John Humbird Elementary School
Parent Handbook
Please review the contents of this handbook.
and keep it as an easy reference tool.
120 Mary Street
Cumberland, Maryland 21502
301-724-8842 (phone)
301-759-4506 (fax)
Frank Billard, Principal
Tara Fazenbaker, Assistant Principal
Administration
Frank Billard Principal
Tara Fazenbaker Assistant Principal
Lisa Lutton Secretary
Sue MacGray Health Nurse
Krista Jackson Guidance Counselor
Trudy Burns Parent Involvement Coordinator
Faculty and Staff
9
Teachers
Jackie Reed Pre-K
Lisa Paz Kindergarten
Krista Kegg Kindergarten
Mary Kay Blank Grade 1
Joy Wilt Grade 1
Tracy Robinette Grade 1
Dawn Hartung Grade 2
Krista Farrell Grade 2
Tessa Fairall Grade 3
Dawn Hipp Grade 3
Nancy Huber Grade 4
Richard Mace Grade 4
Marion McDonald Grade 5
Ruth Webster Grade 5
Kelly Oyer Inclusion
Wendy Kutcher Inclusion
Donna Kinser Reading Intervention
Brenda Bauer Grade 3/Prof. Dev.
Josh Cook Grade 4/Rdg. Interven.
Rachel Hager Grade 5/Rdg. Interven.
Natalie Lafferty Reading Specialist
Jamie Clark Math Specialist
Pat Aaron Strings
Kim Jackson Music
David Kuhn Band
Jennifer Raines Art
Shelly Watson Media Specialist
Jeanette Rinehart PE
Amy Senak Speech Therapist
Charlene Beeman ICT
Martha Ganoe SEF
Gary Delaney After-School
Programs Director
Instructional Assistants
Melinda Cunningham Pre-K
Edith Whitehead Pre-K
Monica Bensavage Kindergarten
Candee Liston Kindergarten
Joy Bone Inclusion
Susan Helmick Title I
Sharon Lancaster Title I
Diana Hickle Title I
Teresa Adams LAP
Barb Mallow Inclusion
Custodial Staff
Mark Bauman Head Custodian
Ron Crawford Custodian
Linda Platt Custodian
Cafeteria Staff
Marilyn Cross Cafeteria Manager
Donna Stafford Cafeteria
Tammy Gilpin Cafeteria
Sharon Bridges Cafeteria
Edith Albright Cafeteria
9
Daily Procedures
8:00 a.m. School Office Opens
8:15 a.m. School Doors Open for Students
8:00-8:30 a.m. Faculty Meetings/ Team Meetings/ Teacher Planning
8:30 a.m. Homeroom Period with morning work begins and Breakfast
8:50 a.m. Morning Announcements
9:00 a.m. Instructional Day Begins
Students arriving after 9:00 a.m. are considered TARDY.
Please do not drop off students before 8:15.
11:30 – 12:00 p.m. Grades One lunch
12:00 – 12:30 p.m. Grade Two and Kindergarten lunch
12:30 – 1:00 p.m. Grades Three and Four lunch
1:00 – 1:30 p.m. Grade Five lunch
3:12 p.m. First and Second grade walkers are dismissed
3:15 p.m. Third, Fourth and Fifth grade walkers are dismissed.
3:20 p.m. Bus dismissal begins
Entering Our Building
For the safety of our students, John Humbird Elementary School will be
locking all entrances (except the main
entrance) to our building at 9:00 a.m.
every morning. Except for students and staff, all persons who enter our school should register in the main office. In doing this, all students will be better protected and it will eliminate unnecessary interruptions to the instructional day. Please do not visit any classroom without first registering in the office. School staff will help make all necessary arrangements and/or schedule any requested conferences.
• Parents who are either 1) bringing a child whom is tardy, or 2) picking up a child who is “leaving early” will sign the tardy or early dismissal logs.
•School volunteers will sign the volunteer log and obtain a “volunteer badge” to be worn while on the school premises and returned when they sign-out.
