What to Know

Kindergarten students have a staggered entry schedule during the first week of school, and you’ll get more specifics when the staff returns in August and letters are sent home. There will also be a Town Hall meeting for kindergarten parents the week before school starts. During that session, the school will share more helpful information and answer questions.

But, generally speaking, 1/3 of the class goes on the first day, 1/3 on the next, and 1/3 on the third day. In 2023, last names starting with A-G attended on the first day, H-O attended on the second day, and P-Z attended on the last day. Stay tuned for specifics for the 2024-25 school year.

During the staggered entry days, students will arrive in uniform and learn the basic routines of the classroom and cafeteria. The teachers and counselors will also assess the students in English and Spanish so that they can create classes that have a good balance of Spanish and English speakers.

On the 4th day, no kindergarteners attend school during the day. However, they do come to school in the evening for the Meet The Teacher event. They can bring their school supplies with them that day (probably more convenient than sending them all in on the first full day). And this is also when they will get their classroom assignment. Room parent sign ups are typically done during this event as well.

On the 5th day and moving forward, all kindergarten students will attend school in their assigned classroom.

You are able to walk your child to their classroom on their staggered start day and for the first few days of school. However, starting on the Friday of the first full week (9/6/24), they will walk to class independently. Don’t worry – they’ll be fine…and the kindergarten hallway is the closest to the school entrance.

Aaah, carpool – everyone’s favorite! Your family will be assigned number and given a carpool tag for your vehicle at the beginning of the school year. At the end of the school day your child will listen for that number and be guided by staff members to your car. You can review the carpool procedures and a video walk through.

The carpool lines move a lot slower at the beginning of the year as everyone gets acclimated, but thankfully, times improve as the year progresses.

In the mornings, the school encourages you to arrive as close to 8:45am as possible so that students are in class, settled, and ready for instruction before 9:15am. Be aware that you will need time to get through the carpool line, and your child will need time to get to their classroom on time. So please don’t show up at 9:14am!

In the afternoon, the carpool line starts early. Some people like to arrive early and get through it early, but that involves sitting and waiting in line before school is out. Some prefer to arrive closer to dismissal. Either way, all students need to be picked up by 4:30pm and you should plan to be in line no later than 4:15pm–4:20pm. The school day is long, and the staff is understandably ready to end the day in a timely fashion.

Throughout the year, there are a number of celebrations and events to be aware of. Some of these events require special items that may need to be purchased if your child would like to participate (thanks, Amazon!).

Students may dress in Spirit Wear each Friday but are also able to wear specific clothing/items in support of things like, Hispanic Heritage Month (September/October), Book Character Day (Halloween), the 100th day of school (February), and spirit weeks (before winter break, spring break, and the end of school).

Additional events at school include Jaguar Student Celebrations award ceremonies (varies), Parent Night (February), International Dance Show (March), International Parade (March), and Kindergarten presentations (May).

There are also social events throughout the year, hosted by the PTA. These events include the Fall Festival (October), Dia de los Muertos (October), VIP Dance (March), Multicultural Potluck (March), and various school wide, grade level, and neighborhood meet ups.

Keep an eye on Parent Square, PTA newsletters, teacher communications, and GroupMe for more information on these and similar events.

As mentioned above, there are numerous opportunities to volunteer at Collinswood. There’s something to suit every skill set and schedule. If you have capacity to provide support on an ongoing basis, there are opportunities to serve on the PTA or serve as a room parent.

If you can only commit to something short term, you can help to plan events such as the Fall Festival, Jaguar VIP Dance, or Black History Month activities.

Only have an hour or so here and there? Not a problem! You can be a lunch helper, provide help to teachers via Helping Hands on Friday mornings, or work at the book fair. Dads can volunteer for Papas on Duty on Friday mornings – if you’re already dropping your child off, stay for a few extra minutes (AM carpool only lasts for 30 minutes). And carpool always moves faster when the dads are there to provide extra hands. All of these opportunities can be done just once or as often as you’d like.

A favorite intermittent role is being a lunch helper. The grown ups get a break as the parents help to open milk cartons and hand out forgotten condiments and utensils (a huge need, particularly at the beginning of the year). This is a great opportunity to interact with the students in your child’s class, their grade, and in other grades.

Working parents, be sure to check and see if your employer offers community service hours that can be used to volunteer at school. These can be used to chaperone a field trip, read a book to the class, work the book fair, assist with Helping Hands, and, of course, help at lunch.

Even if you aren’t able to volunteer, your general presence and involvement at the school is always appreciated. Principal Modine hosts monthly coffees in the media center where she shares information and answers questions from parents. These sessions are always informative – they just require getting up and out a bit earlier (8am start time). You can join at any time before they end at 8:45am. Students are able to hang out on the other side of the media center during the coffee. And no carpool line for you since you are there so early!

In addition to the principal coffees, the PTA has monthly meetings – either hybrid or virtual. They make it easy to attend from anywhere via Zoom, and the meetings are a great way to learn more about what is happening at school, get questions answered, and learn about ways to provide support.

• Allergies – the school is not specifically nut free, but they suggest avoiding nuts initially before any nut allergies are identified in your child’s class. If there are any serious allergies to be aware of in your class, parents will be notified.
• Half Days – Students must depart after 12:45 PM or arrive prior to 12:45 PM to be counted present for the school day.
• Early Dismissal – Pickup for early dismissal must be completed by 3:15pm in order to not interfere with carpool.
• Lunch at School – In mid-September, parents can begin joining their children for lunch. You just need to check in via LobbyGuard with your ID and you can meet your child in the cafeteria. Be aware that the kindergarten students eat very early though (as early as 10:45am). Your child’s teacher can confirm your child’s assigned lunch time.
• Before/After School Care – Before/after school care sign-ups happen towards the end of the school year for the next school year. Keep an eye on the After School Enrichment Program site or their Facebook page for more information