Parent Handbook

We, the staff at Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School, fully support the mission statement of the Charles County Public School System:

The mission of Charles County Public Schools is to provide an opportunity for all school-aged children to receive an academically challenging, quality education that builds character, equips for leadership, and prepares for life, in an environment that is safe and conducive to learning.

The vision of Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School is to create the best environment where all students experience academic success, develop personal responsibility and achieve career readiness for the 21st century.

The vision includes:

• Life-Long Learning for school and community, Pre-K through adulthood
• Active Parent Involvement
• Collaborative Business Partnerships
• Advanced Technology
• High Achievement Standards for ALL students

Our vision at Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School is one that we hope is inspiring to our school community. It is a vision where everyone is respected, everyone is valued, and everyone experiences academic success.

Regular school attendance is an important part of your child’s educational development.
The school’s schedule is below:

9:00 A.M.
Students are permitted into the building and released from buses. Please do not drop your child off before 9:00 a.m. because there will be no one to supervise them.

9:00 A.M. – 9:20 A.M.
Every student will have an opportunity to eat breakfast, provided free of charge.

9:20 A.M.
Any student not in the building after this time will be marked tardy. Students must be brought to the office and signed in by an adult.

9:20 A.M. – 9:30 A.M.
Wake-up Mt. Hope announcements are given. Important announcements are made during this time.

9:30 A.M.
Classroom instruction begins.

11:50 A.M. Any student arriving after this time will be marked absent for a half day.

1:50 P.M. Any student leaving before this time will be marked absent for a half day.

3:42 P.M. Car riders will be called for dismissal. After car riders are dismissed, students will be called by grade to board buses.

3:52 P.M. Buses will be released for departure.

According to the attendance laws presented by the Maryland State Department of Education, students in grades K – 12 are required to attend school regularly.
If students are absent from school due to illness or any other legitimate reason, they must email or bring a written excuse signed by their parent, legal guardian, or doctor. UNLESS A WRITTEN EXCUSE IS RECEIVED WITHIN FIVE DAYS THE ABSENCE WILL BE CODED “UNEXCUSED.”
Parents are expected to call the school on the third day of a consecutive absence. Letters will be sent to parents when students have chronic absences. Parents of students with chronic absences will be asked to conference with a school administrator and the Pupil Personnel Worker to improve attendance.

Click here for CCPS Attendance policy.

Arrival for Car Riders

We have established procedures for dropping off children in the morning. Please help us by following these methods and any directives given by the staff members in charge at the drop-off area.

1. No cars may drive into the bus area.
2. Please enter the main parking lot near the school sign and loop around past the trailers and stop by the curb where staff members are standing.
3. Drop students off at the designated spot. We do not want children crossing the parking lot alone. It gets extremely busy, and we want to make sure the children are always supervised.
4. The staff members will give you a signal to pull up to the curb or drop off area. Please pull up as close and as far forward as you can. Cars in the front of the line that are ready to leave can then go on.
5. Do not park at the curb.
6. If you need to enter the building, please park in a parking space. There are additional parking spaces outside of the gym.
7. If you must enter the main parking lot and cannot find a space, please exit to Ironsides Road and re-enter the lot from there. It is dangerous for cars to pass through the bus lot as students are exiting the bus.
8. Students who are dropped off may not enter the building before 9:00 a.m. Students should not arrive before 9:00 a.m. because there is no adult supervision. Teachers and staff members are involved in meetings and other responsibilities. Students may enter the building when the bell rings at 9:00 a.m

Due to allergies, students and their parents/guardians are not allowed to bring to school or distribute any outside food products unless the items are: commercially manufactured, individually wrapped in single serving sizes, and marked with the ingredients and nutritional facts label. Parents/guardians must obtain permission from their child’s teacher or school administrator prior to bringing outside food for distribution to ensure the teacher/administrator can review the timing and impact on the school day.

Only store bought, individually packaged treats are allowed to be distributed to students. Treats that are homemade, not individually packaged or purchased from fast food restaurants will not be served to students.

PLEASE NOTE: Our school has been awarded a state grant to provide free breakfast & lunch for all students for the 2025-2026 school year.

If you need the prices for school lunches, they are as follows:

• Breakfast price: $0
• Lunch price: $0
• Milk: $0.75
• Additional food choices (beyond the full breakfast/lunch) are priced al carte

Payment should be made directly to the child’s meal account in the cafeteria. Be sure to include the child’s meal number on your check or money envelope. You can also pay for your child’s lunch online by going to www.mypaymentsplus.com.

Applications for free/reduced meals must be completed for each child at the beginning of each school year. Forms can be picked up at school or you can apply online by going to www.ccboe.com, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on the “School Meals” icon. You may re-apply during the school year if there is a change in your income status. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact the Food and Nutrition Services Department at Central Office.

