Nearly 90 parents Wednesday night showed up for the East Campus parent meeting where they learned about district policies and were introduced to Dr. Margaret Stroud, Varnett’s new interim superintendent.
Dr. Stroud welcomed the audience to The Varnett Public School and announced her accessibility for those with any questions during the school year. “I have an open door policy and you can contact me through the campus director or the administration," she said before being greeted with applause.
Campus Director Gayle Voltz then took over the meeting and focused on the contents of the newly-released Parent Handbook, which appears only online. Users can find the English and Spanish handbooks at varnett.org by clicking on the "About Us" tab and scrolling down to the documents.
Ms. Voltz, with the assistance of Spanish interpreter Ms. Margarita Estrada, emphasized that classes begin at 8 a.m. sharp and the gates for entrance will be closed between 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. to prevent interruptions in the classroom.
“Please have your children to school on time so you won’t have any issues with the Texas Truancy court,” she told the gathering.
School ends at 3 p.m. and students will not be released before then except in the case of an emergency, Ms. Voltz said. All students must be picked up before 3:15 p.m., Ms. Voltz said. Failure to do so without notifying the campus director could result in children being taken to the nearest police station and a possible report being filed with the Texas Department of Child Protective Services.
Ms. Voltz also reviewed policies on visitors, school bus transportation, physical activities for students, internet safety, field trips and birthday parties (no balloons, cake, cupcakes or candy). Small children watched a video in the library during the 45-minute session.
“I was excited to see so many parents turn out in support of their children,” Ms. Voltz said. “I look forward to more parental involvement programs as we progress through the year.”
Open House/Family Night will be 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 18, when parents can talk with teachers and visit their children's classrooms.