• August 4, 2022

    Dear Parent/Guardian:

    I hope everyone is enjoying the summer and getting ready for the school year. I have included information regarding food service and transportation in this newsletter for the upcoming 2022-23 school year.

    Food Service

    Carter Elementary:  Breakfast will be in the classroom and lunch will be in the cafeteria.

    Kuehn Haven Middle School: Breakfast will be in the classroom for 4th – 6th grades. Breakfast for 7th grade will be in the cafeteria from 7:15am – 7:45am. Lunch for all grades will be in the cafeteria.

    Hill McCloy High School, grades 8-12:  Breakfast will be in the cafeteria from 7:15am – 7:45am.We also have a breakfast cart that is available by the front entrance from 7:15am – 7:45am.  Lunch will be in the cafeteria for all grades.

    The waivers from the USDA that allowed free meals last year have expired. Lunch prices for each building are listed below. Free and Reduced applications are required this year to receive free and reduced lunch. The district is encouraging all families to fill out an application. An application is included in this mailing. Free/Reduced Applications are available at each of the schools, the administration building, and online as well. The fastest way to apply is online at https://montrose.familyportal.cloud. There is a link to the application on the food service page of our website.  If you are filling out the paper form, please fill it out and return the form to the Administration Building or your child’s school office as soon as possible.

    Lunch prices for the 2022-23 school year are as follows:

    Carter Elementary                                High School/Middle School                  Choice         

    Breakfast         Free                             Breakfast         Free                            Breakfast    Free

    Lunch           $2.05/$0.40 Reduced    Lunch              $2.30/$0.40 Reduced    Lunch:        $2.30/$0.40 Reduced

    Milk is included with the lunch or is $0.50 if purchased separately.

    August and September menus will be available on the website.  They will also be handed out on the first day of school. 

    Parents can log onto https://montrose.familyportal.cloud to view and deposit money to their child’s lunch account.  This way parents can keep track of their child’s purchases and deposit money via credit card, debit card or

    e-check. This is the same website that you can use to fill out the free and reduced application.  If you do not use the online system, please put your child’s lunch money in an envelope and have it labeled with their name, grade, lunch number, and amount included. We accept cash and check at the register.  We will have some a la carte items for students to purchase throughout the year.

    Transportation

    We have 11 bus runs again this year. Enclosed are the 11 routes, the roads these buses will travel, and approximate pick up and drop off times. We run one K-12 bus route.  Students will all have assigned seats. We try to keep elementary students in the front, middle school students towards the middle and high school students in the back. We will try to assign families to the same seat. Please be patient the first few weeks as we learn our routes and students.

    Please remember to have your child at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to their pick up time. At the end of the school day, the buses will be lined up numbered 1 – 11. The bus drivers are very good about making sure they have the correct students on their buses, but it is also very helpful if parents review this information with their child and that your child knows their bus number.

    The “transportation address” that the school goes by is your home address. If your child needs to ride the bus daily from a daycare, grandparent’s home, or other address, you will need to fill out a form to make that change with the transportation department. These forms can be picked up at your child’s school office. They are also available online under Departments- Transportation- Pick up and Drop off Form.  Please have any changes in pick up or drop off to the school by August 18, 2022 so we have time to adjust bus routes. A new form needs to be on file each school year.

    In an effort to provide an efficient busing system, we will continue with our “NO BUS PASS” system. With having a consistent “transportation address” for all children, this eliminates the need for bus passes. BUS DRIVERS CANNOT ACCEPT BUS CHANGES.

    The bus drivers and I are working very hard to make this school year a smooth one. We will be strict on discipline when it comes to vulgar language and inappropriate actions on the bus. We have leased 11 buses for the school year. Please take some time to talk to your child about proper bus behavior and keeping our buses clean. We need to return these buses in the same condition we received them in.  If your child does any damage to the bus or the seats, they will have to reimburse the school for the damages.

    Security Cameras and Bus Radios

    As in the past, every bus is equipped with two security cameras that can be reviewed to determine if or when disciplinary action is necessary. I would ask that you remind your child of this.  We have digital radios in our buses for communication. The radios work great and will help ensure that your child has a safe ride to and from school.   

    Parents of Carter Elementary students

    We ask that our drivers make visual contact with someone at their drop off location before letting your child off the bus. We understand that each individual situation is different, but please take the time to make sure your child’s bus driver knows who will be there to get your child off the bus. If there is not a parent/guardian at the stop, the child will be brought back to Carter Elementary. If you are comfortable with your child going home without visual contact, we will allow them to get off the bus without a parent/guardian present. To do this, you must have a written note on file with the school. A new form needs to be filled out each year. The form is located at www.montroseschools.org; under Departments; Transportation; Pick up and Drop off form. The bottom half of the form is for a no visual. Riverside Trailer Park and Marshall’s Crossing students will NOT be allowed to walk home from the pick up/drop off location without a note on file.  Forms are available at the Carter office or the Administration Building.

    The bus drivers and food service staff are working very hard to get ready for this school year. If you have any questions regarding the food service and transportation departments, please feel free to contact me at 810-591-8854. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your summer!

    Sincerely,

     Angie Florian

    Transportation and Food Service Supervisor