Please join us at Alanton Elementary School for Open House on Thursday, August 24! Open House is a wonderful opportunity for students and parents to visit the classroom, meet the teacher, greet classmates, and drop off school supplies.

Classroom Information/Presentations:

• Teachers will email parents classroom information, which will include key components of the school year in advance of the Open House event.

Kindergarten Open House:

• 9:00-10:30 a.m.
• Kindergarteners will engage in fun activities, meet new friends, and see their classroom. You will also have an opportunity to go on a school tour.

Grades 1-5 Open House:

• 2:00-3:30 p.m.
• Please feel free to arrive at any time within the time frame.
  
• Kindergarten teachers will not be available at this time - please attend at 9:00 a.m.

School Nurse: Ruth Metzger, AES Nurse, will be available during Open House to answer questions. You are welcome to drop off medications at this time with a doctors order.

Car Tags: If you are going to pick your child up from school each day, you will need a registered ‘Car Tag’. We will have a ‘Car Tag’ table set up in the front of the school during the Open House event.

PTA: Please stop by the PTA table after Open House. We would love 100% membership from our school community this year! They will also have a sweet treat for our Astros.

Alanton Astro families, save time at open house and sign up for PTA today using the link or QR code below.

Then stop by the PTA open house table and grab your free Alanton Astros car magnet and icy pops for the kids!

• https://alantonpta.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true

Sending a HUGE THANK YOU to our fabulous volunteers for bringing in goodies for the Alanton staff! All treats were greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all!

It is going to be a FANTASTIC year!

School Hours:

• Please Note Arrival/Dismissal Time Change!
  
• Arrival: 8:25-8:45 a.m. Please do not drop-off early, as we do not have supervision.
• It is important for all students to arrive on time and be in classrooms ready to learn by 8:45 a.m. Students will be marked as tardy if they arrive in their classrooms after 8:45 a.m.
• If you arrive after 8:40 a.m., you must escort your child into the building and sign-in.
• Instructional Day: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
• Dismissal: 3:15 p.m.

Dismissal Changes:

• If there are any transportation changes to the regular dismissal routine for your child, please send a note or email the teacher and copy the front office: AlantonES@vbschools.com.
• All transportation changes must be made no later than 2:30 p.m.

Absences:

• If your child is going to be absent from school, email the teacher and copy the front office: AlantonES@vbschools.com
• You may also call the school to report the absence: 757-648-2000, Option 3.

Office Hours:

• School buildings are open for office hours Monday-Friday.
• Elementary School Office Hours 7:45 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.

AlertNow Messages:

• We use this system for frequent communication between school and home. To ensure that you are receiving up-to-date information regarding your child and Alanton, please keep us informed of any email or phone number changes through out the year. If you notice you are not receiving messages, please reach out to the office with phone and email information.

ParentVue is the application that allows parents to access information regarding their child's bus information, attendance, course history, class schedule, grades, and other important documents such as report cards. If you have not signed up for an account, go to https://www.vbschools.com/families/parent-portal

The 2023-2024 school bus schedules for general education students will be available in your ParentVue account on August 16, 2023. The schedules will continue to change as new student’s register so, please check your student’s assignment again, before the first day of school, for the most accurate school bus and bus stop information.

Remember, for the 2023-2024 school year only students who have registered for transportation will be assigned to a school bus and bus stop. If your general education student’s bus information is blank in your ParentVue account on August 17, 2023, please contact us to register for transportation. Assigning a bus and bus stop for your student may take 5 to 10 business days after you register for transportation.

Students who will be riding a special needs school bus will be contacted by your student’s school bus driver or school bus assistant before the first day of school.

• To access your ParentVue account or to sign up for a ParentVUE account, please follow the instructions available HERE.

Questions about your student’s bus? Email VBCPSbusstop@vbschools.com, visit our FAQ link found on the VBSchools.com website, or call VBCPS Transportation Services at (757) 263-1545. Please include your student’s name, student ID, home school, and home address in all correspondences.

We would love for all of our students to use bus transportation if possible! Once bus routes have been mapped out and bus assignments have been made, parents asking for their child to ride a VB school bus - whether for a day or for the entire school year - will need to email their request to the Alanton Office - AlantonES@vbschools.com and we will submit the request to the Office of Transportation Services. Processing bus requests may take up to 10-15 days so please plan ahead and make bus requests well in advance. Thank you.

