East Clayton Elementary School

Happy Friday, Explorer Families! We are so excited to welcome back our 1st through 5th grade students on Monday! Here is some information to make our 1st days go smoothly.
Carpool morning drop off will begin at 8:25am. Prior to 8:25am, cars should stop to wait at the marked sign so traffic into the parking lot is not blocked. Once staff arrives, cars will be moved forward to begin carpool. Students should exit carefully out of the passenger side door onto the sidewalk. Please note that carpool ends at 8:50am. This is a change from last school year. Please plan to arrive before 8:50am or you will need to walk your child inside to sign them in as tardy.
Parents will be able to walk students to their class on the 1st day of school only.
Dismissal will begin at 3:55pm and typically will end by 4:20. Please be patient the first couple of weeks as carpool is sometimes slower. Please help by making sure your child knows their carpool number.
If you have transportation changes, these should be provided in writing to the teacher in the morning. For late transportation changes, please call the front office as the teachers may not receive the message. Transportation changes or pickup cannot be accepted past 3:15pm.
Our teachers will utilize Class Dojo for communication this year. Please be sure that you have received the class code from your child's teacher.
As a reminder, breakfast and lunch is free for all students this year. You may access lunch menus at the site below:
https://linqconnect.com/public/menu/EFH93E?buildingId=73a35de8-5ed4-eb11-a2c3-c77db6a19b8a
Additionally, students may bring their own lunches and water bottles for the year. We do ask that all bottles brought from home are closed-top, not cups with straws to prevent spills.
For all other information be sure to visit our Family Handbook at
https://bit.ly/ECESfamilyhandbook

See you all on Monday!

Good evening, Explorer Families! This is your Principal, Lauren Sabo. We are so excited to welcome grades 1 through 5 back tomorrow for our Open House! We will have classroom visits, transportation information, and an opportunity for new families to orient to the school with our counselor, Jadelyne McBroom. We will open our doors at 4pm; you are welcome to visit your child's classroom, or you may attend one of the family sessions in the cafeteria at 4pm or 5pm. Open House will end at 6pm. If you have any questions, staff will be available to help.
We ask that you fill out required paperwork before leaving. You may get a head start by visiting:
https://bit.ly/ExplorerPaperwork
Just a reminder that Kindergarten Open House will be on Tuesday, August 26th.
We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening! This year, we are building our community strong because, "Together We Can! "

📢 Beginning of the Year documents are to be completed prior to the beginning of the year! Please click the link below, take a few minutes, and get these documents completed today!

Click here: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/beginningoftheyeardocuments

📢 Documentos de inicio de año deben completarse antes del comienzo del año escolar. ¡Haga clic en el enlace a continuación, tómese unos minutos y complete estos documentos hoy mismo!

Haz clic aquí: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/beginningoftheyeardocuments

Beginning of the Year documents are to be completed prior to the beginning of the year! Please click the link below, take a few minutes, and get these documents completed today!

Click here: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/beginningoftheyeardocuments

Documentos de inicio de año deben completarse antes del comienzo del año escolar. ¡Haga clic en el enlace a continuación, tómese unos minutos y complete estos documentos hoy mismo!

Haz clic aquí: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/beginningoftheyeardocuments

PTA Meet and Greet is tomorrow from 9am-1pm at Municipal park! Come on out, meet some new faces, and have some fun as we wrap up summer! We miss our Explorers!

