Dalmatian Nation,
We are SO grateful to have your child at Drayton Mills Elementary School (DMES)! Read below for a quick summary of what you need to know as we start the year on Monday, August 12!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AT DMES ON DAY ONE!
Arrival: Every school day, children may arrive as early as 7:00 AM (no earlier), and they are tardy after 7:45 AM.
If your child is a bus rider, you will get more information by using the form found at this website: https://www.spartanburg7.org/o/spartanburg07/page/transportation
Please note that your child cannot ride the bus until the Transportation Office confirms this, and it takes a few days to do so. They will not let the school know the bus number, so you will need to communicate this to your child and your child’s teacher.
If your child is a car rider, you will enter the campus from the road behind the school (accessible by turning at the red light near the school on Skylyn Drive). Please pull up to the white line or close to the car in front of you without blocking the crosswalk. Don’t worry – we’ll have adults there to help guide you through this! Children should be ready to quickly exit their car from the passenger side. Our goals in car line are for the process to be safe and quick. Cars MAY form two lines as they come into car line, and then they will merge “zipper style” (just like at Chick-fil-a!) at the cones. This is not “cutting in line.” Rather, it helps us to get many cars on campus so that we don’t stop traffic off campus. This system works best when drivers are courteous and cooperative.
If your child is tardy, the car line entrance will be blocked by our school resource officer, and you must walk your child into the front office and sign them in. Please do not drop off children anywhere on campus unattended, whether it is car line or the front of the building.
If your child is a 4K, 5K or 1st grade student, and you would like to walk them in for the first few days, please park in the lot near car line (Teacher Lot 2), cross at the crosswalk while holding your child’s hand, and see one of the adults stationed at the doors. We respectfully ask that you simply drop your child off rather than trying to meet with the teacher who will be supervising children. If you need to speak with your child’s teacher, please make an appointment. Beginning Monday, August 26, we will ask that K5 and 1st grade students begin walking in without their parent.
In addition, don’t forget Kindergarten Staggered Start the first week of school. On August 15, all K4 and K5 students will attend class together.
Meals: Each school day, your child will receive breakfast and lunch at no charge. Your child is welcome to bring a lunch, but please do not send in breakfast. We will send home both breakfast and lunch menus on the first day! Menus are available online at https://spartanburg7.nutrislice.com/menu/drayton-mills-elementary
Dismissal: Every school day, children will dismiss at 2:30 PM, and all children should be picked up by 3:00 PM at the latest if they are car riders. If you need to change your child’s transportation, this must be done in writing to your child’s teacher.
If your child is a bus rider, the Spartanburg District 7 Transportation Office will let you know where they will be dropped off. Our younger children cannot be dropped off without an adult present.
If your child is a car rider, you will pick them up in the same car line where they are dropped off in the morning, and traffic procedures are the same. It is very important that you have your child’s car tag. If you do not have a car tag, we cannot release your child without checking your ID and confirming that we are permitted to release the child to you. We do not release children in car line to “walk ups,” so please do not park on campus and walk up to car line. The first few days, car line will take a little longer than usual, but, as we all learn the routine, it will get much faster.
If your child is a daycare van rider or walker, they will be dismissed by the side door near the bus loop, across from the fire department. We ask all parents to let classroom teachers know which daycare will pick up their child(ren). If your child is a walker, they must be accompanied by an adult. We request you provide written notice to the classroom teacher indicating the adult responsible for picking up your child. Make sure to notify us as soon as possible if there are any changes to the designated adult picking up your child.
If your child is in our Kids Club, that will begin on Monday, August 12 for 1st – 5th grade children that have registered and been accepted.
Please be sure that your child’s teacher knows how your child is supposed to get home each day. This information is critical to keeping your child safe.
Communication: You will hear from us in lots of ways! Please keep your contact information current so that you receive important emails, texts, and phone calls from the school. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DraytonMillsElementary), Instagram, or check out our website (https://www.spartanburg7.org/o/draytonmills ) . Once a month, we publish the Principal’s Newsletter, and copies of our handbook and calendar are available in the office. Teachers will communicate with weekly newsletters, via email, during scheduled conferences, and through methods such as Class Dojo. As always, if you need to get Carla Cato (Principal), please email her at Cbcato@spart7.org. You are also always welcome to call the school at (864) 586-7979 during regular school days between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
We would LOVE to have you volunteer! If you’d like to be considered for our School Improvement Council, please email Cbcato@spart7.org. If you would like to be part of our PTO, email dmespto21@gmail.com. If you’d like to volunteer in any other capacity, please contact Felicia Linder, our Parent Facilitator, at falinder@spart7.org.
We look forward to seeing you on Monday! It’s going to be a great year.
Carla Cato, Principal
Drayton Mills Elementary School
(864) 586-7979