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2998 FAIRFIELD PIKE (931) 389-0031 |
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STUDENT AND PARENT
HANDBOOK STATEMENT AND
PHILOSOPHY |
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The goal of This handbook has been prepared to
inform you of the policies and guidelines of our school and the Bedford
County Board of Education. This
handbook contains explanations of the expectations that we have for our
students in areas such as attendance, academics, conduct, and other aspects
of school life. Both students and
parents should read this handbook and become familiar with the rules that
apply to the students of SCHOOL OBJECTIVES 1. To provide an
environment conducive to learning. 2. To develop in the
students moral and leadership qualities that will enable them to become
productive citizens. 3. To develop in the
students the fundamentals of learning and communication. 4. To foster
understanding and cooperation among parents, faculty, and students. 5. To guide students in
the development of good study habits. 6.
To provide students the necessary opportunities to sharpen their skills in
reasoning, making decisions and solving problems. Dear
Parent/Guardian: We
ask that you review the Student and Parent Handbook with your child. Please complete the information below after
completing your review. My
child,
____________________________
and I have reviewed and understand the Student and Parent Handbook for
the 2004 - 2005 school year. _______________________________________ Student
Signature _______________________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature Sharon V. Edwards, Principal I. OPERATIONS MASTER SCHEDULE ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL School begins promptly at ALL
first through fifth grade students arriving at school before Breakfast will be served beginning at NO STUDENT WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE BUILDING
PRIOR TO BEDFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS ATTENDANCE POLICY Attendance is a key factor in student
achievement, and therefore, students are expected to be present each day that
school is in session. Absences shall be classified as either excused
or unexcused as determined by the principal or his designee. Excused absences shall include: 1. Personal Illness; 2. Illness of immediate family
member; 3. Death in the family; 4. Extreme weather conditions; 5. Religious observances; or 6. Circumstances which in the
judgment of the principal create emergencies over which the student has no
control. 7. Other Following
five (5) absences without adequate excuse, a student’s parent or guardian
shall be notified in writing of the Bedford County Attendance Policy by an
official of the school system. One copy of the notification shall be filed
with the attendance supervisor, and one copy kept on file at school. All
schools will issue excused and unexcused absences in accordance with school
policy. An excused absence permits the
student to make up schoolwork, at the teacher’s discretion, within five (5)
days of returning to school. An unexcused
absence denies a student the privilege of completing these assignments. It is
the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the teacher to get the
make up assignments. Parent notes will suffice for 10 absences; after 10
absences a doctor’s note is required.
If a situation arises where the student knows ahead of time that an
absence is required, i.e. a family trip, the parent must complete a
Preapproved Trip Request form that is available in the front office. All absences for this type of absence will
be unexcused without prior notification and the principal’s signature on the
Trip Request form. Any
student who exceeds fifteen (15) absences per school year, without adequate excuse, will be
denied credit. For elementary
students, this means that the student will be retained. School officials are
permitted to require a physician’s verification to substantiate an
illness. Adequate excuse is generally
interpreted as having medical verification or exemplary hardship. Hardship cases may be referred to a hearing
of the Board. Any administrative decision
regarding attendance may be appealed initially to the superintendent and
ultimately to the Board. The appeal
shall be made in writing to the superintendent within five (5) school days
following the action or the report of the action, whichever is later. Student attendance records
shall be given the same level of confidentiality as other student
records. Only authorized school
officials with legitimate educational purposes may have access to student
information without the consent of the student or parent/guardian. Approved by the RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER AN ABSENCE OR CHECK OUT Students returning after an absence must
obtain an admit slip from the Gym Monitor before
the school day begins. The Gym Monitor will
write notes in the gym until The student must have a note from the
parent/guardian with the following information: 1. Student’s full name 2. Date of absence 3. Reason for absence 4. Parent/guardian’s signature 5. Telephone number where
parent/guardian can be reached The student will be given an admit slip
marked excused or unexcused. Students
will be allowed to make up work in accordance with the Bedford County Board’s
Attendance Policy. See Attendance Policy. CHECKOUT POLICY Only parents or legal guardians may
authorize a student to leave school during the school day. Any parent wishing to personally check a
student out during the day must come to the office and do so. Teachers are not to release a student from
a classroom until notified by the office to do so. Please do not go to the
classroom to get your child. The
parent will be required to sign the student out in the office. If there is a question of legal custody, the school reserves the right to require
proof of custody before releasing a student. If you have a situation in which there are
court orders denying access to your child by other family members, a copy of
those papers must be on file in the school office. Check out by phone will
only be allowed in cases of emergency.
