Nexton Elementary

Student Handbook

2016-2017

Mrs. Nancy Leigh, Principal

Mrs. Tara Baker, Assistant Principal

200 Scholar Way

Summerville, SC 29483

Phone: (843) 900-3222 Fax: (843) 900-3255

For the safety of your child, we are unable to release children after 1:30 p.m.

Also, we want your child to get home safely, therefore, we are unable to deliver transportation changes to students after 1:30 p.m. Thanks for understanding!

THIS HANDBOOK IS NOT MEANT TO BE INCLUSIVE OF ALL THE RULES OR REGULATIONS at

Nexton Elementary SCHOOL. For a complete list of Berkeley County School District policies, please visit and click on the Board Policy Manual link.

Bus Transportation Office: 843-820-4032

School website:

THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE WILL BE IMPORTANT TO YOUR CHILD IN SCHOOL:

TEACHER: ______

PRINCIPAL …………………………………………………………………………………………………Mrs. Nancy Leigh

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL……………………………………………………………………………….Mrs. Tara Baker

CURRICULUM COACH…………………………………………………………………………………Mrs.Terri Lynn Dress

SCHOOL NURSE………………………………………………………………………………………….Mrs. Christy Qualls

ATTENDANCE OFFICER……………………………………………………………………………….Mrs. Crystal Lofton

FRONT OFFICE RECEPTIONIST…………………………………………………………………….Mrs. Cindy Canzanella

SECRETARY/BOOKKEEPER………………………………………………………………………….Ms. Heather Corbin

A Message to Parents from the Principal:

School Colors: Blue and Green

School Mascot: Explorers

NES School Hours

7:40-2:15

Goals

Goal 1: School Climate

  • We will provide a healthy, safe and supportive learning environment.

Goal 2: Student Achievement

  • Build upon our unified curriculum, assessment system, and professional learning community practices to prepare students for success.

Goal 3: Communications

  • We will partner with stakeholders to build advocacy for our students, families, schools and district to promote transparency and provide accurate information.

Goal 4: Human Resources

  • We will attract, recruit, develop and retain quality teachers, administrators and staff.

Goal 5: Fiscal Responsibility

  • We will be proactive in obtaining and utilizing resources to provide a world-class education for all students.

TITLE IX STATEMENT
Berkeley County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status in the provision of education opportunities or employment opportunities and benefits in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
August9 / Tuesday / First Day for Teachers(FLEX)
August10 / Wednesday / 1/2SchoolDevelopment-1/2WorkDay
August11 / Thursday / District Staff Development (MS/HS) - Workday(Elem)
August12 / Friday / District Staff Development (Elem) - Workday(MS/HS)
August15 / Monday / First Day forStudents
August 24 &31 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
September5 / Monday / LaborDay-SchoolsOfficesClosed
September14 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
September15 / Thursday / ProgressReports
September21 / Monday / EarlyRelease(Elem/MS)-LateinforHSonly
September28 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
October5 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
October12 / Wednesday / EarlyRelease(Elem/MS)-LateinforHSonly
October14 / Friday / End ofQ2
October17 / Monday / TeacherWorkday/InclementWeatherMake-up(ifneeded)
October20 / Thursday / ReportCards
October26 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
November2 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
November8 / Wednesday / Election Day - Schools & OfficesClosed
November16 / Wednesday / EarlyRelease(Elem/MS)-LateinforHSonly
November17 / Thursday / ProgressReports
November23-25 / Wed -Fri / Fall Break - Schools & OfficesClosed
November30 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
December7 / Wednesday / EarlyRelease(Elem/MS)-LateinforHSonly
December16 / Friday / 1/2 day all Students - End ofQ2
December 19 - Jan.2 / Mon -Fri / Winter Break - SchoolsClosed
January3 / Tuesday / Teachers Return -Workday
January4 / Wednesday / StudentsReturn
January5 / Thursday / ReportCards
January11 / Wednesday / Late in HSonly
January16 / Monday / Dr.MartinLutherKingDay-SchoolsOfficesClosed
January25 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
February1 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
February8 / Wednesday / Early Release (Elem/MS) - Late in HSonly
February9 / Thursday / ProgressReports
February17 / Friday / DistrictInstructional/StaffDevelopment-NoSchool/WeatherMake-upDay
February20 / Monday / President'sDay-SchoolsOfficesClosed
March1 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
March8 / Wednesday / EarlyRelease(Elem/MS)-LateinforHSonly
March15 / Wednesday / End ofQ3
March17 / Friday / TeacherWorkday
March22 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
March23 / Thursday / ReportCards
March29 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
April5 / Wednesday / EarlyRelease(Elem/MS)-LateinforHSonly
April 10 -14 / Mon -Fri / SpringBreak
April17 / Monday / TeacherWorkday/WeatherMake-up/day(IfNeeded)
April26 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
April27 / Thursday / ProgressReports
May3 / Wednesday / Late in for HSonly
May17 / Wednesday / EarlyRelease(Elem/MS)-LateinforHSonly
May29 / Monday / MemorialDay-SchoolsOfficesClosed
May31 / Wednesday / 1/2 day HSonly
June1 / Thursday / 1/2 day allStudents
June2 / Friday / Last day for Teachers/ReportCards

