Wylie students soon will be heading back to school, and already the district is gearing up for a new year. At the high school, band students are participating in early morning practices; football players are toiling in the heat, and the volleyball teams are starting their seasons. Cross Country and tennis players also are back at work.
At the other campuses, teachers are preparing their classrooms, and district administrators are putting the finishing touches on repairs and improvements that were accomplished during the summer.
School starts Aug. 24, and parents also need to be preparing for the big day. Here are 10 tips that can help.
- Register New Students
New Student Registration is Aug. 6 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Wylie High School, 4502 Antilley Road. After Aug. 6, families can register at the Wylie Administration Office from 9-11 a.m. or from 1-3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Administration Office is located between the Early Childhood Center and the old gym at the corner of Buffalo Gap Road and Antilley.
Parents can speed up the registration process by filling out some of the paperwork online before heading to the school to register. Go to the Wylie website at www.wyliebulldogs.org and click on the enrollment tab at right. Your registration time will be considerably shorter if you will do this PRIOR to coming to register.
When you do come to register, please bring proof of residency (MUST be a gas, water or electric bill, or a house contract or lease agreement), immunization records, a Social Security card, birth certificate, a parent or guardian’s driver’s license and previous school records, if applicable.
- Tour Campuses, Meet Teachers
One of the best ways to ease your child’s first-day fears is to attend Meet The Teacher night, or in the case of older kids, tour the child’s new campus.
Meet the Teacher night will be Thurs., Aug. 20 at the following times:
4:30-5:15 p.m. – Pre-K at the Early Childhood Center.
5:30-6:15 p.m. – Kindergarten at the Early Childhood Center.
6-6:45 p.m. – 1st & 2nd Grades at the Elementary.
6:30-7:15 p.m. – 3rd & 4th Grades at the Intermediate.
7-7:45 p.m. – 5th Grade at the Middle School. (6th-graders do not have Meet The Teacher.)
Class lists will be posted at each campus by 2 p.m. on the day of Meet The Teacher for students in pre-K through 5th grade. Students in 6th grade and up will receive their class schedule the morning of the first day of school.
Students who will be attending the Middle School and Junior High campuses for the first time can tour the campuses on Thursday, Aug. 6 from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Get Your Supplies
If you have not yet gotten your child’s school supplies, the school supply lists can be found on Wylie’s website. Go to www.wyliebulldogs.org and click on the parent link along the top. Scroll down to select school supplies. (Many of the stores also have the lists available.) You could also just click HERE.
Each year, Texas offers one weekend in August where school supplies can be purchased tax free. This year’s tax-free weekend is Aug. 7-9. On these three days, school supplies, clothing, shoes, backpacks and some other items can be purchased without paying tax on the items. That’s a nice savings on every item, plus many stores offer sales on this weekend to attract shoppers, which means even more savings. See our Facebook page for links to the comptroller’s list of items that are tax free.
High school students and some Junior High students will get school supply lists from teachers on the first day of school. Parents may want to have a few basic supplies ready in anticipation of what will be required – items such as 1-inch binders, paper, spirals, etc. This might help you avoid rushing out on the first night of school and fighting crowds of other parents who are also trying to find these last minute supplies.
- Campus Info
Wylie’s campuses are relatively unchanged from last year. The start and end times remain the same, as do the administrators and the most important people on each campus – the secretaries. If you are new to a campus, check to see what time your new school starts and ends, as it might be different from the previous campus. Here are the start and end times, and other important information about each campus.
High School
Hours: 8:15 a.m. -3:40 p.m.
Principal: Tommy Vaughn.
Asst. Principal: Aaron Amonett.
Asst. Principal: Tim Smith.
Asst. Principal: Shauni Vaughn.
Secretary: Amy McIntyre.
Junior High
Hours: 8:20 a.m.-3:35 p.m.
Principal: Rob Goodenough.
Asst. Principal: Will Brewer.
Asst. Principal: Shauni Vaughn.
Secretary: Lisa Albert.
Middle School
Hours: 8:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
Principal: Phil Boone.
Asst. Principal: Ricky Bacon.
Asst. Principal: Kim McMillan.
