NORTH BEND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

……HOME OF THE PANTHERS……

STUDENT/PARENT HANDBOOK

2014-2015

“Working together to ensure all students, staff, and parents learn”

September, 2014

Dear Students and Parents,

Welcome to North Bend Elementary School. This handbook has been prepared to inform you about our school. We regard parents as partners in the education of our students, and we welcome your participation in our school activities. Children progress best when they experience the combined support of school and home, working together to insure a high quality education.

We anticipate an exciting and challenging year for everyone in our learning community. We look forward to working with your children and getting better acquainted with you. Our caring, conscientious staff is working hard to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to be successful, both now and in the future. We will be happy to respond to any questions or concerns.

Please take some time to look through this handbook with your children. We hope you find it helpful, and if you wish to seek further information, please call 831-8400.

Sincerely,

Jim Frazier

Principal

“Working together to ensure all students, staff and parents learn”

North Bend Elementary

Daily Schedule

2014-2015

Playground Opens 8:45 a.m.

Morning Bell 9:00 a.m.

Classes Begin 9:05 a.m.

Morning Recess

Ktg. and 1st Grade 10:30 – 10:45

3rd Grade 10:45 – 11:00 (as needed)

Lunch Eat Lunch Recess

Kindergarten 11:15 – 11:30 11:30 – 11:55

1st 11:30 – 11:45 11:45 – 12:10

2nd 11:45 – 12:00 12:00 – 12:25

3rd 12:00 – 12:15 12:15 – 12:40

4th 12:15 – 12:30 12:30 – 12:55

5th 12:30 – 12:45 12:45 – 1:10

A.M. Kindergarten Dismissal 11:45 a.m.

P.M. Kindergarten Start Time 12:45 p.m.

A.M. / P.M. alternate every other Friday schedule

A.M. service area – Uplands, Forster Woods, Rock Creek Ridge, Deer Park, Aster Creek

P.M. service area – City of North Bend, Circle River, Moon Valley

Afternoon Recess Mon -Thurs Friday – No PM Recess

Ktg. and 1st Grade 1:45 – 2:00

2nd and 3rd Grade 2:00 – 2:15

4th and 5th Grade 2:15 – 2:30

Dismissal All Grades 3:25 p.m. Mon -Thurs

Early Dismissal 1:25 p.m. every Friday

PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK

STUDENTS

This information has been carefully prepared and is presented to assist you in becoming familiar with the procedures we follow at school. Certainly all information cannot be included. You should expect to receive additional information from your teacher.

ACCIDENTS

If you are injured at school, report it to a staff member or the office immediately. In case of an injury or emergency, it is important that phone numbers and emergency information is up to date. Please inform the office of any changes as soon as possible.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

The school district expects regular and punctual student attendance. Regular attendance is extremely important for your child’s educational progress. Our office appreciates receiving a call when your child is going to be tardy or absent.

To report your child’s absence, please call our 24hr. Absence Alert Line at 831-8401, before 9:30 a.m. If you make this call it will not be necessary to write a note after the absence. We will call all parents regarding absences if the office has not heard from you by 9:30 a. m.

Students who have been absent have the right to make up the assigned work upon their return to school. It is the student's responsibility to obtain the assigned work from their teacher upon returning. Failure to make up the missed assignments within the designated time may result in a reduction of the student's grade.

BECCA LAW

Daily student attendance in school is one of the cornerstones of academic success. North Bend Elementary will comply with the Washington State Attendance BECCA Law. Any student with 5 unexcused absences within any month or 10 unexcused absences during the current school year is referred to the school district, which must file a petition with the juvenile court alleging a violation of the State Compulsory Attendance Law by the parent, by the child, or by the parent and the child. We urge everyone to be in attendance 180 days per year.

TRUANCE OR UNEXCUSED TARDINESS

Any student arriving late to school, after 9:05 am, is considered tardy. If you are tardy to school in the morning you must report to the office to check in with the attendance secretary and sign in. Tardy students must have a pass from the office in order to be admitted to their classrooms. We will emphasize to all students the importance of punctuality. School playground opens at 8:45 a.m. First bell is at 9:00 a.m. and students should be in their seats and ready for learning at 9:05 a.m. Persistent occasions of tardiness may result in the student having to make up the time missed.

BEFORE SCHOOL PROCEDURES

Students and/or parents should not arrive on campus before 8:45 a.m. unless an appointment has been made with a staff member, or if they are signed up for a morning activity/club. Students eating breakfast may go directly to the lunchroom at 8:45 a.m. The first bell will ring at 9:00 a.m.

BREAKFAST/LUNCH PROGRAM

Breakfast tickets may be purchased, $1.75 each. Lunch tickets may be purchased, $3.25 each. Breakfast and lunch ticket money should be brought to the kitchen before school or you are able to pay online on your student’s family access account. Students purchasing a single breakfast/lunch will pay the cashier each day. A hot lunch count will be taken each morning. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch also qualify for free or reduced breakfast. Free/Reduce forms need to be filled out in order to qualify. You may pick up a form in the school office. Please no pop or glass bottles brought for lunch. Please call the kitchen in the morning by 9:30 a.m. to place your order when you are joining your child for lunch. 831-8392 Thank you!

Each student will have a personal account and pin. The students PIN will be their student code number (six digits) this is the same number they are currently using for student ID. The students scan the number when purchasing a meal.

