hours:

8:45 a.m.- Car rider drop-off begins.

· Please stay in the line along the curb next to the sidewalk.

· Staff members will assist in opening car doors.

· Students should exit from the passenger side of your vehicle.

· Use the car line and do not park and walk your child to the sidewalk to ensure everyone’s safety in our busy parking lot.

· You may not pass cars during car line drop off.

· All cars will stay in line to exit the lot.

· Car riders will have an opportunity to get a “Grab-n-Go” breakfast from their assigned hallway cafe cart.

Bus riders enter the building.

Bus riders will have an opportunity to get a “Grab-n-Go” breakfast from their assigned hallway cafe cart.

9:05 a.m.- Instructional day begins.

Students are considered tardy after 9:05 a.m.

3:45 p.m.- Car rider and bus rider dismissal begins.

· Please follow the lines and remain in your vehicle.

· A staff member will bring your child to you.

· Each family is assigned a car tag number.

· All families must pick up their car tags from our main office prior to the 1st day of school.

· This number must be displayed on the rear view mirror of your vehicle.

4:00- 4:05 p.m.- Buses depart.

The staff at Cooke maximize the instructional time during the day. We ask that you limit late arrivals and early dismissals. Students are considered late after 9:05 a.m.. While early dismissals are discouraged, the latest time that early dismissals will be honored is 3:00 p.m..

Other items of note:

● Kindergarten teachers will be in the Library to greet Kindergarten students on the first day of school (A-L 8/31 and M-Z on 9/2).

All Kindergarten bus riders and car riders will be guided by a staff member into the building.

● Transportation will send communication before the start of school with transportation information.

● Please note that all early dismissals must take place before 3:00 p.m. and no transportation changes will occur after 3:00 p.m. We encourage you to choose whether your child will be a car rider or a bus rider for the school year and discourage changes except in case of pre-arranged schedules or emergencies.

● Please see the non-mandatory Elementary School Supply List on our website and Facebook page (see below).

● We will keep our Cooke community posted with important information on our Cooke Elementary Facebook page, Twitter (X) account: @CookeCardinal, and through our Cardinal Connection newsletter that is emailed to families. Weekly communication newsletters will begin when school starts.

We look forward to meeting all of our students on August 27th at the Cooke Walkthrough event! As Buzzy Cooke said, "Ya Gotta Believe" it's going to be a phenomenal year ahead!

In Partnership,

Roberta Jacobs

Principal

There’s still time to enroll, and we’re excited to welcome our newest learners into safe, caring, and engaging kindergarten classrooms. At Red Clay, children build confidence, make new friends, and develop the skills they need for a lifetime of learning and success.

What Families Need to Register

• 📋 Photo ID
• 🏠 Proof of Residency
• 👶 Birth Certificate
• 💉 Immunization Records

Children must be 5 years old by August 31, 2026.

Families can register online or in person at any Red Clay elementary school.

Get the Best Start at Red Clay

Whether you're a parent, guardian, grandparent, neighbor, or friend, you can help a child begin their educational journey in a place where they are known, supported, and inspired to thrive.

Learn more and enroll today:RedClaySchools.com/kindergarten

It is very important to read through our Cooke Family Handbook! It is full of information about our school and may answer questions that you have about routines, procedures and expectations at our school. We are going paperless with our Family Handbook this year!

We have a translate feature! Simply click "translate newsletter" and you can pick from many different languages!

¡Tenemos un botón de traducción! Simplemente haga clic donde dice "translate newsletter" y podrá elegir entre muchos idiomas diferentes.

The Red Clay Consolidated School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, handicap, veteran status, domicile, genetic information, or any legally protected characteristic. Inquiries should be directed to Human Resources at 302-552-3783.