Welcome back! Like it or not, school has returned. As you struggle to navigate a new campus, fight pickup traffic, find your correct bus, or get your children acclimated, here are 10 tips to help make this upcoming school year go smoothly.
Important Campus Info
Knowing when your school day starts and ends, who your principal is, who the school secretary is and where to call for help can make your return to school easier – at least for mom and dad.
The times that each Wylie campus starts and stops will change this year because of state-mandated changes to the way that school districts calculate how much time each student gets instruction. Formerly, districts were required to provide school a certain number of days each year. Now they are required to provide school a certain number of minutes each year – which makes starting school even a few minutes earlier very valuable.
The exact start times were not available at press time, but check our website at WylieGrowl.com, where we will post that information when it is available.
Here is other information that could prove useful during the year:
Administration:
Phone: 692-4353
Superintendent: Joey Light.
Secretary: Desire Clardy.
High School
Phone: 690-1181
Principal: Tommy Vaughn.
Asst. Principal: Aaron Amonett.
Asst. Principal: Tim Smith.
Asst. Principal: Caren Christian
Secretary: Amy McIntyre.
Junior High
Phone: 695-1910
Principal: Rob Goodenough.
Asst. Principal: Will Brewer.
Asst. Principal: Caren Christian.
Secretary: Lisa Albert.
Middle School
Phone: 695-1910
Principal: Phil Boone.
Asst. Principal: Ricky Bacon.
Asst. Principal: Kim McMillan.
Secretary: Cheryl Henderson.
Intermediate
Phone: 692-7961
Principal: Terry Hagler
Asst. Principal: Mike Kerley
Secretary: Virginia Weems
Wylie Elementary
Phone: 692-6554
Principal: Robin McPherson
Assistant: Lisa Bessent
Secretary: Kathy Bunkley
Early Childhood Center
Phone: 437-2350
Principal: Lisa Salmon
Secretary: Donna Lang
Website and Family Access
If you have not already discovered the Wylie ISD website and Family Access, you will definitely want to navigate there ASAP. Family Access is a wonderful tool for parents that allows you to see your child’s grades, see their attendance, pay for school lunches and see how much money is left in a lunch account and much more.
Plus, the website provides other helpful information. When you first get to WylieBulldogs.org be sure and scroll down for any latest district news and some quicklinks. In these quicklinks you will find the link to Family Access. Also, along the top is a pull-down menu titled “Parents” that has helpful information.
If you want to go to your individual campus page, look at the very top of the home page for a dropdown menu that says “Select A School” and chose your campus. Your campus phone number will be at the bottom of your campus home page. Also, each campus has a list of all the teachers at that school under the “About Us” tab at the top, which is very helpful when wanting to contact someone via email.
Find Your Bus Stop
All students in the Wylie school district are eligible to ride the bus, so if you are sick of the traffic after only one or two days of trying to navigate it, find out which bus your child rides and make the switch.
Bus route information is now electronic and easy. Parents can find which bus their child rides, where the bus stops and what time the bus arrives at that bus stop by simply going to the Wylie website WylieBulldogs.org. Scroll down to the bus routes link or click on the bus on the right. Once you click on the link, enter your address, and you will be able to see all the information you need.
The district is attempting to streamline the process of taking younger children home, so check WylieGrowl.com for more info on how that process has changed.
Be Prepared for Traffic
Traffic flow is expected to remain the same at all campuses this year; however, each campus has an entire new class of students, so be patient as everyone learns the routine. Maps of the traffic flow are available at WylieGrowl.com.
Just remember to be cautious of children, courteous of other drivers, have some patience and above all, pull forward as far as possible to allow room for other cars.
Lunch Prices
Lunch and breakfast prices will remain the same this year. Those prices are:
Pre-K through 4th grade – Lunch is $2.50; Breakfast is $1.75.
5th-grade through High School – Lunch is $2.75; Breakfast is $1.75.
Adult Visitors – Lunch is $3.50.
Reduced Lunch is $0.40.
Reduced Breakfast is $0.30.
(Free/Reduced lunch applications are available in each campus office or online under the Child Nutrition tab. You also should receive one in your first-day paperwork or at Meet The Teacher.)
Parents must prepay for their children’s lunches. You may prepay in the cafeteria, school office or online using the Pay Online link through Family Access. Payments can be made by cash or check and should be made payable to the school cafeteria. Please include your child’s name, account number and the parent name on each check.
School Calendar
Keep a copy of the school calendar so you will know important information like when do Christmas holidays and Spring Break begin. Every child should receive a calendar in his or her back-to-school information packet. It also is available online at the above mentioned website. (Find the parent’s pull down menu at the top, and the calendar will be listed in the options.) Also each campus has a calendar of events, and WylieGrowl.com has a calendar that includes most Wylie school events.
Get Your Vaccines/Medical Plans
Parents whose children need immunizations should get those done prior to the first day of school and bring their updated shot records to the office on the first day. If you did not do that, the school nurse will hunt you down, and your child will eventually not be allowed back. So get it done ASAP.
Also, if your child has asthma, food allergies, diabetes or seizures, you and your doctor must have an action plan in place prior to the first day of school, and your campus nurse must be informed of that plan. Please bring an updated action plan form to your school nurse. The forms also are available on the Wylie website. (Click on departments at the top; then health services and look for the health and athletic forms link on the right.)
Join the PTO
The Wylie PTO plays an important role, particularly at the younger campuses. The PTO provides room mothers and other parent volunteers to help with parties, the library, field trips and much more.
See our story on the PTO in this issue and sign up to be a member.
Understand Security
By now, most parents are familiar with the security program at each campus. Each campus has a buzzer that parents will need to press in order to gain admittance to the campus. In addition, parents should always have an ID with them. Be patient. The district is only trying to protect your children.
Home Football Games
If you have not been to a Wylie home football game, you are a missing a wonderful experience. Home football games are a social event as much as they are an athletic event. Of course, the football team is playing, and the band is marching, and the cheerleaders are cheering, and the Belles are dancing. But that’s just the start of the home game experience.
As you first enter the game, under the bleachers, you will get a lot of great information about things happening around Wylie. You will have a chance to support various booster clubs and the Wylie Bulldogs Education Foundation. You can also support Project Graduation by buying a Draw Down ticket or a 50/50 Ticket (more about those coming soon). You can get all the Wylie merchandise you ever dreamed of – T-shirts, hats, stickers, etc. You can support the Pure Gold Band by eating at the concession stand.
On the south end of the stadium, younger children mingle and play with their friends, paying little attention to the game. On the north end, Junior High students do the same.
And everywhere in between, Wylie fans sit with their Wylie friends and enjoy supporting the Wylie Bulldogs.
Season tickets will get you a reserved seat and are available at the Wylie athletic office prior to the first game. Also check WylieBulldogs.org or WylieGrowl.org by mid-August for info on how to get season tickets. Individual tickets are general admission and can be purchased during the week prior to each game at each campus, at the administration office or at the athletic office.