Better Together

Dear CCSD families,

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year in the Clarke County School District! Whether you are new or returning to the district, we are glad you are here.

With the start of the new school year rapidly approaching, we have put together these resources for families in a centralized location to help you prepare in advance of the first day of school, Aug. 2. In this special edition of the "Better Together" newsletter, you will find information on student registration, open-house dates for each school, uniform/dress code requirements, school supplies, bus routes, school nutrition, school dates and times, and more topics.

We hope that you will read the "Better Together" newsletter, produced by our Department of Public Relations and Communications, every Friday throughout the school year to stay up to date on the latest news and information from CCSD. The newsletter is delivered via email and text message to all of our families through our mass notification system, using the contact information we have on hand through our Parent Portal, so be sure to sign up for an account or make sure your contact information is up to date. We also encourage you to bookmark our website — www.clarke.k12.ga.us — and follow us on our social media channels (@clarkecoschools).

There has never been a more exciting time to be part of CCSD, and we are looking forward to getting started on what will be a great school year just three weeks from now. We'll see you all soon!

Best,

Dr. Robbie Hooker

As a reminder, parents/guardians of new CCSD students or students returning to CCSD from another school district must register their student for them to be able to attend school. (If your student is continuing in CCSD from the 2022-23 school year and your address has not changed out of zone, you do not need to register.)

To avoid the typical late summer rush, we recommend that families visit the CCSD District Office, located at 595 Prince Ave. in Athens, anytime throughout the rest of this summer to register their student. Please click here for more information on registration — including weekday registration hours, the link to the online *pre-visit* application, and the list of required documents you will need to bring with you to the District Office to complete the registration process.

Can't make it to the office on a weekday? CCSD will host a special registration event on Saturday, July 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the District Office. The event will include uniform and backpack giveaways, an on-site clinic for select immunizations, school and district resources for families, and fun activities for children!

Don't delay! Register your student now, and be first day ready when school starts on Aug. 2.

See the graphic below for a list of school open-house dates and times, along with an explanation for schools with different time frames for different families. Contact your student's school for additional information.

The 2023-24 school year starts Wednesday, Aug. 2, and ends Wednesday, May 22. Click here to view the full academic calendar for the year.

Students at all grade levels will be out of school on the following days during the year:

• Sept. 4-5 (Labor Day and district professional learning day)
• Oct. 12-13, Oct. 16 (Conference day and student/staff holidays)
• Nov. 7 (Teacher planning day)
• Nov. 20-24 (Thanksgiving Break)
• Dec. 21 - Jan. 7 (Winter Break; students return Jan. 8)
• Jan. 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
• Feb. 16, Feb. 19 (Student/staff holidays)
• March 14-15 (Conference day and student/staff holiday)
• April 1-5 (Spring Break).

School daily start and end times will remain the same for the 2023-24 school year as shown in the table below. You can find individual school contact information here.

For the 2023-24 school year, CCSD will once again provide most basic school supplies for all students grades PK-8. This includes pencils/pens, crayons, notebook paper, folders, scissors, glue, etc. Schools will provide their own lists of other items students will need (i.e. book bags) or supplies that can be donated to classrooms. For additional information, contact your child's school.

At a minimum, all CCSD students must follow the district dress code, outlined in the Code of Student Conduct (page 22). Individual schools, at their discretion and with the approval of the Superintendent and the Board of Education, are allowed to adopt more stringent dress codes, including uniform requirements.

The following schools listed below will have uniform requirements in place for the 2023-24 school year. Click on the links for additional information. All elementary and middle schools have their dress codes posted to their websites under the "For Families" tab. High schools and all other campuses refer families to the dress code portion of the Code of Student Conduct.

School uniforms are available locally in stores — typically at Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Old Navy, and Academy Sports. If your student attends a school where uniforms are required but you

are experiencing a hardship, please contact your school’s principal and/or family engagement specialist.

Schools with Uniform Requirements

• Fowler Drive Elementary
• Gaines Elementary
• Howard B. Stroud Elementary
• J.J. Harris Elementary
• Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary
• Timothy Road Elementary
• Whitehead Road Elementary
• Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle
• Clarke Middle
• Coile Middle
• Hilsman Middle

Shortly after Dr. Robbie Hooker began his tenure as Superintendent last fall, he held a series of town hall meetings around the community to communicate his vision for CCSD and hear concerns from families, students, staff, and community members.

