Montclair Information

Arrival Procedures:  Doors/Gates to the school open and adult supervision begins at 6:50am.  All students at Montclair are eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost to you!  Breakfast stops being served at 7:10am allowing students time to arrive in class where instruction begins at 7:10am.  Students arriving at school after 7:10am are considered tardy and must be accompanied by an adult to the front office where they will be checked in for a tardy pass. Please do not just drop students at the front door. Due to District Safety Policies, parents are NOT able to walk their students past the front office and to their classrooms-there are adults stationed around campus to ensure your child gets to their classroom safely.

Dismissal Procedures: We begin moving to our dismissal areas at 1:20pm, for our 1:30pm dismissal time-please be sure your child’s teacher knows how your child goes home each day.  Any transportation changes must be made in writing to your child’s teacher before noon in the form of a signed note, and no students can be called for early dismissal after 1:00pm. 

Bus Riders:  Refer to ECPS Code of Conduct or attached Policies and Procedures  for more information.  Ms. Tribbey, our Assistant Principal handles all transportation questions/concerns.  The ECSD Transportation web page is a wonderful resource for more information.   

Car Riders – All car riders should have a MES 2025-26 car tag clearly visible to the adults at car rider lane. Please be patient and do not try to pass other cars while students are loading and unloading. We want to keep all students safe. PreK families must pull forward so that an adult can hold the hand of our youngest Panthers as they are entering/exiting the cars.

Walkers – “Walkers” are defined as students that live within walking distance and are walking home. For safety reasons, you may not park across the street or parking lot and walk up.  If you are using a car to pick students up across the street, you should be classified as a car rider and move through our car rider line. Our School Resource Officer will assist us in helping inform families of this important safety policy.

Back Gate: Our back gate is for students only and remains open with staff supervision from 6:50am-7:10am while students are arriving and then remains locked through the school day. The gate is unlocked for dismissal at 1:25pm and then locked after the last student is dismissed. Any adult needing to conference with teachers or conduct any other school business must use the front office entrance and have valid ID to sign in as a visitor.

Lunch: All students are eligible to receive lunch at no cost to the families. If your child brings lunch, please note that sodas and carbonated drinks are not allowed and that students should not share food with other students due to allergies and food restrictions. No additional snacks (Takis, chips, candy etc) should be coming into the cafeteria unless a student has brought their full  lunch.

Birthday/Food Treats: We love celebrating special events with your children, but please check with your child’s teacher before sending in any treats to make sure you have enough for all children, the time of your child’s lunch (which is when the treats will be served), and what food is allowed.  All treats must be store bought. Keep in mind that balloons, flowers or other deliveries are considered a learning distraction and prohibited by ECPS.  They are unable to be allowed in classrooms or to be transported home on the school bus.

FOCUS Portal: If you have not already done so, be sure to sign up for your FOCUS parent portal account so that you can access your child’s grades and report cards.  All call outs, texts, emails, progress reports, grades, and report cards are now done electronically through this parent portal.  There will be computer stations set up at school during Orientation and Open House to help you set up your account. Directions can also be found on our web page, or attached.  If you have trouble setting up your account, please call the front office.

Safety:  Safety is a priority for our Panther community- here are a few reminders.

• Emergency Contact Verifications-Please verify your phone numbers and emergency contacts have been updated in FOCUS.
• Clinic-Please update Health Verification information and either opt out or sign consent that allows your child to be seen in our school clinic.  Also,  bring all medication to the clinic and ensure you have proper forms filled out before there is a need.  There is a form for prescription medication as well as over the counter medication.  All medication goes through the clinic per state law.
• Visitors-Must always go to the front office, and sign in with a valid driver’s license or picture ID.