Hello Parkwood Families,

This is your principal, Ms. Fearrington, with your weekly message.  October is a special month because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Principal’s Month.  I want to celebrate all of the women who have endured breast cancer and are now survivors, but I also want to honor all of the women who have fallen to this disease.  It is near and dear to my heart and all women and families who have supported their loved ones should be recognized and acknowledged.  I also want to thank my wonderful community, teachers, students, and families who have allowed me to serve them at Parkwood.  It is truly an honor and privilege to be your leader.  Here are some reminders and important information for next week.

Early Release Day:

Wednesday, October 11^th is an early release day for all DPS traditional schools.  Student will be released at 12:15pm and all students need to be picked up by 12:45pm.  Please refer to the DPS Traditional calendar for important dates linked here.

Progress Reports:

All students should have received progress reports on Friday, September 29^th.  Tuesday, October 11^th is the end of 1^st quarter and report cards will be distributed on Thursday, November 9^th.  Please make sure you have access or have created a parent portal account to receive your student’s progress report.  If you need assistance with getting access or creating your parent portal account, please contact Ms. Bellamy at Dyasia_bellamy@dpsnc.net.

Cellphone Policy:

All students are to have their cellphones off and in their bookbags during the instruction day.  No student is to have their cellphone on their person.  We have had some issues with students not adhering to the policy and want to make parents aware of the policy to support their students in understanding and following the policy.  If you have any questions about the policy, please reach out to Ms. Fearrington.

Title 1 Information Session:

We had a great information session and I want to thank the Parkwood families that came out to support and share their feedback.  The slide show that was shared with families is available here for you to reference.  We also gathered some information and we are always looking for feedback.  Please feel free to fill out the Menti survey, within the slide show, to share information that will be helpful in supporting Title 1 events this year.

Title 1 Curriculum Night:

Parkwood will host Curriculum Night on Thursday, October 19^th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.  We will serve dinner in the cafeteria from 5:30pm to 6pm.  All families will be able to attend two sessions in their child’s grade level.  Our awesome teachers will have an activity that parents can take home with them support their child in reading and/or math.  We will provide more details as the event draws near.  Please place this important night on your calendar.

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.

Hug Zones:

We have completed our 1^st two weeks of school and it is time to build independence for all our students.  All parents will need to either drop their student off in at carpool or say goodbye at the designated “Hug Zone”.  Hug Zones have been identified to give parents the opportunity to say goodbye to their students and allow our staff to transition them into their buildings or for breakfast.  All parents including Pre-K and Kindergarten will need to adhere to the Hug Zone areas.  They are as follows:

Kindergarten & 4^th grade:  The Black Gate

All other grade levels (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th and Special Programs):  The Front Vestibule in the Main Building

Please allow our staff for Pre-K and Special Programs to bring your students down.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Kimberly Fearrington at Kimberly_fearrington@dpsnc.net.

Attendance and Tardies:

All students should arrive at school between 7:15am and 7:45am.  The instructional bell rings at 7:45am and your students are considered tardy after that time.  This week you will be required to sign your student in for safety reasons.  If your drop off location is on the top lot, you will be required to come to the front lot to sign your student in, please do not drop your student off in the top lot after 7:45am.

Early Pick-Up:

Moving forward we will be adhering to the early pick-up time.  At 1:30pm, early pick-up for all students ends.  If your student has an appointment, then please make sure to have them picked up by 1:30pm.  Please do not come and pick up your student at 1:30pm to avoid the carpool line.  Your student is missing valuable instruction time when you are picking up your student frequently before 1:30pm.  We teach until 2:05pm, so your students should remain in class unless they have an appointment or an emergency.

Carpool morning and afternoon:

I want to thank everyone one for their extreme patience this week as we get the dismissal carpool line running smoothly.  We are working on streamlining the line and getting you out as quickly as possible.  I know that it is frustrating, but currently we have a lot of students that are carpooling because they are waiting for bus transportation.  As we continue to streamline this process, we need your support.  Please do not park in the front parking lot to walk up and/or get your student.  This disrupts the flow of traffic coming out of the front parking lot and may cause an accident.  It is best for you to get in the carpool line and wait.  If you park, I will ask you to get back in your car and get in the line.  This could significantly delay you being able to pick up your student.

Carpool lines:

It is very important that you drop off and pick up your student in the correct lot.  This will minimize the number of cars in each lot and help move the carpool line quickly.  If your student is in kindergarten and 4^th grade, they are to be dropped off and picked up in the top lot off Revere Road.  If your Kindergartener or 4^th grader has siblings in a different grade, they will be dropped off and picked up in the TOP LOT.  Please do not get in the front carpool line, this increases traffic.  If your student is in Pre-K, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th grade and special programs, please drop off and pick up your student in the FRONT LOT.  If your student is in kindergarten or 4^th grade, they are going to the TOP LOT for drop off and pick up.  Please make sure to bring your student to the front office to sign-in after 7:45am if you drop off your student in the TOP LOT.  If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Fearrington at Kimberly_fearrington@dpsnc.net or Ms. Boney at Chakela_boney@dpsnc.net.

Parkwood Visitation Policy:

I want to thank everyone for supporting their students as they are getting acclimated to their new environment.  All parents with students in the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grades will need to drop their students off at the “Hug Zone”.  If your student is a car rider, it is best that you kiss and hug your child inside of the car and let them out.  It is important to build independence and to ensure that they trust the adults in the building to get them to their designated locations and feel safe.  Pre-K and Kindergarten families can still walk their students to the “Hug Zone” and there will be staff to ensure they get to their locations.  The “Hug Zone” for kindergarten is at the Black Gate outside of their building.  Pre-K students may use the front foyer as their “Hug Zone” and Ms. Thaxton will ensure they get to their location.  It is important for you to read the Parkwood Visitation Policy to know and understand our rules and procedures around supporting your students in the building. 

COVID Policy and Protocols:

As we enter the school year, we have seen an uptick in COVID cases.  Please follow the guidelines below to report if your student has COVID or COVID symptoms. 

• If your student has active symptoms, especially a fever, your child should stay at home until they have been fever free for 24 hours without medication.
• If your student has active symptoms with no fever, they should wear a mask to respectful to others.
• You should have your student tested for COVID if they have symptoms. Please send a picture or copy of the doctor’s note to your child’s teacher to show proof of a positive test (A home test is sufficient).  Your students will need to quarantine for 5 days and may return on the 6^th  For days 6-10, they will be required to wear a mask.

Community Eligibility Provision Program:

This year we have exciting news!  Parkwood will participate in the CEP Program for the 2023-2024 school year.  All students will eat breakfast and lunch at no cost!  Under this program we will follow these specific regulations:

• Applications are not required.
• Students are allowed to PURCHASE la carte items. These items are not part of the lunch menu.  (Chips, cookies, etc.)

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 our Panthers this week! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and as always Parkwood Panthers…Show PRIDE!

Warmly,

Kimberly Fearrington, Principal