Vida Charter School
Student/Parent Handbook
2013-2014
Vida Charter School
120 East Broadway
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-3643
www.vidacharterschool.com
Introduction
Welcome to Vida Charter School! We look forward to incorporating you and your family into the Vida Charter School Community. You are part of a partnership whose primary function is the betterment of our children.
Vida Charter School opened its doors in January 2010 to serve children and families in the Gettysburg/ Hanover area. We are an independent charter school run by a Board of Directors and an Executive Director. Our mission is to prepare children for life by nourishing the students’ minds and bodies. To that end, VCS has hired a dedicated, skilled instructional staff to guide the children in the educational process. Every staff member is charged with the care and well-being of your child.
VCS students are provided with a rigorous course of study designed to prepare students to be healthy, productive citizens and develop critical thinking skills that will serve students well beyond the elementary years. In turn, we expect the parents and guardians of our students to take an active role in ensuring that their child will receive the most benefit possible from their schooling. This is achieved through frequent, consistent communication between home and school. Together we can create an environment that will allow our children to acquire the necessary skills for academic and social success.
Please take the time to read through this policy handbook. It is designed to provide families with the information needed to make your child’s time at VCS fruitful and rewarding. Do not hesitate to call should you have any questions, concerns or ideas to share.
We are looking forward to another excellent school year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jaime Antonio Castellano
Executive Director
VISION STATEMENT
Our vision is that Vida Charter School students will be:
· Above grade level in reading and math
· Bilingual and bi-literate in English and Spanish
· Compassionate towards others and their community
· Real world problem solvers
· Physically healthy
Mission Statement
The mission of the Vida Charter School is to prepare children for life by nourishing the students’ minds and bodies. Literacy and numeracy, taught in English and Spanish, will foster success in a diverse world while an emphasis on health, physical fitness, and character education will ensure a holistic approach to a rigorous curriculum. The founders of the Vida Charter School will ensure a commitment to lifelong learning and achievement of all students by creating an atmosphere of caring that pervades every aspect of school life, and promotes attachment to a responsibility for all members of our school community.
Values
ü Act with integrity in all we do.
ü Provide leadership as a school and as individuals.
ü Regard honesty and transparency as essential in our communicating.
ü Collaborate as a team.
ü Focus on an accelerated, bilingual K-6 academic program of excellence.
ü Take courage to stand up for what we believe.
ü Strive to continuously improve as individuals and as a school.
Norms
ü Live our school values.
ü Collaborate across the school.
ü Communicate openly and with respect.
ü Take individual responsibility for quality academics and continuous improvement.
ü Model good behavior and civic leadership to students and each other.
Rights and Responsibility
Students are expected to:
ü Attend school daily,
ü Arrive to school on time,
ü Strive to do their best,
ü Be prepared,
ü Accept responsibility for their behavior and actions.
Parents are expected to:
ü Promote high expectations for your child’s behavior, school achievement, and homework,
ü Establish and maintain open lines of communications between home and school,
ü Ensure that your child gets plenty of sleep, a good breakfast, and is dressed appropriately,
ü Participate in school activities including parent-teacher conferences,
ü Regularly discuss school work with your child and help them connect it to their lives,
ü Assist your child in being responsible for their behavior and actions,
ü Ensure that your child arrives to school on time.
School Personnel are expected to:
ü Provide a safe and nurturing learning environment,
ü Establish and maintain open lines of communication between school and home,
ü Promote high expectations for students’ behavior and academic achievement,
ü Provide opportunities for every student to be successful,
ü Promote students’ responsibility for behavior and actions.
Board of Trustees
Elizabeth Fetter Kellett Amanda Kittelberger
Kerry Urcuyo LynnMarie Leonard
Donna Perry Amelia Contreras
Below is a list of the meeting dates for the Vida Charter School Board of Trustees for the 2013-2014 school year. Meetings will take place at 6:00PM at 120 East Broadway, Gettysburg, PA. 17325, (717) 334-3643.
