Hello Parkwood Families,

This is your principal, Ms. Fearrington, with your weekly message.  Can you believe it, the first day of school is upon us!  After seeing all of you on Thursday during open house, I think we are officially ready to have an amazing school year.  Please listen to this important information very carefully.

First Day of School:

The first day of school is Monday, August 28^th and all student’s Pre-K and 1^st through 5^th will start on the first day.  The arrival time for all students is 7:15am and all students should be in class by 7:45am when the instructional bell rings.  If you arrive after 7:45am, you are late and you must come into the building to sign your student in at the front office.  Please make sure that your student is prepared to get out of the car with all their items to not hold up the carpool drop-off line.  We would like all families except for Pre-K and Kindergarten to please utilize the “Hug Zone” areas (front lobby and black gate).  Please do not park in the staff parking lot in front of the school because they are all reserved for staff except for the 5 visitor spaces.  There is no parking in the carpool line, you must move forward as quickly as possible.

Kindergarten Staggered Entry:

I first want to clarify that the only students that have staggered entry are our Kindergarten students.  Staggered entry days and assignments are as follows:

• Monday, August 28^th: Students with the last names A-N will attend school the full day but will not return until Thursday, August 31^st.
• Tuesday, August 29^th: Students with the last names O-V will attend school the full day but will not return until Thursday, August 31^st.
• Wednesday, August 30^th: Students with the last name W-Z will attend school the full day but will not return until Thursday, August 31^st.
• All Kindergarten students are to return to school on Thursday, August 31^st.

All Kindergarten students with be assigned their teacher on Wednesday, August 30^th and we will host a Kindergarten Meet and Greet from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in the kindergarten classrooms.  Please bring your child’s school supplies on the night of the meet and greet!  All kindergarten students should bring the following items for daily use and to be stored in their classroom:

• A water bottle and a snack (daily)
• A lunch or knowledge that they will getting a cafeteria lunch (daily)
• A full-size backpack (daily)
• A change of clothes in a Ziploc bag (to be stored and changed if used)
• Medication/Allergy information (If applicable)

Please ensure the following documents have been given to our data manager as soon as possible:

• Immunizations (need to be up to date)
• Kindergarten Health Assessment (physical exam)

Arrival and Dismissal for Carpool:

Arrival is between 7:15am to 7:45am.  There will be one lane for carpool to avoid accidents, however, it is important to be efficient and move at a steady pace.  Please have your carpool dismissal form that you received at open house visible on your dashboard for staff see to ensure your student is ready.  Here are the locations for grade levels this year for carpool arrival and dismissal:

Upper Lot:  This lot is off Revere Road

• Grades: Kindergarten and 4^th Grade (All siblings for students in these grade levels will come to the upper lot)

Students are to only be dropped off in the carpool line, not in the parking lot (this is VERY dangerous with moving cars).

Lower Lot:  This lot is in front of the school.

• Grades: Pre-K, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, & 5^th

Enrollment Information and Parent Portal:

If you have received a call from our data manager, DyAsia Bellamy regarding completing documents for the enrollment process, please come to Parkwood to get all your paperwork completed.  If you have any questions or need assistance, please email Ms. Bellamy at Dyasia_bellamy@dpsnc.net or call at 919-560-3962 ext. 62225.

Parent Engagement and School Improvement Team Parent Representatives:

We are looking for parent representatives to be a part of our parent engagement team and school improvement team.  If you are interested and want to receive more information, please email Ms. Carswell for the parent engagement team at Kathleen_carswell@dpsnc.net and Ms. Fearrington for the school improvement team at Kimberly_fearrington@dpsnc.net.

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/.

I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend and as always Parkwood Panthers…Show PRIDE!

Warmly,

Kimberly Fearrington, Principal