Dear Carver Academy Families,

I hope this finds you all refreshed and having enjoyed a safe, pleasant summer.

As we embark on a new school year, I want to welcome new scholars and families as well as welcome back our existing Carver Academy families. The start of a new school year is always an exciting time with the hustle and bustle of preparing school supplies, planning to see school friends, and most importantly- setting goals for your child’s education. We still have seats available. Please enroll at Enroll or visit the MPS Homepage . Please note Carver’s start and end times have changed. The student day is now 9:10-4:10. I want to draw your attention to some key information- see below:

SCHOOL HOURS-have changed

9:10 AM-4:10 PM– Scholars who are dropped off may arrive no earlier than 9:00 a.m.-there is no supervision prior to 9:00 a.m. All scholars who are dropped off between 9:00-9:20 AM will utilize the CLC door on 1st street closer to Brown St. Any scholar arriving after 9:20 AM will enter through the main entrance on 1st Street. Any scholar arriving after 9:40 a.m. will be marked tardy. If you are in need of an earlier arrival time or after school care, please enroll in the Boys and Girls CLC program by contacting Mr. James, CLC director, at 267-0527. All scholars not enrolled in CLC must be picked up from school no later than 4:20. Fees will be assessed for anyone not picked up by 4:20 p.m.

WHAT TO EXPECT-COVID

All MPS schools will be open for in-person learning five days per week. Masks are required when the COVID 19 community level is high in Milwaukee County. This will be posted on MPS home page and updated weekly. MPS Homepage All classrooms and common areas will have a HEPA filter. High contact areas will be cleaned regularly throughout the day. If a scholar is experiencing COVID related symptoms while in school it is required that the child be picked up from school. The child will need to quarantine for 5 days from the onset of symptoms. Upon return a mask will be worn regardless of community level status for an additional 5 days for that individual. Please inform the school office of COVID related absences. As long as the child completes some work for the AB day or dates the attendance will be adjusted. COVID update link. COVID UPDATES

ATTENDANCE AND TARDINESS

When absences or tardies occur, you should notify the attendance secretary, Ms. Smith at 267-0510. A tardy occurs after 9:40 a.m. If an absence is not called in to the secretary your child will be marked as unexcused. After 5 unexcused absences a truancy letter will be sent to you regarding absences, which could lead to a DA referral resulting in a possible truancy ticket. If you are experiencing a hardship please reach out to the school. We strive for scholars to miss no more than 5 days throughout the school year—STRIVE FOR FIVE is our motto. Each scholar is allotted 10 excused AB if needed. Anything out side of the 10 days will need approval from the principal. One of the goals this year is to increase school wide attendance from 77% to 95% and in order to do that we need your help by sending your child to school each day. We gladly welcome scholars throughout the day when your child has an appointment, missed the bus or overslept.

UNIFORMS

Carver Academy is a uniform school and all scholars are expected to be in uniform daily. Carver Academy’s uniform is navy blue pants (not jeans) and a navy-blue polo. During cooler times a navy sweater (no additional writing) or Carver fleece may be worn. Hoodies or outerwear may not be worn during the school day in the classroom. Girls may wear a solid blue, gray, black or white headband. It is highly recommended that scholars wear closed toe shoes. All scholars are required to wear a uniform each day. The Dunn’s website will be up and running on August 22nd if you would like to order uniforms.

CELL PHONES/Smart watches/Earbuds

Cell phone/Smartwatch/Earbud use of any kind by scholars is not allowed in Milwaukee Public Schools. Carver’s policy is as follows: Teachers will collect the cellphones/smartwatch/Earbuds each morning and return the phone at the end of each school day. There are classroom phones if a child needs to reach out to his/her family. If a scholar uses a cellphones/smartwatch/Earbuds during the school hours or does not turn in his/her cellphones/smartwatch/Earbuds, the cellphones/smartwatch/Earbuds will be confiscated and a parent/guardian will need to pick the cellphones/smartwatch/Earbuds up. Please help enforce this policy as well as guiding your child on appropriate social media/messaging use. The number one cause of arguments/fights and disturbances stem from inappropriate use of social media/messaging.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH

The breakfast program includes a breakfast served in the classroom for each child. Breakfast is from 9:10 a.m.-9:25 a.m. Each child also is eligible for a school provided lunch at no charge. You are welcome to pack a lunch for your child which should include healthy choices- no SODA or glass bottles please. Scholars may select a school provided lunch or bring a cold lunch. Please do not send extra items to eat if they child is selecting a school-based lunch.

VISITOR POLICY

School buildings will be open to the public, and families should contact the school office to schedule a visit/appointment. It is the expectation that all visitors remain courteous and utilize appropriate language and actions during the visit. All visitors will be greeted via the intercom. All visitors will state who they are and the intent of the visit. All visitors, which includes parents, guardians and families, must report to the office, sign in, and receive a visitor pass and will then be escorted to the classroom of where the pre-scheduled appointment is. Staff are directed to have you return to the office if you do not have an escort or visitor pass. This policy ensures that all scholars remain safe.

DISMISSAL/PICK UP POLICY

The majority of scholars will utilize the school bus and be escorted to the bus by staff. The scholars who are picked up by daycare or a parents will be picked up by the CLC door on 1st street beginning at 3:55 p.m. Please wait in your vehicle for a staff member to take your name and escort your child outside. There are certain situations that require early pickup which will be allowed at the office until 3:40 PM. The office is closed for pickup between 3:40-4:10. Please plan accordingly.

CHROMEBOOKS

All scholars will receive a checked out chromebook and charger to take home. These chromebooks will need to be returned by June 12, 2023. Parents/Guardians are responsible for any damage or lost chromebook.

UPDATED PHONE NUMBERS/ADDRESS

Please make sure to update any new phone number, contact, and/or address. Please call the office to provide this information. All families must have a working phone number on file.

BUS

Bus routes are created based on the address in Infinite Campus. If you have moved, please call the office to update the address. Once an address is updated it takes 24 hours to register in the system. After this time, it will take up to 5 business days to update a new bus route for the family. It is the family’s responsibility to provide transportation during this time. Appropriate behavior on the bus is expected by all scholars riding the bus. The following expectations will be enforced:

Remain Seated at all times

All body parts must be inside the bus (no opening windows or hanging out of windows)

Appropriate language only

Hands, feet, and objects remain to self

Respect directions from the bus driver

Transportation is a privilege and can be suspended if scholars violate the rules. If you have concerns with behaviors on the bus please reach out to Ms. Moody, the assistant principal at 414-267-0506.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

Lifetouch will take school photos on October 13, 2022 and will offer retakes on November 30, 2022.

STAY CONNECTED

You must opt-in to receive important MPS messages on your phone. Opt-in by sending a text message to 67587 with “Y.” You can do this step with any mobile phone you would like to receive messages.

Sign up for the Parent Portal! Contact the school for an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account. The school secretary will ask you some questions to verify your identity. The secretary will provide you with an activation key for signing up. Once you have registered, you can access the Infinite Campus Parent Portal online at www.mpsmke.com/parentportal or through an Infinite Campus mobile application and view your child’s schedule, attendance, grades, and more!

WELCOME-New Staff

Please help welcome Ms. Vanessa Addison– Special Education teacher, Ms. Elise Weiss– Special Education teacher, Ms. Kristin Bates– Art teacher, and Mr. Malik Cupid- Assistant Principal.

If you have questions or concerns, feel free to call the school or stop by the office. We will assist you in any way we can!

I look forward to the start of the 2022-23 school year and working with you and your child(ren) in achieving success!

Sincerely,

Ms. Hinds

Principal

414-267-0500