New Parent Orientation Montgomery Elementary School

Agenda Welcome from Principal Dan McGuire Presentation from Jennifer Murphy and Jennifer Duncan Q & A Please use the notecards available on the table in front of you to write down any questions that you may have. We will review the questions at the end of the presentation.

Dress Code Students are asked to wear shirts that are solid colored white, blue or yellow. Pants should be solid color dark or khaki pants, jeans, shorts, skirts, jumpers, skorts or capris. Skirts, jumpers, skorts or shorts must reach to extended fingertips when students are standing. No baggy attire is allowed. Shoes worn to school should be appropriate for P.E. and fresh air time. The Clothes Closet is FREE and carries gently-used dress code items that have been donated by others. The Clothes closet will be available during the back to school fair

Start of the Day School begins at 7:45 a.m. However, students should be in their classrooms by 7:40 so that they can unpack book bags, get settled and be ready for morning announcements. No student is allowed to be on campus before 7:00 am. Students should report directly to the cafeteria after arriving and will wait until dismissed by the monitor to their classrooms. Breakfast is available for those students who arrive early Student arriving after 7:45 are considered tardy and must be brought to the school office to be signed-in by a parent/guardian.

Start of the Day There are three ways your child can get to school in the morning: Bus rider: Bus schedules will be available at the back to school fair Carpool: As you enter the school parking lot, move to the right curb as soon as possible. A teacher or safety patrol member will direct you when to stop and will assist your child in getting out of the car. You child should then proceed directly to the main entrance. Please avoid passing other cars in the carpool lane while exiting. Please discontinue use of your cell phone in the carpool line Walker: Parents may also walk their student the main entrance. Please park in a legal parking space and be sure to be respectful to our neighbors. If parking on a side street, please only park on one side of the street.

Typical Day - Kindergarten 7:30- arrival, begin morning journals 7:45- announcements, pledge, attendance taken 8:00- share journals 8:15- calendar/weather/morning message 8:45- Language Arts/Reading 9:30- Snack 9:45- Fresh Air 10:15- Mathematics 11:06- Lunch

Typical Day - Kindergarten 12:10- Read Aloud 12:30- Specials *Mon.- PE *Tues.- Art *Wed.- Music *Thurs.- PE *Fri.- Library 1:15- Science/Social Studies 2:00- pack up/prepare for dismissal 2:05- dismissal

Lunch Lunch times typically range from 10:20 to 12:20 pm. Most lower grade classrooms have snack time which varies based on their assigned lunch time. Students can either bring lunch from home or purchase a lunch in the cafeteria. This can be a day by day decision. You do not need to commit to all one or the other The lunch schedule is posted on the DeKalb County website. You can either send money into the cafeteria to pay for lunch or start an account at mylunchmoney.com. You will need your child’s ID number to start the account. This is typically sent home a few weeks after school starts. No fast food, candy or soda in the cafeteria please!

Dismissal There are four ways your child can get home from school: Bus rider: Bus schedules will be available at the back to school fair. Day Car Bus Rider: there are a number of outside after school programs that send busses to pick up students at Montgomery. Carpool: The queue for afternoon carpool begins on Brenton Drive adjacent to the school. As soon as the busses are dismissed, cars are instructed to turn right onto Ashford Dunwoody and enter the parking lot. Numbers are assigned to each carpool family, Walker: Parents may pick their student up at the main entrance. Please park in a legal parking space and be sure to be respectful to our neighbors. If parking on a side street, please only park on one side of the street. Walkers are dismissed first and asked to immediately leave the area to allow room for the busses to be loaded.

After School Program Currently we offer we offer a Montgomery Elementary School Faculty and Staff led After-School Program. The Program offers homework help in addition to enrichment in in Math, Art, Spanish and Computer labs. Student to staff ratio is 15:1. The program provides supervision until 6:00pm. There is a lottery for new families interested in participating at the Back to School fair in August. You must be present at the Back to School Fair to enter the lottery.

Communications Every Thursday a large brown envelope called the Courier will be sent home with each child. It contains school-wide correspondence as well as information pertinent to your child or child’s grade. The Courier should be signed and returned each week. Mustang Bulletin is sent out each Monday via email. The Bulletin contains announcements from the Principal and information about upcoming events . This is primary means of communication at MES. Sign up for the Bulletin on montgomerypta.com The Principal and School Councils also have blogs that are updated periodically with important information.

MES Support Parent Teacher Association: The goal of the Montgomery PTA is to provide information and resources to help our school provide the best education possible to all students. The PTA works to support the day-to-day operations of programs and activities that support our students, teachers and school as a whole. Mustang Fund: One of the main goals for the Mustang Fund is to enhance the learning environment for each student. The current focus of the Mustang Fund is STEAM Certification for Montgomery Elementary School.  The main effort is related to raising money to pay for equipment, school upgrades and teacher training that are necessary for certification.   School Advisory Council: The SAC consist of faculty, administration and parents who work together to advise and make recommendations to the principal and county on matters related to school improvement and student achievement.

Volunteering There are many ways in which to get involved at MES: Classroom Needs: Room Parent, Copies, Courier, Library, Class Parties, Mystery Reader PTA: Committee chair positions, committee support positions, Foundation: Currently looking for assistance with corporate fundraising and marketing School Council: Elections held each fall for a two year commitment

Important Dates PTA Registration: Online beginning in July Back to School Fair: Wednesday, August 6th Kindergarten Round-Up: Saturday, August 9th Events right after school begins: Welcome Coffee & PTA Meeting Curriculum Night Boosterthon Fundraiser