Approved by Board2/23/16

1

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is important to student success. Students who have 3 or more tardies (excused or unexcused) or early sign-outs in a nine week period will not be considered for a PERFECT ATTENDANCE award. Please refer to policy JBD (in this agenda) for more information regarding the attendance expectations.

BELL SCHEDULE

7:15Doors Open, Breakfast

7:351st Bell

7:40 Tardy Bell

2:15 Dismissal

MORNING AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE

The purpose is to provide quality childcare for students attending Berkeley Schools.

The hours of operation for before care are from 6:40 a.m. - 7:15 a.m. and from dismissal until 6:00 p.m. There is a $15.00 stranded student fee for students that remain after closing, payable at the time of pick up.

FEES: Non-refundable registration fee

$25.00/child

After school care - 1st child $55.00/week

Additional sibling(s) $40.00/week

Late payment fee of $10.00/week

Morning Care $10/week

Stranded student fees will result in the need for a new registration fee.

Payment is required for each week of the program whether your child attends or not in order to reserve the space. Child care is typically open on teacher workdays for an additional fee.

Daycare reserves the right to exclude a child from participation if payments are more than two weeks late, or if payments are late more than 3 times during the year.

If a student becomes ill during daycare, all attempts will be made to notify parents for arrangements to be made for the child to be picked up as soon as possible.

CHECK POLICY

Your check is welcome at all schools and locations in the Berkeley County School District. The Berkeley County School District recognizes that occasionally a parent may inadvertently overdraw a checking account and a check may be returned by your bank. In order to recover these funds in a private and professional manner, the Berkeley County School District has contracted with Nexcheck, LLC, for collection of returned checks.

Each person writing a check to a school or the School District should write the check on a commercially printed check with your name, address, and one phone number. Counter or starter checks will not be accepted. When a person writes a check to a school or the School District, the person writing the check agrees that, if the check is returned that it may be represented electronically on the same account, and that the fee established by law, now $30, may be debited from the same account.

If the check and fee are not collected electronically, then Nexcheck will contact you by mail and by telephone in order for you to make arrangements to pay. All payments need to be made directly through Nexcheck, P.O. Box 19688, Birmingham, AL 35219.

For a convenience fee, payments of both check and fee may be made electronically at or over the phone using a credit card, debit card, or electronic check.

CONFERENCES

If you want to meet with your child’s teachers about grades, behaviors, etc., please contact your child’s teacher and schedule an appointment. You may contact your child’s teacher by calling (843)

900-3222 or by simply writing a note or e-mail. Teachers will return voicemail messages, so feel free to leave one if he or she does not answer your call immediately. E-mail addresses can be found on our website,

Instructional time is very important, so please understand that conferences will not be scheduled during instructional periods. Teachers will hold conferences before school, after school, or during a planning period.

Teachers will regularly keep parents informed of their child’s progress. It is expected that parents meet with their child’s teacher at least one time during the school year. If a student is in danger of being retained, his or her parents will be called in for a conference.

