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Coates Families,
Thanks for a great start to the school year! As of now, we’ve completed all our Back to School Nights and worked out many of the arrival/dismissal challenges that come with the beginning of a new school year. Thanks for your great support of our teachers and your cooperation with school rules related to arrival and dismissal. Below are a few important reminders and information that all families should know.
All Coates teachers use the Talking Points app to send group and individual text messages to families. This is the best way to stay connected to the class. If you are not already on your teacher’s text group, please email him/her to be added.
Once you’re added, you can text the teacher directly when you want to share information or ask questions. Please be aware that teachers do not have the capacity to reply instantly. Teaching is an active, all-day job, and teachers should not be on their phones when they are supervising children. Please allow up to 24 hours for replies. Teachers are usually much faster!
Like most schools in FCPS, Coates has a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) that plans and runs events for our community and raises money to benefit our school. In the coming weeks, you’ll receive information from our new board. For now, we invite all parents and teachers to join the PTA to become members. The membership form was provided at Back to School Night and is available here along with PayPal information.
If you're looking to volunteer time to help with PTA events, more information will be coming soon. Joining PTA and paying membership fees does not commit you to volunteering - it's a just a great way to support PTA.
On the first day of school, dismissal took a very long time. Buses were late arriving. The Kiss & Ride had a much longer-than-average line, and many parents were not sure where to pick up walking students. By the end of Day 2 and today, all buses and Kiss & Ride students were gone by or about 4:20. We expect that each day things will improve. Even pre-covid, the dismissal process during the first week of school always had notable delays. It always gets incrementally faster each day.
It’s important that all parents do their part to follow our dismissal procedures. Please read below:
If your child is a walker…
At dismissal time, we route all walkers out Door 3, which is in the back of the school by the playground. The door is supervised by staff and using this door helps us avoid crowding and bottlenecking inside the school at the end of the day. If your child walks, and you wish to pick him/her up, please go to Door 3.
If your child uses Kiss & Ride for Dismissal…
You may NOT leave your car. Staff will only release students to their cars when your car is close by the bench area. Some parents have been leaving their cars in the lane and walking down the sidewalk to get their kids. Since there is no passing lane at the back of Kiss & Ride, this does not save you time, and we will not permit you to pass due to the unsafe nature of such a maneuver. It also slows down the process for every parent behind you.
Obey the crossing guard and staff. Move your car up as far as possible at the pick-up area. Stopping short slows down the process for every parent behind you. Move forward as the staff directs you. Your child will come to you.
If you park your car somewhere and prefer to personally pick up your child…
Your child is considered a walker if you are picking them up this way. Your child will be directed to dismiss from Door 3 (near playground behind school). This removes the walkers and walking parents from the Kiss & Ride crowd and traffic.
There is no option for parents to pick up walkers from any other door without approval from the principal.
No parent should ever be walking across the parking lot while buses are lining up or boarding students.
Be sure that your child’s teacher knows the way you want your child to dismiss every day. If you have a change in plans and want your child to dismiss in a different way, please contact your teacher in writing and call the front office at 703-713-3000.
Our staff has enjoyed meeting you at Back to School Nights! Please stay in touch with your teacher and don’t be afraid to ask questions. We love when the family-teacher relationship is a partnership, and we look forward to a great year!
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