General Information

School Hours

School begins each day at 8:15 A.M. and ends at 2:54 P.M. Kindergarten students must be supervised by a parent/caregiver at all times prior to the school day while in the schoolyard.


Arrival

All students will line up in the school yard. For safety purposes, no parents will be allowed to pass the safety cones with their child. If a parent needs to come in for a legitimate concern they must call the main office to schedule an appointment.  Students arriving between 7:50 AM and 8:05 A.M. may go to the cafeteria for breakfast. Children dropped off on the Kelvin Ave. side of the building must walk around the building to enter. The main entrance will only be open during icy or snowy conditions. The student entrance will remain open until 8:45 A.M.  Any students arriving after 8:16 A.M. will be issued a late pass and sent to class. After 8:45 A.M., late students must enter through the front entrance and obtain a late pass from the main office. Teachers will pick students up from the schoolyard at 8:15 A.M. Click here for more information- Arrival & Dismissal Procedures. 


Dismissal

Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 2:50 P.M. from the doors on Byberry Road. Kindergarten families must have their pickup card every day.  Students in grades 1-5 that ride the school bus, will be dismissed at 2:45 P.M. and will wait in the gym. If your student will not be riding the bus for the day, you must notify the teacher in writing.  If we do not receive written notification (a note or Class Dojo message) your child will be placed on their regular bus route. All walkers will be dismissed to the schoolyard at 2:54 P.M. Teachers will escort the students to the schoolyard. Click here for more information- Arrival & Dismissal Procedures. 


Early Dismissal

It is imperative that your child remains in school the entire day in order to maximize the benefits of instruction.  Instructional time is valuable and cannot be recouped once it is lost.  Children with numerous early dismissals quickly fall behind in school so it is vital that parents schedule medical appointments after school and/or during school closures. All adults must show ID to verify they are on the list of adults approved to remove a child for an early dismissal as indicated on the emergency contact sheet.  The child will then be called to the office.  For the safety and security of your child, no child will be dismissed without an identified adult (21 and over) to accompany him or her. There are no early dismissals after 2:00 P.M.


Attendance

Family is responsible to submit excuse note within 3 days of return. Student is responsible for obtaining missed work.
Consecutive Sickness- 3 or more consecutive days of sickness must be excused by a doctor.
Cumulative Absences- After 8 cumulative days, all absences require a note from a licensed healthcare provider.
Family Trips: Cannot be excused. Tours and trips require pre-approval by the school district.

Electronic Absence Note (We do not accept paper notes)


Transportation

Students are encouraged to take the school bus to school. Our students are assigned to a bus route. The routes are identified by the name of the bus company and the route number, for example “Class 1 – 0966.” In the case that a bus is late, notification will be posted via Class Dojo. Every effort is made to be as timely as possible in notifying parents of late buses. Other bus concerns should be directed to the School District of Philadelphia’s transportation office at (215) 400-4350.


Breakfast

Free breakfast is offered to all students at Comly daily.  Students who wish to eat breakfast at school may arrive at 7:50 A.M. and enter the cafeteria to enjoy breakfast. They must arrive by 8:05A.M. to participate in the breakfast program.


Lunch

All students are entitled to a free school lunch through a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. Comly’s kitchen is a full service kitchen so students are offered healthy meals made on the premises. Students are also welcome to bring lunch from home. Menus can also be found at www.nutrislice.com


Bathroom Policy

Policy 252 states, “Students shall have access to the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity. Any student who has a need or desire for increased privacy, regardless of the underlying reason, should be provided access to a single stall restroom, but no student shall be required to use such a restroom.” There will be single-stall gender neutral bathrooms identified throughout the building accessible to all students.


Chromebooks

Students must bring their School District of Philadelphia issued Chromebook to school every day. Please charge the device at home each night. Families should contact the teacher if they do not have a Chromebook or if the Chromebook is in need of repair.


FERPA:
“Attention families: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that a school with certain exceptions obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, a school may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the school to the contrary in accordance with school district procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow schools to include information from your child’s education records in certain school publications.

Parents who wish to opt their students out of directory information releases must complete an Opt-Out Form for each of their students, and must return each form to the school.