DAILY SCHEDULE

Arrival

Adult supervision at Nexton Elementary School begins at 7:15a.m. Students should not be dropped off before this time due to the lack of adult supervision. For this reason, the school will not be responsible for students left unsupervised by parents before 7:15 a.m.Before school care will be available each morning for a fee of $5.00 per child per week and will provide care from 6:40 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure supervision before school hours by not dropping students off before 7:15 or ensuring proper care through enrollment in Before/After care.

Car riders should be dropped off from the car loop, not the front of the building.Every student should report directly to his or her classroom before the tardy bell at7:40 a.m. If a parent chooses to walk his/her child (ren) to class, he or she may park in a Visitor Space and use the main entrance by the Front Office. Bus students will enter the building through the cafeteria.

Dismissal

The office will not interrupt classes to deliver transportation messages to your child.For the safety of your child, we will be unable to accept or deliver any changes regarding transportation messages after 1:30. Please make sure your child knows how he or she will get home in the afternoon before he or she leaves for school in the morning. School will be dismissed beginning at 2:15 p.m.Students who are car riders will not be dismissed to parents who walk up to the front doors of the school during car dismissal. Please use car tags at all times.

Walkers and bike riders are to cross at the crosswalk supervised by the crossing guard. Parents are asked to serve as appropriate role models and cross with their children at the crosswalk only. Students walking to and from school must follow the directions of the teacher on duty.

* If you do not have a number tag in your car, you must be able to provide an ID that matches the approved transporters.

*Students who are not picked up on time will be sent to after school care and parents will be charged a fee for their supervision.

DRESS CODE

Students are expected to show proper attention to personal cleanliness, neatness, and conservative standards of dress.

  1. The length of shorts, skirts, dresses, or skorts must be no shorter than the student’s fingertips when arms are at the student’s side (mid-thigh).
  2. Clothing must cover the student’s undergarments at all times; when the student is standing, sitting, or bending.
  3. If leggings are worn, a shirt must cover to finger-tip length.
  4. Tank tops, strapless tops, backless tops, spaghetti straps, and bare mid-drifts are not allowed. Blouses and shirts must touch the waistband when standing or sitting.
  5. Clothing with inappropriate messages will not be allowed (e.g. beer logos, profanity, sexual innuendoes, etc.)
  6. Hats or sunglasses are not to be worn in the building. No head covering (e.g. scarves, bandana, etc.) are allowed except for religious or medical reasons with administrative approval.
  7. Flip flops are discouraged due to outdoor play and PE.

Students who are inappropriately dressed will be sent to the office and parents will be contacted to bring suitable clothing.

DRILLS

Fire drills are conducted once each month and both tornado and intruder drills are conducted once each semester. Detailed evacuation plans are posted inside the classroom near the door. Each classroom has an escape route to an outside area a safe distance from the building. Each class has an assigned area in the building for tornado drills.

EARLY SIGN-OUT PROCEDURES

Any person who signs out a student must be listed on the student’s information card and must produce a picture id/Driver’s License. In order to maintain our dismissal process, early checkout is not permitted after 1:30.

EMERGENCY CLOSING OF SCHOOLS

Announcements will be made to local media if schools are closing early or opening late. Callouts will also be made via our automated system.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Parents must provide the school with current and accurate emergency information about each student. This should include a home telephone number, parents’ work/daytime numbers, and any friend or relative’s number who is authorized to assume care of the student. All emergency information is to be current. If changes occur, records must be updated. Since we are unable to provide sickroom care, your cooperation in responding immediately to a call concerning your child’s illness will be appreciated.

EXPULSIONS

Students are recommended for expulsion for a number of reasons (possession of a weapon, sexual misconduct, etc.). Please refer to BCSD Policies JCD and JCDA-R

for further information. Students recommended for expulsion will have a hearing with the BCSD Hearing Officer who will render a decision on the expulsion status.

