What is the best way to find out about upcoming school events?
You will receive flyers for various activities and events sent home in your child’s backpack. There is a monthly newsletter that includes the school lunch menu. Email updates are also sent frequently as well as calls from the "School Reach" calling system.

The monthly PTO meetings are another great way to get information. The meeting days/times will be included on the monthly calendar in the newsletter and on the website.

What is the outdoor classroom?
The outdoor classroom is a volunteer project from concept to completion, even including the maintenance of it! It is located at the North end of the playground. It has a variety of plants that are marked with information to help students learn to identify and understand a little bit about various types of plant life. There is a pathway leading all throughout the area with a “lookout platform” for additional fun.

Use of the outdoor classroom is at the discretion of each teacher. Some may use it as a creative way to present certain learning, or maybe as a reward for certain achievements.

Optional workshops have been offered in previous years for an extracurricular activity, meeting a few sessions before or after school. Sign up information would be distributed to parents and students prior to the workshop.

Be sure to visit our newest addition, a greenhouse, which was purchased with funds from the Community Enrichment Foundation. Visit their Web site at www.dccef.org to contribute.

What is AR?
This is the Accelerated Reader program that is utilized in grades 1 through 5 to help our students track their reading progress through specific AR titles that are available for check out in the school media center. After completing an AR book a student can take a computerized reading comprehension “test” either in their classroom or in the computer lab. The students have a reading goal for a specific number of “points” each nine weeks. They accumulate these points for spending in the AR store after each contest period and sometimes for a special event.

All of the AR titles are listed on the website and can be viewed by title or by reading level.

What is Antler Alert?
Antler Alert is our all school assembly held each Friday at 8:50 a.m. in the gym. This event gives us an opportunity to come together to sing, celebrate special events and to recognize special achievements.

During this time, students are recognized for math and reading achievements based on the Math Facts, Classics Club and Golden Poet programs to name a few.

One student or a group of students from each class are recognized with a "Special Clap" for a particularly nice gesture or accomplishment.

Parents are encouraged to attend. This is another place to learn about some of the school activities.

What is Enrichment?
Enrichment is a class where students get to use their different areas of giftedness: musical, artistic, athletic, intellectual, academic and creative to explore topics not covered in the regular classroom.

Where do students go in the morning when they arrive between 8:30 and 8:45?
If you transport your child to school, you can follow the traffic line through the front circle drive to drop them off in front of the building or you can park in a marked parking space and walk them up to the door.

From there the students walk through the building to the playground exiting the back doors on the East side of the school.

If your child rides the bus to school he will be dropped off in the bus circle on the North side of the building.

All students are to go to the playground until the teachers come to greet the class and walk them inside at 8:45. Each class has a designated spot to line up each day before school and at recess.

How does my child know where to go when school is dismissed?
In an effort to reduce the chaos of the rush hour, we dismiss the “walkers, car riders, and day care riders” first. This allows the walkers to exit through one of the rear entries for a safe walk home; and the car riders and day care riders to get to the front of the school to be picked up in the front circle drive.

As the buses arrive at the school, the bus numbers are called so that the respective students can make their way out the North side of the school to the bus circle to load. This helps to reduce the traffic and makes it less confusing for the students to find their proper bus.

If you pick your child up from school be sure to either park your car in a marked parking space and go in the lobby or outside the front doors to meet your child or follow the line of cars through the front circle drive to pick your child up in front of the building.

For safety reasons, children are NOT allowed to walk through the parking lot without a parent. This also applies to morning drop off.

What do I need to do if I want to have lunch with my child?
You are always welcome to join your child for lunch either in the “Antler Cafe” (located in the front lobby) or in the cafeteria. You may bring lunch in for yourself and/or your child. If you would like to reserve a cafeteria meal you can call 359-3170 x 417 no later than 10:00 a.m. to let the cafeteria staff know the number of extra meals for their daily count.

When you reserve a meal from the cafeteria you will need to bring cash to pay for your meal (exact change is helpful). Your child’s lunch card cannot be used to purchase any additional meals even though their balance would cover it.

Where is the lost and found located?
In the hallway between the office and the cafeteria. It is often full of jackets/coats and lunch boxes. Please be sure to check it for your lost items.