Back to School 2024 - Important Information

---------------- Greetings, Coyote families!

Welcome to the new school year at Alamance Community School! I hope this message finds you and your family healthy and happy. As we begin the new academic year, I want to share some important information and express my excitement for the year ahead.

First, a hearty welcome to all our new students and families. We are delighted to have you join our school community and look forward to helping each child reach their full potential.

To our returning families, welcome back! Your continuous support and dedication to your child's education are invaluable. We sincerely appreciate your trust in us to nurture and teach your children.

At ACS, we believe in building a strong partnership between home and school. We welcome open communication and value your feedback. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas, please do not hesitate to contact us.

This school year, we have scheduled a variety of academic, extracurricular, and community events to enrich our students' learning experiences. We strongly encourage your active participation in these activities, which contribute significantly to your child's overall growth and development.

Please take a moment to read the entire message to ensure you are well-informed and prepared for the new school year. I promise they won’t always be this long, but there's always much to cover at the beginning of the year.

Once again, I am excited about the possibilities of this new school year. As a united school community, we can create a positive and nurturing learning environment that allows each child to succeed.

Thank you for trusting us with your child's education. Let's work together to make this academic year a resounding success.

BEGINNING OF THE 24-25 SCHOOL YEAR INFORMATION

TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS

Teacher assignments will be emailed to all currently enrolled families and families that have completed the registration process on Wednesday, August 7, by 5:00 PM. Information will be available at open house for families not receiving the email.

Open House Dates/Times for 2024-2025 School Year:

The times for open house are as follows:

Kindergarten - 9:30 - 11:30
1st Grade through 4th Grade - 12:00 - 2:00
5th Grade Through 7th Grade - 2:30 - 4:30

The first day of school for ALL 1st - 7th-grade students is Tuesday, August 13th, from 8:15 - 3:15.

KINDERGARTEN STAGGERED START

ACS Kindergartners will begin the school year with a staggered start and an abbreviated day so the students can get accustomed to their new school, teachers, and schedule.

From 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM, a fourth of the students from each class will come to school each day on:

Tuesday, August 13
Wednesday, August 14
Thursday, August 15
Friday, August 16

All kindergarteners will have their first FULL school day on Monday, August 19, from 8:15 AM - 3:15 PM.

HOT LUNCH ORDERING

ACS does not have an on-site cafeteria. Students eat in their classrooms or picnic outside when the weather permits. Students must either bring lunch from home or order it in advance from our hot lunch ordering service.
Students should also bring a daily reusable water bottle, filled with water only, which can also be refilled at our bottle-filling stations.
When planning for your student’s snack and lunch, please be mindful of ACS’ Policies for Snack and Lunchtime, as outlined in the Parent Student Handbook & DO NOT send in sodas and colorful juice drinks from fast food restaurants.
Parents and students are encouraged to pack a healthy lunch and snack. When a caregiver brings an outside lunch for their student, drinks must be provided in a spill-proof container. Examples include reusable water bottles, individual milk bottles, juice “boxes,” and single-use bottled water. Traditional fast food cups with lids and straws are particularly prone to spilling and making sticky messes and will, therefore, not be delivered to classrooms. In an effort to encourage healthy lifestyles and limit excessive sugar and caloric intake, sodas, sweet tea, sports drinks, and the like are highly discouraged during the instructional day.
All students are encouraged to bring a water bottle and fill up at the bottle filling stations.

HOT LUNCH ORDERING

We partner with My Hot Lunchbox as our hot lunch program. Order lunch from various options provided by your student’s favorite local restaurants.

Our lineup of vendors this year is:

Monday - La Fiesta

Tuesday - Subway

Wednesday – Americana Cafe

Thursday - CiCi's Pizza

Friday - Smithfield’s Chicken & BBQ

To begin ordering lunches, click the link below and follow the instructions on the attached registration letter to create your free account. https://ordernow.myhotlunchbox.com/login

If you have any questions, please get in touch with My Hot Lunchbox at (888) 894-8295 or email: info@myhotlunchbox.com

Just a reminder, the deadline for ordering is 12:00 noon the day before each lunch delivery.

