Table of Contents

• Welcome
• Arrival Procedures

• Carpool

• Navigating the Carpool Loop
• AM Carpool Tips & Reminders

• Buses

• Helpful Details
• Routes

• Walkers

• Entering Campus

• Dismissal Procedures

• Carpool

• Carpool Pick-Up Procedures
• Carpool Car Tags and Book Bag Tags
• PM Carpool Tips & Reminders

• Buses

• Helpful Details
• Routes

• Walkers

• Walker Passes and Procedures

• Campus Information & Reminders

• Early Checkouts/Campus Departures
• School Hours
• Before and After School Program
• Visitors and Volunteers
• School Meal Information
• Stay CONNected

• Closing

Welcome

August 2023

Dear Conn Magnet Elementary School Families,

We are very excited to begin the 2023-2024 school year! As you prepare for your student’s return to campus, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the important information contained in this guide.

Our Campus Guide contains critical information that will assist all of us in making a smooth transition back to school and creates a seamless school year.

Thank you all for your support and efforts in keeping our CONNmUNITY safe and strong! Let’s make it an amazing year!

Sincerely,

Gabriel Chidester, Principal

Arrival Procedures

Carpool

        Navigating the Loop

• Enter the carpool loop by turning off of Brookside Drive. Turn into the right lane, filling both lanes, and follow the instructions of the staff member. Carpool will flow around the drop-off area (marked by cones) under the awning.

AM Carpool Tips & Reminders

• Carpool drop-off will begin at 8:45 a.m. as directed by staff.
• Students must stay inside the vehicles until 8:45 a.m.
• Stay in the carpool line sequence and do not attempt to pass other cars as this makes the situation quite dangerous for students and staff.
• Please refrain from using cell phones during carpool arrival.
• It is important to remember that instruction for students begins promptly at 9:15 a.m. All students should arrive at school with time to get to classrooms and be ready to work by 9:15 a.m.
• If your student arrives after the 9:15 a.m. tardy bell (staff will have left the carpool loop), you will need to park in one of the visitor spots next to the main office and check your child in at the front office.
• An ADULT is required to sign students in once the school day has begun. DO NOT drop students off at the street or parking lots.  All exterior doors are locked at 9:15 a.m.

Buses

Bus Registration

• 2023-2024 bus rider registration can be completed on the WCPSS website.

Helpful Details

• Plan to be at your bus stop early. PreK-1st grade students must be accompanied by an adult for the morning and afternoon bus stops.
• Students MUST have their backpacks with them daily as their BUS TAG will be looped on the handle. This is the “ticket” to ride the bus and provides identifying information in the event of an emergency. It is VERY important that bus tags accompany your child daily if they intend to ride the bus.

Routes

• Click here for the most up to date bus route information!
• Important: Bus routes are subject to change based on actual student distribution and other factors. The information here will be updated regularly, but changes may take several days to be reflected online.
• Stop Times: Parents can anticipate a stop time based on the route start time, estimating 3 minutes between stops for neighborhood routes and 10 minutes for express routes. The exact stop time will vary during the first weeks of school. Students should be ready and waiting for the bus at least 10 minutes before the bus is expected to arrive.
• Bus schedules: We urge parents to be patient as routes settle during the first few weeks of school. With students becoming familiar with this new routine, bus routes may take more time.
• Faded Stops: Stops in faded text are on the route, but do not pick up or drop off students attending this school.
• Questions and/or concerns?: Contact Transportation.

Walkers

        Entering Campus

• Students that arrive on campus on foot will enter the school through the main school entrance. Parents are not allowed to park and walk students to the main entrance. If you are driving to campus, carpool must be used.
• New walker passes will be distributed at the Meet the Teacher event and upon first time walker drop-off. The school will provide each family with their walker passes. New passes will be provided each year. Old passes will not be accepted. See additional walker pass information under the dismissal section of this document. To request additional walker passes, please call the main office  at 919-856-7637.

Dismissal Procedures

Carpool

Carpool Pick-Up Procedures

• When entering campus, please utilize both carpool arrival lanes.
• The first car to enter the carpool loop will stop at the first cone under the awning all the way at the front of the designated loading zones.
• Carpool usually begins moving and loading about 3:50 p.m. and concludes by 4:10 p.m. Although the first few weeks of carpool dismissal can be a bit slow going, when everyone follows procedures, the process is a safe and efficient way to dismiss students each day.
• Display your carpool tag on your rearview mirror so that staff members can easily view and identify your student’s carpool number.
• Old carpool passes may not be used.
• As carpool begins and continues around the loop, a staff member will communicate the carpool tag number to staff and students inside the building.
• Please refrain from using cell phones during carpool dismissal.
• Do not attempt to pass other cars once in the carpool line/sequence. Please be patient and courteous. Proceed around the loop with caution and ALWAYS follow staff members’ directions.