Good afternoon, Explorer Families! This is your Principal, Lauren Sabo, with some important information about the upcoming school year.
First, we want to welcome all of you to the 2025-2026 school year. Together, we can continue to build an even stronger community for all of students, staff, and families.
In preparation for the first day of school, please be sure that you have notified the school of any address or phone number changes. This will ensure that bus transportation and school communication is smooth for the start of the year. If your child rode the bus last year and nothing has changed, you do not need to do anything. If you signed up for transportation when your child enrolled as a new student or a kindergarten student, you do not need to do anything. Bus routes will be given at Open House. If you have had address changes or your child is new to riding the bus, please call the school or stop by the school to make updates. August 6th is the deadline for transportation changes in order to have bus routes for the first day of school. Carpool tags will also be given at Open House to all students.
Also, breakfast and lunch continues to be free for all students this year. Your child will receive their lunch number on the first day of school and teachers will help them take advantage of these opportunities.
Teacher assignments were mailed on August 1st. If you have not received your teacher assignment in the mail, please call the school or email me at laurensabo@johnston.k12.nc.us. We will also have this information available at Open House.
Be sure to follow the school and the PTA's Facebook page for up to date information. This Saturday from 9am-1pm, the PTA will host a Meet and Greet at Municipal Park in Clayton. If you are new to the school, new to the PTA, or just want to come out to have some fun, join us at Municipal Park. Kona Ice and Nahabrew will be there, plus the Splash Pad that the Municipal Park offers. Let's kickoff a great school year together.
Finally, be sure to check out the document with information about upcoming beginning of the year information. We look forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming events. If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me via phone or email. We want to be sure that you have all the information you need for a stress-free start of the school year. We miss our Explorers, and can't wait to have them back soon.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dsyxVwEWlwg6h7Jdzm8504qBWfc3DR8QchWDsL0I_2Y/mobilepresent?fbclid=IwY2xjawL-04BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmVb7arR2GfCvfN_VuNUyVtXeKJWEFrc6Z0bSxf2k6qMk6iO__5AD9t3otco_aem_XJLGKTCRUNPGk2GHKPuApw&slide=id.g25de1271a31_0_3

Please be sure to come out to the PTA's Meet & Greet even on Saturday, August 9th at Clayton Municipal Park to kick off the new school year. #TogetherWe Can
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V1jtG5bgrmxNlQ54LiqZoLyZclrrPtVG/view?usp=sharing

Since East Clayton Elementary opened its doors in 1997, students have had the opportunity to explore science through hands-on experiences in an after-school club. Originally founded as a general science club, the group shifted its focus in 2004 to in-ground gardening and was renamed the Green Kids Club.

Through a strong partnership with the local North Carolina State University Extension Master Gardeners, these expert volunteers mentor the Green Kids Club members and lead many of the daily garden activities. They also provide instruction on a wide range of topics, including soil health, composting, pollination, pruning, pest control, seed saving, and sustainable practices. In addition, the Master Gardeners teach lessons on managing invasive species and protecting native habitats.

Teachers Ramona Westbrook, Heather Luczka, and Christina Panteloukas play a key role in supporting the program alongside the Master Gardeners. Together, they help foster a love of nature, science, and sustainability in every student who joins the Green Kids Club.

Learn more about Green Kids Club: http://bit.ly/4m9OQX6

📢It has been reported that JCPS students have received more than 66.2 million in scholarship offerings for the 2024-2025 school year! This is an amazing 18 million more than scholarship offerings received during the 2023-2024 year!📢 A great deal of the offerings have been accepted and will cover tuition costs as these students continue their educational journeys! 💲JCPS is proud of the efforts that go into securing scholarship funding, and we celebrate the students, staff, and parents who work hard to make it happen! 💲 Great things are truly happening in JCPS!

It is the last day of school, which means we are just minutes before our students will be enjoying a summer full of fun! Here's to wishing everyone a safe break! See you next year!!!

Tomorrow is the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! Early dismissal at 1:55pm. Have a great summer!

Watch the 5th Grade Ceremony Livestream beginning tomorrow at 9:30am. https://www.youtube.com/live/3oRDww2lwGM

Happy Friday, Explorer Families! Can you believe that we have made it to the last day of school? We have had a wonderful year, but we aren't done yet! We have one final week to wrap up some fun events! Please listen carefully or refer to the email for details for a smooth week. On Monday, 3-5 students who are participating in retesting will participate in required remediation. All students, even ones not retaking the tests, will be involved in academic preparation activities so that we remain focused for all students. Students in grades 4-5 retaking the Reading test will test on Tuesday morning. All Math tests for grades 3-5 will be on Wednesday. Please be sure your students are at school on time if they are retaking an exam. On Monday, we will host our K-2 Awards Ceremonies. Kindergarten will be at 9:30am. 1st grade at 12pm, and 2nd grade at 2pm. On Tuesday, we will host the 4th grade ceremony at 2pm. On Wednesday, the 3rd grade ceremony will be at 2pm. The 5th grade Ceremony will be on Thursday at 9:30am. A reminder that Thursday is also an early dismissal day, and all students will dismiss at 1:55pm. For ceremonies, please park in the front parking lot off of East School Rd. We will not permit parents into the ceremony earlier than 15minutes before the start time as other events are happening in the school. We will not check siblings out of class to attend ceremonies, so if you want a sibling to attend, they will need to remain home from school with you. Once the ceremonies end, you will report to classrooms to check out students, and can check out siblings at that time, as long as they are not involved in required testing or remediation activities. We are looking forward to a wonderful week of celebrating all the hard work of our Explorers!