•School visitors who are only visiting the main office and using the main entrance should just sign the visitor log. Visitors who will be visiting areas of the school other than the main office and the main entrance should wear a “visitor badge” marked with the current date while on the school premises. Anyone who is not a full-time student or a staff member must wear a volunteer tag or a visitor sticker to visit any area of the school other than the main entrance and steps to and from the main office. Anyone without a tag/sticker will be asked to report to the main office to register and obtain one to wear.
Weather-Delayed Openings and Closings
During inclement weather, listen to the local radio stations concerning the status of school closings or delayed openings. Phone calls will be made from the Board’s School Messenger to each home phone or cell phone, depending on your choice. Do not call the school or Board of Education offices, as these telephone lines must be kept open for emergency communications.
In case of an emergency dismissal, the school needs to be aware of a plan for where your child will go if you are not home (to a neighbor, relative or friend’s house). Please make sure that this plan is included on your child’s emergency information sheet that all students turn in at the beginning of each school year. Please confirm your plan with the neighbor or relative and discuss your plan with your child.
Delayed Openings
When the opening of school has been delayed, students should not arrive at school earlier than the announced opening time, (10:00 a.m.) since school staff members may also arrive at a later time. When school is dismissed early, it is the parent’s responsibility to inform each child where he or she is supposed to go after school if no one is at home.
***Breakfast will not be served on delayed opening days.
Lunch/Breakfast Program
Breakfast
This program provides a meal to students who do not eat at home. A student who has eaten breakfast is more alert, less fatigued, and is thought to have a better chance of doing well in school.
Lunch
A well-balanced meal is provided each day. The main responsibility of this program is to meet the child’s nutritional needs.
Elementary Student Prices
Breakfast Full price $1.40 Reduced $ .30
Lunch Full price $2.15 Reduced $ .40
Milk $ .50
Packed Lunches
We recommend that all students to participate in our breakfast and lunch program. At times, student meals are prepared at home. We ask parents to provide a balanced lunch. Good nutrition is an essential component of a growing mind and body. Glass containers and carbonated drinks should not be sent. This request is made as a safety precaution.
**Bringing outside lunches (McDonald’s etc.) to your children is not permitted in the cafeteria. Rationale: The aroma of a “happy meal” will cause many students to wish they too had the same opportunity and may distract them from eating. To avoid upsetting a child, please arrange with the main office to sign-out your child to eat off school premises and return at the end of the lunch period.
Lunch Accounts
As a benefit to parents and students our cafeteria automatically opens a “Debit” account for each student at the beginning of the school year. Parents are highly encouraged to make use of this account by periodically depositing money in the account for their children to use to purchase breakfasts, lunches, and snacks in the cafeteria. Each student is given a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that is used by the student each time he/she purchases something in the cafeteria. This eliminates the loss of lunch money by the student. If depositing money into the account by a check, please include the child’s PIN # on the check. All checks must be paid to the cafeteria manager in the morning to ensure deposit into the child’s account by lunchtime.
School-Wide Discipline Plan
John Humbird Elementary participates in a successful program known as Positive Behavioral Intervention Strategies (PBIS). Staff members have attended training to develop and implement a school-wide discipline program to reinforce expected behaviors at our school. These rules help to ensure a safe and productive learning environment for all children. It also assists us in recognizing students for their efforts in creating a pleasant school environment. Using The PAWS symbol, the following rules were developed:
Respectful
We PAWS to be: Responsible
Ready
These rules are visible throughout the entire building to remind everyone of the expectations. Staff members have worked with the children to help them understand what they should do to receive positive reinforcement for their behavior. The PBIS team meets monthly to discuss the school plan and to make modifications as needed. Members of this team also discuss what rewards are in place for the classes to encourage them to always follow the rules. Data regarding behavior is collected monthly for the school team to analyze. It is also submitted to the “school coach”, Ms. Randi Agetstein. Ms. Agetstein is responsible for gathering the data and reporting it to the local Board of Education as well as the Maryland State Department of Education.
Student Discipline
According to Board of Education policy, good discipline in the school is extremely important. Without good discipline, the school cannot discharge its primary responsibility in the development of citizenship. Without good discipline, students cannot realize their greatest opportunities for growth. Depending upon the frequency and nature of the discipline problem, consequences range from minimum to moderate to maximum. The principal has the ultimate responsibility for implementing the discipline policy based upon his knowledge of the facts of the incident and the needs of the student. Depending on the severity of the violation, the principal has the authority to make the punishment more severe.
