Parent & Student Handbook
2016-2017
4801 La Branch
Houston, Texas 77004
Phone: 713-942-1990
Fax: 713-942-1993
http://es.houstonisd.org/MacgregorES/
Houston Independent School District
Tara Garrett, Principal
Table of Contents
General Information 4
§ School Hours
§ Dress Code
§ School Holidays
§ Early Dismissal Days
§ Report Card Dates
8
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures 5
Attendance and Absences 5
Campus Visitor Guidelines 6
Cell Phones 6
Classroom Access 6
Classroom Observations 6
Discipline Management 6
Early Release of Students 6
Emergency Procedures 6
Enrollment Card Information 7
Extended Day-After School Program 7
Field Trips 7
General Conduct 7
Graded Work 7
Homework 7
Lost & Found 8
Medications 8
Notice of Progress 8
Parent-Teacher Conferences 8
Parties 8
Tardiness 9
Textbooks/Library books/Instruments 9
Transportation 9
VIPS 9
Volunteering on Campus 9
Withdrawal from School 9
2016-2017 Academic Calendar
Henry F. MacGregor Elementary
Music and Science Magnet
School Mascot
Tiger
School Colors
Navy Blue and Golden Yellow
Tara Garrett
Principal
Marcie Colemon
Instructional Specialist
Melony Makey
Teacher Coordinator
Maria Brewer
Magnet Coordinator
Janet Hernandez
School Secretary
This handbook is designed to familiarize parents and students with the policies, people, and programs at Henry F. MacGregor Elementary School. It should be used as a guide to our school in conjunction with the HISD Student Code of Conduct, Elementary Guidelines and the policies of the Board of Education and the Texas Education Agency.
Please take time to read through the handbook and discuss it with your child.
General Information
School Hours
7:00 Open
7:30 School Begins
7:45 Students Tardy (Tardy documentation is taken for the record -Report Card)
3:00 School Day Ends
4:00 Magnet Music Masters Ends for 4th and 5th grades
5:30 Afterschool Program Ends
Dress Code
Girls
* Navy blue skirts, knee pants, jumpers, pants, skorts, and blue jeans
* Navy blue dresses
* Navy blue, gold, or white long/short sleeve polo/collar shirts
* Navy blue sweaters and jackets
* MacGregor Polo shirts (Gold polo-style shirts with the school logo are require for performances.)
* Closed-toe shoes
Boys
* Navy blue shorts, pants, and blue jeans
* Navy blue, gold or white polo shirts
* Navy blue sweaters and jackets
* MacGregor Polo shirts (Gold polo-style shirts with the school logo are require for performances.)
* Closed-toe shoes
FREE DRESS: Clothing such as halters, ripped jeans/pants, jeggings, sundresses, short shorts, short skirts, sandals, shirts with obscene/profane language, etc. are not allowed. Keep in mind the general guidelines we have put in place for the dress code as your child participates in free dress day.
THE SCHOOL DRESS CODE WILL BE ENFORCED – Students will be loaned school uniforms when out of dress code school-wide to ensure 100% compliance
School Holidays
September 5, 2016 – Labor Day
October 12, 2016 – Fall Holiday
November 23-25, 2016 – Thanksgiving Holiday
December 19, 2016 – January 3, 2017 – Winter Holiday
January 16, 2017 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
March 13 - 17, 2017 – Spring Break
April 14, 2017 – Spring Holiday
Early Dismissal Days-All students dismissed at 12:30 pm. No after school program.
September 21, 2016 October 11, 2016 November 16, 2016
January 25, 2017 February 22, 2017
Report Card Days – Regular Pre-Kindergarten
October 28, 2016 November 11, 2016
January 6, 2017 February 17, 2017
March 24, 2017 May 25, 2017
May 25, 2017
Arrival and Dismissal
Before School: Adult supervision is provided in the cafeteria beginning at 7:00 a.m. All students must wait in the cafeteria until dismissed. Students may not be dropped off before 7:00 a.m., as there will be no school personnel on duty at this time to ensure their safety.
Arrival: Students may be dropped off at the main entrance on LaBranch as early as 7:00 a.m.
Wentworth and Rosedale gates are open 7:15a.m.-7:40a.m.
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students may be dropped off and picked up at the gate near the Pre-Kindergarten classes on Rosedale. After 7:40a.m., these students must enter through the main entrance.
Dismissal: Students may be picked up at designated gates from 3:00-3:10.
