Highland Avenue Christian School Policy Information

Hours of Operation / Highland Avenue Christian School is open between the hours of 6:30 am - 6:00 pm (for 2-5 years old) and from 7:00 am – 5:30 pm (Toddler room 18 mos. – 30 mos.) five days a week, nine months of the year. (With the exception of noted holidays and in-service days.) Our school year runs from August to May. We offer a summer program that runs from May – July.
Arrival & Dismissal / Please have children here by 9:00 am each morning. Children arriving after 9:00 will need to be pre-approved by the Director, or will be considered late. Each child must be accompanied into the school by a responsible adult 18 years of age or older. The adult must then sign his/her full legal name (initials are not acceptable) on the sign-in/out sheet, when dropping off or picking up his/her child. The same procedure is to be followed in reverse when picking up your child. The sign in/out procedure is very important and should be taken seriously. It is a requirement by the Department of Social Services, informs us of who is here on campus should an emergency occur, and transfers responsibility of the child. Any parent who does not sign their child in or out will be charged $25.00 for each occurrence. After the first occurrence, you will be called to come back to the school to sign your child in.
Upon arrival, children will put their backpacks in their classroom, then go either to the nest (for 2-5 yr olds) 404 (for Toddlers), or the playground (2-5 yr olds) depending on the time dropped off.
All HALF DAY CHILDREN will need to be picked up, on the playground, before 12:30. All FULL DAY CHILDREN will need to be picked up by 6:00 (5:30 for Toddlers). If you are late picking up your child, you and the teacher will need to sign a late pick-up notice. Your account will be charged $1.00 per minute. You may pay this with your next tuition payment.
Holidays / HACS will be closed on the following holidays:
Labor Day; Thanksgiving and the Friday after; the week of Christmas and the week following; New Years Day; President’s Day; Good Friday; and Memorial Day. Tuition will be the same for those weeks that include these holidays. The tuition credit for the Christmas break has been accounted for when setting our monthly rates.
Birthdays / All preschoolers love having a birthday and we feel they are special! Parents are welcome to provide birthday cookies or donuts for your child’s class. Please do not bring items that contain peanuts or peanut products. Please notify your child’s teacher in advance to see what allergies are in your child’s class. Those children having summer birthdays are more than welcome to celebrate their birthday during the school year!
Money/Toys/Gum/Candy Brought to school / Money, Toys, Candy, & Gum should not be brought to school. Toys brought on designated share days, should be labeled and placed in the share basket and taken out only during share time. Toys such as guns, weapons, gun shapes, war toys, monsters, witches or demons, should never be brought to school. The school is not responsible for any items brought from home to school. Please put your child’s full name on all items brought to school.
Money for monthly book orders should be put in an envelope and given to the office.
Health/Illness / No child will be admitted with a severe cold, fever, or other communicable illness. Please examine your child each day before bringing him/her to school. If your child has been ill during the night, you will save time and stress by keeping him/her home. If your child is not well enough to go outside, he/she is not well enough to be at school. A child who becomes ill during the day will be brought to the office and the parents notified (and expected to come or arrange for someone else to come within one hour for their child.) Good health habits of cleanliness, rest, exercise, and good nutrition will be a part of our daily program. (See illness guidelines for parents.)
Medications/Lotions/Epi Pens / Medications, prescribed, over the counter, diaper rash ointment, and sunscreen must be taken to the school office. Prescription medication will be given to your child only if it is in the original container with the printed directions. Our Medication Release Form must be filled out and signed, giving us permission to administer it. Only authorized personnel will be allowed to administer medication. In order for us to give your child medicine, other than a prescription, we must have a written note from your doctor stating that he/she should have that particular medication and dosage to be given. Children with allergies needing an EPIPEN, will also need to have an allergy action plan completed.
Vacation / There are NO free weeks of tuition given. The week of Christmas and the following week are not included in your monthly tuition. All Holidays have been considered in your monthly bill. We have also given every Child 2 weeks of ½ tuition credit that is included in their monthly rate.
Food Program & Food Allergies / All food will be provided by HACS. Breakfast is served at 9:00 am and a nutritious snack at 3:00 pm. A hot lunch meal is served at 11:30 am. If your child is going to be late to school, please call the office, so that they may be included in the lunch count. The menus are posted monthly. You may also download a copy of the menu from Appleslices each month. It is not permissible for children to bring outside food into the facility. HACS is a non-discriminatory school, and is funded by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (California Department of Education Fiscal & Administrative Services Division.) All snacks and lunches meet the U.S.D.A. child/adult food requirements. If your child is allergic to a food item that we serve, then you will need to have your physician fill out a Medical Statement to request special meals and/or accommodations. If there is an alternate, then HACS will try and accommodate this substitution. If your child is Lactose Intolerant, a medical statement needs to be filled out and you will need to bring a substitute for your child’s drink.
Naps / Nap time is from 1:00 pm to 2:45 (12:15 for Toddlers and 2’s) All children will be required to be quiet and still during this time, so those who want to sleep may. Each child will be provided a mat and sheet, which only they use each day they nap. All mats are cleaned and disinfected and sheets washed on a weekly basis. Children may bring a favorite blanket or stuffed animal to nap with. Please make sure that whatever you bring for your child to nap with fits into their backpack.
Supplies / Please LABEL the following supplies:
1. Clothes, jackets, and sweaters
2. Backpacks (Please make sure that your child’s backpack does not have any graphics on it that does not conform to the Christian philosophy of our school.)
3. All items brought to school by the child.
Appleslices / We have a monthly newsletter that is sent out through email. Please make sure that the office has your current email address.
Progress Reports / There will be 2 PROGRESS REPORTS: December and April for children ages 4-5.
Parent/Teacher Conferences / Conferences will be mandatory in December. Due to time constraints, only one conference per family is available during these mandatory scheduled conferences. Teacher conferences upon request.
Dress code / Children should wear sturdy, washable clothing, which they can remove themselves. Pants with elastic waistbands are preferred. Overalls, jumpsuits, belts with buckles, bodysuits, and snap fasteners are inappropriate unless the child can manage them alone. Strapless, midriff showing tops/dresses are not allowed. They should be dressed warm enough to play outside when weather permits. Long dresses are hazardous on the playground and we will not be responsible for stubbed toes or hurt feet if you send your child to school in sandals that strap on. No thong-type shoes will be permitted. We recommend that if your daughter wears a dress that she wears shorts underneath, for playground time. Please make sure that items on your child’s clothing conform to Christian morals. If your child wears something that is inappropriate, we will change him/her.
All jackets, sweaters, gloves, and hats worn to school should be LABELED WITH PERMANENT INK. The school will not be responsible for any lost clothing. Any clothing that is not labeled and becomes lost, will become the property of the school.
Two home families / Separated parents are each required to complete their own set of paperwork. Each parent will only have access to the paperwork that they completed. Should any documents need to be pulled for legal action, there will be a handling fee assessed.
We encourage both parents to be on our email list to ensure proper communication.
DSS Regulations / We are a licensed facility, by the Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing. As such the DSS has the right to come into our facility and interview the children and to view files, without parental permission. Every time we have a visit from them, you will see a notice on the parent board in the hallway.
Withdrawal from School / If at any time you need to withdrawal your student from school, a TWO WEEK WRITTEN NOTICE IS REQUIRED STATING THE LAST DATE OF ATTENDANCE AND THE REASON FOR THE WITHDRAWAL. If a notice is not received by our office, you will continue to be responsible for tuition until we receive something in writing.