Student-Parent Handbook 15-16 rev FINAL

Further information regarding students’ rights and responsibilities is available in the East Allen County Schools Guide to Students and Parents distributed to all students in East Alle

Cedarville Elementary School Student – Parent Handbook

2015 - 2016

12225 Hardisty Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46845

Telephone: (260) 446-0110 Fax: (260) 446-0113

www.EACS.k12.in.us

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ABOUT THE HANDBOOK 1

WELCOME ……… 2

MISSION, VISION, BELIEF STATEMENTS ……… 2

GETTING INFORMATION ……… 3

ADDRESS / CONTACT INFORMATION CHANGES 3

VOICE MAIL 3

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL TIMES 3

COLLABORATION DAYS – ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL TIMES 4 INCLEMENT WEATHER SCHEDULE……… 4

ASBESTOS PLAN……… 5

ATTENDANCE AND TARDINESS 5

BREAKFAST / LUNCH PROGRAM 6

BUS TRANSPORTATION 8

PARKING LOT AND PICK-UP / DROP-OFF PROCEDURES 8 LATCH-KEY PROGRAM ……… 9

STUDENT DISCIPLINE PLAN 9

DRESS EXPECTATIONS 11

EMERGENCY DRILLS ……… 12

FIELD TRIPS 12

GRADING SYSTEM 12

GUM / CANDY 13

HEALTHY TREATS……… 13

HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS 14

LOST AND FOUND 14

MEDIA CENTER / LIBRARY 14

NEWSLETTER 14

NURSE AND MEDICATIONS 15

OUTSIDE RECESS / PLAY 16

PARENT ACCESS ……… 16

PARENT INVOLVEMENT ……… 16

SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENT……… 17

TELEPHONE 17

TOYS & VALUABLES 17

VISITORS 17

VOLUNTEERS 18

STUDENT SUPPLY LISTS 19

EACS CALENDAR FOR 2015-2016 ……… 21

SCHOOL MAP Back Cover

Cedarville Elementary School

Student – Parent Handbook

2015 - 2016

12225 Hardisty Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46845 Telephone: (260) 446-0110 Fax: (260) 446-0113

www.EACS.k12.in.us

This handbook replaces information in any prior Cedarville Elementary School Student –

Parent Handbook Further information regarding students’ rights and responsibilities is

available in the East Allen County Schools Guide to Students and Parents distributed to all

students in East Allen County Schools Information in each of these booklets is based upon

policies and regulations approved by the Board of School Trustees of East Allen County

Schools Policies and regulations are amended as needed and will supersede any information

printed in these handbooks

Bradley R Bakle, Ph.D

Principal

STUDENT INFORMATION

Name _ Grade _ Teacher Room Number _

Revised 2014

Welcome to Cedarville Elementary School!

Dear Parents,

The Cedarville Staff is excited to have the opportunity of providing the formal educational program for over 650 students – including your child! Please be assured that we see this as a tremendous responsibility, which we do not take lightly We will

do our very best to provide every student with the learning environment he/she needs

to receive an excellent education Knowing that we cannot provide all that your child needs, we encourage you to take an active role in your child’s education both at home and at school We encourage you to visit our school, and especially your child’s classroom and teacher

This Handbook provides information to assist you and your child in making this a productive school year Cedarville staff members will review this information with students Please read the handbook carefully and discuss the information with your child, as well If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher or the school office

The mission of Cedarville Elementary School

is to build a solid academic foundation and to develop fundamental skills that will lead its students into a lifetime of success

Our vision:

Cedarville Elementary shall be a place of excellence where children can achieve their full potential in their academic, creative, personal, physical, and character

development We are a school that allows students, faculty, parents, and school

communities to work together toward a common goal

Visualize the child as a future adult

Imagine a school that treats all students as accelerated, and builds upon their strengths

Strong academics intertwined with fundamental skills

Increase student opportunities to excel

Ongoing love of learning

Nourish students to a lifetime of success

Belief Statements:

- All students are challenged to achieve the highest possible levels of knowledge and problem solving skills

- All students demonstrate compassion, respect, and cooperation

- All students feel successful, secure, and happy

- All students, families, educators, and the community accept responsibilities in the learning process

GETTING INFORMATION

You may always call the school at 446-0110 and ask for:

1 School Secretary she will direct you to the person with the

information you need

2 Your Child’s Teacher for information regarding your child and

classroom

3 The School Principal for information or concerns you wish to share

ADDRESS / CONTACT INFORMATION CHANGES

Please notify the school secretary immediately of any changes in home address, phone number, cell phone number, e-mail address, or other contact information