July 22, 2013
August 26, 2013
September 23, 2013
October 28, 2013
November 25, 2013
December 16, 2013
January 27, 2014
February 24, 2014
March 24, 2043
April 28, 2014
May 19, 2014
June 23, 2014
Vida Charter School Staff Directory
Administration
Dr. Jaime A. Castellano Executive Director
Christine Miller Assistant Principal
Lynda Cockle Secretary
Kindergarten
Maria Gellman Spanish Teacher
Emily Ferber English Teacher
Grade 1
Tania Reyes Spanish Teacher
Sara Hartlaub English Teacher
Grade 2
Victor Fonseca Spanish Teacher
Kathryn Updegrove English Teacher
Grade 3
Mary Cañedo Spanish Teacher
Emily Cost English Teacher
Grades 4 & 5/6
Arturo Sanjuan Spanish Teacher
Ellie Hurst English Teacher
Specialists/Resource Teachers
Jerrod Smith Special Education
Audrey Hess Healthy Lifestyles
Forrest Haffey Math
Jackie Kapfhammer Reading
Instructional Assistants
Esther Estrada Spanish
Rufi Syed English
Estefania Vera Bilingual
Matthew Lowenthal Bilingual
Cesar Perez Special Education
LUNCH TICKETS
The price of a student lunch in the school cafeteria is $2.20 ($0.40 for students who qualify for reduced lunches and $0.00 for students who qualify for free lunches) and an adult lunch is $3.60. Breakfasts cost $1.10 ($0.30 for reduced breakfast). Students are encouraged to buy the number of lunches/ breakfasts needed for the upcoming week by Thursday of the previous week. Checks may be made payable to Vida Charter School. Milk may be purchased separately for $0.50. Please do not allow charges of more than $45.00 accrue on your child’s account.
APPROPRIATE STUDENT DRESS
While we have no formal dress code, students are expected to be clean and neat in appearance and wear apparel appropriate to weather conditions. Even on cold days, children may have at least part of their recess outdoors; thus, children should be prepared with coats, hats, boots, etc., as needed. Students have Healthy Lifestyles class every week and should be dressed in clothing appropriate for physical activity.
Flip-flops, heels, open-backed, strapless shoes, and similar footwear are not considered appropriate since this loose-fitting footwear could cause serious injury. Spandex shorts, see through clothing, low cut shirts, very short shorts or dresses and clothing that advertises any alcohol or tobacco products, is of questionable taste, or is potentially disruptive to the educational program will not be permitted. The School Director reserves the right to contact the parent(s) in order to have acceptable clothing brought to school or to have students change into more appropriate clothing.
REPORT CARDS AND CONFERENCES
Report cards are issued quarterly. Parents are requested to review the data on their child's achievement. Since the purpose of report cards is not to reward or punish students for their achievement or behavior, but rather to report progress, the teachers and administration recommend that parents not "pay" students for attaining high grades. While motivation for the monetary benefits may be high, a student's attitude toward learning for the sake of learning can be seriously damaged.
Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled twice annually. However, if parents have questions throughout the year regarding their child's progress, the child's teacher should be called to arrange a conference.
Parent/Teacher Communication
Frequent, consistent parent/teacher communication is vital to the educational success of your child. Together we form a team that focuses on your child’s needs, concerns, and growth. We invite you to participate in the process by contacting the school whenever you have concerns or questions. You should receive an initial response from your child’s teacher within 24 hours of leaving a message during the school week. We will also communicate with you through the following:
ü Scheduled parent/teacher conferences,
ü Teacher web pages (www.vidacharterschool.com),
ü Progress/Interim Reports,
ü Report Cards,
ü Wednesday Newsletters,
ü Announcements in homework folders,
ü Notes, texts, emails, or telephone calls to parents,
ü PAC Meetings,
ü Board Meetings,
ü Parent information sessions,
ü E-mail – provided by individual teacher.
