| Dear Western Branch Primary Families and Students,
Our first week back was full of excitement and learning! Our Bruins did an excellent job throughout the week, learning their classroom routines and procedures, and it was wonderful to see them back in their classes, engaged and eager to learn.
As we begin the school year, an important part of teaching routines and procedures here at school is practicing our safety drills. We practice safety drills to ensure our students, faculty, and staff know how to respond in an emergency. This week, we will practice a “Hold” drill. As we continue to follow the Standard Response Protocols this year, we will call it a “Hold”. During a “Hold”, the hallways are cleared of students and staff, doors are locked, and windows are covered. Learning in the classroom continues after all students are accounted for using Raptor. Students have been taught procedures for this drill, and we are confident they will do a wonderful job putting everything they’ve learned into practice. Please take some time to remind your student how important it is to follow directions the first time they are given, especially when practicing safety drills.
For valuable resources and pertinent information to aid in your preparations for the upcoming school year, we invite you to explore your school's website and our district website through the following links:
Welcome Back Video- WBP 2026-27: View our video about many of our procedures.
Bruins Wear Badges- Click here for a video about our Bruins and how they wear their badges every day. We use our badges every day to get lunch, check out library books, and more! Badge Information from CPS
District Calendar. Don’t miss an event or a deadline. A printable version of our district calendar is also available here.
Student Handbook. Review Chesapeake Public Schools' student policies.
ParentVUE Information- ParentVUE information and forgotten passwords.
CPSCHOOLSVA: The mobile app for our district. With our app, you can easily access school events, news updates, and even emergency notifications.
Transportation Information. Directions for finding your student’s bus stop are located here. New this year! Chesapeake Public Schools has a new transportation routing system that will be used at all schools! The new software integrates with a parent mobile app called Stopfinder!
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Upcoming Events & Reminders |
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Join us on September 27th from 12- 2 p.m. at Western Branch Primary School for our awesome Back to School Fall Festival sponsored by Towne Bank! The fall festival is FREE! Enjoy lots of fun games, a bounce house, obstacle courses, face painting, a balloon artist, and more! Be sure to check out and vote in our WBP Staff Pumpkin Decorating Contest! A Kona Ice Truck and kettle corn will also be available for purchase!
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| School Counselor Information |
Our counselors, Ms. Dawson, Mr. Moore, and Ms. Whitt, created a September newsletter to let you know what lessons they will cover in class this month, along with information for parents on supporting children with school refusal. Click Here |
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SEPTEMBER IS ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH |
As we begin the school year, we want to remind our families of the importance of regular school attendance. We love to see our students in school, engaged and learning great things! Families can do a few things to encourage regular school attendance. Schedule doctor visits outside of school hours.
Plan family trips and vacations during school breaks. Lay clothes out the night before. Establish a morning routine.
Set up your ParentVue account to submit absentee notes, check grades, and see up-to-date attendance. (YouTube link: Report an Absence in ParentVue) |
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All students will be issued a school ID badge and lanyard when school begins. Students will be required to wear their badge at all times. In addition to identification, students use badges to come in late/leave early, get on/off the bus, check out library books, and make meal purchases in the cafeteria. School-issued lanyards are breakaway to avoid injury and cannot be replaced with another type of lanyard. |
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| Online Student Verification in ParentVUE |
All families should log into ParentVUE and verify their contact information. We use the information in ParentVUE to contact you in an emergency and also to communicate school events and periodic updates, so please make sure we have your accurate contact info. It is also important that your child’s drop-off and pick-up addresses are correct if riding the bus. |
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Our PTA is excited to welcome everyone back to school, and we look forward to planning family events this year. Your participation in the PTA is more important than ever! We would love to reach 100% membership this year, so please join the PTA. We welcome all adult members (parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends). You can join the PTA HERE.
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Please be advised that all medication administered at school requires a Medication Order Form for the current school year. We will accept only medication in its original packaging, along with the corresponding medication form. For the safety and welfare of all students, students should NEVER bring medication in. Please refer to the Health Services section on the CPS website for additional information. If you have any questions, please call the office at 757-638-7951 and ask to speak to our School Health Advisor.
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Preschool/Kindergarten "4 Card System" for Bus Transportation |
All Chesapeake schools use a 4-card identification system for Preschool and Kindergarten bus pickup and drop-off. This system helps eliminate confusion about who is authorized to receive students from the bus stop. Parents will receive 4 matching ID cards: one for the student to wear to/from school daily, and the other three for the parent to designate as authorized individuals. When the bus arrives at the stop in the afternoon, an authorized adult with a matching ID card must be present to receive the student. Bus Drivers cannot accept other forms of identification. Without a matching card, PK and K students will be returned to school by the bus driver. Bus Cards will be distributed by the Preschool or Kindergarten teachers at the Open House and can be picked up in the office before the first day of school.
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| NEW BUS ROUTE MOBILE APP- STOPFINDER |
Chesapeake Public Schools has a new transportation routing system called Stopfinder that will be used at all schools! Stopfinder uses the global positioning system (GPS) technology already installed on our bus fleet to locate and track your child’s school bus.
Stopfinder will email families to activate their Stopfinder account by August 27, 2025, from NOREPLY@TRANSFINDER.COM. We encourage families to activate their account when they receive the invitation from Stopfinder!
The Stopfinder app is secure and protected. Parents and guardians are granted access only with permission from the school transportation department. Families who did not receive a Stopfinder activation email should complete a request in Let'sTalk and contact their child's school for route information.
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STUDENT ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL |
Parents who drive students to school are asked to drop them off at the front entrance between 7:15 a.m. and 7:35 a.m. While the tardy bell rings at 7:35, students benefit greatly from arriving early enough to unpack and get settled before the bell rings. Students entering the building after 7:35 a.m. will be marked tardy. Cars are not permitted in the bus lane. Please do not drop children off before 7:15 a.m., as we do not provide supervision until then. If you do elect to transport your child yourself, please practice patience and leave home in enough time to ensure your child will arrive prior to 7:35. Please note that heavy traffic will not result in an excused tardy. Please do not arrive in the parking lot before 7:05 a.m., as this will allow staff members to park without obstruction.
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All birthday treats must be store-bought AND pre-packaged by the manufacturer. Teachers must be notified and approve treats prior to bringing them in. Per School Board policy, student invitations may not be sent home to other students in the class. Please do not ask WBP staff to break this rule. |
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| IMPORTANT DATES:
September 16th IT Professionals Day- Dr. White & Mr. Allen September 24th School Information Night- 6:00 September 27th PTA Fall Festival 12:00-2:00
September 30th Online Verification in ParentVue Due |
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Western Branch Primary
4122 Terry Drive
Chesapeake, VA 23321
757-638-7951 |
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