After 3:10 p.m., remaining students will wait in the main office.
Students will report to designated gates:
Pre-K and K- Rosedale gate 1st and 2nd – Wentworth gate near T buildings
3rd and 4th – Wentworth gate near field 5th - Rear gate on Jackson
Older siblings will report to the younger sibling’s dismissal location for pick up.
New Procedure: Numbered dismissal tags are required for student release.
All students will be issued 2 numbered dismissal tags.
Anyone picking up a child must present the child’s assigned tag to the teacher at the gate.
Anyone without the assigned tag will be directed to the main office to present ID for verification.
Upon verification, students will be released to individuals on the Student Pick-Up Authorization Form on file.
Attendance/Absences
ADA recorded is at 9:30 a.m. daily. If a student is not in the classroom at the time attendance is taken he/she is counted absent. However, students who are out of class when official attendance is recorded, due to medical appointments, may be counted present if they provide an excuse from the physician’s office, and the student is in attendance for at least 50% of the instructional day. Please make every effort to schedule doctor’s appointments after 10:00 a.m.
Students who are absent or tardy MUST present the teacher/attendance clerk with a written excuse signed by the parent/guardian within three (3) days of the absence. A maximum of 10 handwritten notes will be excused per academic year.
TEC §25.095 requires the school district to notify a student’s parent or legal guardian more than 10 or more days or parts of days in a six-month period:
Students will be excused from attending school for the purpose of observing religious holidays when it is a tenet of their faith, provided a written request is sent in advance by the parent or guardian.
Compulsory Student Attendance TEC §25.085:
A child is required to attend a school under this section shall attend school each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is provided. Excessive absences for full days or parts of days may result in retention or legal action allowable by attendance guidelines.
Prekindergarten and kindergarten students who are enrolled in school are subject to the Compulsory School Attendance section of the Texas Education Code. However, if the child has not reached mandatory compulsory attendance age (six years old as of September 1 of the current school year) the parent/guardian may withdraw the student from school and the child will no longer be in violation of compulsory attendance rules.
The Texas Education Code (25.092) sets a minimum attendance requirement of 90 percent of class meetings for the award of course credit. Houston ISD requires a minimum attendance of 90% of class meetings. In addition to a 90% requirement for course credit, district promotion standards for grades 1-8 require 90% attendance.
Questions regarding attendance may be referred to Ms. Gil at . Excuse notes may be e-mailed to Ms. Gil, placed in her mailbox, or submitted to the classroom teacher.
Campus Visitor Guidelines
All campus visitors must present valid ID to be checked in through RAPTOR upon entry to the campus and adhere to these guidelines during instructional time, assemblies, and events.
Parents are always welcome to visit Macgregor Elementary School. For all students’ safety, campus visitors must present a valid ID and wear a visitor’s sticker with the visiting location, current date and time and remain in the designated location. All classroom visits will be scheduled with campus administration.
All campus visitors, including for assemblies and concerts must adhere to visitor guidelines. See Visitor Guidelines.
Cell Phones
Students are allowed to have a cell phone in their backpack for use after school. Cell phones are not allowed to be on or used during the school day. Cell phones that are visible (seen or heard) during the school day will be confiscated and turned in to the office. Confiscated phones must be retrieved by a parent/guardian.
Classroom Access During Instructional Time
In order to ensure safety, adequate supervision of all students, and maximize instructional time, classroom visits must be scheduled with campus administration at least 24 hours in advance. Forgotten items, deliveries to teachers or students, and messages to teachers or students will be left at the main office and delivered by school personnel as time permits. Parents are welcome to eat lunch with their children in the cafeteria during their scheduled lunch period at the reserved tables.
Classroom Observations
Parents are always welcome at school. If a parent or legal guardian wishes to observe a classroom, contact the main office to coordinate an administrative escort. All visitors must adhere to normal sign-in procedures. One parent/legal guardian is allowed to observe a class at a time for a duration of 15 minutes to limit the disruption to the educational process. During the observation, you may not interact with the teacher, your child, or any other child. It is imperative that campus visitors remain in areas designated on their VISITOR’s Sticker.
Discipline Management Plan
MacGregor will enforce the HISD Code of Conduct. Teachers will utilize Daily Conduct Charts and Class Dojo to communicate with parents about a student’s daily behavior. Please maintain open communication with your child’s teacher by reviewing and signing the conduct chart daily. Magnet students must maintain an “S” average, using the point scale at the bottom of the chart, to remain in good standing. Magnet transfers will be revoked for poor conduct.