A school official must speak personally with the parent or guardian
before the student will be released. Notes from parents/guardians are required
for a student to check out for any reason.
The note must contain the same information as above (Return to
School). School officials will check the validity of any questionable
note. Any note requesting a check-out
which cannot be verified will not be accepted, and permission to checkout
will be denied. Any student who checks
out during the school day must bring a note from a parent/guardian the next
day. Classes missed while a
student is checked-out are subject to the same rules as regular absences. STUDENT WITHDRAWAL Students leaving this school during the
school term for any reason must withdraw properly with a withdrawal form,
which may be obtained in the office.
All school debts and any lunchroom charges must be paid, all library
books, and all textbooks must be returned.
The school will not transfer
records to any other school unless all debts have been cleared. Records will
not be sent without the proper request from the receiving school. TRANSFERS IN COUNTY Students who transfer to schools within the Any student may transfer once during
the first ten days of the school year without changing his/her residence. The student will not be allowed to return
to his first school until the beginning of the next year. SCHOOL AREA EXEMPTION
In order to attend VISITORS REPORTING TO THE OFFICE
For the safety of your children, all
visitors and parents MUST report to the office, and sign the
visitor’s log to receive a visitor’s pass, before proceeding to any part of
the school building. When parents go to the classroom, this causes
disruptions to the instructional process. All exterior doors are locked with
the exception of the front door. Please do not knock on a door and request
that a student open the door. We encourage you to visit your child’s
classroom, but request that you check in through the office. A visitor Visitor stickers are provided
for identification and student safety. When visiting a classroom, visitors
must wear visitor stickers. All visitors are expected to leave promptly when
signing out of the office and return the visitor sticker when completing
their business.
SPECIAL EVENT
DAYS
Christmas,
Valentine’s Day, Easter, Grandparent’s Day, Field Day, etc. are all special days at Cascade
Elementary. We enjoy having all parents/guardians
and grandparents participate. Extra people in the building can make it
difficult for the cafeteria to plan lunch. Please notify the school in
advance if you plan to come for lunch on any of these days. For your
convenience on these special event days, we will have visitor sign-in sheets
in the classroom so that you will not need to stop by the office to sign-in.
If you are checking out your student for the remainder of the day, you may do
that in the classrooms as well. Our school buses park out front and arrive by
Your child’s birthday will be celebrated
on the day of/ or nearest date. You
may send a small treat for everyone, (cookies, cupcakes, etc.). Please do not send birthday party
invitations to school for your child to distribute unless there is one for
every child in the room. Summer
birthdays will be celebrated at the end of the year. Kindergarten students bring costumes for
a Halloween parade. Other events are
celebrated with treats and games; no gifts please. ROOM PARENTS
TRAFFIC SAFETY
Please
help us to prevent the risk of serious injury by carefully adhering to all
rules of traffic safety: 1.
Do not drop off car riders in the bus lanes at the front of the
building during bus times. A SIGN IS CLEARLY POSTED THAT LIMITS THE FRONT
PARKING LOT TO BUSES ONLY. 2. When picking up a child at the back of the
building, please do not leave your
car to walk up and pick up your child.