FREE & REDUCED LUNCHES

Even if your child received a Free or Reduced lunch last year, you MUST complete a NEW application for the 24-25 school year.
To apply for ACS Free and Reduced-Price School Meals, you must:
Physically pick up an ACS Household Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals at the ACS Front Office.
The applications include very detailed directions that will be located in the front office.
Complete the application and return it to the front office for review.
Even if you anticipate that your student will be participating in our Free or Reduced Lunch program, you will need to provide a lunch for your student until your application is reviewed. You receive confirmation regarding eligibility and the date your student/s free or reduced lunch will begin.
You can send a packed lunch from home or order from MyHotLunchbox (see information above).

Please be mindful that it will take approximately two weeks to review and process your application from the time you submit it to the Front Office.

Families can pick up their application from the front office during their student’s Open House.
Once school begins on Tuesday, August 8, you may also pick up the applications during regular school office hours.

SCHOOL HOURS

8:15 - 3:15: M, T, TH, & F

AM CARLINE: 7:45 - 8:10

PM CARLINE: 3:15 - 3:45

8:15 - 1:15: WEDNESDAY

AM CARLINE: 7:45 - 8:10

PM CARLINE: 1:15 - 1:45

NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION FOR 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

Login to https://alamancecommunityschool.schoolmint.net to complete your child’s registration.
If you have questions or need assistance, please get in touch with admissions@alamancecommunityschool.net or call the school at 336-270-5052.

NEW FORMS NEEDED FOR 2024-2025: STUDENT HEALTH ACTION PLANS & MEDICATION AUTHORIZATIONS

If your student has (or will need) a school Health or Action Plan, please make sure to have the plan updated and ready to turn in at the start of the school year. Even if your student had a plan for the 2023-2024 school year, a new plan must be reviewed and authorized by the student’s healthcare provider and submitted to ACS for the 2024-2025 school year. A few frequently used health plan and action plan forms are available on the Documents and Forms page of the ACS website, which is linked below. Health plans should be submitted to the front office when students return to school in August.
Students requiring medication administration at school, including inhalers and Epi-Pens, must also have a Medication Authorization Form completed by their healthcare provider on file for each new school year. These completed forms should be submitted to the front office before the student must receive medication at school. Please find the link for the ACS Medication Authorization Form below.

** Please note that Alamance Community School is not a part of the Alamance-Burlington School System, and we cannot act upon a completed ABSS form.

Related Links:

We also have copies of these forms in the school office if you need a blank printed copy.

We are here to help; if you have any questions or concerns about authorizations or

health action plans, please get in touch with the school office at:

frontdesk@alamancecommunityschool.net

SUPPLY LISTS FOR 2024-2025

Kindergarten - Seventh Grade Supply Lists are on our website under the Parents Tab.
Here is the link: 2024 - 2025 K - 7TH GRADE SUPPLY LISTS
Don’t want to shop? You can pre-order a School Supply kit HERE. A limited number of kits will be available at the Back to School Bash on Open House day (Aug. 8)

GENESIS ATHLETICS NEWS

Genesis Athletics is our on-site Before and After School contracted provider: https://www.alamancecommunityschool.net/before-after-care-program
Last week for open registration for Genesis Before and After School. Register here: GENESIS BEFORE & AFTER CARE REGISTRATION LINK
Genesis is hosting a Back to School Bash on August 8! See the flyer below for details.
Don’t want to shop for school supplies? You can pre-order a School Supply kit by 8/1 HERE. A limited number of kits will be available at the Back to School Bash on Open House day (Aug. 8)
Check out other Extracurricular program offerings HERE. Registration opens next week.
Check your emails for details about before and after-school logistics.
For more information, you can email: genesisathleticsnc@gmail.com

2024- 2025 SCHOOL CALENDAR

Please make a note of:

Fall Break, Winter Break; & Spring Break, and Summer Break - Be sure you schedule any vacations/trips around the dates that school is not in session.
The First Day of School for Students is August 13, 2025
The ACS 23-24 Calendar is available on the school website under Parents > School Calendar & Schedules

“COYOTE PACK” FACEBOOK GROUP

Current & NEW families, join our Official ACS "Coyote Pack" Facebook Group. In addition to our newsletters and teacher communications, we use this page to communicate important information during the school year. The ACS Coyote Pack FB group is a positive way to connect staff and parents/caregivers to foster good communication so we can continue to build the caring and inclusive community that so many of us want for our students, staff, and families. The ACS Coyote Pack FB group is where you can ask questions, and our staff & involved families can answer questions and provide correct information. Families NEW to ACS are welcome to join as soon as they complete their registration in SchoolMint.

Request to join today: ACS COYOTE PACK FACEBOOK GROUP.