All school bus stop arrival times for all VBCPS schools and programs are subject to change significantly due to traffic or the enrollment of new students. ParentVue will provide the most up to date bus route information available. Please have your child at the bus stop at least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time, 10 minutes early for at least the first couple of weeks of school.

We understand you may have already viewed your transportation arrangement in ParentVue. Please revisit ParentVue again prior to school starting to see if there are changes.

• We dismiss students starting at 3:15 p.m. each day.
• Please be patient throughout the first few weeks. Buses may run a bit slower than usual as students are learning routines and procedures.
• Car Riders - Students will be dismissed to the cafeteria to wait for their name to be called in the order of your arrival in the car line.
• Parent Pick-Up - Walkers will be dismissed to the main lobby. Parents should wait outside of the main doors for students.
• KidzQuest students will be dismissed to the gym.
• Bus Riders and Daycare Vans/Buses will be called to the bus loading zone as they arrive.

• Safety is our priority! Always drive at a safe speed on school grounds and follow the established guidelines.

• See the map below and follow the traffic pattern during drop-off and pick-up. Always turn around at the loop in the back of the parking lot in order to avoid accidents.

• You are required to have a car tag when picking up in the carline. We issue new car tags each year. Please recycle all old car tags. Your first set of car tags are free and replacement tags cost $3.00.

• Drop-off no later than 8:40 a.m. Students need to be in their classrooms by 8:45 a.m. or they are considered tardy. Attendance is so important and is part of the school record. Please arrive on time for school each day!

• If you drop-late, you will need to park, walk your child into school, and sign them in at the security desk.

• We will have adults assist students by opening car doors beginning at 8:25-8:40 a.m. Please do not exit the car until an adult is present. (Safety Patrols may arrive early for duty.)

• Students should be ready to exit the car as you pull up to the curb. Please remind students to have all of their belongings ready as you are pulling into the school.

• Please refrain from using cell phone devices while in the carline for safety reasons. We need your full attention when children are getting in and out of cars.

• No smoking or vaping on school grounds - this includes in your car while on school property.

• Students should be able to self-buckle in order to keep our line moving. Please do not get out of your car during drop-off or pick-up. We will have plenty of staff available to assist students. (Please practice self-buckling with students.)

• Always stay in the queue unless we direct you to go around a car in front of you.

• There may be times when a student is not readily available during dismissal. We may ask you to pull up to the crosswalk to wait. We ask that others pay attention to this and drive safely around the car.

• Students should always exit on the curb side for safety reasons.

• During pick-up, please queue up to the first white dot on the sidewalk. We will begin dismissal at 3:15 p.m.

• It is important that we keep the line moving in order to dismiss all students in a timely manner.

• Please be patient the first few weeks as we practice our routines.

• If you are not able to follow the established guidelines, we ask for you to call the school to arrange bus transportation.

In alignment with VBCPS policy, student use of personal cell phones, personal communication devices and accessories, such as earbuds, Smart Watches or personal wireless headphones are prohibited during instructional time and in instructional settings. These items must be stored in a backpack. Such items should not be kept on the person or in the clothing of a student as doing so allows students to access the device with ease. Please note that the school is not responsible for lost or damaged personal devices.

Should students need to contact a parent or guardian, they should use the main office phone. The information about this policy can be found on VBschools.com. Thank you for playing an important and supportive role to ensure a highly engaged, student-centered learning environment for all students.

Breakfast and lunch will be offered free of charge this year at Alanton Elementary School. If your child would like to purchase additional snacks, you will need to have money on their account. You could access your child's account by clicking on the VBCPS School Cafe button below.

Birthdays are a time to celebrate! We know parents love to send goodies for students to celebrate with their friends. Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) considers the care of students a top priority and seeks to work with parents/legal guardians to manage life-threating food allergies and other special dietary needs of the student.

Given safety concerns over increasing numbers of food allergies, parents who want to share items with classmates to celebrate their child's birthday can choose to provide non-food birthday treats for class celebrations. Items such as stickers, bubble packs, pencils, and books are all great choices. If you choose to send in a non-edible celebration treat, please communicate with the teacher and make sure to have enough for every student in the class. Food items will NOT be allowed to be sent in to be shared with other students for birthday celebrations.

