About Greencastle Elementary
School Hours
Students Enter the Building 8:40 am
School Hours (K-5) 9:00 am - 3:25 pm
AM Pre-K & PEP 9:00 am – 11:30 am
PM Pre-K & PEP 12:55 pm – 3:25 pm
After 9:00 am, all students must be signed in by a parent/guardian in the office.
Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
Arrival
Students may begin arriving at 8:40 am and should not arrive earlier, as there are no staff available to supervise students until 8:40am.
Grade 1, grade 2, and grade 4 walkers and car riders enter through the stained-glass doors. Prior to entering the building students will line up along the sidewalk near the stained-glass doors by grade level 8:40am.
Grade 3 and grade 5 walkers and car riders will line-up by the stained-glass doors, and they will be dismissed to the portables at 8:40am.
Pre-K and Kindergarten entrance door will be determined and they will escorted to their classes by paras and patrols.
Bus riders enter through the bus loop doors and then proceed to their classes.
PEP enter through exterior doors outside of their rooms.
Dismissal
Families who would like to pick-up their students early for an appointment should do so by 2:45 pm. Find more early dismissal information in the next section below.
Walkers will be dismissed from the portable area.
Daycare van riders are dismissed through the doors at the end of the PEP hallway. East County Rec transportation leaves with daycare vans.
Car riders are dismissed to the gym where they will wait w/ siblings until their ride has arrived.
Families will be assigned a car number and provide that number to the staff member outside in the car loop. Individuals working the car loop and the gym where students are waiting will have walkies in order to communicate when a vehicle has arrived. Students exit through the stained glass doors.
Bus riders are dismissed as buses arrive and remain in the classroom until their bus has been called.
KAH is dismissed to multi-purpose room at 3:25pm
Attendance & Absences
Daily attendance is an important part of your child's success in school.
If your child will be absent, dismissed early, or there is a change in their dismissal plan, complete the online attendance note here.
The above form or another written note are required from the parent/guardian within 3 days of the student’s return to school after an absence in order to be considered excused. After five consecutive days of absence, a physician's note is required. For safety, only dismissal changes submitted through this form or a written note/email will be honored.
Family travel is NOT considered an excused absence
The following may be considered excused if proper documentation is provided:
Illness and/or medical appointments
Death in the immediate family
Religious observance
Court summons for the student
If your child needs to be dismissed early…
Complete the attendance note with the approximate time of pick-up and reasoning.
Parents/Guardians must come to the office to sign out the student
The office will call for the student upon your arrival
To minimize disruption, students must be picked up no later than 2:45 p.m
MCPS Absence Policy:
AM Absent - a student arrives more than two hours late
PM Absent - a student leaves more than two hours early
1/2 Day Absent - a student is absent for more than any two hours during the school day
Full Day Absent - a student is present for less than two hours of the entire school day
If your child is going to be late… After 9:00 am, all students must be signed in by a parent/guardian in the office.
Lunch & Breakfast Programs
Children in Grades K - 5 may bring lunch or order a school lunch, which includes milk. Breakfast is free, through the Maryland Meals for Achievement Plan, and it is served to all students during arrival. Lunch is also free in a Title I school. Students order wtih their homeroom teacher each morning.
School menus can be found here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/food-and-nutrition/menus/.
Birthday Celebrations
Birthdays are celebrated at Greencastle with a morning announcement, birthday book and pencil distributed from the main office following morning announcements.
Birthdays may also be recognized within the classroom during a 10-15 minute period as designated by the teacher. This is intended to be a small celebration. Parents must make arrangements with the teacher at least 48 hours in advance. Parents who wish to visit should contact the teacher. Siblings from other classrooms within Greencastle will not be able to attend.
To limit classroom disruptions, students may bring in a small, healthy, store-bought treat that can fit into their backpack. Instead of a treat, students can also bring small favors, such as pencils or erasers. Students who are choosing to send something in should ensure there is something for every student in their homeroom.
Suggestions for Healthy Store-bought Snacks
fruits
veggies
individual size bags of chips, pretzels, pita chips or popcorn
fruit snacks
fruit cups
Medication and Health Room
Medication will not be administered in the health room unless:
The parent/guardian hand delivers the medication to school, the medication is properly labeled by a pharmacist, and
MCPS Form #525-13 (Authorization to Prescribe Medicine) is completed by a physician and given to the health technician. This form is available in the health room or at the link above.
Our health room staff (240-740-0781) will be happy to assist you if you have any questions.
Links to MCPS Health Forms
Authorization to Provide Medically Approved Treatment
Authorization to Administer Prescribed Medication
Documents for MCPS Students
A Student’s Guide to Rights and Responsibilities, the Code of
Conduct, Guidelines for Respecting Religious Diversity, and Guidelines for
Student Gender Identity can all be found here:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/students/rights/
When to Keep your Child Home from School
To find more information, click here: Keeping Your Child Home from School
Asbestos Regulation Information
Please view the following pdf for information regarding regulation.