EC Principal Letter
Dear ANCS Elementary Campus Families,
Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! We are excited to get this year underway and I know you are as well. This week we have our new employees here at school engaged in training and activities to orient them to all things ANCS. Next week we kick off our year with the full K-8 faculty and staff at our retreat on Monday and then have a busy pre-planning week ahead.
I know that you all have many questions as we enter into this year. I will attempt to answer all of them here.
When will I know who my child’s teachers are?
Teachers receive their class lists on July 21st. You will receive communication from them by the end of the day on July 22nd.
When is the open house for the elementary campus?
Please plan to come by the elementary campus on Monday, July 28th between 11:00am and 12:00pm. We will all start in the auditorium at 11:00 for a special presentation from the faculty and staff. This is also a time that all faculty and staff will be introduced. If you are unable to make it right at 11:00, that’s fine. You are welcome to stop by anytime before 12:00. Open House is a time to meet your child’s teachers, visit the library and related arts rooms, see the farm, and get some ANCS swag from the school store. If you are a new family to ANCS, please stop by the auditorium during the open house to learn about after school and to pick up your dismissal number.
How is arrival and dismissal going to work this year?
Arrival is from 7:30-8:00 each morning. You will drop off your child in front of the school where Mrs. King or I will open car doors and they will enter through the front doors. Please do not pull in front of the line or try to enter the line from Bass Street, and please do not block the crosswalks. If you choose to walk with your child up to the school building, please do not park in the car rider line or in front of the school building. You can find street parking around the building, but please be careful to not block our neighbor’s driveways. If you are riding a bike to school with your child, please do not block sidewalks. Instead, pull up to the front yard, and please walk your bike once you are in front of the building. We have plenty of bike racks that are monitored by a security camera, so bikes can be locked and secure during the day.
Dismissal is from 2:40-2:55 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week. It is from 1:30-1:45 on Wednesdays. You can walk up to school and meet your child on the front yard or you can join the car rider line. Either way, we will call your child by their dismissal number, so please make sure you have that with you. We will not dismiss students by name only. This is for security purposes. If you prefer that your child walk home from school independently, you will need to let your child’s teachers know that prior to him/her walking without you. We will not let a student walk independently without your permission. Your child can also go to our after school program that runs from dismissal to 6:00 PM each day. Students can also leave school as a van rider to Boys and Girls Club or Grant Park Recreation Center’s after school program.
We are a very dog friendly school. However, not all of our students like dogs and some are very afraid of dogs. If your dog is jumpy, barky and/or anxious/aggressive, it would be best to find another time to walk them and leave them at home for drop off and pick up from school.
When will the school-wide morning meeting begin?
We will have our first official morning meeting on Monday, August 4th. Morning meeting is from 8:00-8:10 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. There will be no morning meetings on Wednesdays since we have early dismissal those days and students will go straight to their classroom on these mornings. Each week a class leads the school in a new song. There are also student performances and lots of learning opportunities during morning meeting. We end our meetings with a mindful moment and one minute of silent reflection. Morning meeting marks the beginning of our school day and your child will be marked tardy if they are not present by the beginning of morning meeting. It is an important part of our school day. Please ensure that your student arrives on time each day.
Can students get breakfast at school?
Yes. Breakfast is served from 7:30-7:50 each morning. Please plan to have your child at school prior to 7:50 if you wish for him/her to eat breakfast at school.
What’s happening on Wednesdays?
Students dismiss early (at 1:30) on Wednesdays so teachers can have time to meet as teams and engage in collaborative planning and/or professional development. This is a critical time for our teachers and supports quality instruction on every level. Due to it being a shorter academic day, we do not have morning meeting on Wednesdays. Students will go straight to their classrooms as they arrive at school in the morning. Students will be marked tardy if they are not at school by 8:00, just like every other day.
What do we do about school supplies?
Just like every year, ANCS is purchasing school supplies and materials for all of our students. Each year we ask families to donate $25.00 to help cover the cost of the supplies and, if you are able, to donate extra to cover the cost for another family who is unable to donate at this time. You can make that donation here now or you can make your donation by check or card when you come to the open house on Monday, July 28th.
I know that is a lot of information, and you may still have some questions. Many of those will most likely be answered during the open house, but feel free to reach out if you’d like. We look forward to seeing you all on Monday, July 28th and getting the 25-26 school year underway!
Wishing you well,
Lara
Lara Zelski
Lara Zelski began working at ANCS in 2007. Previously, she worked at the Howard School and taught art, Spanish, reading and math. She taught 6th, 4th, and 2nd in DeKalb County. She taught 4th and 5th grade in Decatur and then moved to Title One reading and math instruction for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. She taught 5th grade at the ANCS elementary campus for two years.