FRIDAY SCHOOL SPIRIT DAYS:

Every Friday is School Spirit Day! Wear your ACS apparel or purple & gray and show your Coyote pride!

ACS CARLINE INFORMATION

Please remember that the AM & PM carline will run slower the first few weeks of school with many new families & students and new staff. They are all learning the procedures, rules, traffic patterns, etc. We will make adjustments to improve safety and efficiency and need your help, support, and patience.

Please let the front office & your student’s teacher know if your child is getting picked up by an outside After School program. Additionally, it is important that you communicate any changes in PM pickup to the teacher as well as to the after-school program your student attends (this includes Genesis, our on-site provider).

CARLINE TIMES & TARDY PROCEDURES

MORNING CARLINE & TARDY PROCEDURES

Morning carline is from 7:45 - 8:10
Students should be in class BY 8:15 & ready for Morning Meeting
To be in class by 8:15 and ready for the Morning Meeting, your student should arrive in the carline queue no later than 8:10 to be dropped off at school.
If you arrive at 8:10, It takes a couple of minutes to get in line, pull up to the zones, & drop off your student. Then, it takes approximately 3 - 4 minutes for students to walk from the drop-off zones to their classrooms (especially those upstairs).
An 8:10 (& no later) arrival ensures students are in their class by 8:15, ready to learn!
If you arrive after 8:10, you must pull around to the front office and walk your student in. If your student is walked in before 8:15, they will not be counted as tardy. However, once it is 8:15, all students must be signed in and marked tardy.
A designated carline staff member has been directed to set an alarm on their phone for 8:10 to ensure that all of us, staff and families, are held accountable for following the carline and tardy procedures.
A parent/guardian MUST accompany students into the office if asked to pull to the front.
Parents/guardians are not permitted to walk students to class except on the first day of school for kindergarten students ONLY.

AFTERNOON

Afternoon carline is from 3:15 - 3:45 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday and from 1:15 - 1:45 on Wednesday.
Early pickups should be made at least 30 minutes before dismissal, which is 2:45 on M, T, TH, & F and 12:45 on Wed.
NEW Cars may line up for the afternoon carline 30 minutes before the school day ends. This means families MUST NOT line up BEFORE 2:45 on M, T, TH, & F and BEFORE 12:45 on Wed. This is for safety reasons, and because our school is growing and will have additional cars, we MUST avoid a line extending into the main road.
The carline will be blocked off with cones for afternoon recess. The last class finishes recess at 3:00 PM & 1:00 PM on Wednesday.
Cars must be able to use Kronbergs Court to pick up students for appointments, etc., so the entire road cannot be blocked!
If you arrive more than 30 minutes before dismissal, you may be asked to leave and return when it is time to line up for the afternoon carline. We are not doing this to be difficult, so please do not get angry with the SRO or a staff member.

CARLINE SIGNS & YOUR STUDENT’S UNIQUE CARLINE NUMBER

Students are assigned a unique number that will be their own personal carline number throughout their time at Alamance Community School. We use an app to help facilitate our dismissal process. So, to help dismissal run most efficiently and protect the security and safety of your student, you need to have and preserve this carline number. If someone has your student’s carline number, it communicates to our carline staff that that person is cleared to pick up your student through the carline.
We have printed two signs per student, the only two we will provide for you this academic year. Each student will be given two carline signs either at the Open House event or if you do not attend the Open House, they will be given to them on their first day of school. If the carline signs get lost or destroyed or need more than two signs, please make your own (see instructions below).
All returning/current ACS students will have the same carline number as last year.
All parents are to have their student’s carline sign/s displayed in the PASSENGER SIDE of the car windshield/window for the AFTERNOON carline.
The carline number that you are given when your student/s begin school at ACS will always be their number throughout their school career at ACS.
Carline signs & numbers are customized per student for safety and our afternoon Carline app, so you must use and keep track of the signs we provide.

MAKING YOUR SIGN

The most essential information on your student’s carline sign is their name, number, and grade level. If you need to make your sign, please write legibly and include this information (See the example to the right). Including their teacher’s name is also helpful, but it is unnecessary. To help us enter your information quickly, please ensure your sign is large enough and legible to be read from the front of your vehicle.

