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Dear CP Families,
Welcome, ¡Bienvenidos! to a new Community Park school year. We are so excited! I remain dedicated to serving as your principal and maintaining a clear vision for school unity and connectedness through conversation, programs, and events. As your principal, my goal for this year is to lead the faculty as we build a community of learners that includes all students and adults at CP.
Your child’s placement will be posted on the Parent Portal and will be available for viewing on August 30th. Please note that before this information is accessible to you on the portal, you will be required to update the forms and consents on the system after you log in.
We open this fall fully with Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI) classes on all grade levels. We welcome our students and families who are part of our program from other Princeton public elementary schools, as well our new families who have moved to Princeton from around the country (and the globe).
Tuesday, September 5th is our first day! This will be a full day. The school day begins at 8:25 and concludes at 3:00 (2:55 for Pre-K and Kindergarten). Children K-5 are welcome to enter the building via the main entrance after 8:00 (no earlier). Pre-K arrival procedures will be communicated to families by the Pre-K teaching team. Upon arrival, our staff members will greet students outside and guide them to the cafeteria (kinder, first and second graders) and to the gym (third, fourth, and fifth graders), where they will wait to begin the day in classrooms at 8:25.
PowerSchool and SchoolMessenger: The PowerSchool Parent Portal is the district’s student information system and is an important source of information sharing between the schools and families, including your child’s placement and scheduling information, report cards, etc. Additionally, permissions are now completed through the Parent Portal, and are required for moving through the platform. Please complete the media consent and district use policy acknowledgments, and update contact information (phone numbers and email addresses only) if you have not already done so. If you do not have a Parent Portal account, please contact our main office (609-806-4230) for assistance.
Email addresses listed in PowerSchool are used to generate the SchoolMessenger communication distribution list. This is a vital communication tool between the Community Park School and our families, so please be sure that those email addresses at which you would like to receive information are correctly listed and advise the CP Main Office if you are not receiving our communications via SchoolMessenger. When you receive an email from us via SchoolMessenger, it will appear as “From: Community Park School.” Please be sure to set your spam filters to accept these emails and do not block or unsubscribe from them.
Breakfast/Lunch: Families that would like to apply for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program should do so ASAP. Please note that a new application must be submitted every year. You can find the updated 2023-2024 applications at https://www.princetonk12.org/quick-links/forms or contact the CP Main Office.
Families who would like to utilize the MySchoolBucks online system for purchasing school lunches can sign up at MySchoolBucks.com.
Devices: Students should have their devices (iPad for grade K and 1, Chromebook for grades 2-5) at school every day. Please be sure to review the district acceptable use policy and evaluate the district’s device insurance plan on the Parent Portal. Information about device distribution for Kindergarten and grade 2 will be shared by your child’s teacher. Any personal devices (Smart phones or watches, etc.) must be kept turned off and in the backpack during the entirety of the school day.
Important Dates Planned for September:
Thursday, August 31st Grades 1-5 CP PTO New Family Tours, 1:45
Kindergarten New Family Tours, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm
(Details and Sign-ups for tours have already been sent via email – or contact CP Main Office for info)
Kindergarten Orientation and Meet & Greet, 1:30 pm-3:00 pm
Tues., September 5th FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Fri., September 15th CP Fall Picnic, 5 pm-7 pm
Thurs., September 21st Back to School Night, 6:00 pm (details to come)
Mr. Al and his team did an amazing job cleaning and painting this summer.
As we ready ourselves for a new year, I again remind you of the beauty of our work as parents and educators - every year is a new beginning and a fresh start!
All my best for the new school year!
Dineen Gruchacz