Phenomenal Phelps Facts

As summer winds down, the excitement at Phelps Elementary School is building! Our dedicated staff is busy preparing to welcome your family to what promises to be a joyful and inspiring school year. We have so many exciting adventures, learning opportunities, and community-building events ahead and we can’t wait to share them with you!

Mark your calendars:

• Classroom Teacher Assignments:
• Information on your child's teacher will be available on Aspen on August 25 after 3:00 pm. An reminder email with your Aspen username and password will be sent out on August 25 prior to the release of the assignment information.
• ***Information regarding bus assignments and pick-up time will sent as soon as it is available. A separate email will be sent to let you know when the information is available on Aspen. Any questions regarding busing should be directed to Noelle Novio in the Superintendent's Office by email at nnovio@rocklandschools.org.
• Welcome Back Open House: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Come meet your teacher and find your classroom!)
• First Day of School: Wednesday, September 2, 2026

We would love for you to be part of our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), a wonderful way to get involved in planning and running fun programs for our students. Please look out for an upcoming announcement with the date for our first PTO meeting and details on how you can get involved. Whether you can help organize an event, volunteer your time, or share creative ideas, your participation makes a difference in our school community.

Also, if you missed New Family Night on August 20, or just want to see the information that was shared, check out the link provided below to the Google Slideshow that was presented that night.

We’re thrilled to begin this journey together. Welcome to the 2026–27 school year at Phelps Elementary!

There are four ways students can arrive and be dismissed from school.

1. Bus
2. Car
3. Family Walk-Up
4. Before and/or After-School Daycare

Please read through the procedures developed for Phelps Elementary School below. These procedures have been developed along with our School Resource Officers to keep all students, staff, and families safe at arrival and dismissal.

KidAccount Cards will be given out to all families at Open House on Tuesday, September 1 from 4-5pm or sent home on the first day of school. Please see the section below that describes the KidAccount system.

We ask you to be patient, especially during the first two weeks of school, as new families get acquainted to our procedures. We are welcoming and dismissing approximately 640 elementary school students and take this responsibility very seriously. Please listen to all directions from our staff members and follow our procedures so that all students can arrive and leave school safely and efficiently. Thank you for your cooperation.

If you are walking your child to Phelps Elementary, please use sidewalks to walk to the main entrance (A1 on map above). Students should arrive between 7:15-7:30 am. Please listen to all directions given by the crossing guard, school resource officer, and school staff to keep everyone safe.

Please do not park in the front spaces of Phelps and walk your child to the main entrance. Also, do not park in the carline to walk your child up to the entrance. This disrupts our carline arrival and causes safety issues. If you choose to walk your child up and want to park, please park on Reed Street or use RMS parking and walk up to the school. Front spaces are reserved for visitors, parents attending meetings, or staff members.

There is NO ACCESS for cars at the Reed Street entrance during arrival and dismissal. Please enter from Division Street. The Reed Street entrance/exit is for bus and staff access only during arrival and dismissal.

At dismissal, caregivers on foot only should report to the exit by the front side playground (D7 on map above). You will need your photo ID and KidAccount card to dismiss your child at Family Walk Up. Your card will be scanned, and your child's name will come up in their classroom for family pick up. After your card is scanned, please move aside so other caregivers can have their card scanned. You will need to wait away from the doorway for your child to be delivered to you. Students will not be dismissed from the office at dismissal time. For safety, security, and an efficient dismissal, you will need to report to the D7 door. Please do not park in the carline or front spaces during dismissal as our carline needs to operate in a safe and timely manner.

Reminder---Reed Street entrance will not be accessible by car during arrival and dismissal. Please use sidewalks and crosswalks to safely exit the Phelps Elementary School Campus. Thank you for keeping our students, families, and staff safe during our dismissal process.

Our staff will supervise and deliver students to buses or daycare at dismissal time. Please try to keep your child to a consistent schedule of days riding the bus or attending daycare. Since our students are young, constant changes in schedule can be very upsetting and confusing to them.

All changes to any schedule (unless an emergency situation) need to be called into our office by 1:30pm at the latest in order to be entered into our system. Messages regarding dismissal should not be sent by email or Class Dojo to your child's teacher. Thank you for helping us dismiss our 640 students in an efficient manner. We appreciate it!

School breakfast and lunch will be free for all for the 2026-27 school year. Students will be offered breakfast as they enter school for the day. Students can choose to have the school lunch (menus will be shared with you as soon as they are available) or bring a lunch of their own from home. Early release day lunches will provided and need to be eaten in school. Due to state regulations, lunches will not be sent home with students on early release days any longer. More details will be sent home before our first early release day on Thursday, October 1.

Please note that sodas, energy drinks, coffee, and candy should not be sent with students to school.

Tuesday, August 25

• Information on your child's teacher will be available on Aspen on August 25 after 3:00 pm. An reminder email with your Aspen username and password will be sent out on August 25 prior to the release of the assignment information.
• ***Information regarding bus assignments and pick-up time will sent as soon as it is available. A separate email will be sent to let you know when the information is available on Aspen. Any questions regarding busing should be directed to Noelle Novio in the Superintendent's Office by email at nnovio@rocklandschools.org.

