• 8/22/2023

    Good evening, all!  Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful children with us today. We had a fantastic first day, and your children make our school a better place. Thank you so much for all of your cooperation and patience with drop-off and dismissal.  A few reminders:

     

    1. When dropping off or picking up, please pull your car up as far as possible in the loop so that other families are able to fit.

    2. If you need to get out with your child, please park in the lined spaces outside of the drop-off lane and exit your vehicle. 

    3. Only students in Kindergarten and First Grade (as well as their older siblings) can be picked up on the blue side.  Only students in grades 2-5 can be picked up on the yellow side after all buses have left the loop.  No vehicles may enter the yellow loop until the buses have departed. 

    4. During the hours of 7a-9a and 2p-4p, all vehicles that are not school buses must turn right out of the parking lots to alleviate traffic on the parkway. 

    5. If your child rides a bike to school, please make sure they leave it on the side of the building they will be exiting. 

     

    I so appreciate all of your support in helping to make these transitions as easy and safe as possible for all of our Easterly Parkway students. We are so excited to have them back!

     

    Have a great night,

     

    Meredith Henderson 

     

     

    8/17/2023



    EASTERLY PARKWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

    234 EASTERLY PARKWAY 

    STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA 16801 

    TELEPHONE:  814-231-1170 

    August 2023

    Hello Easterly Families! 

    Welcome to another year of learning at Easterly Parkway Elementary School! For those parents whose children will be coming to Easterly for the first time, we welcome you to our school community. Families with children returning to our learning space, welcome back! I am excited to meet you all, and I'm sharing some general information as we prepare for the 23-24 school year.  

     

    Elementary School Times

    7:55 - 8:05 a.m. - AM Drop Off/Bus Arrival (drop-off after 8:10 must be signed in at the office)

    8:10 - Start of the School  Day - Instruction Begins (if not present, your child will be marked 

    tardy)

    2:55- Dismissal: Students riding buses, K & 1 students and their older siblings

    2:58- Students attending CEEL are dismissed to the cafeteria

    3:00 - Dismissal:2-5 Students who are walkers or parent pickup

    CEEL

    CEEL hours for registered students (see link for registration Community Education Extended Learning)

    Afternoon CEEL hours Dismissal to 5:30 p.m. (pick up through the elementary office)

    Recess

    30 mins for K-5 each day

    K-2 will receive an additional 15-minute session per day

    Please dress children appropriately for the weather, especially during the cold winter 

    months. 

     

    Orientation Day for Kindergarten

    The first student day, August 22, is a shortened orientation day for kindergarten students. The first full day for Kindergarten students will be Wednesday, August 23. Here is the slideshow prepared by our Kindergarten teachers. 

     

    Other helpful tidbits of information: (Procedures and Important Phone Numbers)



    Student Transportation - Arrival and dismissal times at Easterly Parkway can become busy as traffic on the Parkway becomes congested. Below is our initial transportation plan. If adjustments need to be made to this plan, I will reach out with additional information. Please remember that the speed limit in a school zone is 15 miles per hour. 

     

    Morning Drop-Off

    • Students riding buses will be dropped off at the yellow (bus loop) side of the building. Once all buses have arrived and discharged students, the cones will be removed and parents may use this side of the building for drop-off (usually by 8:00 AM).

     

    • Students arriving in cars can be dropped off beginning at 7:50 AM each morning and can enter the building at 7:55.

     

    • Both sides of the building will be used for morning drop-off; however, the yellow side may only be used after all buses have pulled out of the bus loop and the orange cones have been removed, between 7:55 and 8:00 AM.

      

    • If you are coming from University Drive, we encourage you to drop off on the yellow side of the building (bus loop). If you are coming from Atherton Street, we believe it will be best for you to drop off on the blue (front office) side. 

     

    • When dropping off your children, please follow the directions of the staff. They will ask you to pull the entire way up to an orange cone before stopping. This allows more cars to pull in and drop off and keeps traffic flowing. 

     

    • Children should always exit curbside.  If you need to assist your child, you must park in the parking lot, help them get out, and walk them to the sidewalk. You will be asked to move from the dropoff lane. 

     

    • All students must be inside the building by 8:10 AM each morning to be considered on time for school.  Please know that drop-off tends to get heavy around 8:05 AM.  Arriving between 7:50 and 8:00 will help make it more convenient for you and the traffic on the Parkway. 

     

    Afternoon Dismissal

     

    • All students riding a bus will be dismissed at 2:55 PM each day followed by kindergarten and first grade students who are walkers or parent pickup. All other students will be dismissed beginning at 3:00 PM. 

     

    • Students riding buses will be dismissed to the yellow side of the building to board buses. 

     

    • K-1 students (and their older siblings) who are being picked up will exit to the office or blue side of the building.  This includes students being picked up in cars or by parents walking to meet their children. Staff will be there to assist students and help direct traffic. All vehicles will need to make a right turn out of the loop onto the parkway during arrival and dismissal. 

     

    • Students in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 who are being picked up will be dismissed to the yellow side of the building after the buses have exited the bus loop. Cars may only enter the yellow side after all buses have pulled into the loop. All vehicles that are not school buses will need to make a right turn out of the loop onto the parkway during arrival and dismissal. 

     

    • Caregivers are to remain in their cars during dismissal.  Staff will be available to assist students. 

     

    • You may park legally on Pugh and walk over to avoid the traffic. 