Students will not be dismissed to cross
the lanes of traffic by themselves. A
teacher will assist each child when getting into cars. 3. Please maintain a one-way lane of traffic in the back parking lot. If you have high
school students to drop off, please use the left lane of traffic; for
elementary drop-off, please use the right lane of traffic. It is appropriate to allow students to be dropped off from
the right lane of traffic at any point along the colored sidewalk areas. Please refer to the parking lot diagram at the
end of the handbook for additional information. 4. Please use the crosswalks and designated
striped areas to walk in. 5.
Do not park in the bus loading zones at the front of the building
between 6. On Special Event Days, please use the large
parking lot between the two buildings, or make plans to remove your vehicle by front sidewalk diagonally rather than
horizontally. 7. Children are not permitted to cross the
parking lot to the high school unless accompanied by an adult. If they are going to ride with older siblings,
the sibling needs to drive over to facilitate pick-up. 8. Please have your children prepared before
arrival at school, i.e. have backpacks packed, papers signed, and your child ready to exit their vehicle. REMEMBER: our main concern is the safety and well
being of everyone. SAFETY DRILLS Fire, tornado, and earthquake drills are held
at irregular intervals throughout the school year. Your children practice sitting quietly in
enclosed areas in our building during a tornado drill and walking quietly
outside during a fire drill. We also
have a campus evacuation drill at least once during the year. In the event of a true emergency in which
an actual campus evacuation would be necessary, we have made arrangements
with The Webb School in Bell Buckle.
Upon notification from us of an emergency situation, they will
immediately dispatch their school buses to our site off the EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION It is very important that we be able to
contact you in the case of an emergency. We must have your CURRENT address
and telephone numbers at all times, even if your phone number is
unlisted! Please add your cell phone
number to your child’s record when possible. Please notify our secretary
and/or your child’s teacher if you change your address or telephone number.
The school will keep this information confidential. INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURES We like to be prepared in the event
that a winter storm were to hit our area during the day. Please complete the
“weather procedure form” and return to your child’s teacher. Early school
closings will be announced on the local radio station WLIJ (1580 AM), at www.cancellations.com or you may call
684-3284, ext. 400. It is
extremely important that we have this information on file due to past
experience of parents not being able to contact the school because all the phone lines are busy. MEDICATIONS If under exceptional circumstances a child is required to take
prescription or non-prescription medication during school hours a designated
person will assist the student in the self-administration of the medication.
The student must be competent to self-administer medication. Before
medication can be taken at school the parent must fill out and sign a
medication form. The medication must be delivered to the office in person by the
parent or a responsible adult for the student. Please DO NOT place
medications in your child’s backpack.
Parent must notify the school of any medication changes and a new form
must be completed. The medication
form and the medication bottle must match. Written instructions signed by
parent will be required and will include: 1. Child’s
name; 2. Name of
medication; 3. Name of physician; 4. Time to be
administered; 5. Dosage; 6. Possible
side effects, if known, and; 7. Termination
date for administering the medication There is a school medical form that must
be signed and on file in the office before non-prescription treatments can be
administered. No medication, prescription or otherwise,
will be dispensed without the proper signatures. If your child needs Tylenol,
or any other non-prescription medicine at school, it must be provided by the
parent/guardian. We do not keep
medications at school. FIRST AID
Since there is not a school
nurse present in the school at all times, there are designated personnel at
school that administer first aid. If
the injury/illness goes beyond the designated personnel’s training the school
nurse will be notified. The following
first aid supplies are available: Band-Aids gloves Alcohol
antibacterial soap Cotton balls cold packs Calamine lotion Vaseline Gauze pads/rolls HEAD
LICE 1.
School
wide checks will be done periodically throughout the school year. Prior
notice is given via the newsletter. 2.
If
a teacher or a staff member suspects or detects head lice infestation of a
student, the student shall be referred to the office. 3.
Upon
reasonable confirmation of lice or nits, the student’s parents or guardian is
notified to pick up the student. 4.