CARLINE RULES & TIPS:

In the morning and afternoon, there are unloading and pick-up zones/stations marked with orange cones, with a staff member at each cone where students are dropped off or picked up.
In the morning & afternoon, stop at the cones in the left and middle lanes. Do not proceed to the unloading zones until the staff member at STOP & GO directs you to do so.
When our STOP & GO staff member directs you, you will pull up for drop-off or pick-up.
There are unloading and pick-up zones/stations marked with orange cones along the sidewalk beside the gym, with a staff member at each cone where students are dropped off or picked up. Pull up to the first available cone and come to a complete stop. A staff member will open the car door, and your student can exit or enter the vehicle.
As you wait in the MORNING carline, have your child get their backpack, lunchbox, etc., ready to be unloaded once you pull up to the unloading zones.
If your child cannot unbuckle or buckle, you MUST pull ahead of Zone 1 (orange cone) to the area designated as the OVERFLOW ZONE so you can lean into the back seat and buckle them. DO NOT get out of your car to do this. Pull into the parking lot to get out of your vehicle.
DO NOT stay in the loading or unloading zones (with the orange cones) to buckle or unbuckle your child. A staff member will ask you to move up to the OVERFLOW ZONE so that we can keep the carline moving. A staff member cannot buckle your child due to liability issues. You will need to assist them with unbuckling or buckling. We strongly encourage you to teach your children how to do this independently since it is dangerous for you to get out of your car at any time, even in our OVERFLOW ZONE. Another option is to follow the carline driveway around the building to our parking lot, and then you can buckle your child.
In the AFTERNOON, if a driver does not have a carline sign with the QR Code AND does not know the student’s carline number, they may be asked to pull to the side until a staff member can look up the student’s carline number or directed to the front office so that we do not slow down the line.
DO NOT get out of your cars to load (or unload) book bags into your trunk. A staff member will direct you back into your vehicle and pull up to the OVERFLOW ZONE. This is a SAFETY CONCERN but it also slows down the carline. Bookbags must go into the vehicle (or out of the car) with the student.
In the AFTERNOON, you are welcome to do this if you want to pull around and go into our parking lot to reload bookbags.
DO NOT USE YOUR CELL PHONES during the AM & PM carline. This is a considerable safety concern; a staff member may ask you to remove your phone. Be focused and alert! There are many people on campus during arrival and dismissal times.
We have a School Resource Officer (SRO) who will help direct morning and afternoon carline traffic.
Please be kind and listen to staff as they help ensure the safety of our community.
To ensure students are safe and so that teachers and staff can fulfill their duties, at 3:45 on M, T, TH, & F and 1:45 on Wednesdays, all remaining students will be taken to the Genesis Athletics After Care Program and families will be charged a late pickup fee. The fee for late pickup is $10 for the first 30 minutes and then $5 for each additional 30 minutes.
The Overflow Zone is intended for rare occasions & to do something quickly. If you must go to the Overflow Zone, put on your hazards so the car behind you knows you are not ready to exit.

NOTE: Each time a car needs to go to the Overflow Zone, it slows the carline down by 30 seconds. If ten cars need to go to Overflow, this adds 5 minutes to our carline.

CARLINE TRAFFIC FLOW/PATTERN

For the AM & PM carline, when you turn onto Kronbergs Ct., pull into the shortest of the three lanes and follow the SRO’s &/or ACS staff member’s directions.
If you are in Lane 3, get as close to the right-hand curb as possible. If you are in Lane 1, get as close to the left-hand curb as possible. This enables us to have Lane 2 in the middle.
For cars ready to exit the Zones, please pay attention to the staff member at the zone and if they are directing you to go around another vehicle.

TOP SIX THINGS TO HELP CARLINE SAFER, RUN FASTER, & MORE EFFICIENT:

In the morning, as you pull up to the staff members for drop-off, make sure your student is unbuckled and ready to get out of the car with all their items quickly. In the past, we have noticed that some families pull down past our entrance to get their students ready before entering the carline, which is a great strategy. Teach your child how to unbuckle and buckle themselves.
All students need to exit & enter their car on the right-hand side beside the sidewalk. We do not want children exiting or entering vehicles on the left. This would put them in the middle of the carline lanes for THEIR SAFETY!
Stay out of your vehicles. We want adults to stay in the middle of the carline exit lanes. Again, this is for YOUR SAFETY.
PAY ATTENTION to staff members' directions & stay off your CELL PHONES.
Only go around another vehicle if you are directed to do so by a staff member.
In the afternoon, ensure your carline sign is displayed on the PASSENGER SIDE of the car windshield/window. Much time is saved when our staff entering carline numbers for zone pick-up doesn’t have to stop and ask for carline numbers or radio for a student to be called to a zone or the overflow zone via our intercom system because a car doesn’t have their carline number.

