Central Intermediate School

Central Intermediate School

Student & Parent Handbook

2016 – 2017

Ryan F. Myers Melanie J. Conley

Principal Assistant Principal

Central Intermediate is committed to nine Pillars of Character:

Caring, Citizenship, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Empathy, Perseverance, and Self-Discipline

Ottawa Elementary District #141

Mr. Cleve Threadgill – Superintendent

Board Of Education

Ron Henson Kerry Bryson

Maribeth ManigoldStephen Omolecki

Mary Ganiere Kurt Stevenson

Mark Fisher – President

Dear Students and Parents,

Welcome to Central Intermediate School. We are looking forward to a school year filled with many opportunities for our young people to grow and learn, both academically and socially.

A successful experience is fostered by a positive working relationship among student, parent/guardian, and school staff. This handbook has been compiled to provide information on student expectations and school procedures. To conserve on printing costs and preserve the environment, the handbook is being posted on line. The handbook should be read and discussed by parent/guardian and child. A note will be going home the first day of school asking parents to review the handbook with children. Please sign and return the note to your child’s homeroom teacher. This indicates that the handbook has been read and reviewed.

Should there be a need to contact the school or district office, please do so in writing, by calling, by visiting the website, or visiting in person.

Central Intermediate School- 711 E. McKinley Rd-815-433-3761

OES District Office- 320 W. Main- 815-433-1133

The provisions in this handbook are not to be considered irrevocable, contractual commitments between the school and the student. Rather, the provisions reflect the current status of rules, practices, and procedures as currently practiced and are subject to change without prior notification. Board policies are available to the public at the District Office.

Parents/guardians are an integral part of a successful school. Your participation and cooperation are encouraged and will be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Ryan F. Myers

Principal

Melanie J. Conley

Assistant Principal

ACCIDENT INSURANCE

The School Board does not provide medical benefits for injuries occurring on school property. However, optional school accident insurance may be purchased by those without adequate family coverage. Information brochures and applications are available on the school website.

ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL

Students will be dismissed from the buses to enter the building beginning at 8:00 am. Students that are dropped off prior to 8:00 am will not be allowed in the building and will need to wait outside. Supervision will not be provided for students that are dropped off prior to 8:00am. School begins promptly at 8:20 am. Students who enter the building after that time will be considered tardy to school. See the “Tardy Policy” for more information.

Most of our students ride busses/district transportation to and from school. Busses/district transportation load and unload in the designated area of the bus parking lot, which is located between Central and Shepherd. Any student who wishes to ride the bus home with another student will need to bring a note from a parent/guardian indicating the date and the name of the student that their child will be riding the bus home with.

School is dismissed at 2:50 pm. Busses will leave as soon as loaded. Students receiving rides will be walked outside by staff and are expected to wait under the awning until their ride pulls to the front. This avoids students walking through parked cars, traffic, etc. Students will need to be picked up at the curbside due to the increase of traffic at the end of the school day. For the safety of students, traffic will need to flow within the boundaries of the orange cones. Parents/guardians transporting their children to and from school are asked to follow all traffic signs for student safety and to assist with traffic flow. Please be watchful of students and staff entering and exiting the building during school hours.

Students leaving school before the regular dismissal time must be signed out in the school office by their parent/guardian. Students may be dismissed early from school due to illness or for appointments. Students having appointments must bring a note into the school office or have a parent contact the office before school begins. Please be advised that students who leave school early for any reason will be eliminated from perfect attendance consideration. Parents/Guardians, or anyone designated by a parent in writing to pick up a child, need to be prepared to show a photo I.D.

Occasionally it is necessary for a student to remain after school or report before school. No student will be kept after school unless the parent has been contacted and arrangements made for the return of the child to his/her home. Please be prompt in dropping off and picking up students. Emergency numbers or the local police may be contacted should transportation not arrive in a timely manner.

ASSESSMENTS

Students will be formally assessed at different points in the school year. The following assessments of your child are to be completed in the upcoming school year:

Aimsweb Benchmarking

AIMSweb is a benchmark and progress monitoring system based on direct, frequent and continuous student assessment. Students will be assessed for reading fluency.

MAP

Three times throughout the school year students will take the NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress test. This program is used to help guide staff in the instruction of students, gauge an understanding of the student’s knowledge in relation to his or her peers and determine student growth.

PARCC

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is the national assessment adopted by the State of Illinois for students in grades 3-8. PARCC is a group of states that have come together to develop high-quality student assessments linked to new, more rigorous English Language Arts (ELA)/Literacy and Math standards.

ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION

Each week, teachers will use their school webpage to post a tentative overview of the weekly assignments for the classes in which they teach. Please check your child’s planner for more accurate information on assignments.

ASSIGNMENT POLICY

Central Intermediate has a school wide assignment policy. Classroom tests and assessments will have different guidelines as determined by the teacher. All assignments are expected to be turned in consistently and on time. All classroom assignments will fit into the following criteria:

Assignment Corrections

●All assignments can be corrected up to 100%. Students will not be able to correct assessments/tests or projects.

●“Missing” assignments may not be corrected.

●Assignments for unexcused absences may not be corrected.

●It is at the teacher’s discretion for how long students will have to make corrections on a particular assignment. This may vary based on the type of assignment and work required.

●Students may be requested to complete a variation of the assignment, so that it is an accurate depiction of the student’s understanding.

Incomplete Assignments

●If an assignment is not turned in 100% completed to the teacher’s expectations, it will be returned to the student and called “incomplete.”

●A student will receive a one-time 10% deduction from the assignments grade for the assignment not being 100% complete when it was due.

Missing Assignments

●An assignment that is not turned in on the date it is due will be considered “missing”.

●If an assignment is “missing”, students must turn it in by the third day or it may result in a zero. The only exception to this rule is for students that have an excused absence.

●A student will receive a one-time 10% deduction from the assignments grade for the assignment not being turned in on the day it is due.

●Students may not be allowed to correct “missing” assignments.

P.A.S.S. (Providing Academic Support Systems)

●Tiered intervention/support system to help with assignment completion

●All incomplete/missing assignments will be logged on the P.A.S.S. sheet, which each homeroom teacher will track.

●Non-academic assignments/forms/parent signatures will not count as incomplete or missing assignments.

●An incomplete/missing log sheet will be attached in each student’s planners. Parents, students, and teachers will be required to sign when an assignment is logged.

●There is a reflection form that will be completed at each step.

oStep 1: Student reflection after three incomplete/missing assignments.

oStep 2: Teacher/student reflection after six incomplete/missing assignments.

oStep 3: Parent/teacher/student reflection during meeting after nine incomplete/missing assignments

ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT/TOYS

Children should not bring toys or athletic equipment to school unless given permission by the classroom teacher or school administrator. The school is not responsible for equipment/toys that are lost or ruined.

ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY

In order to participate in any sports programs offered by the school, a student must be passing all subjects. The grade check will be conducted on Thursdays at noon. Student athletes not passing all classes will be notified on Friday and a letter sent home via U.S. mail the same day. Ineligible students cannot participate from Monday through the following Saturday.

ATTENDANCE

Student attendance is closely monitored. On a day your child is absent from school the school office must be notified between 7:30 am - 9:00 am, explaining the reason for the absence. The office phone number is 815-433-3761. Office hours are 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. If a call is not received by 9:00 am, a telephone call will be made to verify the reason for the absence. If a call is not received the absence will be considered unexcused. Should a family not have access to a telephone; a note written and signed by the parent can be submitted to the office. The absence is considered unexcused until a note or call is received. An unexcused absence means the child is considered truant.

In keeping with the Illinois School Code, the following circumstances are considered to be valid causes for student absence: illness, death in the immediate family, observation of a religious holiday, family emergency, or other situations approved in advance by the school principal. All other reasons shall be considered unexcused absences/tardiness. It is the legal responsibility of the parent/guardian to make reasonable efforts to ensure the regular attendance of the child at school and to inform the school of all absences. If a child is absent from school for any reason (including late arrival or early pick up), the child will not be eligible for perfect attendance recognition. Students must be present half of the school day to be eligible to participate in after school activities such as sports, concerts, etc.

In the event that a student must leave school before the regular dismissal time due to illness, he/she is to report to the secretary/office for arrangements to be made for transportation. Parents/guardians must come into the office to sign out the student. A photo ID will be required.

LaSalle County Truancy Program Absence/Attendance Guidelines

A written excuse or phone call from a parent or guardian is required for all absences whether they be for a full day or a portion of a day. If a parent/guardian has not vouched for the absence by the second morning after the student returns to school, that absence shall be considered an invalid absence. (Valid causes of absenteeism should be included in the district’s attendance policy. Documentation of valid/invalid absences is very important and accurate records need to be kept.)

Make-up Work

When a student has been absent (excused) for three days of school, parents may request that assignments be collected for pickup. Work will only be collected if requested. Requested work will be available for pick up after 2:50 pm in the office.

In the event of an extended absence or suspension, assignments may be prepared ahead of time by teachers. If assignments are prepared by teachers ahead of time, those assignments will be due on the day that the student returns to school. If assignments are not prepared ahead of time, students will have the same amount of days that they were absent to make up any work. Any work not submitted on the designated due date is considered a zero.