FIELD TRIPS

Field trip are a recognized part of the curriculum and provide unique learning opportunities for our students. Students must have parent permission to attend field trips. Students may NOT be signed out from a field trip. They must return to the school to sign out in order to ensure safety of all students. Chaperones are encouraged on each trip and must be preapproved by the teacher due to space and transportation on each trip.

GRADING SCALE

GRADING SCALES - Primary, Elementary, and Intermediate Level

Grades K -2

Pupil progress in kindergarten is reported on a checklist of kindergarten readiness skills, including mathematics and language development. Pupil progress in Grades One and Two is reported on a checklist including SC curriculum standards in core curricular areas, related arts, and work habits/ social development. Report card formats in kindergarten, Grade One and Grade Two must be approved by the Berkeley County Board of Education.

Grades 3 - 5

For the core academic subjects, numerical averages are reported.

In April of 2016, South Carolina adopted a 10 point grading scale for all students in grades 9-12. For continuity within our schools, Berkeley County School District (BCSD) may transition grade levels 3-8 to the new grading scale beginning with the 2016-2017 school year. The BCSD School Board will make the determination for grades 3-8 once the state finalizes the new Uniform Grading Policy

Grade Weights

Homework / 5%
Quizzes / 30%
Class work / 25%
Projects/Tests / 40%

Homework

Homework is generally assigned Monday through Thursday. Homework is designed as a tool in the teaching/learning process.

Tests

Students will not be given tests on Mondays with the exception of Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) and grade level Benchmark testing. We will also do our best to spread test dates out between subjects.

Projects

Projects will not be due on a Monday, nor the day immediately following a holiday break. 5 points will be deducted for each day that a project is late beginning the first date after a project is due.

PETS

NO PETS (on or off leashes) are allowed on campus.

GUIDANCE

Guidance services are available to parents, students, and faculty members within the school setting. The purpose of the school counseling program is to serve as a support and resource service. The comprehensive school counseling program is available to all students and includes small group counseling, classroom guidance lessons, individual counseling, parent/teacher consultation, and school-wide parenting, career, and safety programs. A student may be referred to a school counselor at any time by parents, teachers, or students. School counselors have an ethical obligation to maintain student confidentiality, but balance that obligation with an understanding of the legal and inherent rights of parents/guardians to be the guiding voice in their children’s lives. You may contact the school counselorby calling the school office.

LOST AND FOUND

We strongly urge parents to mark items of clothing, lunch boxes, glasses, etc. with the student’s name. Please come to the front office to claim lost items in a timely manner. Unclaimed items are donated to a charity on the last Friday of each month.

MEALS

Breakfast and lunch are available daily to all students. Free or reduced rate meals are available to families that qualify. Forms may be picked up in the front office. Questions should be directed to our Cafeteria Manager.

NURSE/CLINIC

Students who get sick during the day will be sent to the clinic to see our nurse. Any student that is vomiting or running a temperature of 100° or more will be required to go home. The student cannot return to school until he/she has been fever-free for 24 hours. Students that are sick in the morning should stay home. Please make sure the school always has a current working phone number for your child in case of emergencies. If a student is found to have head lice or nits (eggs), someone will be required to pick the child up immediately from school.The student cannot return to school until he/she has been treated and can show proof of treatment. If a student is absent from school because of lice, this is not an excused absence according to the Attendance Regulations of South Carolina.

There are times when a student should remain at home for his/her own welfare and for the protection of other students. Students should remain at home if they have any of the following symptoms.

  1. Fever, temperature of 100 degrees or higher within the past 24 hours, with or without other symptoms.
  2. A cold in the contagious stages, severe nasal discharge that is not clear in color
  3. Any communicable disease (chicken pox, measles, etc.)
  4. Undiagnosed rash or skin eruptions.
  5. Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 12 hours.
  6. Untreated head lice or scabies.

PARTIES

Parties are an important part of the social development of the student. However, we do limit the number to two (2) each year. Surprise and birthday parties are not permitted. A treat can be sent to school to be shared with the class at lunchtime. Treats should be individual servings, not whole cakes and should be store bought.We encourage healthy treats for our children. Balloons and flowers are not permitted at school. We do not make classroom deliveries for birthdays or Valentine’s Day.