Cumming Elementary School

540 Dahlonega Street

Cumming, Georgia 30040

Phone: 770-887-7749

Fax: 770-888-1233

Pam Pajerski, Principal

Marcy Gravitt, Assistant Principal

Dawn Bush, Assistant Principal

Counselors:...... Jan Howard

...... Bonnie O'Neil

Lunchroom Manager:...... Marcia Outler

School Nurse:...... Celeste Frey

All staff members may be reached by telephone or email. For a complete list of numbers and/or addresses, please refer to the school web page.

School Colors...... Red and White

Mascot...... Cougar

Forsyth County Schools

1120 Dahlonega Hwy.

Cumming, GA 30040

Telephone: 770-887-2461

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Welcome to Cumming Elementary School, home of the Cougars. Cumming Elementary is a school with a long tradition of academic excellence anchored in a supportive community located in the heart of Forsyth County.

We urge you to read the Student Handbook with your child and become familiar with the school’s policies and procedures. We are committed to providing a learning environment that promotes high academic standards, character development, leadership and social skills, and community awareness. Our policies, procedures, and school rules have been developed based on what we believe is in the best interest of our students.

The Cumming faculty and administrative team welcome you to the 2011-2012 school year. Thank you for supporting our school as we strive daily to serve our students and community. If we can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate in contacting the school.

Best Regards,

Pam Pajerski, Principal

Cumming Elementary School

Our Mission Statement

Cumming Elementary School is dedicated to providing a safe, positive, respectful, academically rich environment in which staff, students, parents, and the community collaborate to prepare students to meet the challenges of a culturally diverse and technological world.

Our Beliefs

  • Every student can learn.
  • Students learn in a safe and positive environment.
  • Students and adults have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
  • The academic needs of all students should be met.
  • Community and parental involvement are essential for school and student success.
  • It is our responsibility to prepare students to be successful in our technological society.
  • Students should develop an appreciation for other cultures.
  • Teachers should model high standards and provide students with quality work.

Adequate Yearly Progress

During the school year 2010-2011, Cumming Elementary School met the AYP guidelines, based on CRCT test scores, for the ninth consecutive year.

After School Program Guidelines

  • Students whose accounts have not been paid in full will not be accepted in the CES After School Program until past payment is received.
  • A registration fee of $25.00 will be collected before the child enters the After School Program. This fee assures the child’s placement in the program. Any student who reports to the After School Program without complying with these conditions will be sent to the parent pick-up area until 3:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m. the child will be considered unsupervised and the Department of Family and Children’s Services may be called. If this situation occurs a second time, DFACS will be called at 2:30 p.m. No student is to report to the After School Program without prepayment of the registration and tuition fee.
  • A weekly tuition of $50 will need to be PAID PRIOR TO ATTENDING. Students are not permitted to carry a balance due. All fees must be paid in advance. NO EXCEPTIONS. This fee will be collected from all students regardless of the number of hours/days the child attends the program. If there is an unpaid fee(s), you will have until Friday of the second week to pay ALL tuition fees. At that point, if the fees are still unpaid, the child will be withdrawn from the program.
  • Special circumstances: If you have financial crises, you may apply for an After School Care Scholarship. The application process is simple and will be approved or denied by school administration for a defined period of time.
  • The After School Program is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Items of value should not be brought to school.
  • Hours of operation: From time of dismissal until 6:30 p.m. (including Early Release Days). Pick-up after 6:30 p.m. (based on the school clock) will accrue a fee of $1.00 per minute and must be paid at time of pick-up, which can be no later than 6:45 p.m. DFACS will be contacted if this situation occurs a second time.

WITHDRAWAL OF STUDENTS

Should a family need to move away during the school year, they should contact the school several days in advance so that the school may withdraw and transfer the student(s) smoothly. All textbooks and media center books must be cleared before the student secures a transfer record to another school. The school will only release permanent school records upon the written request from another school.

CLINIC

We are very fortunate to have the services of a Registered Nurse at Cumming Elementary. The nurse sees many children during the course of the day and dispenses much "tender loving care" to our students. The phone extension for the clinic is 740417. The clinic is located in the K-2 area of the building, near the AP’s office.

Clinic Procedures:

1. If a child feels ill, the temperature is taken. If it is over 100 degrees, the parent is called to pick up the child.

2. If a child shows signs of a communicable disease, the parent is called to pick up the child. Health Department regulations are followed in regard to contagious diseases.

3. Non-serious cuts and bruises are treated by cleaning them and applying a bandage.

4. If a child vomits, the parent is called to pick up the child.

5. If a child is found to have head lice or nits (a common occurrence with school age children), the parents are called to pick up the child and a letter is given to the parents with information on how to treat this problem. The entire class is checked to be certain that other children are not infected. Infected children will need to stay home until the child has been treated and is no longer infected. Proof of treatment will need to be provided (i.e. statement from physician or health department or labels from medication used).

