John D. George, Sr. Elementary School

John D. George, Sr. Elementary School

5647 E. Main St., P.O. Box 108

Verona, NY 13478

Tel: (315) 829-2520 x7360

Fax: (315) 361-5895

www.vvsschools.org

Dear Families:

Welcome to J.D. George! We are looking forward to a wonderful year of learning and growing. We are all so excited to see so many returning students as well as many new ones. We welcome everyone with open arms. We recognize that everything students learn is not just sitting in class interacting with the teacher. Students connect with friends, classmates and so many of our wonderful staff members. September, especially the first few days and weeks of school is an exciting time. I trust you and your family will have a good start and a good transition to the 2017-2018 school year. If at any time we can assist or help you, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to support your children and their families.

As we begin the year we provide this Family Handbook to you as reference for the smooth operation of the school. Our school has more than 500 students and well more than 75 adults who work in our building on a regular basis. The handbook is designed to help answer most of your questions about procedures within the school and provide information about what is happening at school. If something is unclear or is not addressed in this handbook, please call the main office or stop by so that we may assist you. We value our partnership between the school and home. Together we can provide a terrific learning environment for your children.

Please take a few minutes to review the contents of this handbook as a family. Once you have done so, we ask that you sign and return the three pages: School-Parent Compact page, Signature page and the Photo Release page. Understanding, agreeing with and practicing the information in this Family Handbook will help build a strong school where children, both primary and middle level students can be safe and feel emotionally safe to take risks and get the most out of their learning experiences. I’ll ask you to help support the staff throughout the year as we teach and then reinforce the expectations of JD George Elementary School with all children.

We extend a welcome to every student and family member to the new school year. I very much look forward to our work together. I encourage students and families to be an active part of our school. Get involved, stay connected and be a part of the solution!

Fondly,

Gary Bissaillon

JD George Principal

School-Parent Compact

J.D. George Elementary School

5647 Main Street, PO Box 108

Verona, NY 13478

Student Name: Grade: School Year:

When parents actively participate in their child's education, studies have shown that their children do better in school. Neither parents nor schools alone can ensure the educational success of the child. It takes working together to meet this common goal. Toward that end, the faculty and staff of the J.D. George Elementary School and parents, working cooperatively to provide for the successful education of the children, agree:

The School Agrees… / The Parent/Guardian Agrees…
· To convene an annual meeting for parents to inform them of the educational program within the school and their right to be involved.
· To offer a flexible number of meetings at various times.
· To actively involve parents in planning, reviewing and improving the educational programs and the district parental involvement policy.
· To provide parents with timely information about all programs.
· To provide individual student assessment results for each child and other pertinent individuals.
· To provide a high quality curriculum and instruction.
· To deal with communication issues between parents and teachers through:
- Parent/teacher conferences at least annually
- Reports to parents on progress at least quarterly
- Reasonable access to staff
- Opportunities to volunteer/participate in your child's class
· To assure that parents may participate in professional development activities if the school determines that it is appropriate, i.e. literacy classes, workshops on reading strategies, etc. / · To oversee my child's attendance at school and completion of homework on time.
· To balance my child's activities so he/she is reasonably rested and ready to learn at school.
· To send my child to school prepared for learning (i.e. with textbooks, library books, signed notes, homework, etc.)
· To work with my child on his/her schoolwork (i.e. to practice basic math facts, read with my child for 15 minutes each day, check assignment notebooks and proofread all written work for neatness and accuracy).
· To become involved in developing, implementing, evaluating and revising the school parent involvement policy.
· To demonstrate through words and actions proper respect for all school faculty, staff and facilities.
· To share responsibility for improved student achievement.
· To communicate with my child's teachers about his/her educational needs.
· To ask parents and parent groups to provide information to the school on what type of training or assistance they would like and/or need to help them be more effective in assisting my child in the educational process.

Signature Section

We agree to work together, to the best of our abilities, as educators and parents to fulfill our common goal of providing for the successful education of our children.

Signature of Building Principal Signature of Parent/Guardian

Signature of Teacher(s) Signature of Parent/Guardian

Date: Phone: 829-2520, ext. 7360 Date: Phone:

Best Time to Contact: AM PM Best time to Contact: AM PM

Please note: At least one parent/guardian signature is requested.

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John D. George, Sr. Elementary School

SIGNATURE PAGE

Dear Parent and Student(s), please review this Family Handbook. After doing so, please sign, tear out and return this sheet. Thank you.

We, ______parent/guardian:

(Parent name(s), first and last)

______