The
student shall be isolated, under the direction of the principal, until he/she
can be picked up. 5.
According
to the Board of Education Policy JGCC, the student may not attend school or
ride bus until it has been confirmed that they are free of lice and/or nits. 6.
In
the event the parent cannot be reached, the principal will inform the bus
driver to isolate the student on the bus.
Bus privileges will be denied until treatment is verified by
appropriate officials. 7.
The
parent or guardian shall be given specific instructions, and may return to the school for the first check between 8.
Re-checks will be done Monday –
Thursday from 9.
You
must have a note from the school health nurses in order to return to school
and regain bus privileges. 10.
If
a child has not cleared for return to school within three days, their name
will be referred to the truant officer.
The child will be re-checked at the school in 7 – 10 days to confirm
that re- infestation has not occurred.
11.
Treatment
procedures shall take no more than two (2) school days. (Absences will be
counted as unexcused after two (2) days.) 12.
It
is advised that you check your child periodically at home also. TELEPHONE USE Student use of the telephone
during the school day is discouraged. Students
will be permitted to use the telephone only in cases of emergency. Parents should make every effort to make
arrangements for transportation, appointments, practices, etc., before the child leaves for school
each day. In case of an emergency, we will
make every effort to deliver phone messages to the student. If a parent must call with a message, please
do so before ROOM FEES Room fees are
requested at the beginning of each year. Our room fees are used to purchase
workbooks, weekly readers, classroom supplies, etc. This money needs to be paid as soon as
possible in order to purchase supplies needed to begin the year. Most room fees are either $20 or $25. For your convenience we accept installment
payments. There may be times during the year when additional items or money
is requested for special activities or holiday crafts. RETURNED
CHECKS Any checks returned
to us by the bank will need to be paid in cash or money order, including any
bank charges. After the second
returned check any remaining fees must be paid for in cash or with a money
order. II.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS GRADING POLICY This school believes that the issuance
of grades serves to promote continuous evaluation of student performance, to
inform the student and parents of the student’s progress, and to provide a
basis for bringing about needed changes in that student’s performance.
Conduct grades are based on behavior and are not deducted from
academic grades. Grades are given at the end of each
six-week period and will be determined from daily work, written assignments,
projects, and tests. The teacher will
weigh the value of grades given for various assignments within the six-week
period in computing the grades for each student. The remaining percentage should consist of
the criteria which the teacher may elect to use, such as effort, class
participation, homework, class work, etc., with the percentage for each being
determined by the teacher. Grades are
given for each academic subject in the regular classroom. Art, Music,
Physical Education, and Guidance grades are given in 4th and 5th
grades using the following scales: Art: Students will receive a letter grade in
Art based on participation, assignments, and quizzes. Music: Students will receive
a grade based on an average of participation, unit test, skills assessment
and vocabulary scores every six weeks. The following grade scale will be used
to determine their final grade at the end of each grading period: A+ = 10,
A=9, A-=8, B+ =7, B=6, B-=5, C+=4, C=3, C-=2. One extra credit opportunity
will be available per grading period.
A letter is sent home with more details at the beginning of the year. Physical
Education:
A numerical grade is received in P.E. for 4th & 5th
grade. Each grade is based on participation, attitude and test scores. Guidance: Students will receive
a guidance grade based on participation, effort and behavior. Periodically
tests are given over major units. Students 1st through 5th
receive a grade, with 1st and 2nd receiving a + or -,
and 3rd through 5th receiving a letter grade. CONFERENCES
Parent-Teacher conferences will be held at
the end of the first six weeks to discuss your child’s progress in school.
