Lower School Back to School Information

Boys may be dropped off at school as early as 7:30 a.m and report to their grade level pod. As we do not have faculty supervision before 7:30 a.m., boys may not arrive before that time. All students must arrive through the front doors of the Lower School. Please make sure your son arrives early enough to be ready at 8:20 a.m., when classes begin.

To make morning drop-off as safe and efficient as possible, we ask the following:

• When entering at the front of school, please pull your car up as far as possible. 

• Please do not get out of your car during drop off! Members of the Lower School administration will be available to assist your son out of the car if he needs help. After the first few weeks, each boy in the elementary grades should be able to independently get out of the car by himself. By the middle of the year, most kindergarteners and even pre-kindergarten boys will be able to get out by themselves. To help facilitate the transition from the car to the school building, as you pull into the driveway of the School, please be sure that your son’s backpack is zipped up and any items he will be taking out of the car with him are near his seat. Developmentally, it is important to have our boys learn to accomplish routines independently when they are ready. 

• We ask that you have your son on the right side of the car so he can exit at the curb. Do not allow your son to exit on the left, as oncoming traffic is on the left and safety cannot be ensured.

• For the safety of all, we ask that you drive 5 MPH, do not use your cell phone when driving, use your turn signals, and be very careful when turning into and out from the curb. There is a cross walk in the center of the Lower School Drive. Please follow the directions of the Haverford personnel, to ensure the safety of all. 

• We strongly recommend that boys arrive by 8:00 a.m. Because the start of the day is so important, we ask that families plan to drop their sons off with sufficient time to walk to their room, unpack their things, and settle in for the 8:20 a.m. start. 

• Pick-up times are as follows:

  • Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten—2:30 p.m.

  • Grades 1 & 2—3:00 p.m.

  • Grades 3–5—3:15 p.m.

• On the first day of school a carpool sign will be sent home. Please be sure to place your son’s grade sign on the dashboard window so we may quickly identify rides and get the boys into the proper car.

• Please try to arrive around the time of your oldest sons’ scheduled dismissal time.  Parents who arrive early for a later pick up time block access to the car line for the earlier dismissal times and causes the car line to be delayed.

• Once all boys are outside, it takes roughly 8–10 minutes to clear all cars that have been waiting. For this reason and our no visitor policy on campus this year, we ask parents to not park first, pick up their kids, and cross traffic to try to leave early. Doing so not only slows the dismissal flow, but it makes dismissal less safe. As such, every afternoon we will cone off the parking lot from the dismissal lane until all traffic has cleared.

• Because the morning arrival and afternoon dismissal depend on the ability of the teachers to supervise all children in their care, we ask that parents not seek conferences with teachers at this time. If you need to speak with a teacher, please set up a conference time outside of the dismissal period. 

• We will coordinate siblings for pick up so that parents only need to pick up their sons at the dismissal time of the oldest sibling.  Middle School boys who need to pick up a brother in the Lower School will meet them outside the Lobby of the Lower School where the teacher in charge will check them out.  

• If you plan on changing the way your son is to go home for a day, you must write a note explaining how he will be going home. This can be sent in or emailed to Teresa Touey by 12:00 pm at ttouey@haverford.org. We cannot load a boy into any car that he typically does not use unless we have permission from the boy’s parent. Likewise, no boy can take any bus that he is not assigned to. Please send all notes about how he goes home to the homeroom teacher and Mrs. Touey (ttouey@haverford.org).  

• If your family lives within walking distance of the school, and you would like him to walk home, you will need to send Mrs. Touey a note providing us with documentation that your son is permitted to walk home. 

First to fifth grade families—if you need to sign up for a dining hall plan, please do so before Wednesday, Sept. 4. 

Menus and Meal Plans

Throughout all school divisions we have a number of students who are allergic to any number of food types. Some students in our building have severe allergies that could be life threatening. As a result, the school has a need to control the food that is served on any given day. 

Pre kindergarten and kindergarten students will continue to eat lunch in their classrooms as they traditionally have, and therefore need to bring a bagged lunch to school each day.  Students in first through fifth grades have the option of either bringing a bagged lunch to school or purchasing a meal plan for the Dining Hall. You should have received information from our Director of Dining, Kim Sprangers, in July regarding meal plan options for the 2024-2025 school year. Students will not have access to microwaves in the classroom or on the Lower School side of the Dining Hall, please plan your son’s lunch accordingly.

Our Dining Hall staff and faculty are very aware of the cautions that need to be taken every day and work very hard to minimize the risks that are inherent for children with food allergies. To control the potential risks, all foods to be shared within the classes for the students must be foods prepared by our cafeteria staff who are knowledgeable in potential risks. If a student brings a food item to school containing nuts, it will be confiscated, they will be provided with an alternative item and families will be notified. Please do not send in any treats, candies, and/or food products as we cannot serve them to our students!   

As a final note, the school will not accept food deliveries from any food delivery service.  Any food that is attempted to be delivered via a food delivery service will be refused delivery.  If a student has forgotten to bring a lunch or snack, please notify his teacher and/or the front office so that accommodations can be made to ensure that his nutritional needs are met for the day.  In the event that a student repeatedly forgets his lunch or snack, families will be responsible for any associated Dining Hall fees.

Birthdays are a special time for our students, and because we want to allow the students to celebrate their birthday with their classmates, we set aside a day at the end of the month to celebrate all birthdays which fall in that month. We ask that parents do not send in treats as we cannot serve them to our students. Each month, our Dining Hall prepares a special treat for all the students to celebrate the birthdays of that month. This allows us to celebrate each student’s birthday while allowing the school to take the proper safety precautions. Celebrating in this way also keeps a balance to the frequency of interruptions to the educational program. Once again, thank you for your consideration and attention to our requests.

