About Greencastle Elementary

School Hours

  • School Hours (K-5)                                        9:00 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.

    Students Enter the Building                                        8:45 a.m.

              AM Pre-K & PEP                               9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

              PM Pre-K & PEP                              12:55 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.       


Medication and Health Room

Medication will not be administered in the health room unless:

The parent/guardian hand delivers the medication to school,

Medication is properly labeled by a pharmacist, and

MCPS Form #525-13  (Authorization to Prescribe Medicine) is completed by a physician and given to the health technician. This form is available in the health room or at the link above.

Our health room staff (240-740-0781) will be happy to assist you if you have any questions.

 

Links to MCPS Health Forms

 

Lunch and Breakfast Programs

Children in Grades K - 5 may bring lunch or purchase a school lunch, which includes milk. Milk can be purchased separately. Breakfast is free, through the Maryland Meals for Achievement Plan, and it is served to all students during arrival. Meal prices are:

  • Breakfast: Free
  • Reduced Lunch: $0.30
  • Regular Lunch: $2.55

Applications for free and reduced meals can be completed on paper forms once school begins or at any time online: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application. Additional information about the program and eligibility can be found here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/food-and-nutrition/meal-payments/#FARMS.

If your child participated in the free and reduced meals program last year, your child will only continue to be eligible for meal benefits through the first 30 scheduled school days OR until an application is processed for the new school year.

School menus can be found here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/food-and-nutrition/menus/.


Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Arrival

Students may begin arriving at 8:45 a.m. and should not arrive earlier, as there are no staff available to supervise students until 8:45.  In the event of inclement weather - staff should be ready to receive students as early as 8:40. Staff should be at their classroom doors to receive students at 8:40 am.  


  • Grades 1-3 Walkers and car riders enter through the stained-glass doors. Prior to entering the building students will line up along the sidewalk near the stained-glass doors by grade level 8:45 am. 

  • Grades 4-5 Walkers and Car Riders will line-up by the stained-glass doors, but they will be dismissed to the portables at 8:45.  

  • Walker and Car Riders- Pre-K and Kindergarten enter through the Art room door (rm. 116) and are escorted to their classes by paras and patrols.

  • Bus Riders enter through the front of the building and then proceed to their classes. 

  • PEP enter through exterior doors outside of their rooms. 

  • Pre-K collects students from buses and walks them into the building.

 

Dismissal
Families who would like to pick-up their students early for an appointment should do so before 3 pm.
Walkers will be dismissed first through flagpole exit doors at 3:20.
    • Grades 3 - 5 will be dismissed at 3:20, allowing students to wait by the flagpole exit for siblings.

    • 4th grade will enter through the K hallway/5th grade will enter through the 1st grade hallway.  All 4th and 5th grade students from the portables will walk with a teacher and exit through the flagpole doors exit. 

    • Grades K-2 will be dismissed through the exit nearest the flagpole at 3:22.

    • K and Pre-K walkers will be picked up by paras and patrols and dismissed out of room 116 .  Students sit on the floor.  Staff will organize parents for student pick-up by teacher.

    • Teachers will remain with students and remind them to stand near the building (near the flagpole exit) as they wait to be picked up.

    • Patrols will support dismissal.

    • Daycare Vans dismissed after walkers and before buses. Daycare Vans may be dismissed without an escort.


  • Car riders dismissed to the gym at 3:25.

    • Students are dismissed to the gym where they will wait on number markers w/ siblings until a vehicle arrives. 

    • Students exit through the stained-glass doors.

    • Number system, hundreds chart will be used in the gym and outside. (Students use the same numbers as last school year. K and new students will receive new numbers. Families receive 1 number.)

    • Families will be assigned numbers. Individuals working the car loop and the gym will have walkies in order to communicate when a ride has arrived. 


  • Bus riders dismissed as buses arrive. 

    • Students remain in the classroom until their bus has been called. 

  • KAH dismissed to multi-purpose room at 3:25

  • East County leaves with daycare vans

Students will listen for a staff member to call their number to board their car. Students should only enter a car on the passenger side to ensure safety.

Attendance & Absences

Daily attendance is an important part of your child's success in school. If your child will be absent, please call the school by 8:45 a.m. to notify the office of the reason. (240-740-1420).  If the lines are busy, please leave a voicemail with your child's name, teacher, and the reason for the absence. Students should bring a note from home upon their return. After five consecutive days of absence, a physician's note is required. 

Absence Policy:
  • AM Absent - a student arrives more than two hours late
  • PM Absent - a student leaves more than two hours early
  • 1/2 Day Absent - a student is absent for more than any two hours during the school day
  • Full Day Absent - a student is present for less than two hours of the entire school day  
 

Birthday Celebrations

Birthdays are celebrated at Greencastle with a morning announcement, birthday book and pencil distributed from the main office following morning announcements.  Books are donated through the Birthday Books Project and are completely free for
all students.

Greencastle Birthday Policy


Documents for MCPS Students

 A Student’s Guide to Rights and Responsibilities, the Code of
Conduct, Guidelines for Respecting Religious Diversity, and Guidelines for
Student Gender Identity can all be found here:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/students/rights/
 


When to Keep your Child Home from School

To find more information, click here: Keeping Your Child Home from School


Asbestos Regulation Information

Please view the following pdf for information regarding regulation.