Northwest Wayne News

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools issued the following announcement on Aug 26.

2021-2022 School Year Open House Details

We are excited to welcome parents back into Dodson Elementary for our start of the year Open House!

As of this date, we are planning to proceed with an in-person Open House following the mitigation practices currently in place.  The district is asking that masks be worn during the Open House indoors.

This year's School Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, September 1st. For safety reasons, we will plan to limit the number of families in the building at one time. The open house times are as follows: (Please do your best to make that time work)

• Students with last names A-L - 5:30-6:15
• Students with last names M-Z - 6:15-7:00

Back to School Check-in Process - Everyone must complete 

The Back to School Check-in process, which is a requirement for returning Kindergarten through 12th grade P-CCS families to easily update medical, demographic, and contact information in MISTAR Parent Connection (formerly Parent Portal), will open on August 16th.  If completed online through this process, you will not have to complete an emergency card for your student at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.

• Once logged into MISTAR Parent Connection, you will look for the ‘Back to School Check-in’ link in the top of the home screen and follow the prompts. This registration will be available starting on Monday, August 16, and will run until Friday, September 24. This process must be completed for all students.

Class Lists – Our classroom placements will be e-mailed to you by your new teacher some time during the day on August 30th.  All elementary schools in the district are releasing their lists on the same day.  We have been working on class lists since the close of last year. We hope that students, parents and guardians will take into consideration the countless hours the team has spent recently piecing together balanced rooms and meticulously reviewing the rosters.  This is not a task we take lightly, as each student’s prospect for success and personal growth hinges on their placement.  When one student is moved it often creates a domino effect-- Therefore, please keep in mind teacher placements are final.  If you have a concern, please speak with Dr. Quasarano so it can be addressed before the year starts. Open House is a great opportunity to meet new friends and start new beginnings.  

 School Day Calendar and Times ~ New Start and End Times:

The first day of school will be Tuesday, September 7th, and will be a half-day of school. The school day will begin at 8:55 (first bell 8:50) with dismissal at 4:01. Please do not drop off students  before 8:40 am, there is no supervision prior to 8:40 am. The half-day dismissal time will be 12:10 pm.

Half days will be from 8:55 AM to 12:10 p.m.--Wednesday, September 8th is a full day of school for 1st though 5th grade.  Kindergarten will have another ½ day.   

Specific lunch and recess times will come home from your child’s teacher.  We have been working on a schedule similar to the end of last year.  We are working to keep as much space as possible between our students while they are eating lunch. 

Please remember to send closed toe shoes for students to play at recess if they want to go on the climbers and play on the wood chips.  The new playground sure does look fun!!!

Bus Information - will be sent to your child’s Parent Portal account before school begins. Please make sure your e-mail information is updated.  We will have several adults available to direct students on the first week of school.  Usually, the routine takes a couple of days for the students to know it well and feel comfortable.  Remember that all changes to the normal routine should be accompanied by a written note. Students will receive a zip tie on their backpacks to let us know what color bus they should be on.  Please leave this tag on their backpack. Students who are  scheduled to ride the bus will do so unless a note from a parent is given to the teacher or the office.  

Drills - Expect your children to speak about fire, tornado and lockdown drills in the first month of school.  We want to get these safety drills down as soon as possible.  We ask that all visitors to school sign in at the office before going to a classroom--we will be limiting visitors to necessary trips..  

Morning Line-Up - Students are asked to line up outside the building in lines.  Doors will be opened for students to enter five minutes before school begins (at 8:50 a.m. this year)   For safety reasons, we ask that parents not enter the building via these side doors. We have morning supervisors available starting at 8:40 am.  Please do not drop your student prior to 8:40 a.m.  Students who are eating breakfast may enter through the front doors. 

RSS Feed Icon - to "Subscribe to School News" is available on the left side of our Dodson website's front page.  Just click on the icon and supply your email address to begin receiving the school news.  This is a quick and easy way to get the news you need. 

Lunch and P-CCS FOOD AND NUTRITION UPDATES

The Nutrition team is working hard to get ready for another school year. We are making positive menu changes after a hard pandemic year of meal service. The menu is expanding to a wider variety of fresh and healthy choices daily.

The online free and reduced application will be open for 2021-22 starting on August 12. It is still important to complete the application. The application supports other funding in areas of education, discounts for pay to play, access for computer WIFI, college applications fees and standardized testing fees.

How can parents apply for free and reduced benefits?

After August 12, 2021 parents can conveniently apply online for benefits. The application from last year cannot be used; students must reapply every school year. Please dispose of the old application and obtain a new one from: https://frapps.horizonsolana.com/PLYC01. Please remember that you need to reapply yearly.

Is there a mobile app for My Payments Plus?

Yes. One of the great features of this system is that parents can download the free mobile app that is available for iOS and Android. Simply search “MyPaymentsPlus” and proceed to download the app. We know this will be very helpful on those busy days that our parents experience.

How can I see what’s offered for lunch?

The Nutrition Department has gone digital for menus, for all grade levels! The menu is available on http://pccsk12.nutrislice.com. You can print menus from home or download a free app available on iOs or Android. Simply search “NutriSlice.” Menus are also available on the website.

Emergency Cards - Please update your contacts on the parent portal and complete the Back to School information referenced above. This is very important.  We appreciate several contacts being listed. We will print Emergency Cards from MiStar this year rather than send a print copy home.  

Dodson PTO Council- The Dodson Council is the parent/staff organization at Dodson Elementary School. They support a variety of events during the school year such as fundraisers, Friday Popcorn, assemblies, and many more activities. Fundraising efforts sponsored by the Dodson Council support the budget.  The Council needs parent volunteers to be successful. Keep an eye out for the first scheduled meeting in September-- it was put on hold during the pandemic so this year we will have to have to create a new governing board and fresh start! If this is something you want to work with us on please email me and let me know!  april.quasarano@pccsk12.com

Birthday Treats -As a means of preserving instructional time and maintaining a safe environment for all students, birthdays will not be celebrated with food treats in Plymouth-Canton Schools. It is difficult to monitor food items coming from homes and maintain health and safety standards. Classroom teachers have created non-food related procedures if you wish to recognize their students’ birthdays at school.  We ask that rather than sending individual  treats/bags for students-- parents who choose to celebrate the birthday at school donate a book, puzzle, board game, new markers, etc for the entire classroom.  

Snacks - Elementary students may bring a snack to school each day. Students snack choices that are encouraged are: fruits, vegetables, applesauce, cheese, yogurt, crackers or pretzels. Modifications to this plan could be made in a specific classroom to support students with food allergies. This will be communicated by the classroom teacher. 

Our Mascot - is the  friendly dolphin.  We plan on naming it this year!   Its home will be in the “Dolphin Cove”.

Guests - We ask that all guests sign in at the office.  We will be limiting our guests this year as part of the mitigation strategies.  We train our staff and students to look for guest stickers on any adults in the building who are not staff members. This is done for the safety of everyone in the building. 

Parking Lot Procedures: We will continue to have staff members monitor and support the parking lot.   We all need to do our part and follow the rules, even when we are in a hurry.  We request  that families be patient, follow the traffic flow, and work with our school staff

Original source can be found here.