The teachers will be available to meet with parents on an individual basis at
this time. The teachers will make appointments. We ask that you make every
effort to attend your conference at the appointed time. If your schedule
conflicts with the given appointment, we will be glad to rearrange the
conference so that we can still meet. If the need arises for a conference at
any time during the year, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s
teacher. Call 389-0031 to set up a conference. Regular home/school
communication is important for the success of our students at Cascade
Elementary. REPORT CARDS Report cards are issued every six
weeks. They require a parent or
guardian signature and have to be returned to school. A notice will appear in the local newspaper
notifying parents of the date the report cards will be issued or you may
refer to the school calendar. A special deficiency report will be sent
to parents of students who are experiencing difficulty. These reports may be sent by any teacher
during any grading period. There are two Parent-Teacher Conferences
scheduled during the school year.
Additional conferences may be scheduled with individual
teacher/teachers as requested by the parent or teacher. LOST REPORT CARDS Any
student who loses his/her report card must pay $1.00 to have an additional
report card issued. HONOR ROLL Third,
fourth and fifth grade students may achieve Regular Honor Roll or High Honor
Roll by meeting the following grade
requirements: 1. An average of 86 or
higher in every grade subject.
(Regular Honor Roll) (A – B) 2. An average of 95 or
higher in every grade subject. (High
Honor Roll) (A) 3. A student will not be
eligible for the Honor Roll if any conduct grade is unsatisfactory. TEXTBOOKS All basic textbooks are loaned
to students for their use during the school year. Workbooks and other
supplies are paid for by the student. Textbooks are to be kept clean and
handled carefully. The student will be
required to pay for books that are lost, stolen, or damaged beyond use. Textbooks are property of the
Board of Education and shall be returned at the end of the school year, upon
completion of the course or upon withdrawal from a course or school. The following reimbursement schedule shall
be used as a guide for collection fines for lost or damaged textbooks: Age of book Amount
Collected 1 - 6 years 100%
of replacement cost 7 or more
years 50%
of replacement cost The principal may include with
the notice a provision that failure to pay the fine imposed within a
reasonable time may result in the imposition of one or both of the following
sanctions: 1. Refusal to issue any
additional textbooks until restitution is made: 2. Withholding of all grade
cards, diplomas, certificates of progress, or transcripts until restitution
is made. 3. Withholding field day or
any end of year reward trips. HOMEWORK
1.
Homework
assignments stem from class work, providing students an opportunity to apply,
supplement and reinforce information that has been learned at school. 2.
Homework
also gives the student the experience of working by himself. This experience
will help him to develop initiative, self-discipline, responsibility and
independence. 3.
Homework
can be a vehicle through which teacher expectations, student progress, and
the school’s curriculum are shared with parents. 4.
As
far as time spent on homework, a general rule is a maximum time limit of
15-30 minutes daily for grades 1-3, gradually increasing to 45-60 minutes
daily in grades 4-5. III.
STUDENT CONDUCT ALL SCHOOL
RULES APPLY AT EVERY SCHOOL –RELATED FUNCTION. STUDENT OFFENSES AND DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES In accordance with Discipline
Procedures of the Bedford County School System, offenses and required or
recommended dispositions are outlined below for the information of school
personnel, students and parents. Disciplinary
action will include appropriate hearings and reviews and, in all cases, the
rights of the individuals will be ensured and protected.
MINOR OFFENSES: 1.
Classroom Disturbances (When not a serious
disruption of learning opportunities for other members of the class) 2.
School Disturbances 3.
Use of Profane, vulgar or obscene words, gestures, or other actions that
disrupt school system operations 4.
Committing academic dishonesty/cheating 5. Scuffling (running,
pushing, tripping etc.) or committing physical acts which are less serious
than fighting (as determined by the teacher and/or principal) 6. Rude, disrespectful
behavior and/or refusal to carry out instructions of faculty or staff
members. 7.
Chewing gum, etc. in the building 8.
Disrupting class 9.
Failing to keep hands, feet, and objects to oneself 10.
Misbehaving in the halls and/or cafeteria 11.
Possessing radios, cd players, cds, tapes, toys, etc. * 12.
Littering 13.
Being tardy to class 14.
Violating the dress code 15.
Restroom problems 16.
