Formal supervision begins at 7:30 a.m. No student should be in the building before that time. All students are expected to be in school by 8 a.m. No student should enter through the main door unless they are a walker or are arriving after 8:15 a.m. School officially begins at 8:10 a.m. Attendance will be taken at 8:15 a.m. A child not in his or her classroom at that time will be marked late. ​ BY CAR Parents must drop all students off at the car line doors. All students who arrive by car should go directly to their homeroom. Please refrain from using cell phones during arrival on campus and remember to maintain a safe speed of 10 miles per hour. ​ BY BUS Students transported by bus enter the building through the designated door and go directly to their homeroom. ​ WALKERS Students should enter through the front door and proceed to their homeroom. (On the first day of school, all parents of students that are 3, 4 or 5 years old are welcome to come in to the school and walk their child to his or her classroom.) ​ BY VAN Precious Cargo private van service transports from South Philadelphia, Fairmount and Center City. Please contact Amelia and John Fogarino at 215-463-5489 (H) or 215-480-0800 (C) Please call ASAP if interested.

Half‐day Montessori dismissal begins at 11:15 a.m. Dismissal for full‐day students begins with prayer at 2:50 p.m. (11:50 a.m. on early dismissal days), followed by instructions for car, walker, Mercy After Care, sport, and bus lines. ​ CAR Parents are not permitted to pick up their children in the Dixon Gym, the Front Lobby, or any other door to the building. Please pull into carline and do not leave your car for any reason. A placard will be given to you at the beginning of the year. Display the placard in the front windshield with the names and grades of all the children you are transporting. Follow the directions of the teachers in the car line. Teachers will escort your children to the car. Children who are not picked up by 3:20 p.m. will go to After Care and be charged accordingly. Please refrain from using cell phones during dismissal on campus and remember to maintain a safe speed of 10 miles per hour. ​ BUS Students will be dismissed as their buses arrive. A teacher will walk them to the buses. If a bus does not arrive at school by 3:40 p.m., parents will be notified. ​ About half of our students go home by buses provided by the school districts. Most buses leave school by 3:15 p.m. Some districts require the students to stop at other schools and change buses. Philadelphia, Springfield and Marple Newtown School Districts do NOT provide transportation for the pre‐k or kindergarten students. Parents will get detailed information from their school district. ​ WALKERS Only children who live within a one‐mile radius of the school will be permitted to walk home. Permission notes must be on file in the Main Office for students to walk home. A staff member will cross the children at the traffic light at Merion Road and Montgomery Avenue.

Beginning on the first day of school, Mercy After Care (MAC) is open from 3 to 6 p.m. On certain days such as Faculty Inservice Days, Spring Break, the week before Camp and certain holidays Mercy After Care closes at 4 p.m. ​ This program includes recreational activities, enrichment experiences, scheduled homework periods, and snacks for children in preschool through eighth grade. The staff consists of professionals, both teachers and teacher aides, who work together to provide individual attention, security, and consistency of program in an atmosphere of respect and fun. ​ The cost of after care is $8.50 per hour. The MAC registration form can be found on our website.

Students in our three and four year old programs do not wear uniforms. Starting in kindergarten, every child wears a uniform. The students have a warm weather uniform, a winter uniform and a gym uniform. Specifics about our uniform can be found on our website. The school uniform is available through Flynn & O’Hara. Visit one of their locations or their website. They can also be reached at 800-441-4122. Gym uniform (sweats) can be purchased through Lands’ End and Flynn & O’Hara and the WMA Spirit Wear Store.

Waldron Mercy Academy Parents' Association is an organization made up of parents, teachers and administration. It consists of several committees that help with social, academic, athletic and outreach programs for WMA. All parents are welcome to be part of this association. Specific information can be found here!

WMA families receive our weekly newsletter, the WMA Weekly, via email. It is filled with all of the updated information parents need about upcoming events, lunch menus, athletic events, special speakers, etc. Parents are asked to read this newsletter each week to keep up‐to‐date on Waldron Mercy Academy news.

Williamson Hospitality is the food service provider for WMA. Breakfast is available each day from 7:30 to 8 a.m. in the Cafeteria. Information about the cost and choices is found on the weekly menu posted on WMA’s website.

A daily hot lunch program is available to our full‐day students. Information about the cost and choices is included in the calendar posted each month online. Parents have the choice of packing their children’s lunch or buying. Beverages and snacks may be purchased at WMA whether you pack or buy lunch. A debit process can be used when purchasing any items. A student ID is required to set up the debit. The ID can be found on your billing statement. It is the last 4 numerical digits. Example STU2345, the number 2345 is the student ID.

There are healthy snacks sold at break time and lunch time. The prices range between 75¢ and $1.75.

Beginning in first grade, students can purchase snacks for their morning break time. Soft pretzels can be purchased for $0.75. The school provides snack for Montessori children. Preschool, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students bring their own snacks from home. Please be conscious that many students have food allergies. We ask that you do not send snacks to school that contain peanuts or tree nuts.

Every Wednesday morning at 8:10 a.m., the faculty, staff and students join in the Dixon Gym for prayers and announcements. We celebrate birthdays, academic and athletic accomplishments, and we pray and sing together. Parents are welcome to attend.

Each September, Waldron Mercy has an evening event for parents to meet the teachers, hear about the grade expectations and ask questions.

The Waldron Mercy academic year is on a trimester system. Report cards are distributed at the end of each trimester. Parent‐ teacher conferences are held in October and February. An interim progress report is sent home in October and April. Grades 5 to 8 can access their grades online. Pre‐k sends formal reports home three times a year. Montessori communicates progress through conferences two times a year. Kindergarten sends four formal reports home a year. Teachers schedule conferences for further communication concerning each child’s progress. All parents are expected to attend the conference at the end of the first trimester. The second trimester conferences are by request only. Teachers and/or parents can request a second trimester conference. ​ Students in kindergarten through grade five attend conferences when appropriate. Students in grades six through eight are required to attend conferences.

Parents are encouraged to communicate with their child’s teacher throughout the school year. Parents can write notes, e‐mail or speak to the teacher on the telephone. If needed, parents and/or teachers will request additional conferences to discuss their child’s progress.