Allen Elementary Back to School

We are so excited to kick off a brand new school year with you and your child! Our staff has been hard at work all summer preparing for a great start, and we are thrilled to have our students back in the building. At Allen, your child’s education and safety are always our top priorities.

To help us stay connected, each teacher uses a communication system such as Class Dojo or Remind. These tools allow teachers to send important updates and messages directly to you. If you haven’t signed up yet, please reach out to your child’s teacher by email so they can help you get connected.

Please take a few minutes to read through this newsletter carefully. It includes important information about arrival and dismissal, along with other helpful reminders. We ask for your patience during the first few days of school, as everyone is getting used to the routines. It’s normal for arrival and dismissal to take a bit longer at first, but by next week, you’ll start to see the process move more quickly. With 375 students to dismiss safely each day, your patience and cooperation make a big difference!

We’re so glad to have you as part of the Allen Elementary family. If you have any questions or need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,
Ms. Smith
Principal, Allen Elementary

MORNING ARRIVAL K-4

Drop off:

• Door 3 opens at 7:20 AM. Please wait for our staff to begin the arrival process. Do not leave your student unsupervised.
• School starts at 7:45 AM. Your student is tardy if they arrive after 7:45 AM.
• Always pull up to the furthest available number in the drop-off line.
• Please have students exit the vehicle on their own or with the assistance of our staff. STAY IN YOUR CAR.
• IF you are coming to the front office for any reason, please park in a parking spot and not in the drive. Otherwise, you will be asked to move your vehicle.
• If your student arrives at 7:45 or after, please park in a parking spot, come inside, and sign them into school for the day.
• Stay with the flow of traffic. Do not pass cars in the drop-off line. This is for the safety of students and our staff.

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL K-4

Pick up:

• Car pick-up starts at 2:15 PM.

• Please have your car tag visible.

• Stay in your cars, DO NOT block driveways, roadways, the fire station, or the BUS LANE.

• Do not pass cars in the line at the front of the school. Please wait in your spot for your student (0-4), and stay with the flow of traffic. This is for the safety of our students and our staff.

• Walkers will be released at the corner of Bradford and Campbell Ave.

• Parents who park and walk up to pick up a student must come to the office door area. Students cannot be released from the office door until all buses have departed.

https://nutrilinktechnologies.com/wp-content/uploads/CurbSmart_Parent_User_Guide.pdf

We work hard to make sure every student gets where they are supposed to go at dismissal. If you need to change the way your student is getting home, you must do one or both of the following:

• Call the office to inform us of the way home change. This must be done BEFORE 1:30, in order to get the communication to everyone for dismissal. If you call after 1:30, we may not be able to get that information to all of our staff who need to know.
• Send a message to your child's teacher through their communication system (Class Dojo or Remind). Do not send an email to the teacher during the school day since teachers often don't get to check their email until after school.

Our bus transportation team is working hard to get bus routes finalized. We understand this is challenging for parents. We are doing everything we can to help this process. Thank you for helping us as we work through the transition to a new software system for transportation. Bus routes should be finalized for next week.

We have new secretaries in our front office! Please feel free to stop in and say hello!

Building Secretary: Mrs. Smart (ssmart@marion.k12.in.us)

Attendance Secretary: Mrs. Marroni (amarroni@marion.k12.in.us)

School Nurse: Nurse Yoder (pbilliter-yoder@marion.k12.in.us)

Home School Coordinator: Mrs. Brane (lbrane@marion.k12.in.us)

Assistant Principal: Dr. Price (nprice@marion.k12.in.us)

Principal: Ms. Smith (msmith@marion.k12.in.us)

School Resource Officer: Officer Smith (mlsmith@marion.k12.in.us)

We want all students to be successful at school. You will hear a lot about the skills we are working on school-wide throughout the year. These skills help our students get the most out of their educational experience. Please help us by talking about these skills at home.

August Skills for Success:

August 6-15: Listening & Following Directions

August 18-22: Identify & Understand My Emotions

August 25-29: Recognize & Respond to Others' Emotions

Many of you are aware of the new attendance laws and requirements. Please make every effort to have your student at school and on time every day. We know kids get sick or have medical appointments, so the most important things to remember are:

1. If your child is absent, call into the school office to let us know they will be absent and why they are absent.

2. Provide a doctor's note for any medical appointments.

Communication is key! Keep us informed so we can document absences accurately.

Click on the image to see monthly menus!

We would love to have you join our team! Meetings are monthly. Sign up forms available in the front office.