Happy Mother's Day, Explorer Families! We are gearing up for our last full week of school! On Monday, any grade 3-5 student who did not complete their EOG reading exam will complete makeup testing. We will continue with our EOG Spirit Days with a school-wide hat day to show "Hats Off to Success." On Tuesday, grades 3-5 students will complete the EOG Math exam. All K-5 students will show that they are "Smarty Pants" by wearing pajama pants to school. A reminder that all students taking the EOG must arrive at school by 9:00am to participate in the exam. We will not be able to dismiss grades 3-5 students prior to 1:30pm. Grade 3 students who do not have an RTA exemption and did not pass the Reading EOG will be notified of their score onTuesday afternoon. Students will participate in remediation on Wednesday and RTA testing on Thursday. Also on Wednesday, 5th grade students will take the Science EOG. Please wear your musician attire as we show our support for students to "Rock the Test." On Thursday, students will complete makeup EOG testing . Teachers will also be communicating EOG scores by Rooms or phone call on Thursday. A letter with full scores and information will be sent on Friday. Also on Friday, the 5th grade dance willl be held from 6pm-8pm in the school gym. We are so excited to celebrate with our 5th graders. On Tuesday, our PTA will host Spirit Night at Vinson's. The last PTA meeting of the year will be held at Vinson's at 5:30pm. Please attend to see how you can support this dynamic group. Have a wonderful end to your Mother's Day. We appreciate all of the hard work of the mothers in our Explorer Community.

Today is National School Nurse Day and JCPS is excited to celebrate those who are committed to the well-being of our students each day! Please help us celebrate and champion these dedicated healthcare leaders today and every day of the year! #SND2025 #SchoolNurses

🍎🎉 Happy National Teacher’s Day! 🍎🎉 Today, we celebrate the mentors, guides, and everyday heroes who shape our world. Whether in the classroom, online, or behind the scenes, your dedication and passion for education light the path for generations to come. You don’t just teach lessons, you inspire dreams. 🌟 To every JCPS teacher who’s making a difference, we thank you!❤ #ThankATeacher

Come on out to the Spring Fling! Color Run starts at 12pm, but check-in is happening now! Raffle, silent auction, food trucks, and fun for the kids!

Summer is nearly here and May holds a lot of important events! 🎓📚 Make sure you don't miss a thing!📅 #GreatThingsAreHappeningInJCPS

Greetings families! I apologize for the delay in my communication, but there were some technical difficulties with the Friday call. So, Happy Monday, Explorer Families! This week we are gearing up for a busy week! First, a reminder that all fundraiser sponsorship forms and money are due tomorrow for any student who is participating in the Color Run. The class with the highest money raised in each grade will earn an ice pop and pajama day. Our Spring Fling and Color Run will be on Saturday, May 3rd from 10am-2pm. We will have vendors, a bounce house, food, a silent auction, raffles, and other fun for your family. Plus, so many runners will be participating in our run! We hope to see your family at the event! Please view the PTA newsletter for all of the upcoming information! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pxvHKqcSal4lPZps7oQ_p7MUT3m4zqC6/view?usp=sharing On Wednesday at 6pm, our school will be transformed into an art gallery with students' art! Please join us at our 1st Art Show! While it is free to attend and view the art, your child's framed art will be available to take home for $25. This is a fundraiser for our art program. On Friday, students will participate in Field Day and Explorer Experiences for April. Field Day will be from 9:30-11:30 for K-2 and 12:30-2:30 for grades 3-5. Explorer Experience will be in the morning for grades 4-5 and the afternoon for other grades. Our students have been working so hard, and we are happy to have a full day of fun for them! Do not forget that EOGs for grades 3-5 begin on May 9th. We are still in need of proctors and volunteers, if you have time to give. Your time is so very appreciated. You may sign up at the link in the email. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054CA4A728A0FDC16-56222690-eogproctor#/ Have a great week, everyone!