Dear Empower Families,

As we prepare for another exciting school year, we want to share several important updates regarding student expectations and school procedures. Please take a few moments to review the information below with your child.

Dress Code

Our dress code is an important part of maintaining a positive learning environment. This school year, the dress code will be enforced consistently. We will not be as lenient as in previous years.

With a little over a month remaining before school begins, now is the time to begin purchasing and preparing your child's uniforms. Students who arrive out of dress code will be subject to the school's dress code policy. We appreciate your partnership in helping ensure your child is prepared for a successful first day of school.

Cafeteria Changes

We are making several changes to our Child Nutrition Program this year.

• Every student will receive one free, reimbursable meal each day.
• Students who would like an additional meal after receiving their free meal will be charged à la carte pricing.
• We will also offer a variety of à la carte snack and food items during lunch.
• Students must first receive their free, complete meal before they are eligible to purchase any à la carte items.

In addition, our cafeteria will operate as a cashless system.

• Families will need to load money onto their student's meal account/card for any extra meals or à la carte purchases.
• If a student does not have sufficient funds on their account, they will not be able to purchase additional meals or à la carte items.

These procedures are different from last year, so please watch for additional communications explaining how to set up and fund your student's meal account before school begins.

A New Look for Our Cafeteria

We are excited to be upgrading our cafeteria to create a welcoming, comfortable space where students enjoy eating and spending time together. We expect everyone to take pride in this space.

Students are expected to:

• Respect school property.
• Keep the cafeteria clean.
• Dispose of trash properly.
• Refrain from writing on tables, walls, or any other school property
• Follow all cafeteria expectations and directions from staff.

Cafeteria staff and teachers will actively supervise student behavior, and disciplinary consequences will be issued for students who do not follow cafeteria rules. Cafeteria expectations will be posted outside the cafeteria and will be enforced consistently throughout the year.

Our goal is to provide every student with a safe, clean, and respectful environment where they can enjoy their meals.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Together, we can ensure that our students begin the school year with clear expectations and a positive mindset. We will continue to share additional back-to-school information as the summer comes to a close.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for a fantastic school year!