Charles County Public Schools allows the possession and use of cell phones and other electronic devices by students. It is the intent of the Superintendent to ensure that this allowance does not disrupt the learning environment, after school activities, or the safe transportation of students. Students are permitted to use cell phones while attending (but not participating in) general public events that occur after-hours and are open to the community. The following conditions outline the standard expectations for the possession and/or use of cell phones and electronic devices by students at school, on the bus or on other school-chartered vehicles.

Elementary school students may not possess or use cell phones on school property except under the following conditions:

1. A student may only bring their phone or device to school, after a written request from the parent or guardian for specific (non-social) purpose, and only upon receipt of written approval from the principal. [See page 27 for the Request to Bring a Cell Phone/electronic device form.]
2. Once approved, student must keep their phone or device powered completely off (no vibrate or silent mode) and inside their bookbag, locker or cubby throughout the entirety of each school day, unless other arrangements are made with the teacher.
3. Once approved for school, students may use their phone service or device on the bus or school-chartered vehicle, but use must not be disruptive or cause a distraction to the driver at any time; examples include: phone conversations, loud music, videos or electronic games.

*PLEASE NOTE THIS PROCESS NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED ANNUALLY IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO BE IN POSSESSION OF A CELL PHONE.*

IMPORTANT INFORMATION WITH DISMISSAL

Any changes to your child’s dismissal plans must be in writing in the office. If this changes at any time, the changes must be communicated to office staff. Requests must be received by the front office staff by 3:00 pm. You can email the note to Mrs. Ellen Dobry (edobry@ccboe.com) and Mrs. Yushica Walthour (ywalthour@ccboe.com).

EARLY RELEASE/SIGN OUT POLICY

Only a PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN may sign a child out of school early unless it is an EMERGENCY and the school is unable to reach the parent of legal guardian. That information is clearly printed on the Emergency Information Card. If a parent or legal guardian is sending someone else to pick up their child early from school FOR ANY REASON he/she must send a written note to the school, or email Ellen Dobry (edobry@ccboe.com) or Yushica Walthour (ywalthour@ccboe.com), notifying them of who will be picking up the child and giving their consent. Upon receiving a note or email from a parent/guardian the school will verify its authenticity and check the ID of the adult who signs the child out of the building.

The latest a child can be signed out early is 3:20 pm.

DISMISSAL FOR CAR RIDERS

Parents of students who are car riders will need to fill out the car rider form and return it to the office to receive a car rider tag. To get your tag for your car, present ID. Once you get your tag, you will not need an ID. Car rider tags must be on display to pick up your child from school. Every day, car riders will report to their designated area promptly after being dismissed from class at 3:50 p.m. Staff members will direct the traffic flow and assist students to cars for safety. To ensure the protection of everyone, do not go around cars that are stopped in the line.

At 3:50, all car riders will be dismissed to their designated area for dismissal (Science Room or Gym). Two staff members will be in the gym and the science room to meet the children. Attendance will be taken to ensure that all designated car riders are present. Parents should follow the embedded map below and drive to the designated spot to pick up their child/children. Parents will have a tag to display on their rear-view mirror. Children will be called to the dismissal area when their parent is at the designated pickup spot. Primary (Pre-K to 1st) will report to the blue line and intermediate (2nd to 5th) will report to the yellow line.

If a parent has primary and intermediate students, all of the students will be in the primary, blue line.

DISMISSAL FOR BUS RIDERS

Students who are bus riders will be dismissed at 3:51 p.m. If you need to permanently change their bus stop this process must be handled through the Transportation department with a bus change request on the CCPS website at www.ccboe.com.

** BUS SERVICE NOTICE **

Riding the school bus is a privilege. We expect children riding the bus to behave in an appropriate manner. The safety of our students is of primary importance to us. Misbehavior, fighting, or disobeying the bus driver’s instructions endangers the lives and safety of all passengers on the bus. This privilege will be taken away if a student fails to cooperate with bus safety guidelines. Students should be waiting at their designated bus stop 5-10 minutes before the time indicated by the schedule. Bus drivers will assume that if a child is not at the designated bus stop at the time of pick-up, the child will not be going to school that day and the bus driver will not wait.

For students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten an adult must be at the bus stop when the bus is due to arrive. If an adult is not at the designated bus stop on time, the student will be returned to school and an adult listed on the emergency card must pick up the child.

If there is a need to change your child’s bus stop, you must complete a bus change form. The form can be submitted through a Transportation Help Ticket at ccboe.com/transportation. The form will be approved by the Central Office staff. If there is a need for an emergency change, please write a note to the office staff and permission may be granted for the day. Please refer to the Charles County Parent Handbook for complete rules and regulations.