Carpool Car Tags and Book Bag Tags

• New carpool tags will be distributed each year. The school will provide each family with two carpool tags only.
• The carpool tag should remain displayed from the rear view mirror until your child is loaded into your car.
• Carpool students will be dismissed to their respective vehicles according to the school issued carpool tag displayed on the rearview mirror of your vehicle.
• Students will receive a matching carpool number tag that will be attached to their book bag. This will allow Conn staff to safely pair students with their cars. Tags should not be removed from book bags.
• Cars WITHOUT school issued carpool tags will need to pull around the loop and park in one of the visitor spots next to the main office. A staff member will come out to further assist you.

PM Carpool Tips & Reminders

• If you elect to ask another individual to pick up your student in the carpool loop you must notify your child’s teacher and the front office at 919-856-7637. Students will only be released to persons listed on the student’s locator card. If necessary, we will hold the child at school until a parent/guardian can be contacted. Proper identification must be presented to school staff for verification.

• Parents/Guardians may also give their carpool tag to the person picking up. No questions will be asked when proceeding through carpool as the carpool sign in the verification needed for pickup.

• Students who will be picked up at dismissal in carpool must register to receive a new 2023-2024 carpool tag with the same number being issued. Carpool tags from previous will not be accepted.
• After 4:10 p.m. students will be in the main office and considered a late pick-up. Excessive late pick-ups may result in a referral to administration or social worker. Thank you for being on time to meet your child.

Buses

        Here Comes the Bus

• For the 2023-2024 school year, the Here Comes the Bus app is available for all WCPSS families.
• WCPSS Transportation provides families of students who ride a yellow bus to school with a free bus tracking system called Here Comes the Bus. 
• Here Comes the Bus translates GPS data into an easy to use customizable map that works on a computer, tablet or smartphone. The app allows you to see where the bus is and how close it is to your stop.
• Get started with Here Comes the Bus here. You will need the district code and your student’s ID number to sign up. For your smartphone or tablet, download the Here Comes the Bus app from the App Store or Google Play.
• The WCPSS school code for Yellow Bus is 67500. The WCPSS school code for Vendor Transportation Services is 67501. Learn more about Here Comes the Bus for Vendor Transportation Services. 

        Routes

• All bus routes are posted on the WCPSS website. All families should be able to access bus stops in PowerSchool. If you have any questions, please call the main office at 919-856-7637.  
• Timings of routes change frequently, especially at the beginning of the year. Make afternoon plans with extreme flexibility during the first few weeks.
• Use the ‘Here Comes the Bus’ app to monitor your student’s bus location/timing. Register here.
• Plan to be at your bus stop early. PreK-1st grade students must be accompanied by an adult at the bus stop or will not be permitted to exit the bus. 

Walkers

Walker Passes and Procedures

• Walkers are only for students who are in the no transportation zone and ‘walk’ to school.
• Adults who drive to campus are considered carpool and must use the carpool lane.
• Students designated as ‘walkers’ will meet their adult outside the front main school entrance.
• Adults will line up out front of the main building on the sidewalk. A staff member will come out and ask to see your walker pass. This walker pass will be matched with your child’s walker tag located on their book bag. Students are dismissed only when a card is presented to a member of the walker’s team.
• Please stay in line until a staff member brings out your child.
• Replacements for lost or forgotten cards will be available in the office, upon verification of identification and cross-checked with student locator cards.
• If you wish to allow your 4th or 5th grade student to walk home on their own, we will issue them a “special” walkers card that will allow them to bypass the process of walkers’ dismissal. To take advantage of this opportunity, families must email Ms. Gabriel Chidester, Principal, at gchidester@wcpss.net to acknowledge permission. Students MUST depart campus as soon as they are dismissed and may not linger on campus without adult supervision.