Monday, August 31

• Phelps Elementary School and the main office will be closed to visitors from 1:00-3:00 pm on Monday, August 31 due to a whole-school safety training

• Find your new classroom and meet your teacher! This is the perfect opportunity to ease those nerves about the first day of school. Come the night before school begins to the Phelps Open House.

Wednesday, September 2, 7:30 am: Phelps First Day of School Begins!

• We are so excited to welcome you to a new year at Phelps Elementary. Carline and family walk-up drop off is from 7:15-7:30 am. Students need to be in the building by 7:30 am to allow for breakfast and getting settled into classrooms. Please allow us a week to get our new families adjusted to our routine. Beginning Monday, September 14, students who are not in the building by 7:30 am will be marked tardy.
• Dismissal is at 2:00 pm daily. On early release days, Phelps Elementary School is dismissed at 10:45 am.
• Please see the map below for arrival and dismissal procedures. Don't worry--there will be plenty of staff members available to help you with our routines. The main thing to remember about carline--Parents, please DO NOT get out of your car. Students should be ready to exit, and a staff member will open the passenger side back door to help them to enter our building. Thank you for your cooperation in making arrival a safe and smooth procedure.

• Labor Day Observance

Thursday, September 24 5:30-6:30 pm--Title One Night/Book Bingo/Parent Engagement Course

• More information to come--Stay tuned!

***Information regarding bus assignments and pick-up time will sent as soon as it is available. A separate email will be sent to let you know when the information is available on Aspen. Any questions regarding busing should be directed to Noelle Novio in the Superintendent's Office by email at nnovio@rocklandschools.org.

Phelps Elementary uses a program for daily dismissal. KIDaccount is a two-part system that helps streamline our dismissal process and make it safer and more structured for our students and families.

KIDaccount makes delivering messages to the classroom for transportation changes easier and more efficient. When a change needs to be made, parents/guardians can either send a note or call the office. The changes are recorded in the KIDaccount system, and at the end of the day, the teacher can display the dismissal method and any changes on their SmartBoard, so the students can see how they are getting home.

Please remember the following procedures:

• Any changes need to be called in by 1:30pm. Failure to do so may result in your child not receiving the message.

• To make a change, parents/guardians must call the office or send a note. Do not contact the teacher directly regarding dismissal changes.

The second part of this system takes place in the family carline and family walk-up dismissal line. Families will be issued two cards with a barcode. This barcode will be scanned by staff in the car line or at family walk-up. As barcodes are scanned, the student’s name will appear on a screen inside the classroom. Students will then be released from the classroom and dismissed to the pick-up area (either carline or family walk-up). Please see the map and description included above in the Phenomenal Phelps Facts newsletter regarding arrival and dismissal procedures for family pick-up.

Note:. All students will receive new cards at Open House or the first day of school (if you do not attend Open House). During the first few weeks of school, please be prepared with a photo ID, as well, so that we can confirm your identity when picking up your child.

Anyone picking up a student without a card must state their name and show a photo ID. The person will be approved if they are on the approved parent pick up list. If the pickup person is not on the list, it will be necessary to go to the office so that parents/guardians can be contacted for approval.

This process accomplishes two things: First, and most importantly, it provides a layer of safety for our students. This system cross-references the barcode with a list of approved people who can pick up the child. If a person has the card, but is on a do not release list, administration and resource officers are notified immediately.

Secondly, it keeps our students inside and off the sidewalk and in the classroom, allowing us to maximize time in the classroom. Students and families will not have to navigate around other students and cars outside at dismissal. This system allows students to stay inside and watch the screen for their name to come up.

Of course, when implementing this with new families at the beginning of the year, it will slow us down for a few days. Please bear with us as we work out any issues that might come up. The safety of all is our number one priority.

If you have any questions or concerns, here are some staff members you can call or email:

Nichole Dever, School Administrative Assistant, ndever@rocklandschools.org

Brenda Mallar-Reske, Administrative Assistant (Kidaccount/Dismissal), bmallar-reske@rocklandschools.org

Michelle Scheufele, Principal, mscheufele@rocklandschools.org

Kelsey Holbrook, Assistant Principal for Grades 1 & 2 & Title One Director, kholbrook@rocklandschools.org

Chase Eschauzier, Assistant Principal for Grades 3 & 4, chaseeschauzier@rocklandschools.org

Amanda MacMillan, Phelps Special Education Coordinator, amacmillan@rocklandschools.org

Allison Sgambato, School Psychologist, asgambato@rocklandschools.org

Elizabeth Peckham, School Psychologist, epeckham@rocklandschools.org

Sarina Beauzile, School Adjustment Counselor for Grades 1 & 2

Holly Gage, School Adjustment Counselor for Grades 3 & 4, hgage@rocklandschools.org

Shani McGarry, Nurse, smcgarry@rocklandschools.org

Morgan Tiro, CNA

Email: mscheufele@rocklandschools.org
Website: https://www.rocklandschools.org/o/phelps-elementary
Location: 1 Lt Col Brian Duffy Way, Rockland, MA, USA
Phone: 781-871-8585