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GENERAL SCHOOL INFORMATION

SCHOOL ARRIVAL

The instructional day begins at 9:10 a.m. and ends at 3:40 p.m. for grades 1-6. A bell will sound at 9:10 a.m. to announce the start of the instructional day followed by Mr. Harlan’s daily announcements. Students who arrive at school after the bell will be considered tardy and must be signed in by a parent. No child is to be dropped off before 8:50 a.m. unless attending a scheduled meeting, club or music lesson.

PARKING LOT - CAR RIDER 

Sol Feinstone has two parking lots: one to be utilized by car riders and one to be utilized by buses.  If you are dropping or picking your child up at school by car, please follow the instructions as outlined by Mr. Harlan sent via email before the first day of school.  If you would like your child to be a car rider on a specific day, please send in a note to your child’s teacher.

PARENTS AT SCHOOL

All classroom helpers must have their security clearances to be in the classroom (see Volunteer Clearances section on page 14). All visitors who enter the school must do so through the Security Office. Please go to the main office to deliver a message, forgotten item, etc. while school is in session. Label the student’s belongings with their name, teacher and grade. The message or items will be delivered to your child or left at the table in the vestibule at the earliest convenience of the office staff.

COMMUNICATING WITH TEACHER

Each teacher may advise on their preferred method of communication.  In general, you can send a note with your child or leave a note in the office.  During the school day, you can always call the main office at 215-944-2400 to leave a message for a teacher.  If you wish to email a teacher or staff member, you can find their email address on the Staff page of the school’s website. 

ABSENT CHILD

If your child is absent, you may report it in one of two ways:

1. Send in a note or email to the Attendance Secretary (Donna.tosti@crsd.org) stating the nature of the absence. 
2. Upon receiving an email to your primary email address alerting you of your child’s absence, simply respond back to the email with the reason your child missed school. 

If you know ahead of time your child will be absent, dismissed early, or gone for family reasons, please send a note or email to your child’s teacher.

EARLY DISMISSAL - Council Rock’s Early Dismissal Times

High schools – 10:45am

Middle schools – 11:30am

Elementary schools – 12:15pm (Note: There is no lunch on early dismissal days)

Kindergarten students will ride with other students on early dismissal days.  There is no separate kindergarten transportation.  See the Transportation Information section (page 8) for more information.  

LUNCHES

Lunch will remain the same as last year: Lunch = $2.85 and Milk = .55¢.  “Extras” (e.g., snack items) are still available to purchase once all students have received lunch.  Students can pay for lunch in three ways: 1) Cash, 2) Check, and 3) the MyPayments Plus App.  If your child is purchasing lunch or extras it is imperative that they have access to or learn their student ID number (this can be found within HAC).   If paying via a check, it should be made out to “Council Rock School District” and the memo should note your child's account #.

Visit https://sites.google.com/crsd.org/foodservices/welcome  for more information from Chartwells (lunch provider) regarding your child(ren)’s lunch and the MyPayments Plus App.

NUT-ALLERGY ALERT

All classrooms are nut-safe (i.e. nut-free) areas. No nuts or nut-products may be eaten in any classroom so please DO NOT SEND IN SNACKS WITH NUTS. However, ANY food may be eaten in the cafeteria, as there are allergy-safe tables available.

BIRTHDAY TREATS

There will be no food birthday treats allowed in the classroom. However, a parent(s)/guardian(s) is/are permitted to eat lunch with their child(ren) on their birthday in the lunchroom. Please make sure to notify the office staff and/or classroom teacher you plan to do this. 