In addition, our School Cafeteria is offering birthday celebration food selections that have already been pre-checked for allergies by VBCPS Cafeteria and nursing staff. You can complete this form to order birthday treats. Please place orders a week in advance to help our café staff prepare. All birthday treats will be enjoyed during lunch time.

Birthday Invitations - Students may not distribute birthday invitations at school unless they have one for every single student in the class.

If you would like to drop-off school supplies so your child is not carrying a heavy backpack on the first day of school, you are welcome to drop items off at the security desk. You do not need an appointment to drop-off supplies. You could also bring school supplies to Open House on August 24.

Kindergarten is an exciting time of new beginnings and of learning new things each and every day. In Virginia Beach City Public Schools, our primary focus is on teaching and assessing the skills our students need to thrive. Some of the skills you will see in your child’s kindergarten classroom include:

• Developing awareness of sounds and letters in words (such as rhyming, clapping syllables and naming/writing letters)
• Generating ideas and unique solutions.
• Identifying problems, questioning strategies and developing solutions.
• Asking how and why questions and having students defend their answers and explain their thinking.
• Listening attentively and communicating ideas.
• Collaborating to solve a problem and develop a product.
• Searching for and using information from print and pictures to comprehend text.
• Retelling a story and identifying facts.
• Identifying and discussing characters, setting and events of a story.
• Using technology to leverage learning experiences.
• Writing and illustrating stories about learning experiences.
• Exploring numbers, quantities and relationships through problem-solving and reasoning.
• Self-managing, responsible decision making and becoming more socially aware while working with partners, in a group and individually.

Our kindergarten program is developmental; lessons and activities are designed to meet the needs of students based on their individual stages of development. The kindergarten program integrates the teaching of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and health through a language-rich curriculum.

VBCPS recognizes that a child’s first and most important teacher is his/her parents/guardians; therefore parental involvement in the learning process is highly valued. You will receive ongoing communication regarding your child’s progress through a variety of methods such as notes, emails, phone calls, ParentVUE, conferences, progress reports and report cards. Again, welcome to kindergarten and the beginning of your child’s academic career with VBCPS!

Please take time to review the VBCPS Code of Conduct with your children.

Please note that threats of any kind, even if intended as a joke, are taken extremely seriously and may be cause for disciplinary action up to and including investigation and potential criminal charges. We work closely with the Office of Security and Emergency Management and the Virginia Beach Police Department when threats are made and communicate that information with families accordingly. Please help us by making sure your child understands the severity of making any type of threat (words/gestures) and the consequences that could follow those actions.

Alanton Nurse:

• Ruth Metzger, Registered Nurse
• Email: Ruth.Metzger@vbschools.com
• Clinic: 757-648-2007

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Welcome to Alanton Elementary! My name is Ruth Metzger, and I am a Registered Nurse. I will be providing nursing care to your child during the school year. The school clinic is equipped to provide first-aid for school-related illnesses and injuries. In addition, I will provide treatments and medications that have been ordered, in writing, by your child’s doctor, and develop a school health care plan if necessary. Communication regarding any Covid-19 mitigations will be communicated through division emails and www.vbschools.com website.

Health Screenings: During the school year, students could receive skin, hair, and dental screenings. In addition, new enrolling students in all grades and students in kindergarten and 3rd grade will have their vision and hearing screened, as well as any child at the teachers request. You will be notified if your child fails a screen. All parents/guardians of 5th grade students will receive general scoliosis information at the beginning of the school year. If you do not want your child to participate in any of the above health screenings, you must provide a written request to the nurse before Sept 16th, or within 7 days of receiving this letter.

Physical and Immunizations: To enroll your child in school you will need to provide documentation of a physical examination performed no earlier than 12 months prior to entering kindergarten, as well as the minimum immunization requirements for entry into a Virginia school. Religious and medical exemptions are accepted.

Medications: Virginia Beach School Board regulation states that any student required to take prescription or over-the-counter medication in school must have an order from a licensed provider and signed permission from the parent/guardian on one of the following forms:

a) Request for Administration of Medication in Hampton Roads Schools,

b) Asthma Action Plan,

c) Diabetic Management Plan, and/or

d) Life-threatening Allergy Management Plan.

