Julian Curtiss Welcome Back News!
Back to School Edition - August 14th, 2026
We are excited to share that our NEW cafeteria is nearing completion, and we could not be more excited! This beautiful new space will provide our scholars with a welcoming communal area to gather, connect, and enjoy meals together.
While the cafeteria itself will be ready for our students to enjoy, the new kitchen will need a few additional days before it is fully operational. As a result, we will offer a modified breakfast and lunch menu for the first six days of school, similar to the arrangement we had at the end of last school year.
We anticipate being fully up and running with both our new cafeteria and functioning kitchen by the second week of September. We appreciate your flexibility during these first few days and cannot wait for our students to enjoy this wonderful new space!
Welcome New Students & Families 🤗
Attention PreK Families
All families with Pre-Schoolers are invited to join our PreK orientation on
Thursday, August 27th at 9:30AM.
Attention Kindergarten and NEW Families
All families with Kindergarteners and new students to JC this year,
are invited to our New Student Orientation on
Thursday, August 27th at 10:30AM.
Our JC staff will be ready to meet you at the front door to help guide you to
your child's classroom for a brief visit.
Back to School Picnic 🍉
Please join us on Thursday, August 28th for our Annual Back to School Picnic at 11:00am on the field, directly following our Kindergarten Orientation. We can't wait to see all of our families there! Feel free to pack a picnic lunch or buy lunch from one of the food trucks.
The First Day of School is Friday, August 28th and is a full day for grades 1-5
All students in grades 1-5 will be directed to the blacktop by the playground, where staff and classroom teachers will be available to greet and direct our students beginning at 8:15am. Parents are welcome to join us on the blacktop! We will celebrate each class as they walk the red carpet and make their way into the building.
For the first day of school ONLY
all Kindergarten and Pre-K students will have a Special Welcome at 9:30am on the blacktop.
🥣 🥯 🥐
Breakfast is offered between the hours of 7:45am and 8:15am for children in K-5. Children being dropped off for breakfast should be dropped off at 7:45am in order to leave enough time to eat their breakfast prior to going to their classroom. Remember that instruction begins at 8:30am. Families are required to sign up in advance for this program. Please complete this 26-27 JC Breakfast Opt-in Form to sign your child up for breakfast.
The breakfast cost is $3.00 unless families qualify for free/reduced lunch.
School Dismissal Manager is used at Julian Curtiss School to ensure the safe dismissal of your child each day. For your child’s safety, the classroom teacher and office staff will abide by the dismissal instructions that you have listed in SDM so this is a mandatory procedure. (SDM will not be used for absences or early dismissal notifications).Office staff is available to assist you with any questions that you may have when setting up your account after receipt of the Introduction email you will receive on Monday, August 24th.
Safety is a priority!
Our students' safety is paramount. Please follow the procedures outlined below. We greatly appreciate your cooperation in adhering to them throughout the year. Be sure to read this information carefully.
School Hours
K-5 Arrival: 8:15 a.m.
K-5 Dismissal: 3:00 p.m.
Pre-School Arrival: 8:45 a.m.
Pre-School Dismissal: 1:45 p.m.
Morning Arrival
Staff will meet and supervise all arrivals outside of the building for grades K-5 at 8:10 a.m. Preschool will be met at 8:40 a.m.
Classrooms are open, and teachers are ready to greet scholars at 8:15 a.m.
K-5 Scholars should arrive by 8:15 a.m. Scholars who arrive in classrooms after 8:30 a.m. will be marked tardy.
K-5 Scholars driven to school are to be dropped off along the driveway in front of the school or the driveway on the gym side of the building. If being dropped off on the gym side, scholars should walk to the front entrance.
PreK scholars should be dropped off along the gym side of the building.
Drivers: Please Follow This Procedure
Drive up to the stop sign in front of the school, or the white sign along the gymnasium side of the school. Do not stop at the front entrance door, as this slows down the drop-off line. Please be aware of staff members directing traffic.
Scholars who are being dropped off should be seated on the right side of the backseat for a safe and swift exit.
Parents should remain in the vehicle while scholars exit independently. Scholars who require assistance will be met by a staff member.
Do not pass the car in front of you at any time. This is an extreme hazard and is strictly prohibited. Please wait in line, proceed around the loop, and exit onto East Elm Street or Milbank driveways. If you prefer to walk your child to the main entrance, please park in designated parking spaces only.
Once a student has been dropped off, he/she MUST stay on grounds.
Please keep in mind that one of our goals is to maximize instructional time for students, so arriving on time (8:15 a.m.) will assist your child with organization and academics throughout the school year. Our goal is to have all students in their classrooms, seated and ready to learn by 8:30 a.m.
Dismissal
Dismissal for grades K-5 begins at 3:00 p.m. Bus students, car riders, and walkers will be dismissed separately.
The front circle is restricted to buses from 2:50 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Cars are NOT allowed in the front circle during dismissal. Drivers should park outside the school and park or enter the Milbank driveway only.
Car riders in grades 1-5 will be picked up on the gymnasium side of the building. There is no parking or idling.
Walkers being picked up by parents should be met on the blacktop by the playground.
Older siblings will be able to meet younger siblings at their classroom with written permission from the parent.
Any dismissal changes must be entered in School Dismissal Manager by 2:00 p.m. Students will not be dismissed to an alternate party without written authorization from a parent/guardian.
Parking
For parents and guests of the school, parking is available in the upper level of the back parking lot, along the east side of the driveway. Please note that cars parked in the 5 spaces immediately in front of the school in the afternoon will not be able to move until buses have departed. There is NO PARKING along the entire north (field side), along the entire south part of the driveway from Milbank to the Teacher’s lot, and anywhere there is a NO PARKING sign.
We hope this outline of policies and procedures will assist you throughout your family’s time at Julian Curtiss Elementary School.
Please remember to enter your child’s default dismissal plan in the School Dismissal Manager no later than Thursday, August 27.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with these very important matters.
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Welcome JCS Families!
On behalf of the Julian Curtiss PTA, we welcome all families to the 2026-27 school year!
If you haven't created an account with us previously, you can do so by clicking the register/login button below. You will need a family account in order to register for PTA and school events, as well as access our online directory.
If you registered for this website already, you do not need to create a new account but your family information and PTA membership will need to be updated yearly.
Lastly, download the Membership Toolkit app for easier access from your mobile device!
If you have any questions regarding MTK, please don’t hesitate to reach out to jcptapresident@gmail.com or jcptavp@gmail.com
