Message from Mr. Childers

September 4, 2022

 

Hello Parents,

 

This is Tom Childers contacting you from Antioch Elementary. Students do not have school on Monday due to the Labor Day Holiday. Our school will welcome all of our incoming Kindergarten students on Tuesday. Please anticipate more traffic and plan accordingly. Kindergarten parents may drop off their child in car rider line, walk them to the front door or bring students into the gym between 7:30am and 7:45am. Tuesday through Friday will be the final four days that Kindergarten parents may walk their child into the building. Parents of Kindergarten Teachers may access the FAQ for Kindergarten by click this link.

 

Antioch PTO   Click here to visit the PTO Website.

The Antioch Elementary PTO provides a tremendous level of support for our school. Please take a few minutes to read the newsletter and consider getting involved with the PTO to support Antioch Elementary.

 

Contacting the Principal

 Please include the following information when emailing (tom.childers@ucps.k12.nc.us) me with a question or concern.

• Child's Name
• Teacher Name
• Grade and
• Your phone number

 

This information will allow me to respond to your question or concern more quickly. Parents may access all archived messages on the school website. Our school phone number is 704 296-3005. I strongly encourage you to listen to your voice message before returning a missed call from the school. Antioch Elementary has nearly a hundred staff members and it is sometimes very difficult for our office staff to determined who called you. Please note that our school receives many phone calls each day.

 

Safety Information

All parents should familiarize yourself with the car rider map which can be accessed by clicking this link. Morning drop-off begins at 7:00am and students are recorded as tardy if they are not in their classroom by 7:30am. Parents should follow the direction of our staff at all times and should NOT pass other cars as this poses a significant safety risk for pedestrians. All walkers should cross the traffic lanes ONLY at the designated crosswalks. Our bus lot is available for morning drop off as well as parking once the buses have departed. Our staff will direct you into this area once it is available. Parents may park and walk their child to the front door. Our school safety protocols will prohibit parents from walking their child to the classroom.

 

Our school has very specific dismissal procedures to ensure the safety of students and staff as well. All transportation changes must be provided in writing to your child's teacher. You may contact Mrs. Young, our receptionist (rhonda.young@ucps.k12.nc.us) in the event of an emergency. Please do not email the teacher during the school day for a same day transportation change. The teacher may not be available to check his/her email and your message may go unnoticed.

 

Please note: Frequent transportation changes increases the potential for mistakes by our staff. Each student's daily dismissal method is documented and maintained at the school in the event of an emergency.

 

Students who are afternoon walkers will be dismissed through the door at the end of the Kindergarten Hallway. Parents must come to the door to request their students.

 

Kindergarten and First Grade car riders will be dismissed beginning at 1:50pm through the main car rider line (see map). Parents who also have students in grades second through fifth should NOT arrive at this time as your child will NOT be available for dismissal.

 

Second and Third Grade car riders will be dismissed beginning at 2:05pm through the main car rider line (see map). Parents who also have students in grades fourth and fifth should NOT arrive at this time as your child will NOT be available for dismissal.

 

Fourth and Fifth Grade car riders will be dismissed beginning at 2:15pm on the bus lot (see map). Parents who also have Kindergarten through third graders may pick all students up at this time. Fourth-Grade and Fifth-Grade students will be seated with their younger siblings in the gym and cafeteria and must be picked up from the bus lot.

 

Our school will not accept forgotten items after 7:30am. This policy is part of our safety protocol and is an effort to protect instructional time. Encourage students to remember backpacks, laptops, and jackets/coats. Our school will accept forgotten lunches and will place them on a cart near the cafeteria for students to pick up.

 

School Improvement Team Representatives

Our school is currently seeking to fill vacant parent representative seats on the School Improvement Team for the 2022 - 2023 school year. This team will discuss matters that are relevant to our school. Parent representatives are required to be a point of contact for other parents within your grade level. Your email address will be shared with parents. We are in need of the following representation: Kindergarten and Dual Language (Any Grade). This is a monthly commitment.  All meetings are from 2:30pm - 4:00pm.  Meeting dates are as follows: 9/15/22, 10/13/22, 11/16/22, 12/15/22, 1/19/23, 2/16/23, 3/16/23, and 4/27/23.    I realize that this is a significant commitment and look forward to your interest. All candidates will be placed on a ballot and a grade level representative will be elected by parents. This form will close September 7, 2022. 

 

Click this link to add your name to the ballot.

 

School Nutrition

Our school serves breakfast from 7:00am - 7:20am. Students who arrive in the cafeteria after 7:20am will not be permitted to eat breakfast. Lunch is served daily and you may click here to view the menu.

Parents may use this link to access more information about School Nutrition Services. Click the School Nutrition Services Information Link.

 

Parents are permitted to have lunch with their child. Beginning the week of September 19th (M-Th)- Families with the last name of  A-E are invited to visit for lunch. Students may have one visitor  due to seating limitations. Lunch with your child is open on Monday through Thursday ONLY.

Each classroom teacher has made seating arrangements for you. Most families visiting fourth and fifth grade students will be asked to eat in the courtyard. Please plan your visit accordingly with respect to the weather.

 

Parents are permitted to send in a birthday treat for students to celebrate their child's birthday. All treats must be commercially prepared. I would suggest scheduling this with your child's teacher to prevent multiple treats on the same day.

 

Your child's birthday is an exception to the outlined schedule. Please communicate with your child's teacher. We do not permit parents for lunch on Fridays.

 

Family Lunch Rotation for Lunch:

Week of September 19th (M-Th) - Families with the last name of A-E

Week of September 26th (M-Th) - Families with the last name of F-K

Week of October 3rd (M-Th) - Families with the last name of L-Q

Week of October 10th (M-Th) - Families with the last name of R-Z

 

Recess & Lunch Volunteers

Antioch Elementary is seeking parents willing to cover recess and lunch for the classroom teacher. We have created a thoughtful coverage schedule which ensures that at least 50% of the classroom teachers (or substitutes) are present during recess on any given day. This will be a rain or shine schedule, so please make sure that you are available before completing this form. Thank you in advance for your continued support of our school. All volunteers must be approved. Our school will seek these volunteers to begin the week of September 19, 2022.  Click this link to sign up.

 

Parents should click here to sign-up as a UCPS volunteer.

 

Our school will NOT provide water bottles for students. Please send a refillable water bottle with your child.

 

Dates of Interest:

9/7 - Beginning of Grade Reading Assessment - Third Grade ONLY

9/9 - 9/10 - Annie Jr. Auditions - Fourth and Fifth Grade ONLY

9/15 - School Improvement Team Meeting

9/26 - Teacher Workday

9/28 - Progress Reports Go Home

9/30 - Antioch Night at WHS Football vs. Piedmont

10/5 - Teacher Workday

10/13 - School Improvement Team Meeting

10/19 - Fall Pictures

10/28 - End of the First Grading Period

11/4 - Report Cards Go Home

 

Thank you for supporting our school - working together as one team on one mission, we are meeting needs, challenging minds, and celebrating accomplishments.

 

Until next time… Have a great day!