Committing other similar minor offenses *
These items will be confiscated. MINOR
OFFENSES CONSEQUENCES: Minor violations will be handled by the
teacher using discipline strategies, conflict resolution, and classroom management
techniques such as a warning, loss of privileges, and parent notification. 1st offense: Penalty at
the discretion of the Principal; may include time out in office, write offs,
parent notification. 2nd and subsequent offense(s): may
include corporal punishment, in-school suspension, etc. Office referral form: Sent home with student
when student is disciplined by the Principal. MUST be signed by
parent/guardian and returned. INTERMEDIATE
OFFENSES: 1.
Property a. Theft, vandalism,
destruction (deliberate and serious) or defacement of public or private
property 2.
Violence A. Fighting or violence against
another student. 3.
Rude and disrespectful and/or refusal to carry out instruction of faculty or
staff members. 4.
Possessing a beeper/pager, laser light; using a cell phone * 5.
Use of tobacco a.
The possession or use of tobacco or tobacco paraphernalia, in any
form, is not permitted on school property or while participating in
a school related activity on or off campus. 6.Committing
sexual misconduct; possessing pornographic material 7.
Committing forgery 8.
Communicating obscenities or possessing obscene materials 9.
Threatening or intimidating another student but not involving physical
contact. 10.
Misbehavior on bus. A
school bus is not a playground. The same behavior expected in the classroom
must also be maintained on the bus. Students must cooperate
with the driver. 11.
Accumulating minor offenses. 12.
Committing other similar intermediate violations. * These items
will be confiscated. INTERMEDIATE
OFFENSES CONSEQUENCES: Counsel/reprimand Remove from the classroom. Contact
parent. Suspend 1 to
10 days from the bus and/or school. MAJOR OFFENSES: 1. Alcohol a.
b. Possession of, use of, being under
the influence of alcohol on school property, or at a school function 2.
Assault and/or battery on faculty or staff member. Striking or, pushing or
threatening bodily harm to faculty or staff member. 3. Drugs a.
b. Possession of, use of, being under the
influence of drugs on school property, or at a school function. 4. Sexual
harassment, indecent exposure, and inappropriate sexual behavior. MAJOR OFFENSES CONSEQUENCES: Contact
Parent. Suspend (up to
10 days) and/or recommend expulsion. EXTREME OFFENSES: 1. Weapons ** a.
A student shall not supply, possess, handle, use or transmit a dangerous
instrument or weapon on school property, on his or her way to
or from school, or at any school function, activity or event away from school. b. The following items are defined as
dangerous weapons: (1) firearms, (2) knives, (3) any object which may be used in such a manner as to
inflict bodily injury or to place another in fear for his/her safety or well-being and (4) any object which
reasonably can be considered a weapon. Items that are similar in appearance to real weapons and
dangerous instruments are strictly prohibited. 2. Committing other similar extreme
violations ** These items will be confiscated by
law enforcement. EXTREME
OFFENSES CONSEQUENCES: Suspend (10
days and/or recommend expulsion). Suspension is normally out of school;
however; the principal has the discretion to allow service in school if
he/she deems appropriate. NOTE: Any
expense incurred as a result of inappropriate behavior or violation of this
code will require restitution as a part of the punishment. Discipline of
handicapped students must follow district Board Policy and Federal
Regulations. All state and federal laws and regulations will be followed as
they apply to each situation. BUS REGULATIONSRiding
the school bus is a privilege.
Improper conduct on the bus will result in the privilege being
denied. The bus is an extension of the
school, and the same conduct is expected on the bus during the school day. Bus students are to go to the bus as soon
as they are dismissed from school in the afternoon. Bus
regulations are as follows: 1. Observe the same conduct as in the
classroom. 2. Be courteous; use no profane language. 3. Do not eat or drink on the bus. 4. Keep the bus clean. 5. Cooperate with the driver, show respect
to the driver and obey the driver. 6. Do not smoke or use tobacco products. |