Campus Information & Reminders

Early Checkouts/Campus Departures

• If you intend for your student to be dismissed in a manner that is not typical, we must receive the request in writing. We CANNOT rely on students to tell us the intended plans. If the school does not receive this request in writing, the student will go home their normal way.
• Consistency is key in allowing school staff to get your student home safely. Frequent and last-minute changes are often chaotic and confusing.
• If you must make a change to the typical/expected manner of your student’s departure, you may call the main office at 919-856-7637 to do so. Changes must be received by 3:00 p.m.
• Under no circumstances should students be dropped off unsupervised before 8:45 a.m.
• Appointments that require students to leave school early during the school day will require an adult check-out. Students will be called from class when the parent arrives to check them out. In order to check-out your student, you may use the bell outside the main office to make your request. A photo ID will be required to check students out early. We do not permit early check-outs after 3:15 p.m. due to preparing for dismissal.
• We trust you will exercise extreme effort to arrive on time and minimize early check-outs. Both late arrivals and early check-outs are extremely disruptive and strain the limited personnel we have available. Frequent early departures or late arrivals may result in a referral to the school social worker.

School Hours

• The arrival window is 8:45 a.m. - 9:10 a.m. We expect all students to be in their classrooms, prepared, and ready to begin their day by 9:15 a.m.
• Students will begin the departure process at 3:45 p.m.
• All students must be picked up in the afternoon by 4:10 p.m. at the latest.
• Again, late arrivals and early departures cause disruptions to the instructional day and strain personnel. We ask that you adhere to the established schedule.

Before and After School Program

• The YMCA  Before and After School Program is for those families who need a structured childcare setting between the hours of 7:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. (before school) and 3:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (after school).
• For more information regarding pricing and other details, please check out their website. This year, our YMCA contact person will be Mr. Marcus Tate. You can reach out to him with any additional questions at Marcus.Tate@ymcatriangle.org.
• Students attending the YMCA after school can not be checked out until after 4:15 p.m. due to dismissal procedures.

Visitors and Volunteers

• All visitors who arrive on campus must ring the doorbell and state their name and reason for their visit.
• After being approved for entry, visitors must report and sign in. A valid ID will be required to sign in.
• Updated- 8/14/23: All WCPSS parent and community volunteers are required to register through the MyVolunteer system.  

• On the MyVolunteer site, you will find disclosure and authorization forms, the WCPSS Volunteer Agreement, as well as a summary of rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You must review these documents and provide the requested information.
• Make sure you include your name and contact information when you begin the registration process.  If you leave the CRC background site before completing your contact information, you will have to begin the process again.
• You must include your social security number to register to volunteer. If you do not have a social security number, please contact volunteers@wcpss.net or call 919-694-8233.
• You will be notified by the MyVolunteer system if you are approved to volunteer.
• If you are a WCPSS employee, you also need to register to volunteer.
• Click here to start your volunteer registration.  

• All new volunteers must attend Conn Magnet Elementary’s volunteer orientation training. These trainings will be offered at various times and locations at the beginning of the year.
• Examples of volunteer opportunities may include shelving books in the media center, assisting with lunch duty, attending field trips, or helping in the classroom.
• All volunteer opportunities must be planned and approved in advance.
• If you have any questions about volunteering, please call the office for more information. 

School Meals

• Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, full-paid breakfast will be $1.50 and lunch will be $3.25 at elementary schools.
• To apply for free or reduced-price meals, you can do so online by visiting www.MySchoolApps.com. Paper applications will always be made available throughout ALL Wake County Public Schools, Crossroads, and at Central Office, or you can call 919-588-3535 or 919-856-2920 to have one mailed to you.

• Meal benefits data enables schools to obtain funding to provide other critical educational resources to benefit students.  
• For families who completed the 2022-23 meal benefits application, the eligibility benefit will be effective for their student's first 30 school days of the 2023-2024 school year.
• For more information, please see www.wcpss.net/free-reduced-meals.

• If you would like to have your child purchase extra snacks, you can set up an account at https://www.myschoolbucks.com. If you plan to complete your free or reduced lunch form, please do so before the start of school so it can be processed quickly.

Stay CONNected

• Please ensure that we have your most recent contact information, including your email address and cell phone number.
• All Student Contact sheets should be returned within the first week of school.
• We use email, Talking Points, and School Messenger to share critical information with you.
• You can opt-in to text messages by texting YES to the shortcode 67587.
• More information is available at wcpss.net/schoolmessenger.
• Continue to follow us on Twitter @ConnMagnet and on Facebook. Check out our website for our latest posts!

Closing

Thank you so much for taking the time to review and familiarize yourself with all the information in our Campus Guide. We truly appreciate you supporting, recognizing, and abiding by all of the procedures and structures we have in place in order to protect the health and safety of our entire CONNmUNITY! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Gabriel Chidester at gchidester@wcpss.net.

-Gabriel Chidester, Principal