The Dolly Ridge Connection- 8/10/26

Posted Date: 08/07/26 (01:00 PM)

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The Dolly Ridge Connection

Important Dates

August 11th: Meet the Teacher (see times listed below)
August 12th: First Day of School
August 12th: Boohoo Yahoo at 8am in the Multipurpose Room for Kindergarten Parents
August 17th: GROW Leader applications sent home (5th grade)
August 18th: PTO Meeting at 9:30
August 18th: Open House (1st-5th grade)
August 20th: GROW Leader Application Due (5th grade)
August 24th-28th: Kindergarten Color Week: Monday-wear RED, Tuesday-wear ORANGE, Wednesday-wear YELLOW, Thursday-wear GREEN, Friday-wear BLUE
August 24th: GROW speeches (5th grade)
August 24th: Bus Evacuation Drill
August 24th: Room Parent Meeting at 9:30
August 28th: GROW Assembly and Speeches (4th and 5th grade only)
August 31st: Kindergarten GROW Reveal in Classrooms
September 4th: Whole School GROW Group Assembly at 2:00pm

Open House

Dolly Ridge Open House is Tuesday, August 18. This orientation is for Grades 1–5 parents only (no students, please). We will offer two sessions to accommodate families with multiple children at Dolly Ridge:

Session 1: 5:30–6:00 PM
Session 2: 6:15–6:45 PM

Parents may choose to attend either session. There will be wonderful vendors present in the Dolly Ridge lunchroom.

Parking: Due to limited parking at Dolly Ridge, overflow parking will be available at Mountain Brook Community Church. Four school buses will shuttle parents between the church and school continuously from 5:00–7:15 PM.

Please note: EDP will close at 6:00 PM that evening.

We want to be respectful neighbors—please do not park on the grass or block road access.

We look forward to seeing you at Open House!

Arrival and Dismissal

7:15 a.m. VHEDR Doors Open
7:55 a.m. Morning Carpool Ends/Tardy Bell
2:25 p.m.-Dismissal Bell Rings
2:30 p.m. Afternoon Carpool Begins

Please no student checkouts after 2 p.m. as it disrupts end of day procedures.

Carpool Line

The carline will loop around the upper parking lot on campus. Cars will

“double-stack” in both lanes and wait there. Pull all the way forward and

follow the signs. Wait at the stop sign until you are directed to proceed.

School personnel will alternate the flow of the two stacked carlines, and

they will direct you when it is time to move to the loading zone in the front

of the school. DO NOT CHANGE LANES. This throws off our count and

will mean your child is not at their spot.

We utilize a carpool web-based application to record parent arrivals and

to get your child safely to your vehicle. When someone from the school

approaches your vehicle, they will key in your carpool number on a device.

Have your hang tag with your number displayed at all times.

*Reminder: Please do not switch lanes in the carpool line.

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application goes here

The Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program application is officially open for the new school year. We encourage families to fill out a new application every year, as the benefits from last school year will expire on September 22nd.

Here is the link for the 26-27 free and reduced application: Free and Reduced Application

Á la carte items may also be purchased, and we encourage you to use our cashless payment system for your student’s meal account. You may add money to your student’s account by visiting https://paypams.com/ or pay by check. If you need your student’s lunch number or have questions about their meal account, please contact Child Nutrition Program Director Amanda Carlson at carlsonas@vhcs.us.

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National School of Character

Dolly Ridge was named a National School of Character! Schools of Character foster in their students a commitment to be honest and trustworthy, to volunteer their time and talents to the common good, and when necessary, to show the courage to stand up for what is right. We are so honored to be awarded this prestigious distinction. Read the story here: https://buff.ly/gj19awZ