The following is the dress code for the Lower School. Please place your sons’ name in all articles of clothing so that we can return them should they be misplaced. 

• School Shirt
  White, yellow, maroon, or gold, collared, knit polo, either long or short sleeves, rugby shirts or oxford button-down. Except for rugby shirts, shirts must be tucked in. 

• School Pants
  Khaki, gray, or navy are acceptable pant colors.  Shorts of these colors are permitted during the warm-weather months from September through Oct. 15, and again after Spring Break. Cargo pants and athletic shorts are not permitted.

• School Shoes 
  Sneakers—Velcro, or laces tied with a double-knot. Flashing/light-up, rolling, and backless (crocs, clogs) shoes are not permitted. 

• Physical Education Classes
  On PE days, Kindergarten through Fifth grade boys should wear a Haverford School PE shirt (available for purchase in the School Store next to the Middle School) with their uniform short/pants (even on PE days, boys are NOT permitted to wear athletic short/pants). Only sneakers are allowed on the gym floor.

• Hair 
  Should be neatly groomed, natural in color (no hair dye, color streaks or the like) and out of the eyes of the student. Students are not permitted to come to school with words, symbols, or signs (including the Haverford “H”)  shaved into their hair.

• Jewelry 
  Jewelry, aside from that with medical or religious significance, is not allowed to be worn in any form. 

• Smartwatches/Fitness watches
  Any watch that has a camera capable of pictures, audio/video, or the ability to make phone calls, send text messages, play games, or have web access features are not allowed. We recognize that some students may need a cell phone or smart watch to communicate outside of school hours. If your child falls into this category, please fill out this storage request form and return it to the Lower School office. If students are caught violating this policy the device will be confiscated and they will be disciplined in accordance with our School discipline policy. Confiscated watches may only be picked up by parents in the school office.

• Out-of-Uniform
  Boys may be sent to the nurse’s office for a change of clothes, or the main office to wait for their parents to drop-off their school uniform.

As a service to each family, the majority of school supplies are provided by Haverford as part of your tuition. This year we are asking families to provide over-ear wired headphones for your son. Please be sure to clearly label them with their name. Your family does not need to purchase any additional school supplies for your son. He will need to bring a school bag on the first day to carry the supplies that he is given in his classrooms. Boys also need to have a gym shirt to wear for PE classes (beginning in kindergarten). Please be sure to write your sons’ name on the shirt.  

All new parents who would like to have their son take the bus home in the afternoon, please email Mrs. Touey at ttouey@haverford.org and provide her with your school district name and the days in which your son will be taking the bus after school. Boys who used the school district busing to and from Haverford last year will automatically be enrolled on the same busing lists for this year. 

The Haverford School uses Magnus Health for all health information collection and management. It offers continuous access to your son’s health record as well as the ability to make updates when needed.  You can access Magnus by using the Veracross Family Portal.  

The Haverford School health requirements for the 2024-2025 school year were due on August 1, 2024 to allow for participation in all school activities.  All health information is to be updated annually, including physical assessments and all health plans, which are available for print from your account for completion by your medical provider.  All requirements are to be submitted electronically annually via your Magnus Health account including parental permissions, consents, and vital health record information.  

Our Health Services staff is available to address your specific questions or concerns and may be reached via healthservices@haverford.org.

Health Forms (Magnus)

Lower School students will have the opportunity to participate in several field trips throughout the year.  By completing this permission form, you will be giving your permission for your son to attend all trips assigned for his grade level for the entire 2024-25 school year. For students to participate in field trips, this form must be completed and updated medical information needs to be on file with our Health Office. 

Prior to each field trip, a letter will be emailed to the email address you have provided in the Veracross Family Portal explaining the purpose, destination, and details of the trip.  The "one time" permission form will alleviate the need for you to sign permission for each trip.  At any time you may also deny permission for your son to attend any individual trip by submitting a note to one of your son's teachers in writing. 

Field Trip Permission Form

The Haverford School offers after-school programs for Lower School students in the form of enrichment and after-care.

Powered by ESF Camps & Experiences, the after-care services are optional and provide students with engaging activities and/or homework time once the school day ends. After-care offers extended care during the school year, while our seasonal Enrichment programs are designed as weekly sessions with awesome learning opportunities. Fall session begins on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 4th. Registration for the Enrichment and After-care programs can be found at haverfordprograms.com.  

All questions regarding Enrichment and/or After-care should be directed to: Suzanne Stachowicz, Enrichment Program Coordinator (LSenrichment@haverford.org)

The Haverford School’s Responsible Use Policy can be found on the School’s Handbooks, Policies and Forms page.

The Haverford Lower School Digital Responsible Use Policy for families to agree with our school policy will be sent home to be signed each Fall. 

Fifth grade families are asked to review with their son and sign The Haverford Lower School Digital Responsible Use Policy  In addition, 5th Grade boys need to sign the policy Chromebook use and care, as they will be traveling with Chromebooks between classrooms. Please click here to access the 5th Grade Chromebook Policy. 

These forms are due before Wednesday, September 4. Please turn into the Lower School office. 

Active Image will be on campus to take individual school photos on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Please see the Active Image Individual Picture Parent Information to learn more about ordering your son's photos.  If you do not want Active Image to send you a link for ordering pictures please email Teresa Touey (ttouey@haverford.org) by Monday, Aug. 28; however, this will mean that you will not be able to order school photos this year.