Hello Parkwood Families,

This is your principal, Ms. Fearrington with your weekly message.  We have moved into the month of February and celebrated the 100^th day of school on Friday!  It is so hard to believe that we have 80 more days of school before the end of the school year.  Time flies by so quickly!  Here are some reminders and important information for the next week:

Parent/Teacher Conferences:

Please make sure you reach out to your child’s teacher this month to schedule a parent/teacher conference.  All conferences are to be completed from February 1^st through February 28^th. 

Schedule Reminders:

All DPS students on the traditional calendar will have a teacher workday on Monday, February 20^th.  There will be no school for students that day.  Please refer to the district school calendar provided and linked here for important dates.

Growing Together Information:

Over the past two years, Durham Public Schools has worked collaboratively with district leaders, community partners, DPS staff and our families to improve equity and access to schools and programs while managing grow within our community.  As a result, our Board of Education adopted a revised school assignment policy to allow for regions of access and new elementary school boundaries.  As a school community, we want to make sure that all of our families understand the new boundaries and how they will specifically effect Parkwood.  We will host our community meeting on Wednesday, February 15^that 5:30pm at Parkwood.  Please keep in mind that these new boundaries and assignments are not to take place until the 2024-2025 school year.  We hope you will be able to join us on Wednesday and if you have any questions or need additional information, you can reach out to your child’s teacher, Ms. Fearrington or Ms. Carswell.

Parkwood GT FAQ English.pdf 

Parkwood GT FAQ_SPA.pdf 

Annual African American Read-In:

On Tuesday, February 28^th, we will be hosting our Annual African American Read-In.  The read-in will begin at 8:30am and will last until 10:30am.  Established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month, we will focus on reading books written by African American Authors and/or about African American people, events and historical contributions.  We are asking our community to come read to our students and bring one of your favorite books that fits the criteria and is age appropriate to read to our students.  If you are able to attend, please reach out to your child’s teacher for more information.  We are very excited to be able to host this event again this year and we look forward to having you celebrate Black History Month with our wonderful Parkwood Staff and Students!

Progress Reports:

Progress Reports will be available to all parents through parent portal on February 21^st.  Please make sure you have access to your parent portal.  If you are having trouble accessing your parent portal or need to create one, please reach out to Ms. Joanne Brosh, our data manager at joanne_brosh@dpsnc.netor Ms. Jacqueline Boone, our school secretary at jacqueline_campbell@dpsnc.net.

Cellphones, Electronics and Toys:

We have noticed an increase in the support needed to assist with students who have their cellphones, electronics or toys out during instructional time.  Our cellphone/electronic policy strictly prohibits phones being on and out during the school day.  Students may place their phones in their book bag to ensure the items remain safe and secure.  Electronic toys or tablets are not to be brought to school at any time.  If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Fearrington and/or Ms. Carswell.

Gaggle Information System:

Nothing is more important than the safety of our students, teachers, and staff. This is a reminder to you that Durham Public Schools consistently monitors and investigates all possible hazards or threats to our school communities. To that end, we piloted a tool called Gaggle for Student Cyber Safety Management at six of our schools last year, and received funding to expand this tool districtwide. The Gaggle tool monitors student district accounts to scan for harmful content and alert us when students show signs of self-harm, cyberbullying, credible threats of violence, or other harmful situations. Please know that we will always continue to work with our student support services professionals to create a safer school environment, and to proactively provide help to students in need.

Attendance and Tardies:

I want to remind all parents that all students are to arrive by 7:45am when the instructional bell rings.  If your student arrives after that time, you will need to come into the front office to sign your student in.  You will no longer be able to drop your student at the front without coming into the school building to sign in.  We have encountered a significant number of students that are tardy and we thank you in advance for your support with this new process moving forward.

COVID Protocols and Information:

It is important that as we see an increase in the amount of COVID-19 cases and flu that we remain vigilant with symptoms that can be COVID-19 or Flu related.  If your child has a fever and is showing signs or symptoms that are COVID-19/Flu related it is important to keep your child at home to ensure they receive rest and are symptom free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school.  If your child has symptoms, please get your child tested to ensure they are not positive for COVID-19 or the flu.  You will need to provide proof of a positive COVID-19 test by taking a picture or providing the doctor’s note to your child’s teacher.  If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher.

Updated Elementary Visitation Guidelines:

We have updated our protocols for elementary school visitation during instructional hours.  The Parkwood Visitation Plan is linked here for you to read.  It is important to note that we have added additional information to the section regarding instructional time.  It is not recommended that parents volunteer in their student’s classroom during instructional time.  However, a parent can support and/or assist with making copies, laminating, eating lunch with their student or volunteering in another area of the school at any time.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher, Ms. Fearrington or Ms. Carswell.  Thank you all for supporting all of our teachers, staff and students at Parkwood, we truly appreciate your commitment and dedication to a joyous school learning environment.

There are many ways to stay connected to our community.  Please follow Parkwood Elementary on our Facebook page and website.  Please join the Parkwood PTA!  If you have any questions please visit https://www.durhamparkwoodpta.com/ and/or reach out to Hope Alfaro, our PTA president at durhamparkwoodpta@gmail.com.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions or need assistance!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend and as always Parkwood Panthers…Show PRIDE!

Warmly,

Kimberly Fearrington, Principal