VOICE MAIL

If you need to get a message to your child’s teacher during school hours, please

contact the secretary If you want to leave a message between the hours of 4:30 p.m

and 8:00 a.m., follow the options listed on the directory after dialing the staff member’s extension The staff member will return your call at his or her earliest convenience

Please do not call the teacher directly during the school day Voice mail left during the school day most likely not be heard until AFTER 4:00 p.m

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL TIMES

Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3:

The student day begins at 9:00 a.m Students may enter the building at 8:55 a.m

Supervision of students at Exit 7 (the “walker door”) begins at 8:50 a.m Please plan for your child to arrive at that time so that he/she can be in his/her classroom before the tardy bell rings at 9:05 a.m Please note: Any student arriving at school later than 9:05 a.m should sign in at the school office

Students eating breakfast at school may arrive at 8:40 a.m Breakfast is not served after 9:05 a.m

The student day ends at 3:40 p.m Students are expected to go directly home or to a parent-approved location using the most direct, parent approved route home each day Arrangements MUST be made so that children are picked up NO LATER THAN 3:50 p.m When students must leave school prior to the regular dismissal time, it should be prearranged with the office Students are to be picked up from the office Do not go to the classroom or hallway to pick up your child

COLLABORATION DAYS – ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL TIMES

Cedarville Elementary, along with all other East Allen County

Schools, will dismiss thirty (30) minutes early on Wednesdays

(3:10 p.m for Cedarville), beginning on August 12, 2015, and

continuing through May 18, 2016 Collaboration time will be

used to improve instruction and methodology throughout the

entire corporation Collaboration will occur every week

regardless of vacations, holidays or the like; however, on any

day the corporation has a delay day due to inclement

weather, the collaboration schedule will be cancelled and

schools will dismiss at their regular times

INCLEMENT WEATHER SCHEDULE

When school is delayed or dismissed early due to inclement weather, the

delay/dismissal pertains to all students When the weather is “bad”, be sure to listen to local radio and television for information You may also check the EACS website at www.eacs.k12.in.us Whatever is said about East Allen County Schools applies to

Cedarville Elementary School, as well

Weather Related 2-Hour Delay Schedule:

 Grades Kdg - 3 – 11:00 – 3:40

REMINDER: If there is a delay due to inclement

weather, the collaboration schedule will be cancelled, and the schedule to the left will be followed No breakfast is served if there is a delay

Weather Related 3-Hour Delay Schedule:

 Grades Kdg - 3 – 12:00 – 4:40

REMINDER: Occasionally, there may be a

need to delay school for 3 hours due to inclement

weather In this case, the collaboration schedule

will be cancelled, and the schedule to the right

will be followed No breakfast is served if there is

a 3 –hour delay

ASBESTOS PLAN

In accordance with the US EPA's AHERA Standard (ref: 40 CFR 763.80), all

information concerning asbestos-containing materials in the schools of the East Allen County Schools are available for review and copying by students, staff and guardians during normal business hours Asbestos Management Plans can be found at each school and at the Maintenance Service Center

ATTENDANCE AND TARDINESS

Regular attendance is expected of all students When a student is absent, a parent

should phone the school office (260-446-0110) by 9:10 a.m to report the absence

An attempt will be made to contact parents who fail to contact the school by 9:10 a.m When the student returns to school following an absence, a note, signed by a parent, should be presented to the classroom teacher Students will be considered tardy after 9:05 a.m

Excused absences include personal illness, medical appointments, death in family, and others excused by the principal Please note that routine medical appointments should not require a full-day absence A written notice of a medical or dental appointment during school hours should be sent to the child’s teacher before the absence occurs Requests for planned absences, such as family vacations, should be submitted to the principal in writing at least seven (7) days prior to the beginning of the planned absence

Please note: If a child is tardy for more than two days or absent for more than two days, whether excused or unexcused, he or she becomes ineligible for an excellent attendance award at the end of the year

For the sake of other children's health, your child should NOT attend school if he/she:

• Has a morning temperature of 99 degrees or above (A child kept home from school

due to fever must remain home until fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of

medication such as Tylenol or Advil.)

• Is vomiting and/or has diarrhea (Children who are vomiting or have diarrhea MUST stay home until they are symptom free for 24 HOURS.)