HomeWORK FOLDERS
Each student has a folder that is used to communicate homework and other messages between school and home. Students hand in the folder on a daily basis for teachers to check homework, look for communication from school, etc. Newsletters, memos, flyers, school calendars and other important information are sent home each Wednesday in this folder. Notification of events, changes in the school calendar or other items are communicated through the Wednesday Newsletters. Please be sure to check with your child each Wednesday to see what messages have been sent for the week.
Homework/Make-up work
It is recognized that all learning cannot be accomplished within the limited amount of time allotted for classroom instruction. Therefore, homework is routinely assigned to students. As the word implies, homework is to be completed outside the regular class period.
The Role of the Student
ü Be responsible for having a copy of the assignments and making sure assignments are clearly understood,
ü Take home necessary texts and materials,
ü Complete assignments neatly and on time,
ü Note any questions about homework to be asked in the next class,
ü Return assignments and books to school when due.
The Role of the Parent
ü Provide a quiet place for the student to complete assignments,
ü Encourage the student to study at a regular time in the afternoon and/or evening,
ü Check the student’s assignments each evening and sign, if needed,
ü Encourage independence in completion of the assignments,
ü Check that the child brings their homework folder to school,
ü Review and sign tests, when applicable.
MISSED WORK
Students are required and expected to make up assignments, assessments, and projects missed, when absent or otherwise not in school. Students have a number of days equal to the number of days absent to complete the missed assignments, assessments, and/or projects. If a student has been absent for an extended period, s/he should request the assistance of his/her teacher in creating a schedule to complete the missed work.
Change of Address and/or Telephone Number
It is necessary for parents/guardians to notify the homeroom teacher and the school office concerning any change in address and/or telephone number whether it be a change at home or place of employment. This should be done as soon as changes are made. This is very important both in case of emergency and in keeping our records up-to-date. It is critically important that we have a way of reaching someone in the event of an emergency.
Money
Please follow the procedure below for sending in money with your child:
1. Put money in a sealed envelope
2. Mark the envelope clearly with student’s name, grade, amount of money and purpose for the money.
3. Have your child turn in this money to their classroom teacher first thing in the morning.
TOYS AND ELECTRONICS
Children MAY NOT bring toys or electronics of any kind to school at any time. Toys or electronics found at school will be confiscated and held in the school office for parents/guardians to pick up.
Cell Phones
The staff of VCS understands that there are situations and circumstances outside of school during which your child may need a cell phone. However, a student’s cell phone must be turned off upon entering the school and should not be seen or heard throughout the day. The use of cell phones during school hours is prohibited. If a cell phone is seen or heard by a staff member during school hours, they are charged with confiscating the phone and delivering it to the School Director. Parents/guardians must pick up the confiscated cell phone. Vida Charter School will not assume responsibility for the loss or theft of cell phones.
FIELD TRIPS
Occasionally teachers will plan field trips to extend learning on a given topic. When these excursions are planned, parents will receive information regarding the planned trip, any accompanying costs, mode of transportation, etc., and will be asked to give their permission for their child to participate.
Responsibility for the welfare of the child remains with the teacher, just as it does in the classroom. The permission slip that parents sign is to ensure that parents are aware of the trip and that they are permitting their child to participate. Those students who are not permitted to participate will remain at school in alternative learning activities.
Wellness Policy
Vida Charter School recognizes that student wellness and proper nutrition are related to all students’ physical well-being, growth, development, and readiness to learn. The school is committed to providing an environment that promotes student wellness, proper nutrition, nutrition education, and regular physical activity as part of the total learning experience. In a healthy school environment, students will learn about and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices that can improve student achievement. A copy of the wellness policy is on hand in the Main Office for your viewing. Any shared snacks must meet the requirements of the school snack list (found on the final pages of this document).
ADMINISTERING MEDICATION
Occasionally a student may suffer from a physical condition that demands temporary or permanent medication as prescribed by a physician. It is the policy of Vida Charter School to allow only prescribed medications to be taken during school hours when necessary. Under these circumstances, many parents solicit the assistance of school personnel in supervising the administration of medication. Parents are advised of the following guidelines:
1. Parents shall submit a written request to the teacher or school nurse asking for the dispensing of the prescribed medication,