CARLINE & TARDIES

Students should be in class by 8:15. Ensure you enter the carline by 8:10 to ensure your child isn’t tardy.
To be in class by 8:15 and ready for the Morning Meeting, your student should be dropped off in the carline no later than 8:11 since it takes approximately 4 minutes for students to exit their vehicle and walk from the drop-off zones to their classrooms (especially those that are upstairs). If your child arrives at 8:11, you will be directed to the front office.
A designated carline staff member has been directed to set an alarm on their phone for 8:11 to ensure that all of us, staff and families, are held accountable for following the carline and tardy procedures.

EARLY DISMISSALS

You cannot check out your child early to avoid afternoon carline. Students miss instructional time, and early checkouts, such as tardies, can also accumulate. By the second or third week of school, our carline will run like a “well-oiled machine” and will not take very long.
Once everyone knows the procedures, when the line starts, it takes no more than 15 minutes for a car at the back of the line to pick up their child.
If your student has a legitimate afternoon appointment, they must be picked up 30 minutes BEFORE dismissal (2:45 on M, T, TH, & F or 12:45 on Wednesdays).
Teachers and students work until it is time to pack up and go home.
As stated in the Parent-Student Handbook, early dismissals from ACS are considered tardies and are subject to the ACS Attendance and Tardy policies. Therefore, an early check-out is counted as a tardy.
Please try to make appointments for your child outside of school hours; however, if you must pick your child up from school early for a legitimate reason, you need to notify your child’s teacher and the front office by emailing the teacher and the frontdesk@alamancecommunityschool.net, in advance.
The latest time a child may be picked up for early dismissal is 30 minutes before the regular dismissal time. This is 2:45 on regular school days and 12:45 on Wednesdays.
Please schedule your appointments accordingly and remember that students may not be dismissed after these times. You also must have your Photo ID to sign a student out.

RECESS & AFTERNOON CARLINE

The carline is blocked off with cones for afternoon recess so students can use our portable basketball goals, etc.
The last class finishes recess after 2:00 PM & 1:00 PM on Wednesday. Therefore, please arrive on campus for afternoon carline no earlier than 2:45 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday and 12:45 on Wednesday.
Furthermore, cars must be able to use Kronbergs Court to pick up students for appointments, etc., so the entire road cannot be blocked.
If you arrive more than 30 minutes before dismissal, you may be asked to leave and return when it is time to line up for the afternoon carline. We are not doing this to be difficult, so please do not get angry with the staff member.

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL REMINDER

All staff - teachers, the front office administrative assistant, teacher assistants, and administrators are busy with the AM & PM carline.
During these times, it is “all hands on deck,” and there is only one staff member in the front office.

Morning: 7:45 - 8:15 & Afternoon Dismissal: 3:05 - 3:45

The front office staff member needs to be available to address urgent needs (emergencies), manage the intercom system for the carline (this is how we call students to the overflow zone), and attend to the phone.
We ask that you not call or come to the office during these times unless you have an emergency.
Teachers cannot meet during the AM & PM carline. Please send an email to your child’s teacher to schedule a meeting.
Early pickups should be made at least 30 minutes before dismissal (by 2:45 on M, T, TH, & F and 12:45 on Wed).

CLOTHES BIN

You may have noticed the large green Clothes Bin just before our entrance beside Kronbergs Court. The bright green bin is our “go-to” for conveniently recycling clothes, shoes, and textiles. Every pound that is recycled via our bin supports ACS! So, Clothes Bin is a Green Initiative That Earns ACS “Green.”
Most clothes, shoes, and textiles discarded in local landfills could have been recycled. So, grab a garbage bag, fill it with hope, and drop it off at the ACS Clothes Bin to support our school.

Below are the items that you can recycle and place in the Clothes Bin:

Clothes such as pants, jeans, skirts, dresses, suits, shorts, shirts, tees, tanks
Outerwear such as coats, jackets, gloves, hats, scarves
Footwear such as shoes, boots, heels, sneakers, sandals, socks, tights
Undergarments such as bras, underwear, slips, camisoles
Accessories such as hats, belts, ties, scarves, headbands
Handbags, wallets, totes, luggage, backpacks, briefcases
Linens such as towels, sheets, comforters, blankets, tablecloths