Back to School 2022

The start of school is just around the corner, and I'm very excited for Tiger students to return to the building! I've always felt excitement and eager anticipation with the start of a new school year. Who doesn't love the smell of new crayons and fresh pencils?!? Truly, I feel very blessed to be the principal at Triton Central Elementary and look forward to another great school year!

In this newsletter you will find a lot of important information about the start of school. Please take a few minutes to read through all the details for the upcoming school year.

Best,

Mrs. Heather Gant

Principal

• Mrs. Courtney McFarland, 3rd Grade Teacher
• Mrs. Shelby White, Music Teacher
• Miss Emily Campbell, 1st Grade Teacher
• Mrs. Stacey McCartney, 2nd Grade Teacher

Reminder, all returning students need to complete registration. Teacher assignments and bus routes cannot be determined unless your student is registered. Registration must be completed by July 25, 2022 in order for bus transportation to be available for the first day of school.

HERE is the link to Powerschool in case you have not completed registration for your returning student/s.

Teacher assignments will be available within Powerschool on July 27, 2022.

Childcare Hours of Operation

AM- 7:00-9:00 AM

PM- 3:40 PM (2:40 PM for 5th & 6th Grade students)- 6:00 PM

Car Rider Drop-off & Pick-up

Drop-off: 8:40-8:55 AM

Pick-up: 3:40 PM

School Starts- 9:00 AM

Students are tardy after 9:00 AM and will need to be signed in at the main office.

School Dismissed- 3:45 PM

In order to be consider for lunch and textbook assistance, you must fill out the application for free and reduced lunch. You can access the application at www.lunchapplication.com. Once there, select Indiana and under school district, NWCSD of Shelby County-Triton Central.

Click HERE for 2022-23 school supply lists. Supply lists can also be found on the TCES webpage under Parent Resources.

ALL STUDENTS NEED ACCESS TO IPAD CHARGERS – This is for home use on eLearning Days.

ALL STUDENTS NEED TENNIS SHOES FOR GYM CLASS.

On August 1st from 5:00-7:00 PM we will be providing an opportunity for you to:

• PICK UP CAR TAGS for those planning to pick up every day or most days. Car rider families will need to complete a new form and receive new tags for the 2022-23 school year. Families choosing this option must be able to drop-off between 8:40-8:55 AM and be in the car rider line by 3:40 PM for dismissal. If your child is going to be a car rider during the week it is essential your family is issued a car rider tag. Please ensure you have identification with you when you come to open house in order to receive your tags.

• REGISTER FOR CHILDCARE if you plan utilize this school year. Students must be registered for childcare in order to attend.

• MEET THE TEACHER before the first day of school. Our teachers are excited to meet you and your student/s! This event provides an opportunity for your child’s teacher to get dismissal plans and additional information for the first day of school to go as smoothly as possible.

• DROP OFF SCHOOL SUPPLIES to alleviate heavy backpacks on the first day of school. Supplies should be labeled with your child’s name. Please keep your child’s backpack for the first day of school. Bus drivers will tag backpacks to help students return to their correct bus at the end of each day.

• Please check PowerSchool to find out your child's teacher. Have your child practice saying their first and last name, grade level, and his/her teacher's name so staff can help them find the correct classroom.
• Make sure your child knows how he/she is getting home from school on the first day. Bus drivers will be tagging students' backpacks with colored tags unique to their bus and displaying an animal to help younger children associate to bus number and color.
• If your child is going to be a car rider, please make sure you have completed the car rider form and have received new car tag for the 2022-2023 school year.
• Changes to dismissal plans must be made with the office before 3:00 PM. If you are requesting your child to ride a bus other than the bus assigned, permission must be received from transportation before your child will be allowed to ride.

• Car rider families will need to complete a new form and receive new tags for the 2022-23 school year at our Back to School Open House. Families choosing this option must be able to drop-off between 8:40-8:55 AM and be in the car rider line by 3:40 PM for dismissal.

• Students will be released to vehicles displaying the car rider tag. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to maintain control of the possession of the car tag. Please list any additional adults who are authorized to pick up your child(ren) in the car rider line on your car rider registration form. These adults must show their I.D. in order to pick up your child(ren) if they do not have a car tag.

• Car tags must be displayed on the rearview mirror of the vehicle. Please do not lose them. There is a $3 cost to replace these tags!
  

• If you do not pick your child up by 4:00pm, he/she will be placed in childcare and you will be responsible for the $15.00 drop-in charge.

As presented at the March School Board meeting, the current cost of operation of our TCES Childcare program is approx. $77,000 a school year. The program brings in approximately $55,800, which puts the program in the deficit. To date, the district has been able to provide supplement funding to cover this underage. Those funds will end in 2024. With additional systemic changes that need to made for staffing concerns, it was determined to be the best time to also address financial concerns. Please review the following Welcome to TCES Childcare informational letter (changes have been highlighted in yellow).

CLICK HERE for PDF of the letter below.

Specials will operate on a four day rotation. Please pay close attention to your child's schedule for PE to ensure he/she wears appropriate shoes for gym class. You are also welcome to send in an extra pair of gym shoes for your child to keep at school if you prefer. Classroom teachers will do their best to keep you informed of the schedule. Our Specials Schedule for August is below as well as the rotation schedule by teacher.

Key things to remember...

• Birthday treats should be scheduled with your child’s teacher. Please contact the teacher before sending treats to school. There are certain guidelines we must follow to comply with state statutes. Please choose healthy snacks for party treats. Students truly do enjoy fruits and vegetables for their parties. The Indiana State Department of Health also requires any treats brought to school must be obtained at a store and cannot be baked at home. These regulations are in place to protect all the children with food allergy concerns as food labels are included in items purchased at a store. This policy also helps the school monitor against possible unintentional contamination.

• School Visitors: In order to ensure the safety of our students and to limit disruption of instruction, Triton Central Elementary School will implement the following visitor’s policy.

1. All visitors to the school building must enter via the main entrance and sign-in.
2. Students and staff are asked not to open doors for any person at a doorway.
3. All visitors must wear a name badge when they are inside of the school.
4. School visitors will only be allowed access to the buildings for essential school business that is approved by the building principal or designee.
5. If a visitor would like to meet with school personnel an arrangement must be made in advance. These arrangements can be made via email, or a phone call which notifies the school employee of the reason for the meeting request.
6. For the safety of our students, we will not be allowing visitors for lunch.

CLICK HERE for full PDF of our student handbook.