These forms are available from the school clinic and are posted on the www.vbschools.com website. All student medication must be brought directly to the clinic by the parent/guardian (or designated adult) and must either be in the original prescription bottle with a label that matches the medication order or in an unopened sealed container, if it is an over-the-counter medication. A parent/guardian may come to the clinic during the school day to administer medication to their child.

Medications prescribed for administration in school, and stored in the school clinic, are not available to students after regular school hours. If your child could require emergency response medications such as EpiPens, insulin/glucagon, and/or asthma inhaler, it is important that you notify the school nurse and activity sponsor, prior to your child participating in school sponsored after-school activities/events. The VBCPS medication policy allows students to self-carry and self-administer these types of emergency medications if the proper medication forms are completed by their health care provider. Trained school staff will have access to clinic stock EpiPens. It is important that a plan is developed by parents/guardians, school nurses, and activity/event sponsors to ensure the best possible safe environment for your child.

Communication: Please inform me of any health conditions that could affect your child during school and if any health accommodation will be necessary. Students will only be excused from participation in P.E. class for up to 3 days with written parental permission. If your child needs to be out of P.E. for more than 3 days, a written doctor’s note is required. It is important that the school has your current phone numbers and information regarding your designated emergency back-up persons.

I am here to help your child have a healthy school year! Please contact me should you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Ruth E Metzger, RN

• Please send your child with a refillable water bottle each day.
• We are asking that you only send water for classroom use. You may send other beverages for students to enjoy during lunch.
• We have four bottle filling stations throughout the school for students to use.

Check out the counselor's webpage by clicking on the link below.

• Counselor's Link: https://sites.google.com/vbschools.com/counselors-corner-alanton/home/student-resources-and-activities-page

Please feel free to reach out to Alanton's counselors if your child is in need of support:

• Paige Davis - Paige.Davis@vbschools.com
• Kimberly Ashton - Kimberly.Ashton@vbschools.com
• Andi Davis - Military Counselor: davisgordona@magellanfederal.com
• 757-648-2013

PTA Executive Board:

• President: Sarah Miller
• First Vice President​: Tara Ryan
• Second Vice President:​ Trichell Shields
• Treasurer​:​ Laura Frank
• Recording Secretary​: Kelly Gressley
• ​Corresponding Secretary​: Jessica Folck

Hello Fabulous Astro Families!

We are soliciting donations for Treats for Teachers this year! We have 90 staff that so appreciate getting a treat at the end of the week! Teachers love sweets, chips, fruit, etc!

We suggest grabbing a buddy or two OR grabbing your bus stop, sports team, club, etc. to sponsor a Friday or two!

Thank you so much for helping show our staff how much we love them!

Donations can be dropped off at Alanton ES on Thursday during the day or Friday morning (the date chosen) before 8:00 a.m.:

• Treats Sign-Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e4aa4a723a4fd0-treats1#/
  

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Molly Vaughn or Carrie Ziemer.

• Molly Vaughn: mollygvaughn@gmail.com 757-646-0749
• Carrie Ziemer: beachgalcarrie@gmail.com 814-659-3250

Did you know that Virginia Beach students have digital access to the Virginia Beach Public Library? Through a partnership between Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) and Virginia Beach Public Library (VBPL), all K-12 students have year-round public library digital access.

Browse for resources using this link VBPL's Digital Library or access the Virginia Beach Public library through Clever. When prompted for a library card or account number, enter the following:
Login: S + VBCPS Student ID number. Example: S1234567
Password or "PIN"​: Date of birth in MMDD format. Example: a Jan. 1 birthday would be 0101​

Details

• Students only need their login and password to access digital resources 24/7. No physical library card is issued. ​
• Student accounts include public computer access at all VBPL locations except for the TCC/City Joint-Use Library.
• VBCPS accounts expire 30 days after a student graduates or leaves the VBCPS district.
• Access to Hoopla and Newsbank resources is not included in VBCPS student accounts.
• ​Students may also hold a Youth Library card (with parent signature) to check out physical items from the library.

Alanton Elementary School is a place where we

inspire excellence, empower engagement, and

encourage creativity and innovation.

Destination: Future Ready!

Email: Charlene.Garran@vbschools.com
Website: https://alantones.vbschools.com/
Location: 1441 Stephens Road, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Phone: 757-648-2000
Facebook: facebook.com/AlantonPTA
Twitter: @AlantonAstros