Parent Handbook

Please click on the following links to learn more about the rules and regulations at Timber Drive as well as your involvement in your child's education.

Click on a link below to learn more about each area:
*Attendance PolicyTransportation Information
*Celebrations
*Child Nutrition
*Citizenship
*Health
*Special Events
*Volunteering
*Timber Drive Bus Routes

INCLEMENT WEATHER INSTRUCTIONS

In case of snow or other dangerous weather or emergency situations, a decision may be made to close or delay school. These decisions are
made after the National Weather Service and local weather bureaus have been consulted. As soon as a decision is made, local radio and television stations are notified and a notice is posted on the school system’s web page at http://www.wcpss.net. We encourage you to listen carefully
during threatening or severe weather for details.

Sign-in/out Procedures
Sign-in
All persons entering the building must sign in at the office and get a visitor/volunteer badge to wear during time on campus. If your child is late reporting to school, parents must accompany the child to the office to complete the late admission procedure. The student must have the signed slip to enter class. Since instruction has begun, please do not interrupt the teacher by going to the classroom. Office personnel will take a message and place it in the teacher’s mailbox.

Sign-Out
Dismissals MUST be handled through the office. Parents report to the office, complete the checkout slip, and wait for your child in the office. Students will not be permitted to leave without following this procedure. Early checkouts should be for medical or emergency situations only and will be factored into the attendance profile of the students. All dismissals after 3:00 p.m. are through normal carpool procedures. Please refer to the “Carpool” section for details.

Dismissal
Bus riders will remain in their homeroom until buses arrive. If your child’s bus is more than 30 minutes late, call for an update on our voice message.

Carpoolers will be dismissed to the carpool room to wait to be called for their ride. Carpool parents should have their riders’ names on a large card, displayed for the dispatcher to read. Please stay in the car traffic lane and exercise caution, safety, and courtesy during dismissal.

Walkers will be dismissed at 3:35 to be escorted by safety patrol to the crosswalk.

A before/after school and track-out program is provided through the YMCA. If you need this service, call 773-9524.

What is so special about Timber Drive
Year -Round Elementary School?

Calendar
Timber Drive operates on a four track year-round calendar. Each track contains at least one class at each grade level. Generally, students attend school for nine weeks and then break for three weeks. Three of the four tracks are always in session. Year-round calendars are available on-line at: www.wcpss.net.
Basics. Timber Drive has been a year-round school since opening in 1997. The year-round instructional calendar qualifies Timber Drive as a magnet school currently serving over 900 students. YMCA Before School, After School, and Track– out programs are available.

Instructional Program
Timber Drive’s instructional program centers around the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Grades K-5. High expectations, protection of the instructional day, and collaborative teaching models, such as IMPACT, promote high student success. Emphasis is placed on developing higher-order thinking skills through Cognitive Guided Instruction, Developmental Spelling, and other research based approaches. Art, music, physical education, and curriculum focus are offered weekly for all students. Qualifying students participate in English as a Second Language, Academically Gifted, and resource programs.

Student Leadership: Students are offered several avenues for developing leadership skills. Opportunities abound throughout the school. Responsibilities that facilitate daily routines are present in all K-5 classrooms. School-wide leadership is visible through Student Council, Safety Patrol, Book Buddies, Media and Technology Assistants, WOLF-TV Crew, and Energy Patrol.

Positive Relationships Between Home and School
Timber Drive strives to keep parents informed and involved. Classroom newsletters, teacher web sites, and volunteer opportunities help maintain positive communication. Parent education events and the PTA are two other great ways for parents to be involved.

Media and Technology
The media center and computer lab are flexibly accessed. Media specialists and the technology resource teacher plan collaboratively with classroom teachers. Media and technology skills are integrated into grade level curriculum based projects. Each classroom is equipped with a minimum of three networked computers and a printer. Scanners, digital cameras, and LCD projectors are also available for class use.

WOLF-TV
We have a multi-camera TV studio supervised by the Network Administrator.
Timber Drive Today broadcasts live every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Each show is filled with school news and announcements. Videotapes of classroom and school events are regularly shown during the broadcasts. Videos of school events are easily edited in the WOLF TV studio prior to the live broadcast.