Central Park Elementary
Dear Central Park Families,
Time is drawing near to our first day of a brand new school year! The staff and I would like to welcome you back to what promises to be an exciting and fun-filled 2023-2024 school year at Central Park Elementary. We would also like to extend a special welcome to those of you who are attending Central Park for the first time. We are delighted you have chosen us to be your child’s provider of top quality education! School begins this year bright and early on Wednesday, August 16th at 7:30 a.m.
We do have some wonderful staff changes for the 2023-2024 school year! Some folks are new “Gators” and others are beginning their year in a new position. I am very excited about working closely with all of our students, families, and staff. Central Park is such a wonderful place. I am honored and blessed to be part of the Central Park school family!!
Class lists will be posted at Open House on August 10th at 4:00. Open House will be from 4-6pm for grades 1-4. We will start Kindergarten Orientation at 8:30am on August 10th. We will run three groups to reduce the crowding. If you have a Kindergarten student, you will be receiving a letter with your orientation time in the mail. Extra supply lists are available at the front doors of the building or can be located online at www.bentonvillek12.org/cpes. Students may come meet their teacher and drop off school supplies during Open House on Thursday, August 10th from 4:00-6:00 P.M. During Open House, parents may obtain information about transportation, PTO, cafeteria, and Adventure Club. PTO will also be available if you would like additional information about how you can become involved with our wonderful school. We encourage you to get involved!
Prior to the first day of school, please make sure your child knows if he/she is to be a car rider, Adventure Club member, walker or bus rider. Teachers will expect each child to know his/her dismissal status. We would like to remind parents if your child is going to be a car rider please be patient the first couple of weeks. The line will be long and can take up to an hour to get through until we get our routine in place. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 479-696-3200.
“The work is hard, but our kids are worth it.” – Thomas Murray
Thank you for sharing your children with us!
Karrie Bradshaw and the Central Park Staff
Central Park Elementary
Transportation Procedures
2023-2024
Your child’s safety is a top priority for the Bentonville School District and for the staff at Central Park Elementary. For that reason, all K-4 principals and district officials appreciate your cooperation in following the district’s transportation and safety procedures.
As communicated in the parent letter, all staff will be available to help assist students in finding their classrooms and getting settled. Parents may walk their students to class on the first day of school only. Beginning on August 17, 2022, students will need to walk to class on their own. Staff will continue to be available to assist and provide guidance to our students.
To ensure the safety of all children, we will send your child home the same way every day unless we are notified by you, prior to 2:00 p.m. If you have any questions regarding your child’s after-school dismissal status, please contact the school office at 479-696-3200. The office is open daily from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., if you need help or have any questions.
There are three modes of transportation: car riders, bus riders, and walkers. Please adhere to all transportation procedures outlined below to keep our students safe.
Morning Car Riders
Drop off is in front of the building through the car loop between 7:00-7:30 a.m. (Students may start entering the building at 7:00 a.m.)
At approximately 7:00 a.m., school officials will be on duty for the front car riders. (once duty personnel are in place, please do not let students exit your vehicle until signaled to do so)
Have students ready to exit the car (backpacks in their laps, kisses and hugs given, etc.). If you are not ready it holds up the line and makes others have to wait. Make sure your child understands to be ready when you pull into the carline.
Please make sure your car is in “park”, and do not proceed until the stop sign at the front of the line is turned to “Slow”.
If your child needs assistance getting into the building, please park in the parking lot, and ask for a staff member to assist them inside.
Stay in your car at all times. We have several students being dropped off in the morning, and need parents to remain in their vehicles. If your child struggles to get out of the car on their own you will want to practice this prior to the first day of school
Once in the building, students may sit in their designated hallway until 7:25 a.m. At 7:25 a.m., their classroom door will be opened and their teacher will greet them.
Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria from 7:00 a.m.- 7:30 a.m. We would like to invite you to fill out the Free/Reduced Lunch application, which is now available online at www.lunchapp.com. Need help? Call Nutrition Services at (479) 254-5045. If your child is eating breakfast they need to be at school before 7:20.
