School doors will open at 7:30 a.m. to students needing to eat breakfast at Sewell.  Students arriving to school prior to 7:30 a.m. will wait on the front porch, unsupervised, until the doors open.  For the safety of all our students we discourage early student arrivals.

Classes start at 8:10 a.m.

All outside doors are locked at 8:10 a.m. After 8:10 a.m. all individuals must ring the bell to enter the school. The bell is located to the right of door #1 on the front porch.

School dismissal is at 3:30 p.m.

We will allow visitors for essential functions such as ARD meetings, parent/teacher conferences, and evening events.  Typical parent meetings, such as meet-the-teacher, open houses, parent conferences, etc. will adhere to all required safety protocols that are currently in place.

We are welcoming parents to visit their students for unch on Wednesday and Friday!  Please check ClassDojo for the weekly Sign-Up Genius and view the parent & student expectations below.

Early arrival and morning drop-off procedures

• In the morning, parents will pull up to the front door and use both lanes to drop off students. The doors open at 7:30 a.m.

• School doors open at 7:30 a.m.  Students arriving earlier than that must remain, unsupervised, on the front porch.  For the safety of all students we discourage early arrivals.

• All students who arrive at school between 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. are to report to the cafeteria, gym, or library. If your child eats breakfast at school, he/she should go to the cafeteria immediately upon arrival regardless of grade level. Our goal is to have all students fed and in class by 8:10 a.m.

• Pre-k, Kinder, and 1st grade students not eating breakfast will report to the gym.  2nd, 4th, and 5th grade students not eating breakfast will report to the cafeteria.  3rd grade students will report to the library.  All students are encouraged too bring a book to read while waiting in the gym or cafeteria.

Releasing students before 3:30 p.m.

All students must be checked out of school by front office personnel. Before releasing a student to an adult, a sign-out form must be completed and a picture ID shown. Due to traffic congestion at dismissal time, any student that must leave before 3:30 p.m. should be picked up by 3:15 p.m.

Pick-up procedures

Car-rider dismissal

We have a lot of staff present at dismissal to ensure students get to their cars safely.  We are asking for parents to partner with us to keep all our students safe during the dismissal process by following these guidelines:

• The front parking lot is for 1st - 5th grade dismissal (unless the student has a kindergarten sibling, in which case the older sibling is sent to the side parking lot to be dismissed with their kindergarten sibling).

• For student safety, please stay in your vehicle and drive through the carpool lanes instead of parking and walking to the pick-up lines.  This helps keep the porch clear of congestion, enables students to see their rides, and assists with social distancing expectations.

• All parents (K-5) will receive a color-coded carpool card that needs to be displayed on the rear-view mirror, on your dashboard, or in the passenger side window during the pick-up process.  The card will have your students first, last name and grade level. If you have multiple cards, please display all. 

• Students who have not been picked up by 3:45 p.m. will be taken to the office.  These students must be signed out by a parent or guardian to ensure their safe release.

Carpool lanes

*The first and third lanes are for pick-up/drop-off

*Students can only cross the lanes at the crosswalk, even when accompanied by an adult.  If your vehicle is in the third carpool lane, your student will be accompanied by a staff member, you do not need to leave your vehicle.

*The middle lane is for passing into, or out of, the parking only.  For safety reasons, no students will be dropped off or picked up from the middle lane.

*There is no parking in any lane at any time.  If you have a meeting and need to go into the school, please park in a parking space or on the street to avoid blocking traffic.

Walker and Cyclist Dismissal

*Upon dismissal at 3:30 p.m. students should promptly walk or cycle directly home.

*Walkers and cyclists will be walked, by a staff member, across Miles Road or Hudson Drive (towards Merritt Road).

*We ask that no parents walk up to retrieve their children.  If your child is a walker, they can meet you after they have crossed Miles Road or Hudson Drive (towards Merritt Road).

*Sewell students may no longer wait in the Hudson parking lots for an older sibling that attends Hudson.  As students cannot be supervised in the Hudson parking lots, and discipline and safety issues arise, Sewell students are not allowed to wait for older siblings there.  Please make alternate arrangements for your child.

Bus and Daycare dismissal

*Students will wait in the cafeteria for bus and daycare pick-ups.

*If a bus or daycare is running late and pick up will be after 3:45 p.m., students will wait in the office.

General dismissal procedures

Pets

Please note, for the safety of all students, pets are not allowed on campus during dismissal and/or arrival.

