General Information

If you need to speak with a teacher, e-mail a teacher, or leave the teacher a voice mail message, please keep in mind that teachers have specific responsibilities once children begin to arrive at school and again at the end of the day. At these busy times, a teacher may not be able to give you their full attention so please schedule a meeting at a convenient time for both you and the teacher.

Volunteers and visitors are to report to the office to sign-in and obtain a Volunteer or Visitor Badge, and sign-out at the end of the visit. Exceptions to a visitor who is required to sign-in and obtain a badge:

• Parent Conferences
• Attendance at programs (Bands, Chorus, Plays, etc.)

Homework will be sent home upon parent request.

Parent requests for homework need to be made to the office before 10:30 a.m. so that teachers have an opportunity to prepare the work.

Requested homework will be available in the office at 3:25 p.m.

Homework will be sent home with a sibling or friend upon request.

• When dropping off a child in the morning, please drive into the back lot, pull up as much as possible, and remain in your vehicle while your child exits quickly. Students are not permitted to enter the building before 8:35 a.m. as there is no supervision provided.
   
• If your child is arriving after 8:50 a.m., you must come into the office and sign him/her in.
   
• STUDENT CAR PICK-UP (for students not taking the bus) • Use the back-parking lot and follow the traffic pattern. • Students will start to exit the gymnasium starting at 3:00. • Three staff members are there to monitor the safety of the students. • Students will wait at one of the four colored cones. You will be instructed to pull up next to one of these cones. Your child will have their face covering on. • Once your car is parked next to the cone, your child will be allowed to enter your car. • For the safety and health of the children, remain in your car. If your child needs assistance getting buckled, you will be asked to pull up out of the loading zone or find a parking spot to assist your child. Teach your child how to safely and properly get into your vehicle. • Be aware of all children and drive away slowly. • If you walk home with your child, be sure a note has been sent to their teacher, and plan on meeting him/her at the gymnasium exit at 3:00
   
• For safety and security reasons, parents are not permitted to escort any child to the classroom. If assistance is needed, someone will be available to direct him/her. The same goes for bringing in snacks or treats. Please drop them in the office and we will make sure they get to the classroom. To help, please label all snacks and belongings with your child’s name.

Keeping in touch is so important. A variety of resources are available in order for staff, students, and parents to communicatewith one another. Please contact the school when updating information, or when a situation arises. "Communication is the key to success."

By Phone

• Parents may contact the school office directly by dialing the main number at 610-351-5860. If the secretary is unable to answer your call, you may leave a message in the voice mailbox. A return call will be made as soon as possible. Permission for parent ransport or requests for homework should always be made using the main office number. If a need arises to speak to personnel during the day, contact the main office to be connected.

By Voicemail

• Parents may leave a voice message for school personnel by dialing 610-351-5900, and then entering the extension for the staff ember when directed. Please do not use voicemail if you need immediate attention, or for approval for parent transportation, or for requests for homework.
• Voicemail operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

By E-Mail/District Website

•  The district website, www.parklandsd.org, and our school website, www.cetronia.parklandsd.org, contains information about district policies, the calendar, athletics, as well as links to other departments, and buildings. It is a great resource to use, especially when information doesn't seem to make it home in the backpack.
• It is also possible to email staff members. This is a great way to communicate with teachers when an immediate response is not necessary. The teacher's email address will be sent home. They may also be found on the school's website.

Absentee Hotline

• If your child is absent: If your child is going to be absent from school, parents are asked to call the voice mailbox (610-351-5900, ext. 23711). If you do not call the school, office staff will call you.
   
• Legal Documents:  If you have any legal documents pertaining to child custody arrangements, please make a copy for the school file. Without any documentation provided to the school, either parent will be allowed access to their child.