KINDERGARTEN FAMILY INFORMATION

• During the first weeks of school, teachers and staff will help your child get off the bus and walk to their kindergarten classroom.
• AM Kindergarten is from 9:10 AM until 11:45 AM.
• PM Kindergarten is from 1:05 PM until 3:40 PM.
• On early dismissal days, AM and PM classes have an alternating schedule where one will attend the half day and the next time early dismissal day the other class will attend. Please note in the district calendar which class attends. At dismissal all K bus riders will ride home with the rest of the bus riders, there is no separate bus for Kindergartners. 
• Please mark all personal items with your child’s name, their kindergarten session, and the first initial of the teacher’s last name for identification.  
• Send your child to school with a nut-free snack and a drink each day (refillable water bottle suggested). Your child’s kindergarten teacher will provide you with more detailed information about acceptable snacks.
• In some cases, due to the office distribution schedule, the AM kindergarten may bring home school bulletins the day after the general student population.
• Your teacher will provide a classroom schedule and weekly email to keep you informed about curriculum and activities.
• There are many volunteer opportunities in the kindergarten setting. Parents are needed for occasional workshops, Kid Writing Sessions, birthday reader opportunities, and other events. Your child’s teacher will circulate a form for the first volunteer opportunity, “Johnny Appleseed Day”, during Kindergarten Orientation/Back to School Night. Sign-up Genius will be sent for all the other opportunities. Volunteer Clearances (see page 8) are needed for each opportunity, except for coming in as a birthday reader. 
• Upon returning home on a school bus, an adult must receive your child at the bus stop.

For additional school information, please visit the Council Rock School District Website at https://solfeinstonees.crsd.org/. For district information, visit crsd.org.

TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION

Schools will not be open when it is too dangerous for buses to travel. If school is closed, announcements will be made on all major radio and TV stations in the area. In addition, timely messages will be placed on the district website (crsd.org) and on the district cable channel (Comcast channel 28 or Verizon channel 44) plus you will receive a pre recorded district call.

When conditions warrant, there may be a delayed opening or an early dismissal. Delayed openings are either one or two hours; AM kindergarten is usually canceled on these days. Early dismissals can be called for excessive rain, snow, or heat. In addition to the public announcements, the district will contact parents in the event of an early dismissal. 

Durham Transportation is the CRSD’s transportation provider. For detailed information on Council Rock Transportation, please visit the CRSD Transportation page:  https://www.crsd.org/departments/transportation/welcome

CRSD TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

Department Phone            215-944-1010

District Main Phone          215-944-1000

Email            transportation@crsd.org

Hours            7:30am – 4:30pm

EARLY DISMISSAL

The Pennsylvania School Code requires school districts to provide “like” services. Since CR has 5 early dismissal days, it will honor and provide transportation to non public schools on 5 days. These days are chosen by the non public school prior to the start of the school year. All early dismissals on the official calendar of special education schools are required by law to be honored.

Council Rock’s Early Dismissal Times

High schools – 10:45am

Middle schools – 11:30am

Elementary schools – 12:15pm

Kindergarten students will ride with other students on early dismissal days.

There is no separate kindergarten transportation.

VOLUNTEER CLEARANCES

All Council Rock volunteers play a key role in supporting staff, students, sports programs and other activities in our school.  Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer. Pennsylvania law requires all persons having direct contact with school children to obtain background checks and clearances. In light of the numerous and recent changes to legislation, namely Act 153 of 2014, in relation to volunteers obtaining and renewing clearances, we have developed the following protocols.

All new and renewing volunteers including, if applicable, new LINCS supervisors, must complete the online volunteer application.  As part of this application you must upload the documents listed below.  We will not accept paper copies of the clearances.

All new volunteers must obtain clearances.  All clearances must be dated less than one year at the time of joining our district's volunteer team.  Thereafter, all clearances must be renewed every 60 months. 

 Required Clearances:

1. Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Report:  
1. https://epatch.pa.gov/home
2. Click the control number to view your results.  Click the "Certification Form" link in the center of the page to view, save and print your official Pa State Police Certificate.
2. Child Abuse History Clearance from the Department of  Human Services:  
1. https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home
2. Click "Create Individual Account". The Keystone Key is a user name you create. Follow the site's step-by-step instructions for creating a password.  Be sure to keep a record of your Keystone Key and Password as you will need them to access your results.  You will receive an email from the site when your results are available, within 14 days of submission.  
3. Federal Criminal History (2 Options):
1. If you have been a Pennsylvania resident for less than 10 consecutive years, you must complete the fingerprinting process. Enroll at IdentoGo and make an appointment for digital fingerprinting at a location of your choice.  The Service Code for VOLUNTEERS is 1KG6ZJ.
2. If you have been a Pennsylvania resident for the past 10 consecutive years, you may submit the CR Volunteer Affidavit in place of fingerprinting. The affidavit must be notarized and the original affidavit is kept on file in the Human Resources Office.  

If you have any additional questions about volunteering in our district, please contact Monica McLaughlin at mmclaughlin@crsd.org or at 215-944-1000.