August 5, 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the 2014-15 school year and to Chisholm Trail Elementary. Our staff has been preparing for your arrival and is so excited and grateful for the opportunity to teach our students this year. Our theme this year is “team”. It is going to be an amazing year of learning and working together to build a team. As a staff, we have talked about the importance of team and the qualities of those who work together to accomplish goals. Team includes students within a classroom, students in a common grade level, a team of Chisholm Trail students, the team of parents and teachers, and the team of our campus, parents and community. I truly believe that it takes each of us, working together, to provide the best possible learning experience for our children and we can certainly accomplish this together as a team.

As you are gearing up for school I want to invite you to visit our school website at www.bisd.net (click “Schools” and then click “Chisholm Trail”). We will also be providing updates on our Facebook page (Search “Chisholm Trail Elementary” and our logo will pop up). Both of these websites can also be accessed using the QR codes at the bottom of this letter. We will have videos of arrival and dismissal so that you will know what to expect on the first day of school. I have also included a detailed list of the arrival and dismissal options and procedures. Please take a moment to read through them prior to watching our videos.

We are committed to providing a great education for our students. Great education comes from committed educators and families working together. Our children have a wealth of talents that they need to explore and we must provide opportunities to engage them in authentic learning through experiences in our school and in our community. Your children are our priority and we hope to provide an education that prepares them to excel in tomorrow’s world.

On behalf of the staff at Chisholm Trail Elementary, thank you for entrusting us with your most precious young people.

Sincerely,

Calvin Itz

Principal

Arrival options (doors open at 7:15, bell rings at 7:45)

Car Rider: As you enter the loop please be aware of other traffic and yield when necessary. Pull up to the end of the covered porch and only drop your children off if a sidewalk is available to the right side of the car. Please ensure students exit from the right side of the car. Adults and safety patrol will be on duty to help your children. Please do not park in this drop off line and do not exit your car.

Parent Walk Up: Please stay to the left, use the visitor parking lot to park, and use the crosswalk to safely approach the building.

Walkers: Please use sidewalks and the school crosswalk to safely cross traffic. Students will need to enter the building through the front door. You are welcome to walk with them to the front door.

Bus: Students will be dropped off in the bus loop and enter the cafeteria. Adults will be there to help them off the bus and into the building.

*You may walk your child to the classroom the first week of school. After the first week, we ask that you establish a goodbye routine in the car or at the front door of the school. After the first week of school, you will need to sign in and obtain a visitors badge in order to proceed past the front office. If you need to get a message or a delivery to a teacher, we will happily help you with that in the office. We will work with you in the case of an extenuating circumstance.

Dismissal options (2:45pm)

*Make sure you talk with your child about dismissal. Each homeroom teacher will coordinate dismissal with you but it is always good for your child to know exactly how they will get home each day.

*If you need to make a change in your child’s dismissal arrangements, please contact the office by 2:00 p.m. at 316-5100.

*If there are any special restrictions on who may pick up your child, we ask that you provide the office with the appropriate documentation so that we can ensure we are supporting your family.

Car Rider (stay in your car and your child will be placed in the car by a staff member): As you enter the loop, stay to the right. The left side will be used for traffic that will be parking in the parking lot and walking up. A staff member will come to your car and call in your student’s name. By the time you get to the front of the line your child will be waiting at a colored cone and be assisted with entering your car. For student safety, we ask that students enter on the right side of the car. If you are choosing this dismissal option, do not park and do not exit your car.

Parent Walk Up: Use the left hand side of the car loop if you are going to choose this option. Pull through and park in the parking lot. Use the crosswalk and form a line under the porch on the right hand side of the main entrance. You will enter the building, sign your child out on a clipboard, and then exit the front of the building with your child.

Walkers: Students will be escorted out of the first grade hallway and down the sidewalk. Please review walking safety with your children if they are walking alone. Students in first grade and under will not be allowed to walk home without a 3rd grade sibling or older escorting them.

Buses: Students will be escorted to the appropriate bus by staff members. If your child is riding the bus and you need to make changes in their dismissal location, please call the front office before 2:00 p.m. For student safety, we will not release students from the bus lines to parents outside the building.

Day Care: Students will exit on the back side of the building and be escorted to the appropriate bus or day care van.