School Messenger System Allows Us to Contact All Cetronia School Families in Just Minutes:

• Parkland School District uses the School Messenger® service, our school-to-parent rapid communication service. With the service, our school can send periodic and personalized voice messages to all parents within minutes. The service will be used to complement our emergency preparedness procedures and to inform parents of upcoming school events such as Open House, Parent-Teacher Conferences, and PSSA testing. We will also utilize the system to call you when school is delayed or canceled due to inclement weather. Note: You can expect weather delay/cancellation calls to be made around 5:30 AM to the primary number on file only (not all 5 emergency numbers that we may have on file). A test call will be announced and made in October prior to the winter season to ensure accuracy of the system. If we need to dismiss school early for any unscheduled reason such as weather, the system will call all emergency numbers, send a text message and an email to all contacts on file.
• We strongly encourage all parents to participate in this new notification system as opting out will not allow families to receive messages that will be communicated via the system in the event of a true emergency.
• Information forms listing phone numbers that we have on file will be sent home in September for your verification.  Email addresses and SMS Text Message phone numbers will also be collected at that time.  For those with hearing impairments, a TTY device number will also be collected.
• Of course, you may update or change the information we have on file at any time during the school year by contacting the secretary at 610-351-5860.

Cell Phones/Electronic Devices

•  At Cetronia, we understand that some parents are concerned about emergency situations and feel that it is necessary for their child to have a cell phone available. While we discourage the possession of a cell phone in school, it is permissible if the parent writes permission for the child to carry it. The cell phone must be turned off and kept in the child's backpack. It is not to be used during the school day for any purpose including making or taking phone calls, pictures, or text messages.
• Electronic devices such as video games, MP3 players, ipods, etc. are not allowed to be used during the school day.
• Cetronia Elementary and the Parkland School District are not responsible for any damage, lost, or stolen items.
• Thank you for your help monitoring the use of this equipment.

Our drop-off and pick-up procedures work very well when all involved follow the proper procedures. Thank you for your cooperation. Because of your efforts, our students are safe when entering and leaving the building. We will continue to follow the same procedures as last year. Please note the following:

• When dropping off your child in the morning, pull forward as much as you are able to allow more than one car to drop off at the same time. If you need to enter the building for any reason, you must find a space in the lot or on the street, and walk your child into the building. Please do not accompany your child to the classroom at this time.
   
• Please DO NOT park in the handicap spaces unless you are entitled to do so by having a sticker or a placard visible.
   
• When picking up at the end of the day, stay in your car and pull forward as much as possible in front of the gymnasium doors. Your child will then be permitted to enter your car. Only the cars directly in front of the gym (approximately 3 cars) will be filled at a time. Once again, if you need to enter the building or get out of your car for any reason, you must find a place to park. If your child does not dismiss from the building in a timely manner, you may be asked to find a parking spot to wait for him/her.
   
• You may NOT pull up in front of the office doors to pick up students at the end of the day. Students must be supervised near the gym doors.
   
• Staff will be on duty to assist your child in any way.

School “opens” at 8:35 a.m.

• At times, students have been dropped off prior to 8:35 a.m. In the best interest of the students’ safety, parents are reminded not to drop off any children before 8:35. There is no supervision for “early arrivals” at that time. 

Safety and Security

•  The school building will be locked at 8:50 a.m. after students have been dropped off.  To enter the building after 8:50, you will need to use the doors in the back by the parking lot.  Please press the buzzer gently, and the secretary will “buzz you in”.

• Cetronia Elementary School is open until 4:00 PM. Teachers will be locking classroom doors when they leave for the evening.  This is to ensure the safety of any persons in the building, and to make sure all items in the rooms are secured when not occupied.  This is important to remember in the event that you are picking up homework for your child because of an absence. The building is closed after 4:00.

Students may enter the building at 8:35 a.m. The school day is from 8:50 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. School begins promptly at 8:50, so please make sure your child(ren)are here on time and ready to begin working at 8:50. 

Vacation/Emergency Forms

If an absence is known in advance, such as vacation time, please fill out the form. Requests for forms can be made in the office. Some blank forms will be sent home the first day of school.

Late Arrivals/Early Dismissals

Any student arriving late to school (after 8:50 a.m.) must be escorted by an adult to the office.  There, the adult will “sign in” the child.  Please DO NOT drop off your child to enter the building alone after 8:50 a.m.

• If a student needs to be dismissed earlier than the regular school day, a parent or guardian must come to the office and “sign out” the child. Written requests should be given to the classroom teacher in the morning.
• The school needs written or verbal permission to dismiss a student any differently from the regular transportation.