Safety and Efficiency

In order to ensure that our student dismissal is as safe and as efficient as possible we ask that no parents walk up to retrieve their children. 

If parents are walking to school to meet their children, students can be met after the student crosses Miles Road or Hudson Drive (towards Merritt Road). 

If parents are parking their cars to walk up and meet their children it causes safety concerns and creates traffic flow issues.

We respectfully ask that parents refrain from parking and walking up to retrieve their students.

The school staff cannot be responsible for changes in transportation that are given after 2:15 p.m.

If possible, please send a note to school, or message your child's teacher through ClassDojo, the morning of the transportation change.  If you are calling the office staff with a change in transportation, your child's student ID number must be given.

Students need to bring a signed note from their parents when they return to school after an absence. Parents are encouraged to call the school or email the teacher to report an absence. Sewell will notify you by phone when your child has a partial or full day absence. When your child is tardy (arrivals after 8:11 a.m.), he/she must report to the office for a tardy slip. According to the State of Texas policy, a partial day absence will be recorded for students who arrive at 8:21 a.m. or after, or leave before the end of the school day.

1:1 Student Program

Sewell Elementary is a 1:1 campus offering either an iPad or Chromebook to each student for school use only.  With this privilege and extraordinary opportunity comes responsibility for the parent, student, and teacher to maintain an environment that promotes ethical and responsible conduct with regard to all electronic resources and activities.

1. Devices will be assigned to students for use during the school day and remain the property of Garland ISD.
2. All users are accountable to the school, district, local, state, and federal laws.
3. All use of the Garland ISD technology network must support education.
4. All files stored on Garland ISD equipment, the Garland ISD network, Google Drive, and/or district managed cloud storage are the property of the district and are subject to review and monitoring.
5. Students  are expected to keep equipment in good condition.  Failure to do so will result in consequences deemed appropriate by campus administration and consistent with the Student Code of Conduct.

Accidents do happen.  There is a difference, however, between an accident and negligence.  After an investigation by Garland ISD Technology Department and/or Campus Administration, it will be determined if the damage was accidental or a result of neglect*.

*Neglect will result in repair charges or loss of equipment.

Current GISD Replacement Pricing**:

Chromebook

• Chromebook - $259.00
• Screen only - $108.24
• Keyboard - $44.82
• Cover - Top $20.56, Bottom $21.00
• Hinge - $25.56
• Charger - $30.00

iPad

• iPad - $399.00
• Screen only - $329.00
• Logitech keyboard case - $92.00

**Prices may change based on Technology updates

Need Help?

You can visit the GISD Technology Support website.

All medication to be administered during school hours must be delivered to the Sewell clinic with a signed parent permission form. The parent permission form is available online as well as in the the Sewell clinic. Please meet with the school nurse to discuss your child's specific needs or email Nurse Jackson.

Our district strives to provide nutritious and delicious meals to all of our students.  Sewell Elementary did not qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision for the 2022-2023 school year.  

The Meal Benefit Application for the 22-23 School Year is open, please submit your application via School Cafe: http://schoolcafe.com/garlandisd to check if your student qualifies for free or reduced-priced breakfast and lunch.  If students do not qualify, see below for breakfast and lunch prices.

 

Cell phones or other technology devices inside the building during the school day are prohibited, unless approved by the classroom teacher.  Cell phones taken away from students can only be retrieved by a parent.

The GISD Board of Trustees has approved the 2022-23 COVID-19 and School Operations plan.  For full details about 2022-23 school year procedures and safety requirements that have been created for the well-being of students, staff and visitors, see:

• In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services - English
• In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services - Spanish

With extensive stakeholder input and engagement, we've developed plans for the use of ESSER funds, including the In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services plans detailed in the links above.  These funds will be used to help address the significant impact on student learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Visit GISD's ESSER Funding Progams page for more detailed information.

The Sewell Parent Involvement Policy explains how our campus supports the important role of parents in the education of their children. We offer a Parent Compact to establish a partnership among parents, school staff, and students for improving student academic achievement.

Please make sure to read the Parent Compact for agreements about parent, student, and school/teacher responsibilities:

• Sewell Parent Compact - English (PDF)
• Sewell Parent Involvement Policy - English (PDF)

The following is a printable file of our Campus Improvement Plan.

Campus Improvement Plan 2022-2023 (PDF file)