A recurring concern from parents and staff was the use of cell phones in middle and high school classrooms, which was cited as a significant distraction from active and continued engagement in classroom instruction. As a result, starting this school year, middle and high school students will be required to place their cell phones in pouches by the door of each classroom at the start of each class period and will be allowed to retrieve them at the end of each period.

Pouches for every classroom have been purchased by the district and will be in place for the first day of school for the new procedure to go into effect immediately. Teachers and staff will be expected to discuss the new procedure with students on the first day. Parents/guardians should direct questions to school principals.

Every school year, CCSD publishes an updated Code of Student Conduct, in English and Spanish, which includes behavioral expectations for students, detailed explanations of specific behaviors that are not permitted and their associated consequences, and information on proactive approaches that schools will utilize while handling conflict.

Parents/guardians are asked to review the Code of Student Conduct by clicking the button below and discuss the expectations for behavior with their student and then follow this link to acknowledge that you have received this year's Code. You will be prompted to enter your student's Student ID number, which is available through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Parents/guardians of new students will receive this number when they register their students.

High school students are also asked to acknowledge that they have received this year's Code and can do so at this link.

Parents/guardians of students who ride a bus to and/or from school can use the Edulog page on the district website or download the Edulog app to find the student’s bus stop.

Click here for more information on the CCSD Transportation Department. For questions, you can call the Transportation Department at 706-548-6971 anytime from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

As we prepare for the start of school on Aug. 2, we are asking parents/guardians of new students or students entering sixth or ninth grades who are in need of transportation this coming school year to complete this short form (directly below or by clicking this link) to help us with planning for the year. For families with multiple students, please complete one form per student.

This coming school year, CCSD has been approved for and will continue to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which has allowed us to provide all Clarke County students breakfast and lunch at no cost since 2015.

All students, regardless of household income, will have access to free meals while at school or while enrolled in programs sponsored by the school district. It is our hope that by continuing to participate in CEP, we not only provide all students with access to nutritious meals, but that we also eliminate the financial burden of paying for school meals for the families in our community.

Monthly breakfast and lunch menus are uploaded typically near the end of every month to this page for your convenience. Menus are uploaded for the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as for the early learning centers.

While breakfast and lunch meals are free for students, students wishing to purchase single items, such as milk or juice, from the menu must have cash on hand or money in their student meal account. These purchases are considered to be a la carte, and they cannot be charged. Please make sure your student has money in their account for these types of purchases. Parents are encouraged to use MyPaymentsPlus to make payments online to their child's meal account using a credit card or debit card. Visa, Mastercard, and Discover are accepted.

Visiting adults, including substitute teachers, can purchase meals in the school cafeteria at a price of $4.50 for lunch and $2.50 for breakfast. Only cash payment is accepted, and exact change is preferred.

CCSD encourages parents/guardians to send their child to school with a healthy snack every day in order to promote health and wellness.

Click here for more information about CCSD Nutrition.

The After-School Program (ASP) is designed to provide a safe, relaxed, and enjoyable environment for elementary school students who might otherwise be left at home unsupervised during the afternoon. The program operates at all 14 CCSD elementary schools from school dismissal until 6 p.m. on the days school is in session. Activities include sports, recreation, arts and crafts, study and homework time, and a snack.

The cost of the program is $6 per day per child and $4 per day for each additional child in a family. There is also a $10 registration fee for ASP. Schools typically have an ASP registration table set up at their back-to-school open-house event.

Click here for more information on ASP, including a list of school site coordinators and their contact information.

Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) offer students a broad array of services, programs, and activities designed to complement the regular academic program.

Middle school students are served at each of CCSD's four middle schools (Burney-Harris-Lyons, Clarke Middle, Coile, and Hilsman), and elementary school students are served through the Boys & Girls Club of Athens locations (H.T. Edwards Learning Center and Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse).

Activities include youth development activities, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness, wellness, financial literacy, environmental literacy, and career and technical programs. 21st CCLC programs also offer families opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their child’s education, including literacy and related educational development opportunities.

Click here for more information on 21st CCLC, including registration forms, program handbooks, and a list of site coordinators and their contact information.