It is the parent's responsibility to come to the school and pick up your child if he or she is sick. Please be sure that we have the names of persons who have your permission to pickup your child from school if you are unable to do so, in the event of illness or injury.

DISCIPLINE

Appropriate behavior is essential to the learning process.

Working with students and parents, Cumming Elementary administrators and staff encourage students to conduct themselves in a manner that facilitates a learning environment for all.

If a student's behavior disrupts the learning process, school administrators and teachers will follow a progressive discipline process to the extent appropriate to the situation.

Parents and students are encouraged to review the policies, regulations and rules set forth in the Forsyth County Board of Education Code of Conduct and Discipline Procedures.

DRESS CODE

Students at Cumming Elementary School are expected to abide by the Dress Code as published in the Forsyth County Schools Code of Conduct Document. The Forsyth County School's Dress Code is distributed upon student enrollment and can also be accessed on the FCSS website.

FIELD TRIPS

Field trips and/or school-sponsored activities do not count as an absence or early dismissal from school. Students are allowed ten (10) total days per school year for field trips and school related activities. Students must have documentation of parent permission on file at the school prior to the day of the visit.

FOOD SERVICES

Cumming Elementary offers both breakfast and lunch to our students. Grab and Go breakfast is served daily in the classroom from 7: 10 a.m. until 7:40 a.m. Hot lunches are prepared daily and students are required to go to the cafeteria during their lunch period. Students must eat a lunch purchased from the cafeteria or a lunch provided by parents. No child will be allowed to skip lunch. Free and reduced breakfast and lunch are available to those who qualify. See the cafeteria manager, Pat Tatum, for an application.

Parents and guests are always welcomed as customers of the school’s nutrition program to eat with their students in the cafeteria.

*Please help our students follow our new lunchroom procedures by observing silence during the music along with your child.

*Due to the negative impact of retailed-prepared “fast food” to-go meals on overall student wellness, we would appreciate if these meals brought from the outside would only be eaten at the designated table in the cafeteria.

Siblings are welcome to participate in our school’s nutrition program, but we do ask that thesechildren also follow all of our cafeteria procedures.

Please remember that all foods NOT prepared by staff on campus and made available to students must be purchased at a reputable commercial establishment and be sealed in the original packaging (Wal-Mart, Kroger, etc.). This is for the safety of students and ensures compliance with current National and Forsyth County Schools nutrition guidelines. These rules do not pertain to individual student lunches brought from home.

LUNCHROOM PRICES –2011-2012Meal Prices:

Lunch / Breakfast
Paid / Reduced / Paid / Reduced
Elementary / $2.15 / $.40 / $1.25 / $.30
Employee / $2.75 / $1.75
Guest / $3.25 / $2.00
Extra Milk: $.60

Lunchroom prices are subject to change during the year.

FORGOTTEN LUNCHES AND HOMEWORK

It is our goal to teach all children responsibility. The following procedures are used to avoid interruption of instructional time:

1. If a student forgets his/her lunch and a parent elects to bring the lunch to school, the lunch should be labeled with the child's name and left in the office. The receptionist will call your child's teacher to inform the student to come by and pick up his/her lunch.

2. If a student forgets his/her homework or books and a parent elects to bring it to school, the item will be placed in the teacher's mailbox. Faxed homework will not be accepted.

INVITATIONS

If your child is going to bring invitations to school for a party at home or elsewhere, make sure that all children in the class are invited. Otherwise, please make other arrangements for distribution.

LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL

The Local School Council is to consist of seven members, two to be selected from the parents or guardians of students enrolled in the school (excluding employees who are parents or guardians), two certificated teachers (not administrators) employed by the school for at least two-thirds of the day, two business persons, one selected by the local board and one selected by the five non-business members of the council from the "business partners" of the school or if no such business partners exist, from the "local business community," and the principal. The Act specifies that all council members shall be 18 years of age and shall serve two-year terms. The teacher and parent representatives are to be elected by "the group they represent" and the principal is responsible for convening those groups sometime during the month of May each year after giving two weeks notice. Members are allowed to resign from the council, and the council, by a vote of at least five members, may remove a member who "is no longer active in the council as defined in the bylaws."

Council members are individually charged with maintaining a school-wide perspective, regularly participating in council meetings and information and training programs, acting as a link between the council and community, encouraging the participation of parents and others, and improving student achievement and performance. The section expressly states that councils are "advisory bodies" and are "to provide advice and recommendations to the school principal and, where appropriate, the local board of education on any matter," including fifteen specific areas: the school calendar, codes of conduct, curriculum, school audits, school profiles, school budget priorities, communication with the community, extracurricular activities, use of school facilities, school board policies, and early intervention services.