     

    • If you arrive prior to 2:45, please do not block access for caregivers who are coming to dismiss their children early for appointments.  It is not necessary to arrive before then if you are doing regular after-school pickup. 

     

    • Please note that the playground and grassy areas near the school are used by our afternoon CEEL program until 6:00. This means they are not accessible to the public until that time. 

     

    Additional Transportation Reminders

    • If you drop off your child after 8:10 AM or pick your child up before 2:55 PM, you must park and come to the office to sign them in or out

    • Transportation plans should remain consistent throughout the year.  If you have an unexpected change in pick up plans for your child, please call the office (814-231-1170) by 1:00pm so that there is time to alert students and teachers.  Emailing teachers or the office staff is not an option as they may not have the opportunity to check email throughout the school day.    

    • If your child(ren) will be leaving early, please send in a note that morning or call/e-mail the school office as soon as possible so that everyone will have the correct information. When you arrive to pick up your child(ren), please sign them out at the table in the hallway entrance, and then we ask that you wait there for your child(ren). 

    Safe At School Line - If a student will be absent from school due to illness or if they are going to be late because of a morning appointment, please call the SAFE AT SCHOOL (SAS) phone number, 814-231-1011, ext. 1171, and report their absence.  If we do not hear from you by 9:30 AM, you will receive a call from the office checking on your child’s safety. (Please note, if you send an email to the teacher, they are not always forwarded to the office.  Call the SAS line, too, please.

    Please remember to send a written excuse when your child(ren) returns or within three days. Or when entering the absence/reason in ParentVue.  If your child(ren) had a doctor’s/dentist appointment, please have a note from that office. The office visit will not count toward the 10-day absence limit stipulated by the state if we have that note. 

     

    If your child(ren) is arriving late for school and ordering lunch, please include that information when leaving your message on the SAS line.  If arriving after 8:10, you must sign your child(ren) in at the office.  To help with our planning, anytime you wish to have lunch with your child at school and want to purchase a school lunch, we ask that you call the school before 9 A.M. to place your order OR send a note with your child that morning to give to their teacher.

    Educational Trip Forms must be filled out and turned into the office at least two weeks before the trip. Only 10 days in a school year can be excused for educational trips.

     

    As part of our Safe Schools Initiative, throughout the school day, there will be one point of entry into our school, and that will be through our elementary office.  Please ring the buzzer at the entrance by the visitor parking area. The office staff will open the door for you to enter the building.  A sign-in is located in the office  to acquire a visitor’s pass before entering our instructional areas.  We are currently updating our security check-in system, so look for more information to be forthcoming.  Every child is important to us and remains our top priority. 

     

    Volunteering: As in the past, clearances will be required if volunteering in our school.  This information can be found on our district website or via this link:  Volunteer Information.

     

    PTO:  We have a  fantastic Parent/Teacher Organization that meets on the first Wednesday of each month in the school library.  We welcome you to join us!  The first meeting will be held Tuesday, September 5, from 6:00-7:00 pm on the playground.  The PTO purchases school supplies and sponsors field trips, book fairs, and many family events. 

    Dates at a Glance:

    • August 17- PTO Ice Cream Social/Back to School Night 5:00-6:00

    • August 22 - First Day of School for Students 

    • August 22 - Kindergarten Orientation (Partial day, more info to follow)

    • August 23 - Kindergarten First Full Day

    • August 25 - NO SCHOOL 

    • September 4 - NO SCHOOL

    • September 6 - PTO/DEIB Meeting @ 6:00 pm/Playground

    • September 15 - Kindergarten Friday Night Football @ Memorial Field  7:00-9:00 (more info. to follow)

    • September 28- School Picture Day

    • October 3 - Fun Run (During School Hours, more information to follow). 

     

    I hope all families have had a wonderful summer! I look forward to launching the new school year and having the children back in our hallways. Thank you for your patience; I know this was a lengthy email with a lot of information.  

    Welcome back!

    Meredith Henderson, Principal

     

     

     

     

    8/8/2023

    A message from the PTO and school:

     

    Dear Families,

     

    The new school year at Easterly Parkway means meeting the teachers and enjoying some ice cream with friends at the combined EP Ice Cream Social/Back-to-School Night!  Please join us on August 17th from 5 to 6 pm for this fun PTO-sponsored event! This will be an open-house format where teachers will provide a meet-and-greet experience in lieu of a separate date in September. Ice cream will be served in the all-purpose room and must be kept in that space to keep our beautiful building pristine before the start of the school year. 

    Students will receive their official class assignments on Tuesday, August 15th. Since kindergarteners will not have been assigned a teacher yet, please stop in to say hi to all three of our amazing kindergarten faculty. Please note that the assignments you can see in Synergy right now are likely inaccurate due to some challenges in the system that the district emailed about. These will be updated and complete by the 15th. 

    If the weather cooperates, you are also welcome to enjoy our playground while waiting for an opportunity to meet your teacher. Please note, this event will end promptly at 6:00 so all families and faculty wishing to attend the Mount Nittany Middle School event for incoming 6th graders that begins at 6:30 are able to do so. 

    Second, since we accidentally scheduled back-to-back ice cream, we will be postponing the playground meet-up that was scheduled for August 16th. We will instead have the playground meet up on Tuesday, September 5 with Classic Cones ice cream truck from 6 to 7 pm during our first PTO meeting which will take place outdoors in a more informal way so people can meet the PTO.   

     

    Thank you,

    Easterly Parkway PTO

    Meredith Henderson

     
Last Modified on August 22, 2023