Simpsonville Elementary Parents

Transportation Status Forms
- 2011-12 | Spanish
Request for Change in Assignment
- 2011-12 | Spanish
Student Enrollment Forms
- Student Enrollment Form | Spanish
- Parent Checklist | Spanish

Parents whose children attend Greenville County Schools can make online payments into their children’s meal account using their debit or credit card. A fixed processing fee of $2.00 per payment is charged by mySchoolBucks, the third-party service provider. The fee is added to the payment amount.

“We are extremely pleased to provide this convenient payment option for parents,” said GCS Director of Food and Nutrition Services Eileen Staples. “The mySchoolBucks Program has been thoroughly researched and tested to ensure security of information and ease of use.”

To sign up to make online payments through mySchoolBucks, parents establish a user ID and password. They select their child’s school from a drop-down list and enter the student birth date or student identification number (available from the student’s school), and provide the debit or credit card information. Payment into an account is usually credited within one hour. Parents can check their child’s account balance and transaction history on the mySchoolBucks website, which is updated every night.

Parents can make one payment for multiple children, designating the amount per child. A single processing fee of $2 is charged for each payment, regardless of the number of student accounts included in the payment. Parents can also choose to make recurring payments on a regular basis.

· Go to the GCS Website (www.greenville.k12.sc.us) and click on the Meals and More listing in the left column. Click on Online Payment.

· Create your user ID and password by following the step-by-step instructions. Online payments can only be made for meals. The service is not provided for any other payments to schools.

Information about mySchoolBucks: Visit their website at http://www.myschoolbucks.com/ or use the link from the Greenville County Schools website.

Dear Parent,
I hope your child is enjoying the nutritious breakfasts and lunches prepared by your school food service staff. The meal can be purchased for the reasonable costs of $1 for breakfast and $2 for lunch. Your child can purchase meals each day or you can prepay for your child’s meals by establishing a meal account. Free and reduced price meals are available if you qualify.
I want to also make you aware how to prepay for your child’s meal account. Students can only deduct the cost of meals from their account when their account has sufficient funds. A free alternate meal for breakfast and lunch is provided to students who do not have funds in their meal account or money to purchase a meal.
Paying for Meals – Overview You can establish an account to prepay your child’s meals by sending a check to your child’s school or paying online using a credit or debit card through the mySchoolBucks website at http://www.myschoolbucks.com. Students can only deduct the cost of meals if their account has sufficient funds. Beginning Tuesday, September 27, students with a negative account balance will be provided a free alternate meal for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast will consist of oatmeal and juice, and lunch will consist of a sandwich and milk. Food service managers will continue to work closely with you regarding questions about your child’s meal account and to assist parents in applying for free/reduced price meals. Applications are available throughout the year and are processed within several days.
Your child’s meal account balance may be obtained in the following ways: The food service manager will send a notice when there is a balance below $5.00. You may access your child’s account through the Parent Portal or the online meal pay system, http://www.myschoolbucks.com. You may also choose the option to be notified by email when the account balance is low.
Your school cafeteria staff looks forward to serving your child this school year. If you have questions about the school food service program or your child’s account balance, please contact your cafeteria manager.
Sincerely,
Eileen Staples
Director of Food and Nutrition Services

Q: Why do we need to change school start times for middle and high school students?

A: Currently we have more than 6,600 bus riders at the middle and high schools who arrive late for the start of school every day. These students miss significant instructional time over the course of the year and their entry late to class disrupts instruction for other students.

A: The State Department of Education provides regular and special needs route buses and sets rules for their operation and assignment to routes. The rules require that we utilize these buses to transport students at all levels. Except in very unusual circumstances this means we are only provided enough buses to transport elementary students to school then using the same buses transport middle and high school students on a second run..

In our current schedule the windows (time) between elementary school start/dismissal and middle school start/dismissal are not sufficient to travel the route deliver the elementary students, run the route again and deliver to middle school on time nor to cover the time needed to travel the distance from middle schools to high schools .

A: An earlier start would require our youngest students to be at their bus stop 15 minutes earlier than currently and would still necessitate moving either middle school or high school start times by 15 minutes to provide an adequate time to travel between those locations. Our earliest current pick up time for a regular route is 6:45 am we believe it would be an undue burden on families to begin even earlier.

Q: Will my child have to be at the bus stop 15 minutes earlier next year because of this change?

A: No, the change in the bell schedule will not require any change to pick up times. It is however important to note that changes occur annually in routes due to changes in the number and location of riders.

Q: With my current work schedule I can’t drop my child off 15 minutes later. What can I do?

A: Middle and High Schools will maintain their 2009-2010 morning supervision times for the coming school year, so you may continue to drop off at the same time.

A: No, the length of your work day will not change, but at the secondary level the start of your instructional day and its ending time will change by 15 minutes.

Q: As a teacher or school level employee will I have additional supervision responsibilities?

A: Duty schedules are established at each location by that school’s principal. These may vary each year. While the revised bell times will alter the time of supervision, it should require no greater amount. There will be a need for additional morning supervision but significantly less in the afternoon.

Q: My child attends another GCS program such as career center, fine arts center, child development center will that schedule be affected?

A: Yes, schedules for these programs will be adjusted to meet the new bell times but by no more than 15 minutes.

Q: What activities or opportunities will my middle or high school student have in the morning before school starts if students can be dropped off at the same time?

A: Those opportunities will vary from school to school but may include: media center use, tutorial programs, supervised study, club meetings and other activities. You should inquire of the principal at your school regarding specifics.

Dear Parents,
Winter is upon us and our children will be inside much more in the next two months. We would like to encourage you to Build Reading Skills with your child. Turn off the TV and video games for 20 minutes at least 4 nights a week and boost your child’s reading ‘fluency’.

Your child can sound out c-a-t and d-o-g. She knows the sounds that letters make. But when it’s time to read a story, she lacks “fluency.” In other words, instead of reading smoothly, she forms words slowly. Then it’s hard for her to focus on meaning. To help your child improve her fluency:

Ø Choose books carefully. Don’t pick books that are too difficult for your child.

Ø Have fun. You might let your child stay up to read, for example, if that motivates her.

Ø Read repeatedly. If you child loves a story or poem, have her read it again (and again). This will build her confidence and help her improve over time.

If your child is a fluent reader, help them choose books they enjoy and that are within their Lexile Range. Encourage them to spend quality time reading each evening.

For additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Happy New Year of READING together!

Questions, comments, or suggestions, contact our
Webmaster: Denise M. Jacobs Technical Advisor: Joe Brown


Simpsonville Elementary • 200 Morton Avenue • Simpsonville, SC 29681 • (864)355-8300	Saturday, May 26, 2012

Parents

Student Enrollment Forms for 2010-2011