• Has a communicable disease such as chicken pox, or a bacterial infection, such as Conjunctivitis (pink eye), impetigo, and/or ringworm

• Appears obviously ill (with or without a fever)

If your child becomes ill at school with any of the above indicators, you (or an

emergency contact person) will be called to pick up your child Sick children, or

those who pose other health hazards, will not be sent home on the bus

Children who are absent from school due to illness or go home sick from school

should not attend any school-related functions or events that evening

With any absence, whether full or partial day, excused or planned, it is the

responsibility of the student and/or parent to request make-up work Any homework

that a parent wishes to pick up for the child will be available after school dismisses

Teachers cannot stop their teaching in the middle of the day to collect homework and itemize assignments

The EACS “Attendance Policy” will be observed at Cedarville Elementary, and the following steps will be taken when a student is absent/tardy excessively:

1 Send a letter to parent(s) after five (5) days of total absence and eight (8) days of total absence, excused and/or unexcused

2 Schedule a parent conference after the tenth (10th) day of total absence, excused and/or unexcused

3 Send a letter after ten (10) days of total absence, excused and/or unexcused, and notify parents that additional consequences are being considered for continued excessive absenteeism including notification of local court authorities

For further information, refer to the EACS Guide to Students and Parents

BREAKFAST / LUNCH PROGRAM

2015-2016 Prices (Prices are subject to change.)

Adult Lunch $2.40

Point of Sale System

Cedarville offers the Point of Sale cashiering system, so you can pay for school breakfasts and/or lunches by sending money to be deposited into an account for your child Daily meal purchases are then charged against the account

 To make a deposit into your child’s breakfast/lunch account, fill out a deposit envelope with your child’s name, PIN (Personal Identification Number) number, and the amount of money enclosed

 A minimum of $10.00 and a maximum of $200.00 per child are suggested

 A note or automated voice message will go home when a balance is below $5.00

 Checks may be made out to Cedarville Elementary Cafeteria or cash will be

accepted Money is not accepted at the cafeteria register

 If your child has money left in his or her breakfast/lunch account at the end of the school year, it will carry over for next year It will also carry over for students transferring to any other East Allen school

 Students approved for free lunch also receive free breakfast

 For further information refer to the EACS Guide to Students and Parents

View Lunch Account Balance

 Go to EACS website

 Scroll down to Parent Access on left side

 Pint in you Username and Password

 You can view account balance from here

Access or Set-Up Electronic Lunch Payment

 Go to EACS website

 Scroll down to Meal Account Payment on left side

 Set up account if new user

 Put in your Username and Password

Note: There is a $1.00 transaction convenience fee for each electronic checking payment that you make For payments made by credit or debit card, there is a convenience fee of $2.45 per each $100.00 increment in the transaction You may put money in more than one account within the same transaction so you are only charged once

If sending in a payment with your child, please make sure it is clearly marked with the students first and last name Please put student ID# (if known) or

student’s room # or teacher’s name on envelope If you have more than one student, at the SAME school, you may put all in one envelope

Meal Service

 Lunch will be served beginning on the first day of school, Tuesday, August 11th

 Also beginning August 11th, breakfast will be served daily at 8:40 a.m., on all

regular arrival days; that is, no breakfast will be served if there is a delay for inclement weather (as noted on page 4)

Lunch Guests

Parents are encouraged to join their child(ren) for lunch occasionally If you plan to join your child for lunch, please observe these guidelines:

 Inform your child’s teacher or the office by phone or note by 9:40 a.m to be

included in our lunch count This will enable our cafeteria staff to prepare meals for our students and guests, while avoiding needless waste.

 Do not bring fast/restaurant food from the outside

 This time is meant to be spent with your child, and may include one of your child’s

friends Parents are asked to be sensitive to the ramifications of inviting one friend

to lunch, but not including others

 Remember that all cafeteria rules apply to all students, whether or not a parent is present

BUS TRANSPORTATION

EACS provides bus transportation for students who live within specified attendance areas Kindergarten through third grade students who ride buses should ride both ways each day unless parents have made other arrangements with the driver or office Students may only ride the buses

to which they are assigned and must get on/off at the assigned stops The building principal must approve exceptions

PARKING LOT AND PICK-UP/DROP OFF PROCEDURES FOR PARENTS

Whether you are picking up or dropping off a student, running a

message (a project, homework, or any other item) to or from the

school office or a classroom, or visiting the school for a longer

period of time, please do not park in the handicapped parking

spaces, UNLESS you have a handicapped parking tag or

license plate These spaces are reserved for handicapped

visitors, just as they are at any shopping center, post office,

medical facility, or other parking area

The safety of our students is of the highest priority, especially as they arrive at school each morning and as they leave at the end of the day! While just over 80% of our students ride the bus, nearly 20% are transported to and from school by car With so

many car riders – and so many cars – it is imperative that all car riders (and drivers)

follow the guidelines below to improve the efficiency of traffic flow before and after

school, and to ensure the safety of our students (Please refer to the map of the school

on the back cover of this booklet.)