We encourage students/parents to deposit money to their accounts instead of bringing money daily. This speeds up the process and reduces lines at breakfast and lunch. We suggest sending a check with the students name and or PIN number on it. All cash and checks brought in to food service will be deposited to the students food service account. No change will be given. Cashiers will notify students in advance when their deposited funds are getting low. Please check your student family access accounts for balances. Account balances will rollover to the next year unless a written request for a refund is made.

CARS

Parents delivering and picking up children at school should park in the main parking area, and walk the child into campus. If you are picking up or dropping off students in the drop of area please try and be quick so that traffic can move through quickly. After school, please park in the main parking lot and walk onto campus to get your child. Keep bus lane areas clear! Unless you have a permit, parking is prohibited in the handicapped parking spaces. Please do not drive in or drop off students in the bus loading zone. Please plan plenty of extra time to get in and out of the parking lot if you are bringing students to school or coming to pick them up. Thanks for helping keep our parking lot safe by ensuring that students always walk with an adult across the parking lot.

HOMEWORK POLICY

Homework is assigned at the discretion of individual teachers. Although many students are able to complete the class assignments during the school day, others must take it home to complete this work.

TEACHER CONTACT

Teachers can be reached at school by phone outside of their class time, from 8:30-9:00 AM, and 3:30-4:00 PM. All teachers have voicemail and email.

Please do not interrupt teachers during the instructional day (9:05 AM to 3:25 PM). Please do schedule appointments to meet with teachers.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held in November and will be optional in spring (as needed). Additional conferences are appropriate, at teacher discretion, whenever a student falls below expected standards. Report cards or progress reports are prepared for grades K-5 and will be issued at the end of each trimester to inform students and parents of your progress.

WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL

Please notify the office if a student will be withdrawing from school. The office will issue the withdrawal form and all books and outstanding fees or deposits must be resolved. Records will not be sent to another school until all fees, or fines, have been paid.

VISITORS

ALL VISITORS need to sign in at the office upon arrival, and wear a Visitor Badge. All volunteers and visitors must wear a Visitor Badge. We make every effort not to disturb classes in progress. When you are dropping off items at school (lunches, lunch money, books, food for the class, etc.) please come directly to the office. Your child’s teacher will be notified of the delivery at their next class break or recess. You must be on the approved volunteer list to volunteer in classrooms. Parents are welcome to join their children in the lunchroom for lunch.

VOLUNTEERS

We welcome volunteers! All volunteers are required to complete a Disclosure Form for Perspective Volunteers for a background check. Sign in at the office upon arrival, and always wear your Volunteer Badge. When helping in your child’s classroom, or any other part of the building, please make child care arrangements for young siblings.

Children are not allowed in the staff lounge, workrooms, or office work areas.

NURSE'S ROOM

The nurse's room is available if you become ill during the day. You should report to a secretary in the office prior to being placed in the nurse's room.

STUDENT ILLNESS

Specific symptoms for which a child should remain at home are:

1.  Fever of 100 degrees or greater. A child who has had a fever should be free of

fever for 24 hours before returning to school.

2.  Children who have vomited or had diarrhea within the last 12 hours should remain at home for 24 hours for further evaluation.

MEDICATION AT SCHOOL

If medication must be taken at school, an AUTHORIZATION FOR ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION form must be completed by the attending physician and your parent/guardian, and turned into the school office. These forms are available in the office. All medication must remain in the office, this includes over the counter medication. According to District policy, we CANNOT give medications at school without this form completed by both the physician and parent. Please do not send medications, over-the-counter (including cough drops) or prescription, to school for children to take on their own. This creates a danger to other students at school because of the lack of supervision in the dispensing of their medication.

LANGAGE HEARING ASSISTANCE

To access language and hearing interpreters, please contact the Snoqualmie Valley School District office at 425-831-8000 by 4:30 pm, three days prior to any public meeting.

CHILD FIND IDENTIFICATION

The Snoqualmie Valley School District is committed to identifying and evaluating all students residing within the district boundaries that may be in need of special education services. Any child brought to the attention of the school district between the ages of birth through 21, with a suspected disability, residing within the district boundaries will be evaluated and if qualified will be provided with the opportunity for free appropriate public education. Contact Nancy Meeks (425-831-8000), Director of Student Services, for further information.

STUDENT RIGHTS

Students are guaranteed certain rights under the Constitution of the United States. No person, however, is guaranteed the right to commit acts which materially and substantially interfere with the appropriate discipline and operation of the school, or which interfere with the rights of others. No student shall be deprived of educational opportunity by the district without due process of the law.

MCKINNEY-VENTO ACT

The McKinney-Vento Act is a federal law that makes sure children and youth who do not have permanent housing can go to school and preschool. It gives children and youth rights to enroll in school, stay in school, get transportation to school, and gives these same children access to school lunch programs. If you become aware of students who may qualify for services under the McKinney-Vento Act, or are in need of services for students in your family, please contact the principal of your school or Nancy Meeks, (425-831-8000).

STUDENT DIRECTORY INFORMATION

Federal law permits a school district to identify certain information as directory information that may be released publicly without the permission of the parent. The Snoqualmie Valley School District identifies this information as the following: name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in activities and sport, weight and height of athletic team members, dates of enrollment, diploma and awards received, and most previous school attended. Parents who wish this information to be withheld need to notify their schools in writing.