MEDIA CENTER

Elementary library books and materials may be checked out for three weeks. There will be a late fee charged for all late returns. Students will be charged for damaged books as assessed by the media specialist. A full replacement charge will be made for lost books.

Library cards used with the Automated Circulation System must be replaced if damaged or lost by the students. The student who had the book checked out must pay for damaged bar codes on the outside of the books.

OUT OF DISTRICT STUDENTS

In order to attend a school outside the student's residential district, approval must be secured from the principal of the receiving school as well as the principal of the school in the student's residential district. An Out of District form requesting permission to attend another school must be approved by the Superintendent and local Board of Education.

Out of District forms are available in the school Principal's office and at the Superintendent's office.

PARENT/COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The parents of Cumming Elementary students are encouraged to actively participate in the school. Forsyth County Schools value parents as partners in education and welcome their involvement in the educational process.

The P.T.O. (Parent Teacher Organization) is an organization which uses its talents and energy to help make Cumming Elementary a great place to learn. This year's P.T.O. President is Alisa Steigerwalt. We encourage you to join the Cumming Elementary P.T.O. and support its programs. Family membership dues are $10 per year. For more information, call (770) 887-7749, extension 740522.

Cumming Elementary encourages community members and area businesses to become part of our family. Community volunteers offer assistance in many areas such as tutoring, mentoring, office support, and in school-to-career awareness. The Forsyth County Partners in Education Program forms collaborative agreements between schools and businesses; cultural arts; professional service and non-profit organizations; institutions of higher learning; government agencies; and military commands. Each partnership is unique and individually planned by the school and the potential partner.

PARENT/COMMUNITY VISITATION

We welcome all visitors to our school and hope you will join us for lunch, P.T.O., events, special programs, or to volunteer working with our students. For the safety of our students, we require that all parents and community members report to the main office to sign in and receive a visitor's pass.

PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THE CLASSROOM WITHOUT A VISITOR'S PASS. To maintain the integrity of our instructional program, parents should only confer with teachers regarding their child at pre-arranged times.

Parents of prospective students who wish to schedule school visitation should:

1. Make the request to the school counselor at least 24 hours prior to the visit.

2. State the purpose of the visit.

3. Sign in at the office and obtain a visitor's I.D. to be worn throughout the visit.

4. Return visitor's ID to front office.

PERFECT ATTENDANCE

A student who has not had an absence is considered to be eligible for a Perfect Attendance Award. Three unexcused tardies and/or early check-outs are equal to one unexcused absence.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Who may register the student? The biological parent should enroll the student. If the student is not living with the biological parent, a temporary guardianship form must be obtained from the Probate Court or the guardian must have a court order to allow the student to register. A photo ID will be required for parents and guardians.

Residency: To enroll in Forsyth County Schools, the student’s parents or legal guardian and the student must be a full time resident of Forsyth county.

Forsyth County Schools must have ALL REQUIRED documents upon registration for students to be registered and to receive a schedule.

The following information must be provided in order to register a student:

  • Proof of residency - current utility bill/initiation of utility service andone of the following: lease agreement, deed, closing statement, mortgage statement, or property tax statement.
  • Copy of Birth Certificate
  • Vision, Hearing, and Dental Exam Certificate (Form 3300 )
  • Form 3231 (Rev. 1/2000) School Certification of Immunization, as proof of immunizations, Hepatitis B
  • Social Security Card or *waiver form
  • Withdrawal Form (after school starts) and Transcript to include grades, courses and standardized test scores
  • Parent Permission Form
  • Records Release Request – This form is to request educational records from a prior school.
  • Residency/ Pre-Kindergarten Form
  • Home Language Form
  • Affidavit for adults other than the biological parents to discuss school related matters with the school and to sign school related forms (OPTIONAL form-may be obtained upon request or on the website).
  • Clinic Information Card – please bring emergency contact names and phone numbers, physician and dentist names and phone numbers.

Forms are posted on our website at – click on Registration. The forms may also be acquired through the Registration Office.

According to Georgia Law children must be age 5 by September 1st in order to enroll in Kindergarten and six years old by September 1 to enroll in first grade.

All students new to Forsyth County Schools must register at the Hill Educational Center located on Elm Street in Cumming. For an appointment to register go to or call (678) 947-0863. After registration is complete, an appointment will be scheduled with school staff to enroll your child.

SCHOOL/HOME COMMUNICATION

We want to make every effort to ensure good communication between the home and school. We do this in a variety of ways:

1. The P.T.O. sends a newsletter to all parents monthly. The letter informs parents of PTO events and contains current happenings at the schooI.

2. Parent-Teacher conferences are a vital part of school/home communication. The teachers will contact parents after the first grading period to arrange conferences to discuss student progress. If parents would like a conference with any staff member, they should contact the staff member to schedule a time.