FAQs
WELCOME TO SCHOOL ONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
Below is some essential information:
- Attendance
- Cell Phones & Smart Watches
- Birthday Celebrations
- Delayed Opening of School
- Early Dismissal
- Parent/Student Handbook 2025
- Parking
- Students' Daily Time Schedule
- Student School Supplies
- Student Transfer
Attendance
When you call the attendance line, please state your child’s name, grade, your child’s teacher’s name, and a detailed reason for your child’s absence. Please speak slowly and clearly.
SCHOOL ONE ATTENDANCE LINE
(908) 322-7731, PRESS 1
Alternate options include the following:
Email: schooloneabsence@spfk12.org
PowerSchool Parent Portal: www.spf.powerschool.com
(ALL AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY)
Cell Phones & Smart Watches
Students who have been provided a cell phone and/or smart are required to have the device turned off and stored in their backpack during the school day. Once students have been dismissed from the building, they may turn their devices back on. If they are found using their cell phone or smartwatch during school hours, the device will be held in the Main Office until dismissal.
Students are not allowed to contact a parent/guardian during the school day. If they have an emergency, they should inform their teacher or reach the Main Office.
Birthday Celebrations
Birthday celebrations are special times for children, but can be a difficult time for the food-allergic child. Therefore, due to the severity of some of our allergies, we are no longer allowing birthday treats. Parents may consider the opportunity to come into the classroom with a book that they will read to the class, and in the end if they wish, donate this book to the classroom library. This has been very successful for many of our children, however, this must be arranged with the homeroom teacher ahead of time.
Please be advised that students with summer birthdays may celebrate at the ½ year birthday mark, for example, a student with a July 20th birthday will celebrate it on or about January 20th. Children may NOT distribute birthday party invitations at school.
Delayed Opening of School
Under certain conditions, hazardous weather, or other emergency conditions, it may be necessary to delay the opening of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools. The announcement of delayed opening means that school will open 1 1/2 hours later than usual. Students who are bused will meet their bus at the same bus stop EXACTLY 1 1/2 HOURS LATER THAN THE NORMAL TIME.
Elementary students are requested to arrive at school NO EARLIER THAN 9:50 A.M. Entrance time is 9:55 a.m., with instruction beginning at 10:05 a.m. On delayed opening days, dismissal times will not change and elementary students will remain in school for the lunch period.
Early Dismissal
Parents are requested NOT to ask that children be excused early except when a true emergency makes early dismissal unavoidable. Early dismissal should be arranged though the principal's office in writing. Students will be called to the office AFTER the parent/guardian arrives and signs their child out of school.
Parent/Student Handbook 2025
Parking
If there is a medical situation that necessitates the use of a handicap area, parents/guardians should contact the principal requesting special consideration for the use of the parking area, and provide documentation to support this request.
- Parking is prohibited in the front of the building between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Parking for all staff members is provided in the parking area adjoining the driveway.
- Numbered and reserved parking spaces in the school parking lot have all been designated for School One staff members.
- Parents and visitors are asked to refrain from entering or parking in the staff parking lot between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., even for a brief period of time. Parents and visitors are requested to make use of spaces available on the street. However, drivers should note that (1) parking is not permitted directly in front of the building, and (2) a town ordinance prohibits parking or standing on Willow Avenue across from the school, and on the southbound side of Willow Avenue between Midway and Madison Avenues.
- Parents who pick children up at dismissal times are to follow the guides provided in our published "traffic flow" (see "Driving Regulations"). Parents should not enter the parking area at dismissal times.
- All drivers who come to the school at any time should approach the area with extreme care and caution.
Driving Regulations:
- Drivers should follow a one-way pattern by turning off Park Avenue onto Madison Avenue, and then turning right onto Willow Avenue, or by turning off Midway Avenue onto Willow Avenue.
- Drivers should always line up in single file. In inclement weather, it may take several minutes for the cars at the end of the line to get to the front of the school. Please be patient when this happens and don't leave the end of the line and double park at the front of the school. When parents do this they create a major traffic jam by totally blocking off the road, and they place their children in an extremely hazardous situation by allowing them to cross the road between parked cars.
- Parking is prohibited in the front of the school during the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parents who need to park their cars and come into the school should park on Madison Avenue or on one of the side streets.
- Drivers should not park or stand in the area in front of the building that is reserved for school buses. This area is marked on the pavement with yellow lines, and by two signs stating, "Bus Loading Zone."
- After dropping off or picking up their children, drivers should leave the single file line of cars and proceed very cautiously north on Willow Avenue.
- All drivers approaching the school at any time during the day should drive with extreme care. The area in front of the building, marked as a "Drop Off" zone allows the school community the opportunity to drop off their children. This area must not be abused; parents are not to stop or park their vehicles in this area. There is no parking or standing allowed on the opposite side of Willow Avenue across from the school. Parents should not use this area to pick up or drop off their children. Doing so could be extremely dangerous if a child should suddenly run across the street.
- Drivers should never block driveways or park in the signed no parking areas.
- Children walking to or from the front of the school should use the sidewalk on Willow Avenue and the crosswalks. They should stop and look both ways before they cross the road.
- Children should not cut across the property of residents living in this area.
Students' Daily Time Schedule
Student School Supplies
The School One PTA offers parents the opportunity to purchase pre-packaged teacher-approved school supply kits for their children through School Tool Box. The sale runs from April 25 to June 29. Go to www.schooltoolbox.com. Click on “Find boxes now.” Then type in School One when it prompts you to enter the school name. You will then be able to choose the appropriate grade box for your child. Be sure to select the box for the grade your child WILL BE ENTERING IN SEPTEMBER 2025. Follow the check-out directions.
The school supply kits will ship to School One at the end of August, and will be on your child’s desk for the first day of school. Each school box includes the correct number of brand-named items as requested by your child’s teacher.
For every box of supplies purchased, School Tool Box will donate a meal to a starving child through their partnership with Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit charity.
School Tool Box’s service phone number is 800-952-1119
For questions you may also email:
Renee Mahoney at reneemahoney@gmail.com
For supply list details by grade level, please view below:
Student Transfer
Please notify the main office as soon as possible if you plan to move out of town (or even to another address in Scotch Plains or Fanwood). A transfer card will be mailed directly to your child's new school on the day after your child's last day at School One. Your child's permanent records will be forwarded when the new school sends a written request.
In order to complete a Student Transfer Card for your child, you will need to provide us with some specific information; i.e., your forwarding address, the name and address of your child's new school, the school's telephone number, the name of the school district, and your child's last day at School One.
Families leaving School One are asked to complete a Student Transfer Verification Form and return it to the Main Office.
