Published Sunday, July 20, 2008
Schools prepare for Aug. 6 opening
The Times-Herald
What happens when 23,000 youngsters show up at your door about the same time on the same day and plan to spend the whole day with you?
School happens.
In Coweta, it all happens Aug. 6, the first day of school for 2008-2009.
For those parents who are uninitiated or too overwhelmed with everything else, here's what to expect and how to prepare for it:
New students
* Parents who have new students to enroll are urged to register them before school starts by making an appointment with the Coweta County School System's central registration office at 167 Werz Industrial Drive in Newnan. Registration is not handled at the schools. Werz is located off of Millard Farmer Industrial Boulevard/Highway 34 bypass near Bullsboro Drive. The registration office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The last appointment is taken at 4 p.m.; but if the paperwork is completed beforehand, office personnel can take care of parents registering their children for school as late as 4:30 p.m.
For information on what items a parent needs to register his child in school, call the central registration office at 770-254-5551 or better yet go to the Web site at www.cowetaschools.org/registration. Print and complete the registration forms beforehand, and the registration process at the central office should take about 20-30 minutes, says Donna Carter of that office.
Instructions in Spanish are also available on the site as well as easy-to-read directional maps.
Visits before school starts
* Parents and students can visit their assigned school and meet their teachers on the day before school starts on Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to noon at all middle schools and from noon to 2 p.m. at all elementary schools.
* High school orientation for new students at Northgate High School will be on Monday, Aug. 4, from 2 to 4:30 p.m..
For new students at East Coweta High and Newnan High, the orientation is on Aug. 5, from 2 to 4 p.m.
'Mommy, I missed the bus.'
* Someone from the school system's transportation department will be at each school on Aug. 5 and 6 to provide information about bus routes for the new school year. The representative will have the names of the drivers, bus routes and times, and will be on hand to answer transportation-related questions.
The bus routes will also be posted on the school's Web site at least one week before school begins. Each school's Web site is accessible through www.cowetaschools.org.
For the first day of school, all Cowetans are encouraged to leave home early because of the expected higher volume of traffic. The school system operates 180 regular school bus routes, 50 special education routes and transports about 15,000 students more than 12,000 miles daily.
Parents who are driving their child to school are also encouraged to leave early and have their child at school earlier than usual on the first day.
Coweta's elementary schools operate from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; middle schools, 8:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; and high schools, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Central Educational Center operates from 8:15 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. for first and second blocks and from 12:30 p.m. to 3:10 p.m. for the third and fourth blocks.
Student who ride the bus are asked to be at their bus stop no later than 7 a.m. on the first day and for the remainder of that first week of school. The stops will become more predictable as ridership and routes become better established during the first few weeks of school.
If parents are unsure about their student's pick-up or drop-off site or the times, they can call the transportation department at 770-254-2820.
'C'mon dad, I need more than this for lunch.'
* Student prices for school breakfasts and lunches increased this year to $1 for breakfast and $2 to $2.25 for lunch. Milk and juice prices also increased to 50 cents. High school students also have more choices besides the regular hot lunch line, including the "pizza line" and a salad bar.
All meals and drinks have to be paid in advance. Parents are encouraged to pre-pay for a student's meal by the week or month.
Meal costs for families eligible for the reduced prices under the federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program remain unchanged this year at 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. The program is based on household income and other factors. Applications for the federal program are available at the schools.
School supply lists
* A school supply list detailing what your child needs to bring to school is available online on each school's Web site or by calling the school. School Web sites and contact information is available at www.cowetaschools.org or by calling the school system's main switchboard number at 770-254-2800 and asking to be connected to the school.
After school daycare
* Registration for the Coweta Schools' after-school daycare program will be Aug. 1, 4 and 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the elementary school that the child will attend. The registrations are on a space-available basis and cost $9-12 per day after the initial $20 non-refundable registration fee for each child. The program operates at all elementary schools from 2:30 to 6 p.m. on school days. The Friday, Monday and Tuesday dates for the After School Program registrations will be done by an ASP site coordinator in the elementary school's cafeteria. For more information, call 770-254-3016.
Dress code
* For information about Coweta County School System's dress code, check the 2008-2009 dress code guidelines. There are guidelines for elementary, middle and high school students. The guidelines address everything from bandannas to those rolling shoes or "Heelys."
Night high school and driver's ed program
* Registration for night high school classes is Tuesday, July 29, through Monday, Aug. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Central Educational Center at 160 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Night high school starts Aug. 11.
Full-credit classes are offered, including for math, English, science and social studies, and a half-credit driver's education course is also offered. The full-time courses cost $400 for Coweta County residents and $700 for out-of-county students.
The full-time classes are held from 4 to 5:50 p.m., 5 to 7:40 p.m. and 7:40 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday on the CEC campus.
Regular students attending daytime classes may also attend CEC's night courses as a fifth block class with clearance and permission from their high school guidance office, and the $400 tuition fee for the full-time course.
A half-credit driver's education course is also offered at CEC Monday through Thursday from 4:30 to 6:20 p.m. for $300. Only cashier's checks or money orders are accepted for payment. For more information, call CEC at 678-423-2000.
New teachers
* New teachers begin orientation sessions on July 29, 30 and 31 starting with an annual welcome breakfast at the Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts. All teachers start Friday, Aug. 1.