CCSD employs a team of school nurses — at least one dedicated to every school site — to assist with meeting the medical needs of our students. Our goal is to increase student achievement by promoting and advocating for the health, wellness, and safety of all students. Click here for information on CCSD Nursing Services, including contact information for every school nurse.

The Hilsman Health Center, the first school-based health clinic to open in northeast Georgia, is a partnership between CCSD and the Athens Neighborhood Health Center and is a comprehensive medical office. It is staffed by a nurse practitioner, dentist, and support staff. Located behind the Hilsman Middle School gymnasium, between Hilsman Middle and Gaines Elementary schools, the center provides a range of services to meet the needs of CCSD faculty, staff, and students.

Click here for a list of services provided, hours, contact information, and more.

Located between the campuses of Clarke Middle and Alps Road Elementary schools, the Clarke Middle Health Center (CMHC) is a free clinic that serves students and staff and is an extension of the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership’s mobile clinic. In addition to medical services, the clinic also offers free legal and counseling services through partnerships with UGA’s Aspire Clinic, the Community Health Law Partnership Clinic through UGA's School of Law, and La Clínica in LaK’ech at UGA's Mary Frances Early College of Education.

Click here for hours, contact information, and more.

Under state law, all students who attend school must have a correct and up-to-date immunization form in their file at school. Students without up-to-date immunizations and records may be at risk of being unenrolled from school.

Click here for more information.

In May, the Clarke County Board of Education approved a revision to Board Policy IDE(2) that allows sixth-grade students to compete on their middle schools' athletics teams alongside seventh- and eighth-graders.

Schools will provide additional information about fall sports and academic eligibility as well as physical evaluation forms. Grade-level eligibility for competitive teams may vary from sport to sport, depending on the school. Please reach out to your school's athletic director or principal for additional information.

With a new school year quickly approaching, it's a great time for parents and guardians to make sure all of their contact information is up to date in Infinite Campus, CCSD's student information system. This will help ensure that CCSD and our schools send out communication notices to the correct home addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.

Follow these directions for updating the contact information in your Parent Portal account.

Don't have an account yet? Follow these directions to set one up. Having a Parent Portal account allows parents and guardians to access attendance records, class schedules, grades, and assignment information for their students.

If you already have an account but forgot your password and need a reset, use the links on the login page to reset your password or username or to request help. You may also email campus@clarke.k12.ga.us for additional assistance.

Remember: If you have moved and have a new home address in a new school zone, you must go to the Student Registration Center to update your student's registration. Click here for more information.

Have a question or concern that you'd like to address? CCSD has put together a matrix of who to reach out to depending on the situation. Please click here to view this information. You can also go to CCSD's main site at clarke.k12.ga.us, go to the "I Want To" tab at the top of the page, and select “Ask a Question/Submit a Concern.”

The Clarke County Board of Education welcomes community feedback. Here are ways you can share your voice:

• Contact BOE Members: Click here to view a list of the BOE members and their contact information.
• Attend a Meeting: The board's next scheduled meeting is Thursday, July 13, with the work session beginning at 5 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m. All meetings are held in the Vernon Payne Meeting Hall at the CCSD administrative offices building, located at 595 Prince Ave. in Athens. The public is invited to attend meetings in person. Meetings are also streamed live and are available for on-demand viewing on the CCSD YouTube channel. Click here for the board meeting schedule.
• Agendas: Click here to access board meeting agendas.
• Board Briefs: Click to read the "Board Briefs" overview from meetings.
  
• Public Comments: Click here for information on how to sign-up to speak at a BOE meeting.
• Review Policies for Review: View and comment on district policies pending public review.

As part of a collaboration between CCSD and the Athens Regional Library System, the PLAY Card account provides each CCSD student with free materials (books, magazines, etc.) and online resources from the public library to help your child succeed in school, along with fun resources to support a lifelong love of reading. You and your child can check out materials at the libraries by entering their student ID number.

Families of CCSD students may be eligible to receive free or discounted internet service under the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), provided by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The ACP provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households. The benefit also provides up to a $100 per household discount toward a one-time purchase of a computer, laptop, or tablet if the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase through a participating broadband provider.

Because CCSD participates in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), all families with children enrolled for the 2023-24 school year are eligible.

Click here for more information on eligibility and steps for applying for discounted Internet service.