|  Parents & Guardians: We are excited to begin a new school year and know that 2016-17 will be our BEST YEAR YET for the Buccaneers as we continue to embody our vision of EXCELLENCE IN ACTION! Some news you can use and important procedures: Communication: We communicate in a variety of ways. Be sure to subscribe to the Mt. Bethel website www.mtbetheles.com and to check the school and PTA Website frequently! You will receive emails/texts from our school and the District through Blackboard if there is a weather event or dismissal change. Lunch: For the lunch menu, CLICK HERE! Student breakfast items are served a la carte and are available in the cafeteria daily. Student lunches cost $2.15. You can pay via check to made payable to Mt. Bethel or through MyPaymentsPlus. CLICK HERE FOR A HANDY MEAL PRICE CHART. In order to solidify lunchroom procedures, we ask for guest diners to wait until August 15th to visit. After August 15th, parents are welcome to join their child for lunch. Guest lunches are $3.50. Guests take their child to the Parent table. Fast food is not allowed, but you are absolutely welcome to dine on one of our delicious lunch choices. Dismissal: We begin dismissal early during the first week and will try our best to make sure buses run on time. All transportation changes must be made on our Transportation Change/Bus Pass form and be approved in the front office before 9:00 am. You will receive a copy of this form in Cobb Folders on the first day of school and can download the form from our website at THIS LINK. NO GUEST BUS RIDERS will be approved until after Labor Day. If you need to check your child out early, please do so prior to 1:45 pm. Bus Guest Riders: We will approve guest riders on buses beginning September 6th. No bus changes will be approved prior to 9/6. This allows us time to solidify dismissal and bus procedures and to accurately count each bus load and guarantee a seat for all students who live on the routes. Yellow Tags on Backpacks: We will place a yellow tag on backpacks for all students in K, 1st & 2nd grades by the end of the first week. This is a safety signal for bus drivers. Please do not remove the yellow tag or decorate it. Thank you! Classroom Deliveries: We will deliver items to classrooms one time daily at 10:00 am. Items worthy of delivery are lunches and eye glasses. Please help your student practice the LIFESKILL of RESPONSIBILITY and accept the natural consequence if they forget a water bottle or homework. Office Hours: Phones will be answered from 7:15 am - 3:30 pm. We suspend phone and doorbell response during dismissal (1:45 pm - 2:25 pm) to ensure the safety of our 1,100 students. Absences/Tardies: If your child is absent or tardy, upon return, please send them with an Absence/Tardy Excuse form. Two Absence/Tardy Excuse forms will come home on the first day in the Cobb County folder, or you can access the form by CLICKING HERE. Excused absences include: illness, death in the family, religious holiday, court order, or parent military deployment/return home. If a child checks in after 11:15 am, they are considered absent. We recognize how lucky we are to have your support. More importantly, we are grateful that you entrust your staff to teach your amazing children each and every day. If you have a question or concern, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher or one of our administrators. Looking forward to an amazing year,
Jessica Appleyard, Principal |