 The NORTH parking lot (facing State Road 1) is designated for staff, parent, and

visitor parking

 Any students arriving or leaving (before or after school) with parents are to be

dropped off and/or picked up along the sidewalk beside the NORTH parking lot, not from within the parking lot

 Students will enter/leave the building at EXIT 7

 The first car arriving will pull up to the tree closest to the main entrance (EXIT 8)

 Parents will form a line and remain in their cars

 Students should exit/enter their vehicles on the passenger side and avoid walking around cars

 Students should be encouraged to organize and gather their belongings so that they are ready to exit the vehicle when it is stopped at the drop-off point

 Parents should avoid walking around the vehicle to open the door

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 When arriving at school, students will proceed directly to EXIT 7 upon exiting their vehicles

 At dismissal, students will remain in line with supervising adult until their parents’

cars have stopped by the curb

 After the vehicles by the sidewalk are loaded or unloaded, they will exit the parking

lot, following the car in front The next group of cars will pull up to the tree

closest to the main entrance (EXIT 8)

 For safety reasons, drivers should not cut in front of other vehicles that are

in line

 Before and after school, the EAST parking lot is restricted to BUS USE ONLY

 Unless the school is having a special activity, no vehicles (other than buses) are to

park in the EAST lot at any time during school hours

o All bus riders (K-3) will be dropped off in the morning and picked up at the end

of the day by our bus drivers at the EAST parking lot location

o Grade 1 students will enter and be dismissed at exit #9

o Second and third grade students will enter and be dismissed at exit #10

o Kindergarten students will enter and be dismissed at either the hallway

entrance closest to their rooms or use the classroom-designated sidewalk and

doorway into the classroom

LATCHKEY PROGRAM

As of the date of publication, a Latchkey (child care) program sponsored by the YMCA will be offered for 2015-2016 at Cedarville Elementary in the morning beginning at 6:30 a.m., and Leo Elementary for after school The afternoon program at LEEL runs until 6:00 p.m There is a nominal fee Transportation from Cedarville Elementary School to Leo Elementary School is provided

STUDENT DISCIPLINE PLAN

All students deserve the opportunity to attend a SAFE SCHOOL where ALL

CHILDREN CAN LEARN! For this to happen, parents, students, and staff must work together

The focus of discipline at Cedarville Elementary is one of "teaching students to

become responsible individuals"; rather than one of "punishing misbehavior" Children will make "mistakes" while at school and we want to make such times a learning

experience; however, behavior that is defiant, significantly disruptive, and/or causes personal injury to others will not be accepted

Cedarville Elementary will be orderly and disciplined Students will show self-control and will be accountable for their behavior Students will experience the consequences

of inappropriate behavior Cedarville staff will help students understand "Schoolwide Expectations & Procedures" Classroom teachers will establish "Classroom

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Expectations & Procedures" and review them with students "Expectations" will be

sent home for parents to read

General Behavioral Expectations

 Student behavior will allow "teachers to teach and students to learn."

o Behavior that disrupts teaching and learning will not be allowed

 Students will respect one another's personal space

o Fighting (intentionally hurting others) and threatening will not be allowed

o Bullying will not be allowed

 Students will use respectful language and actions

o Disrespectful or inappropriate language and actions will not be allowed

 Students will respect the property of others

o Vandalism and theft will not be allowed

 Students will be in school on time unless parents have informed the office

o Students will handle all cafeteria materials and equipment with care

o Students will make every attempt to sample all foods and throw away as little

as possible

o Students will hang up their coats before entering the cafeteria

 Classroom:

o Students will follow "Classroom Procedures"

o Students will be alert, attentive, and ready to participate in class activities

o Students will be courteous and respectful to all people at all times

o Students will treat school and one another's property with respect

 During Emergency Procedures:

o Students will follow stated procedures quickly and quietly, obeying staff

immediately

 Hallways:

o Students will follow "Hallway Procedure", not disturbing others at study

 Playground:

o Students will follow playground and playground equipment procedures

o Students will refrain from throwing snowballs or rocks

Consequences for Misbehavior

Children will be responsible and accountable for their behavior, and will experience the consequences of inappropriate behavior

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