One final, but very important reminder: It is against the law to use your cell phone in a school zone. This includes our car-rider line. Thank you for being courteous in the car line!
Afternoon Car Riders
The bell rings at 2:30 p.m. and students will remain in their classroom until they are dismissed by a teacher.
School duty personnel will call students to the car line. They will wait until they are escorted by a staff member to their car.
For safety, all cars that are picking up car riders must have a Pikmykid Car Rider sign displayed in the front, right-hand side of your windshield. If the car does not have a Car Rider sign displayed, they will need to please make sure to have their identification ready. Car Rider passes will be issued the first week of school.
Please make sure your car is in “PARK”, and do not proceed until the stop sign at the front of the line is turned to “Slow”.
Please do not leave your vehicle unattended at any time.
You may not start lining up in the car line until 2:00pm.
ALL parents are asked to utilize the car rider line and remain in their cars to pick up their child rather than congregating at the main entrance.
Parents are not to park on any side street or along the main street for car rider pick-up.
Please note that our front parking loop is a “One Way” area at all times. Thank you for obeying the “Do not enter” signs and keeping with the flow of traffic.
School zones are a no cell phone zone. Please do not be on your cell phone in the car line.
We would like to remind parents if your child is going to be a car rider, please be patient with us the first couple of weeks. The line will be long and can take up to an hour to get through while we teach our students the dismissal routine.
Bus Riders
If you need bus information, please call 254-5080.
A bus tag will be attached to your child’s backpack. This needs to remain on his or her backpack throughout the course of the school year.
If you have a Kindergarten student who will ride the bus, please make sure an adult is available each day at the bus stop to receive your child. Kindergarten students must be picked up by an adult from the bus stop or they will be transported back to CPE.
Our bus service is highly recommended!
Walkers
Students are allowed to walk, only if they live in the 1 mile radius. They cannot cross a major highway.
Students walking home after school must be accompanied by an adult
You will be provided with a walker name card. Children will not be released to walk with an adult unless they are in possession of the name card. If you need extra name cards, please let the office know.
Students who are walking to adjacent neighborhoods will be picked up at the South entrance.
If your child is walking on their own after school you will need to sign a permission slip with the school.
In the event of inclement weather (rain, snow, extreme cold, lightning, etc.), you will need to pick your child up in the car rider line; therefore, you will need a Car Rider tag in the front right hand side of your windshield. CPE Staff will not walk students during inclement weather. Please watch CPE social media for announcements.
Call the office at 696-3200 if you need a permission slip for your child to be a walker.
Adventure Club
Adventure Club is our before and after school child-care program. The hours of operation are from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. in the mornings, and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. after school. During school breaks, Adventure Club is open from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.
In the mornings, Adventure Club students are signed in by a parent (Use the Cafeteria entrance). At 7:00 a.m., the Cafeteria entrance is closed, and students may be dropped off in the front of the building. In the afternoons, parents will go directly to the Cafeteria to sign out their child. Please contact the Adventure Club office regarding enrollment and drop-off/pick-up information for your child. (254-5040)
Tardies
The tardy bell rings at 7:30am. If you arrive at school later than 7:30, you will need to park your car and come into the office to sign your child in. Duty personnel will be released from the car rider line at 7:30 so that they may begin providing instruction to our students.
Lightning
Per district policy, we cannot unload or load cars and buses until lightning stops. We will hold students in a safe area.
Safety
There are two modes of transportation: car riders and bus riders. Please follow the procedures outlined above for the safety of all students. If your student is a car rider, please come through the drop off and pick up lines. Also, please remember the side streets should not be used to drop off or pick up students. You will only be allowed to enter and exit the building through the front doors. Please adhere to all transportation procedures to keep our students safe.
***Parents must send a note to school and call the office if their mode of afternoon transportation is to change. Without a note, or a phone call to the office (phone call must be by 2:00 p.m.) from a parent, students will be sent home in the manner they usually go home.
Thank you for your assistance and cooperation with all of our transportation and safety procedures.
Karrie Bradshaw and Allison Smith
Central Park Elementary Administration