Perfect Attendance

For a student of Central Intermediate School to receive recognition for “perfect attendance” in a given school year the following criteria needs to be met:

●The student must be on time for school every day.

●The student does not leave school early on any day for any reason. Special consideration will be given for a student who has to leave school for an “urgent” medical concern during the school day (administration discretion).

●The student does not leave school for any appointments during the day.

●The student does not miss any days of school.

Travel/Vacations

While a great deal of learning can take place during travel, OES discourages parents/guardians from taking student on vacation during periods when school is in session. It is difficult to gain the same level of understanding when a child is not in the classroom. The tendency toward lower achievement is greatly increased due to the loss of class time.

The following are guidelines when an extended absence occurs due to travel or vacation. Please note that vacations are considered as unexcused absences.

●Parents should notify the principal or homeroom teacher at the earliest time when an absence might occur.

●Students will not be penalized for absences, but will be required to make up all assigned work deemed necessary and appropriate. This includes specialist teachers.

TRUANCY– Consistent attendance is essential to the academic success of your child at Central Intermediate School. Truancy is therefore a serious issue and will be dealt with in a serious manner by the school and district. Parents will receive notification when their student’s absences reach the equivalent of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% absences. Students who reach the 10% absent mark may be required to present a doctor’s note for any future absences to be considered excused. Further absences may result in the involvement of the LaSalle County Truancy Officer, Truancy Citations for student and/or parent, school discipline and parent conference. Students who are considered to be “chronic truants” will be required to produce a doctor’s note within 24 hours upon returning from an absence. In order for an absence to be counted as excused, doctor’s notes must state that the studentwas seen by the doctor on the day of the absence.

Students that have 10% of absences, or excessive unexcused absences, may result in the following actions being taken:

●Home visit by Assistant Principal/Principal/Resource Officer

●Referral to truancy officer

●Ticket/Fine

●Court appearance

Unexcused Absences

Parents will be notified of all unexcused absences. Excessive unexcused absences may result in the student being assigned a study center day to get caught up on assignments. In addition, students with multiple unexcused absences may be excluded from the quarter incentive party.

ATHLETIC EVENTS

All Central Intermediate home athletic events will be held on site at Central Intermediate School. Coaches will provide parents/players with both practice and game schedules. For athletic events, it is the parents’/guardians’ responsibility to either pick up their children or make arrangements for them to be picked up no later than 20 minutes after the end of a game.

Spectator Rules

●Student admission for 5th/6th grade events is Free.

●The concession stand is open for students at the end of each quarter and in between games.

●Students must remain seated in the gym except during transition times in between quarters and games.

●Students who leave will not be allowed back in the building

●The lobby will be cleared 20 minutes after the game is over.

●Only water is permitted in the gym.

●Loitering in the lobby is not allowed.

●Students are allowed in the gym, cafetorium, and west lobby only. Locker rooms and classrooms are off limits.

●Running in the building is not permitted.

●Hats are not to be worn in the building.

●Students may not take pictures and/or videos during school events or activities.

BREAKFAST

Breakfast is provided daily from 8:00 am - 8:20 am. Students who would like to have breakfast will need to order it on the previous day when lunch orders are taken. The cost for breakfast is $1.15. Students that qualify for reduced meal prices will pay $.30 for breakfast.

BULLYING

Bullying on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender-related identity or expression, immigration status, ancestry, age, religion, physical or mental disability, order of protection status, status of being homeless, or actual or potential marital or parental status, including pregnancy, association with a person or group with one or more of the aforementioned actual or perceived characteristics, or any other distinguishing characteristic is prohibited in each of the following situations:

1. During any school sponsored education program or activity.
2. While in school, on school property, on school buses or other school vehicles, at designated school bus stops waiting for the school bus, or at school sponsored or school sanctioned events or activities.
3. Through the transmission of information from a school computer, a school computer network, or other similar electronic school equipment.

For purposes of this policy, the term bullying means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:

1. Placing the student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or property.
2. Causing a substantially detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health.
3. Substantially interfering with the student’s academic performance.
4. Substantially interfering with the student’s or students’ ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.

Students who feel that they are being bullied should immediately speak to the Assistant Principal, Social Worker, Principal, or Classroom Teacher. Students engaging in bullying will be subject to disciplinary procedures which may include one or more of the following disciplinary actions: conference with the student/parent/guardian, room detention, office detention, in school suspension, out of school suspension, restitution, expulsion, or referral to law enforcement agencies.