Lower School Knightline

We are having a great week in the Lower School! It has been wonderful to see our students settling into their routines and embracing all that a new school year has to offer. This week, we began celebrating birthdays during Morning Meeting and held our very first Chapel service, both of which were special moments for our community. Music lessons and after-school clubs also kicked off for enrolled students, bringing even more excitement and opportunities for learning and connection.

This Friday will be an especially meaningful day for our 5th graders as they participate in a special Retreat Day focused on building community and reflecting on their role as our Lower School leaders. They will then wrap up the day with our annual 5th Grade Sweatshirt Ceremony. I always enjoy this tradition, and I look forward to celebrating this important milestone with our students and their families as they begin their final year in Lower School.

A Few Reminders and Updates:

Arrival: This year we added two additional carpool spaces for morning drop-off. Please make sure you pull all the way up to the blue cone (C), past Spot 1, to help us unload as many cars as possible. Students should arrive by 7:45 AM to be ready for the day. Morning Meeting begins promptly at 7:50 AM, and students arriving after this time will be marked tardy.

Club Dismissal Update:  (Effective Monday, August 24, 2026):  Beginning this school year, after-school club dismissal will take place at 4:30 p.m.  

• If you arrive before 4:25 p.m., please line up in the parking lot before turning into the carpool circle at the Mire Circle sign. The line will follow the same traffic pattern used for Lower School morning and afternoon carpools, snaking through the parking lot and extending onto Woodland Ridge as needed.
• At 4:30 p.m., vehicles will be directed to pull forward to the first available pickup location, including Spots A, B, C (blue cone), 1-6, and 7 (blue cone). There will no longer be reserved spaces for club pickup.
• Staff members will be stationed throughout the pickup area and will call students to the first available location. To help us ensure an efficient dismissal process, please have your pickup sign clearly displayed.
• If you are picking up a child from both a club and Extended Care, please enter the club pickup line first. After your club participant has been picked up, staff will direct you to pull forward to the first available waiting space while your child from Extended Care is called. Thank you for your cooperation as we work to provide a safe and efficient dismissal process for all students.

Extended Care Dismissal Update:  (Effective Monday, August 24, 2026):

• If you are picking up your child from Extended Care before 4:25 p.m., please bypass the club dismissal line that forms in the parking lot and along Woodland Ridge. Proceed to the first available parking spot: A, B, C (blue cone), 1-6, or 7 (blue cone).
• If you arrive at or after 4:25 p.m., please join the back of the club dismissal line. Because club dismissal begins at 4:30 p.m., Extended Care pick-up may take a little longer during this time.
• Parents arriving after 4:25 p.m. should remain in the dismissal line until the carpool circle is clear.
• For student safety and traffic flow, please remain in your vehicle and do not exit to buckle your child. If you need additional time to secure your child, please pull to the side near the Alumni House parking lot before buckling them in.

5th Grade Parents: Please check into the alumni house and join us at 1:00 PM in the Chapel for the 5th Grade Sweatshirt Ceremony. A reception will follow in the VPAC Lobby.

Looking Ahead:
We still need Tray Helpers to assist our students in PreK-4 through Kindergarten during lunch. If you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up here.  

Melrose School Supply Drive: One of our long-standing Lower School traditions is collecting school supplies for our partner school, Melrose Elementary. If you would like to participate, please bring donated school supplies to the carpool circle. We will collect donations during carpool next week, August 24-28, and a group of 5th graders will deliver the supplies to Melrose.  Click here for more information or see the flyer in your child’s Wednesday folder.

All School Worship: Students will participate in our All School Worship Wednesday, August 26, at 8:00 AM in the Main Gym. Seating will be limited, but all are welcome to join us for this special service.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. 

Go Knights!

Michelle Grantham-Caston, PhD
Head of Lower School
[email protected]
www.episcopalbr.org