Early Release of Students
In order to maximize instructional time students will not be released from class after 2:30 p.m. on normal school days and after 12:00 p.m. on early dismissal days. After these times, all students will report to their normal dismissal locations. In addition to disrupting routines for students and teachers, early departure contributes to lost instructional time.
Parent/Guardian/Designee must report to the main office and present state-issued ID for verification, sign out the child, and remain in the main office until the child arrives. We will only release students to individuals listed on the Student Pick-Up Authorization Form on file. Students will only be released to school personnel from the classroom. Parents may not pick up children from the classroom. Children returning to school must be signed in at the main office upon their arrival.
Emergency Procedures
Please contact the main office to modify normal pick up procedures due to an emergency.
Enrollment Card Information
Please keep your child’s Enrollment Card and Student Pick-Up Authorization Form current. Changes to these forms must be made by a parent or guardian in person. Changes to phone numbers and address may be forwarded to Ms. Gil at . Current proof (within 30 days) of residence is required for address changes.
Extended Day - Afterschool Program
* Students leaving before 5:15p.m. must be signed out in the main office.
* Students are dismissed at 5:15 p.m. There are no provisions for supervising students after 5:30 p.m.
* Students are not allowed to participate in AS Program without payment.
After School Program classes will NOT meet on the following days:
September 2, 2016 Day before Labor Day
September 21, 2016 Early Dismissal
October 11, 2016 Early Dismissal
November 16, 2016 Early Dismissal
November 22, 2016 Day before Thanksgiving Holiday
December 16, 2016 Day before Winter Holiday
January 13, 2017 Day before MLK Holiday
January 25, 2017 Early Dismissal
February 22, 2017 Early Dismissal
March 10, 2017 Day before Spring Break
April 13, 2017 Day before Spring Holiday
Field Trips
Permission slips will be sent home by the teacher to be signed and returned by the date indicated on the field trip form. Late forms and fees will NOT be accepted. No student will be allowed to attend a trip without written permission on the appropriate Field Trip Form. Notes and telephone calls from parents cannot be accepted as a form of permission to attend a field trip. Refunds are not granted. Some field trips are considered extra-curricular activities; therefore, they are optional. Students who do not to participate will receive instruction at school. Any student who exhibits unacceptable conduct in the classroom as indicated on the conduct folder or presents a concern for themselves or others will only be allowed to attend field trips with a VIPS cleared parent or guardian’s accompaniment. Parents will be notified of this requirement at least 2 weeks prior to the event. All MacGregor students are required to purchase and wear the GOLD MACGREGOR POLO SHIRT on all school sponsored field trips.
General Conduct
Students are responsible for following rules and regulations established by the student code of conduct and adhering to guidelines set by campus administration and classroom teachers. A conduct grade of P or U on a student’s report card or excessive absence/tardiness will place the magnet student on probation and a Growth Plan will be developed. Failure to improve will result in dismissal from the magnet program. It is most important that the school and home work together for the student.
Graded work
Graded assignments will be sent home for parent review weekly. All graded assignments must be signed and returned in order to receive the following week’s graded work.
Homework
Homework is an extension of classroom instruction. All students in Grades K-5 will be assigned homework Monday through Thursday. Please ensure that your child completes homework. If specific assignments are not made by the teacher, recommended activities include vocabulary practice, reading, math practice, practice spelling words or handwriting.
Lost and Found
Please prevent the loss of your child’s items by placing his/her first and last name on all personal items. The Lost and Found is located in the cafeteria. All unclaimed items are discarded at the end of each month. The school is not responsible for lost items, including electronics.
Medications
All medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) medication, prescribed drugs, and/or inhalers must be kept in the Nurse’s Office at all times. Students are not allowed to carry or store medications of any kind. Students requiring any daily or long-term medications that need to be taken during school hours must have the appropriate medication authorization requesting and granting permission for administration by the nurse. Medications must be sent to the school in the original container with dosage instructions (written by a doctor or pharmacist) to be stored in the clinic. Over-the-counter medications cannot be administered by the nurse without written authorization from your child’s doctor (this includes sunscreen and lotions). Students shall present acceptable evidence of vaccination prior to entry, attendance, or transfer to a child-care facility or public or private elementary or secondary school in Texas.