MUSTANG NEWS

Happy First Friday Mustangs!

We have had a great start of the school year! Thank you to our staff and parents for their support, cooperation, and patience. Throughout this week, teachers and students engaged in getting to know me activities, explicitly teaching our Mustang M.U.S.T, classroom routines and procedures, and started working on instructional content. Just as we were excited to welcome students back, we welcomed you back into the building as well! Parents are welcomed to escort students to class daily up until 7:35 am. Parents arriving after this time will not be permitted beyond the front office as instruction begins at 7:40 am.

We had our first PBIS Townhall Meeting led by our PBIS Coaches Ms. Brown and Ms. Collins. Students learned all about our behavior expectations while in classroom, on the bus, in the restroom, on the playground, and in the cafeteria. Even our school mascot Meg made a guest appearance! Please ask your student to share what our Mustang M.U.S.T behavior expectations are.

I am proud to say, we did pretty good with our school traffic! Please review the following helpful items that will make us more effective with morning arrival and afternoon dismissal:

Car Rider Etiquette:

• Please be alert at all times! We have students exiting vehicles, parents and students crossing the street, and staff supporting students as they exit their vehicle. Please be attentive to all mustangs.
• Please do not park in the car rider loop. The car rider loop is for quick drop offs only. If you would like to exit your vehicle and escort your child into the school, please park in a nearby visitors parking space. Parents may escort students to class up until 7:35 am daily.
• Please have your student ready to exit the vehicle. This means, make sure his/her bookbag and other belongs are ready and easily accessible. This speeds up the process tremendously!
• Pull all the way forward.
• Help your student learn his/her car rider number.
• Please be patient!

Lastly, remember the instructional day begins at 7:40 am. Students arriving at 7:41 am or later will be marked tardy.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Canty

Did you know that Cliftondale receives Title I Funds? Title I is a federally funded program designed to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic standards and state academic assessments. These funds support with student instruction, improve instructional strategies, and increase family engagement. Our Title I status is reviewed each year based on our percentage of students with Free or Reduced Lunch. We need your help Mustang-Parents! All we need is for you to complete a School Lunch Application for your household. It’s that simple!

• August 15th-District 4 Community Meeting at 6:00 pm at Global Impact Academy
• August 18th- FCS Board Meeting at 4:30 pm at South Learning Center
• August 24th- Bright From The Start PK Parent Orientation at 4:00 pm in the Media Center
  
• August 24th- School Governance Council (SGC) Meeting at 6:00 pm via Microsoft Teams
• August 30th and 31st- Redistricting 101-August 30 (12:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M.) and August 31 (6:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M.) on Microsoft Teams (link coming soon)
  
• September 5th- Labor Day- School is closed.
  
• September 6th- Remote Learning Day- Students learn from home.
• September 8th: Fall Picture Day (Individual Pictures)
• September 8th: Boy Scouts Parent Meeting and Registration 5:30 pm-6:30 pm in the cafeteria.
  
• September 15th - Round One of Redistricting - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Langston Hughes High School
• October 6th - Round Two of Redistricting - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Langston Hughes High School
• October 20th- Round Three of Redistricting - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Langston Hughes High School
• October 26th: Fall Retakes (Individual Pictures)

2022-2023 Bus Stops are now available via WebQuery. This tool allows parents to verify their child's assigned bus stop. Parents are also provided with an approximate time their student will be transported to and from school on his/her assigned bus. With our critical driver shortage, FCS Transportation has made bus stop times earlier for SOME elementary schools. This allows our buses to return for a second run. Please note that SCHOOL START TIMES are NOT affected. School instructional hours remain 7:40 am-2:20 pm. Cliftondale Elementary is one of several elementary schools across FCS that will have the 7:00 A.M. Early Drop-Off

Additionally, all parents are strongly encouraged to download the "Here Comes The Bus App". The tool is a free, easy-to-use website and app that enables you to see the location of your child’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. This way, you know when the bus is near your stop, so you can send your child out at just the right time. No more worrying about whether your child has missed the bus! If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's assigned bus or bus stop, please contact FCS Transportation Department at 470-254-6060.

FCS adopted a new Grading and Reporting Policy.

Are you registered for your Campus Parent Portal Account? If not, REGISTER TODAY! Everything you need as a parent is contained in the parent portal. You can monitor your student's grades throughout the school year, review your child's schedule, download progress reports and report cards, update your contact information, register other students within your household, withdrawal your student and so much more! If you already have an account, you do not need to register again. New users should click the link provided to register: Parent Portal Registration

*Please note, if you DO NOT have an email address on file, you will be unable to register via the provided link. Please call the school and ask for our Data Clerk, Ms. Allen.

Fulton County Schools (FCS) remains committed to communicating updates and/or changes to COVID-related protocols within the district. Maintaining face-to-face instruction is a top priority for our district. Fulton County Schools will conduct case investigations and contact tracing for positive cases only. Parents should report only positive cases to the Parent portal. Do not submit a report if you are waiting on a pending test result or for an exposure/direct contact. Fulton County Board of Health Case Investigators, FCS School Nurses and FCS Case Investigators will response to student and staff cases. Please be safe, and as always: Do not come send your child to school sick. If your child tests positive, please keep he/she home and isolate (follow the guidance provided by the Case Investigators and your provider). Please submit the positive test results via the PARENT PORTAL

Looking for Cliftondale Spirt Wear? Then look no further! Visit our PTA's School Store for all spirt ware and uniform needs.

Do you need HELP? Do you need RESOURCES? It's available to you through CONNECT FULTON. Search and connect to: financial assistance, food pantries, medical care, and other free or reduced-cost help.