Secretary: Cheryl Henderson.
Intermediate
Hours: 8:15 a.m.-3:25 p.m.
Principal: Terry Hagler
Asst. Principal: Mike Kerley
Secretary: Virginia Weems
Wylie Elementary
Hours: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Principal: Robin McPherson
Assistant: Lisa Bessent
Secretary: Kathy Bunkley
Early Childhood Center
Hours: Pre-K – 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Kindergarten – 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Principal: Lisa Salmon
Secretary: Donna Lang
- Find Your Bus Stop
All students in the Wylie school district are eligible to ride the bus, and finding out when and where that bus will pick up your child has become very easy.
Last year, Wylie partnered with a new company designed to help the district with its ever-growing number of bus routes, and consequently, bus route information is now electronic and easily accessed through the district’s website.
Wylie assistant superintendent Craig Bessent said the program worked very well last year, and the system will remain basically the same this year, although some of the routes could be slightly different. The routes are adjusted each year to add new homes – a task that is difficult considering the large number of houses being built in Wylie each year.
“It worked great, but we’re just trying to improve a few things,” Bessent said. “Our district is changing so fast.”
Parents can find which bus their child rides, where the bus stop is and what time the bus arrives by simply going to the Wylie website.
If you have trouble, information will be available at Meet The Teacher night, where computers will be available in the computer lab to help families learn to access the information. You also can call 338-8380 or 370-1804 to get help.
- Be Prepared for Traffic
First-day traffic is horrible, so be prepared. If you take your child to school, leave early and be prepared for delays.
Traffic is especially bad in these locations on the first day: Highway 83/84 and FM 707, Highway 83/84 and Antilley and Antilley and Buffalo Gap Road.
Traffic also is especially bad at the Early Childhood Center because most parents want to walk their child to class on the first day of kindergarten. Parents are encouraged to leave as soon as possible to ease the parking and traffic problems.
Traffic flow is expected to remain the same at all campuses, although the traffic flow at the high school will change around October when construction begins on the new classrooms.
Parents, please be cautious of children and courteous of other drivers and when applicable pull forward as far as possible to allow room for other cars.
- Prepay for School Lunches
Lunch and breakfast prices will go up 25 cents this year. The new 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.
Parents must prepay for their children’s lunches. You may prepay in the cafeteria, school office or you may use 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.
- Get Your Vaccines/Medical Plans
Parents whose children need immunizations should get those done prior to the first day of school and then bring their updated shot records to the office on the first day. You can get immunizations at the health department, 850 North 6th St., or from your physician or at the walk-in clinics (call the clinics to check before going as some vary). Some vaccines also are available at Walgreens.
See the Wylie website for information on which vaccines are needed and when. The immunization info is at the right.
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.)
- Sign Up For Adopt-A-Bulldog
Wylie students in Kindergarten through 6th grade will not want to miss participating in the popular Adopt-a-Bulldog program this fall.
Adopt-A-Bulldog is a program of the Wylie All-Sports Booster Club that allows students in Kindergarten through 6th grade to “adopt” a varsity football player (if a boy) or a varsity muggette (if a girl). The younger student encourages the varsity player through notes, drawings and their attendance at home football games. The student will receive a photo button featuring his player, and a jersey with the player’s name and number on it.
The student also will receive free admission to home games by wearing his Adopt-a-Bulldog jersey. Throughout the season, students will have opportunities to interact with their players or muggettes following each home game.
For details on how to enroll in the program, go to the Booster Club website at www.abilenewyliebulldogs.com.
- Wylie Pup Squad
Wylie girls going into kindergarten through 6th grade have an opportunity to participate in the 2015 Pup Squad Cheer Camp.
Participants spend Saturday morning, Aug. 22, working with high school cheerleaders learning several cheers. Then they get to perform at Meet The Bulldogs in Bulldog Stadium on Aug. 25.
The cost is $30, and all participants get a Pup Squad T-shirt.
The cheer camp is from 9-11:15 a.m. at Wylie High School.
Click here for the pup squad registration form. The form has instructions on how to register through the mail. The form also can be dropped at the High School.