Whitehall-Coplay School District will be closed Sept. 1-4 for the Labor Day holiday. Have a safe and happy holiday with family and friends.

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Here are some tips for the first weeks of school for elementary students. Young kids are nervous when they begin school, and WCSD has many staff members to assist with getting them safely to their classrooms.

Please be sure that your child has his or her bus card with the teacher’s name attached to a backpack when your child arrives at school. They will be guided into lines, and they will then be walked to their classrooms in the beginning. This process will occur for the first week of school to ensure students become familiar with walking to their classrooms.

There will always will be staff members positioned throughout the building at student arrival and dismissal throughout the year to assist as needed. Once students are comfortable with this process, they will walk to their classrooms on their own in the morning.

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Parent drop-off procedures at Gockley Elementary School are as follows: If transporting children to school in the morning, parents/guardians must use the parent drop-off area located at the back of the building. Teachers will be outside monitoring the area and assisting with this process from 8:35 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. Vehicles will be instructed to pull up to the orange cones and allow staff members to assist children as they exit the car.

Children should exit the passenger rear side of the vehicle so they do not need to cross traffic. Staff members will help to guide children into the building as parents drive away. Do not park and walk your child into the building, as the front entrance is specifically designated for school bus drop-off and pickup only.

Please also talk with your child to explain this process. Positive and supportive conversations with them will provide reassurance and help staff to facilitate this process.

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Welcome back to the 2023-24 academic year! If you would like to share any upcoming school events for administrators, teachers, staff, clubs, coaches, etc., email me at jamb87@hotmail.com and title it Whitehall-Coplay District News. I would be happy to spread the news for any upcoming activities.

You can also send me pictures and great things that are happening in your classrooms throughout the district for possible publication in Whitehall-Coplay Press.

Be sure to send me your information at least two weeks before an event. Columns are completed the weekend before publication on Thursdays.

Thank you, and have a fantastic school year!