L.A.P (Learning Assistance Program)
Good classroom management practices should be followed at all times to insure a productive and well-disciplined class. John Humbird Elementary discipline policy, if adhered to, addresses methods for establishing both positive and negative consequences for student behavior. However, when appropriate and consistent classroom management strategies, and documented office referrals, do not produce the desired results, a behavior may be targeted. The student may need to spend a prescribed amount of time in the Learning Assistance Program. In order for this program to be successful, teacher documentation and parent contact are essential. The goals of the LAP program are as follows:
· To provide a highly structured academic setting/interim station for students who are temporarily experiencing academic, social, and or emotional difficulties in the school setting.
· To provide individual behavior management plans which teach and reward socially acceptable behaviors and encourage academic success.
Character Education
John Humbird Elementary School uses as part of the school-wide discipline plan; the countywide Character Education traits emphasized each month. Staff members work toward building connections and real-world examples of these traits through all phases of school life, including the formal as well as the informal curriculum. As situations arise, teachers respond spontaneously and create opportunities for teachable moments centered on character education. The character traits of each month are as follows:
August/September Responsibility
October Trustworthiness
November Citizenship
December Caring
January Fairness
February/March Respect
April Trustworthiness
May Caring
June Fairness/Citizenship
All staff members are expected to model these character traits. We believe that the character development program has contributed to a more safe and orderly environment and thus has been a significant positive influence on our school improvement efforts and academic achievement. We honor our students and parents with a celebration of their successes with a monthly “Character Tea.”
Instructional Consultation Team (ICT):
The Instructional Consultation Team was created to enhance, improve, and increase student and staff performance. The ICT has four main objectives that it follows:
- Develop a systematic support network within each building, including a trained Instructional Consultation Team.
- Enhance teachers’ skills in and application of best practices of instructional assessment and delivery.
- Develop school-wide norms of collaboration and problem solving.
- Utilize data for classroom and school decisions.
The ICT program provides a databased process for academic intervention services for students not meeting expected standards. For staff, it provides embedded professional development in areas of assessment, instruction, and collaborative problem solving.
Assignment Books
In Grades 2-5, assignment folders or books are used. They need to be signed every night by the parent or guardian. All teachers will check daily for signatures. Whenever a child fails to have this signature for three days in a row, a detention will be served during lunch recess. Students in grades K and 1 use a classroom folder for correspondence and home-school communication.
Guidelines for Reporting Student Progress
The Elementary School Progress Report evaluates student progress and achievement in all subjects - reading, writing, listening and speaking, mathematics, social studies, science, health, media, art music, and physical education. To assist teachers in grading students, and in an effort to achieve a more uniform grading system, the following guidelines have been established:
· There will be four marking periods. Throughout the marking periods, samples of the student’s work will be sent home. Parents will be notified by the teacher during the marking period if a student is not demonstrating sufficient progress. An Interim Report is available for this purpose: The Interim Report can also be used to report satisfactory progress. In lieu of the Interim Report a teacher may develop his/her own report for communicating with parents, subject to approval of the principal.
· Grades shall be determined by reviewing each student’s work from beginning to the end of the marking period. Grades should focus on the assessment of the student’s achievement and the progress or gain made during this period.
The progress reports utilize separate grading symbols for grades 1-2 and 3-5. Grades 1 and 2 use the symbols C, P, and I for each of the indicators under the main subject heading:
o C - Consistently demonstrates skill
o P - Progressing, sometimes demonstrates skill
o I - Improvement needed
The block is to be left blank if the skill is not assessed at this time.
· Grades 3-5 use the symbols A, B, C, D, and F for the overall assessment of the subject.
+ and - will not be affixed to the letter grade.
· The term “grade level” typically applies to the areas of reading and mathematics. Students who are not “on grade level” in these areas may earn an A in other content areas because of the range of materials and activities provided.
· Under each subject are specific indicators. In grades 3-5, the indicators are marked S (Satisfactory progress), N (Needs Improvement). or U (Unacceptable progress). Indicators not applicable during a marking period will be left unmarked. The absence of a mark for an indicator means that the student is not being assessed for that item.