The Jr. Bulldog Pride
Great things are happening at Grove Park Elementary!
Week 5
Greetings Jr. Bulldog Families,
We hope you've had a great weekend. There is a lot of new and important information for families in this week's newsletter. Please reach out if you have any questions.
WEEK 5 AT GPE
Monday, September 23rd: Specials Day 4 - Day 20 of school
Tuesday, September 24th: Specials Day 1 - Day 21 of school
Wednesday, September 25th: Specials Day 2 - Day 22 of school
Thursday, September 26th : Specials Day 3 - Day 23 of school
Friday, September 27th: Specials Day 4 - Day 24 of school
LOOKING AHEAD!
Tuesday, September 24th: GPE Papa John's Night
Wednesday, October 2nd: PTO Meeting @ 5:30
Saturday, October 5th: PTO Yard Sale at Grove Park
Tuesday, October 8th: Fall Pictures (only if you have given consent in PowerSchool)
Monday, October 14th: ABSS Family University 5:30-7:30
Friday, October 25th: Last day of 1st Quarter
Friday, November 1st: Report Cards Released
Friday, November 1st: 1st Quarter Awards Assemblies
September Attendance Challenge!
Our daily attendance percentage has gotten off to a great start! At the end of the 3rd week of school, we were at 95% for student attendance, which exceeds our goal of 93% for our School Improvement Plan. Ms. Horton and Mrs. Ellingworth have implemented an attendance challenge for the month of September. The grade level with the highest attendance percentage at the end of the month will win a Taki party or popsicle party!! Thank you for helping to make sure your child is at school every day on time!
Required Forms in Powerschool
There are new forms in the PowerSchool Parent Portal that must be filled out in order for your child to participate in vision/hearing screenings as well as have their picture taken. Students will NOT be allowed to have their picture taken for Fall School Pictures on October 8th without parent consent. See the pictures below for help finding the forms that need to be completed in PowerSchool. If you have trouble filling out the forms or have any questions, please call the front office at 336-570-6115.
Picture Day - October 8th
Click the link below to get more information about picture day. Don't forget to complete the photo & video release consent in PowerSchool so your child can participate in Fall Pictures.
Papa Johns Night! Tuesday, September 24th
Please help us out with this easy fundraiser! Order from Papa Johns on Tuesday, September 24th and tell them you are ordering from Grove Park Elementary! A portion of the money will come back to the school. This is a quick and easy way for our school to earn money and you don't have to cook dinner!
Lockdown Drill
We want to inform you that our school will be conducting a lockdown drill this week. This drill is an important part of our safety protocol to ensure that both students and staff are prepared in the unlikely event of an emergency. During the drill, students will practice how to respond safely and effectively. We will ensure that the environment is calm and supportive, helping them understand the purpose of the drill without causing unnecessary alarm. Please discuss with your child the importance of taking these drills seriously. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for your support in keeping our school community safe.
Bus Safety
Families,
We have had to pull bus cameras to view footage and are beginning to see more and more negative behaviors on the bus. Our buses do not have monitors, which means there is 1 driver and anywhere from 45-65 students. Our top priority is safety. The bus driver's main duty is to watch the road and make sure that student's arrive to and from school safely. It is nearly impossible for the bus driver to control all behavior and drive at the same time. Please remind your child that is imperative that they are in their seat, sitting quietly, with their hands to themselves for the duration of the ride. Students are given a verbal warning to correct their behavior before we call home. Once we contact parents, if the behavior does not improve, the student will be suspended from the bus. This is a safety concern and we will not tolerate bus misbehavior.
PTO
If you have questions about PTO or if you are interested in being a part of our PTO, please email Ana or Necole at Groveparkpto2024@gmail.com
IMPORTANT: Parents' Bill of Rights Preferred Name Form!
Parents’ Bill of Rights Preferred Name Form:
GPE families,
The “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” also known as Senate Bill 49, requires that schools receive parental notification before any name change regarding students is allowed. By law, schools cannot refer to students by any name other than what is printed on their birth certificate – this includes preferred names or nicknames. Ex: Will for William or CJ for Calvin Jr. Parents that wish their student to be referred to by a preferred name are required to complete the google form linked here. https://bit.ly/3ADshY9
You can also use the QR code below. Teachers and staff will be required to refer to students by their given (birth certificate) name until this form is completed by the parent/guardian. If you have any questions, please call the school.
For more information and resources regarding the Parents' Bill of Rights as it pertains to Alamance-Burlington Schools, visit the link below.
ABSS Code of Conduct
We are including the link to the District’s Code of Conduct here. While each of you are familiar with our school handbook, we wanted to make sure you had access to the District’s Code of Conduct that guides our decisions with consequences. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our administrative team.
ABSS Needs Bus Drivers!
Grove Park needs bus drivers! As you know, we have bus drivers running double routes because there are not enough bus drivers in the district. The next CDL class for bus drivers will be held November 18th-21st. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a bus driver, please click the link below for more information!
What's For Lunch?
To view the full month's menu, please click here.
Important Reminders
- School begins at 7:50 a.m. for ALL students Pre-K-5. Students that arrive by car should be in the building at 7:50. To make sure our students have enough time to get in the building, get through the breakfast line and arrive in class to start their day, the car rider line cut off time is 7:49 (cell phone time) each day. If you are arriving on campus at 7:49 or later, you will need to park and walk your student in to the front office to sign them in.
- Changes in transportation - If you need to change your child's afternoon transportation, please call the front office at (336) 570-6115 before 2:00 p.m. Teachers cannot check and respond to messages and emails throughout the day when they are teaching. Please do not expect an immediate response from your child's teacher during instructional hours. Office hours for teachers begin after 3:00 p.m.
- Signing Students out early: If you are signing your students out early (before 2:20 p.m.), you must go inside the front office and check them out. No student early check outs will be allowed after 2:20 as students are beginning to transition for dismissal. We appreciate your cooperation with this matter!
- Lunch Visits- Families may come to eat lunch with your students. Please reach out to your child's teacher 24 hours in advance to let them know you are coming so they can plan for seating. Remember: NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK MAY BE BROUGHT IN. Upon arrival, please sign in at the front office and get a visitor's tag. This must be worn while on campus. All visitors will wait for their child’s class outside the office until their student's lunch time. At the end of lunch, all visitors will need to come back to the office to sign out. Visitors are not permitted to walk down to classrooms.
Lunch visits will end the Monday prior to Memorial Day in May. We look forward to opening this back up and thank you in advance for following the procedures.
Want to Celebrate Your Student's Birthday?
Families that wish to send in a special treat to the classroom to honor their child’s birthday must pre-arrange this with the classroom teacher 24 hours in advance. Treats for celebrations must be dropped off in the office. Please check with your student’s teacher to determine if there are any classroom food allergies that should be considered when purchasing food for the class. The teacher will distribute the treats at a time and manner that does not disrupt instruction or the overall workings of the school. The school cannot provide serving utensils. Student birthday celebrations can only include snack items such as cupcakes, donuts, chips, juice boxes, etc. According to state law, any cupcakes or other snacks must be store-bought and labeled. Items such as treat bags, noise makers, balloons, party favors, etc are not allowed. Parents are not allowed in the classroom for this event. Treats for celebrations cannot be brought to the cafeteria during lunch per ABSS food service guidelines. No homemade food items are allowed. Special food from off campus (like pizza) cannot substitute food service offerings.
New to Grove Park?
Stay Connected With Us!
Grove Park Elementary School
141 Trail One
Burlington, NC 27215
Phone:336-570-6115
Fax:336-570-6205