Parent/Student Handbook
Steekee Elementary School
2017-2018
4500 Steekee School Road
Loudon, TN 37774
Phone: 865-458-3322
Fax: 865-458-9921
Web Site: www.ses.loudoncounty.edlioschool.com
Dr. Jason Vance Dr. Donna Stapleton Mrs. Susan Kelley
Director of Schools Principal Assistant Principal
Revised July 2017
A Message from Our Principal
Welcome to Steekee Elementary School! We are proud to have your child as a student this year. Our school has an outstanding staff dedicated to student learning and growth. We are in a great community of supportive parents and neighbors and serve high achieving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. You are always welcome to visit or contact our school.
Our mission of “Scouting for success by building college and career readiness, character, and leadership in Every Student, Every Day” means that we are dedicated to the success of all students in our school. We offer a talented staff of energetic professionals to help develop our students into positive, lifelong learners and productive citizens. Our classrooms are also equipped with computers, iPads, SmartBoards, and other technologies to help deliver the best instruction available, and we are constantly working to keep the environment up to date to meet the needs of 21st century students.
Two of our major responsibilities are ensuring the safety of students and staff members and establishing a climate of high expectations for student success. In order to do so, we must maintain certain procedures outlined in this handbook concerning visitors to the school. We appreciate your understanding that the procedures are in place to keep your child as safe as possible while delivering to him or her the highest level of education. We cannot reach the highest levels of success without your support at home and here at the school. We believe that the greatest success only happens when students, teachers, parents, and the community work together. Throughout the year we will reach out to parents and the community through events at the school and invitations for volunteers who wish to help. There are several means of communication outlined in this handbook through which we will keep parents informed of school events and your child’s progress. We will always be glad to receive your visits in our front office, where you will be greeted with friendly service. Again, our focus is to guarantee a quality education for your child.
The pages of this handbook are filled with important information regarding school and district policies as well as notifications of rights and services available to you and your student. Please review it completely. There are five items on the back three pages that require your signature and will be turned in to your child’s teacher. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 458-3322.
Thank you for your support,
Donna Stapleton
Donna Stapleton
Principal
Steekee Elementary Title 1 Parent Engagement Philosophy
School, family, and community partnerships are an important component of Steekee Elementary's success. The top priority at Steekee is to provide a safe, caring environment for students. We want everyone entering the school to experience a welcoming atmosphere. This is accomplished through the teamwork of strong school leaders, professional, friendly teachers, and parent volunteers. A focused safety plan, juvenile citation program, and involved school resource officer make the school a safe place for learning. We believe it is essential to include parents in decision-making, resource allocation, school improvement planning, and service projects. In addition, we provide many opportunities for parents to visit the school and be a part of the day-to-day activities. Our guidance counselor coordinates with local social agencies to provide needed medical and emotional support to our students and parents. Local businesses have partnered with the school and provide many financial and technical resources.
The benefits of parent and community involvement are directly related to student achievement, attitude, and overall school success. Students who have involved parents make better grades, are more respectful, and score higher on standardized tests. Discipline issues are reduced when there is frequent, consistent communication between school and home. Parents and students who have "ownership" in the school work harder to make it a success. Teachers report increased job satisfaction and fewer instructional disruptions.
A key to a successful outreach program involves the atmosphere of the school. Parents must truly feel welcome in the school building and believe that their volunteer hours will make a difference in the lives of the students. At the beginning of each school year, parents receive a parent volunteer registration form in their child’s folder. This form lists the numerous opportunities for school service and provides space for parents to indicate other strengths or talents.
Another aspect of a successful parent engagement plan is to include parents in decision-making and school improvement planning. This is accomplished in many ways. Parents serve on school committees such as Safety Committee and Coordinated School Health Committee. **Parent and stakeholder involvement in the School Improvement Plan process is vital. Steekee Elementary School’s School Improvement Committees provide the opportunity for teachers and parents to work together in collecting data, gathering information, analyzing strengths and challenges, and setting goals with timelines for various accomplishments,
Steekee teachers and administrators believe good communication is key to a winning parent involvement plan. Communication must be easy, open, and two-way between school and home. This process begins before school even starts. All teachers mail letters to their new class of students during the summer. They tell the students and parents a little about themselves and the expectations of their grade level. They remind them of important dates and school supply needs. They also have parents mark their calendars for special grade level “Parent Nights” to be held during the first week of school. On Registration Day, we ask that all parents and students visit the school (this includes new students as well as those who have previously attended the school). This gives the parent and child an opportunity to meet the teacher, visit the classroom, and have some personal time to ask questions or address concerns. During the first week of school, every grade level hosts a Parent Night. Parents come to the school, hear a short message from the principal and guidance counselors, and then adjourn to their child’s classroom. The teachers prepare a short presentation explaining structure and expectations of the grade level. This is followed by time spent answering questions and getting to know each other. Students in grades K-5 receive student folders to help develop organizational skills and serve as a communication tool between home and school. Parents are asked to review the contents of the folder carefully and discuss topics with their child. The parents may use this folder as a form of communication with the teacher. Other forms of communication are weekly “Friday Notes” with advance organizers of the next week’s topics of study, teacher and school web pages, and occasional “Steekee News” newsletters from the administrative staff. Parents are invited to the school for various award programs, PTO meetings, field trips, and fine arts programs and displays.
Parents have been an invaluable resource in large scale school projects. Each year Steekee raises $17,000-$18,000 for the school’s instructional supply and technology needs. Parents have helped with painting, helping teachers move to new classrooms, and even seeking out local contractors and business people to help with maintenance
Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures:
For the Safety of our students, we have established the following procedures for all students arriving and leaving the school grounds:
Arrival: 7:15-7:50
Ø Please drive around the school building to the gym awning entrance for student drop off. Staff members will be there to greet students.
Ø Our school day begins at 7:50 am.
Ø Students will be released from the gym to their classrooms at this time.
Ø Students are expected to be in their seat and ready to learn at 8:00 am sharp.
Ø All students arriving after the chain is latched, will need to be accompanied by an adult, to the office, and signed in as tardy.
(The yellow chain will not be hooked until the last car in line passes through. Officer Jamie will hook the chain at 7:58.)
Dismissal: 3:00-3:15
Ø In the afternoon, students will load in cars at the cafeteria back door. School personnel will call your child(ren) from the cafeteria and will assist them into your car. Students should be picked up between 3:00 to 3:15 each day.
Dismissal: 3:15-3:35
Ø All bus riders will be escorted to the gym at 3:15 to wait, with supervision, until their bus arrives. Students will not be allowed to walk or bike to school.
Please understand that these procedures are in place to provide the utmost protection for your child.
School Safety:
For the security and protection of the students, faculty, and staff, the following safety measures are in place at Steekee: (1) Only one main entrance door is unlocked, (2) All other exterior doors are locked at all times, (3) Visitors may only enter and exit the building through the main entrance, (4) All visitors must sign in and out at the office and wear a Visitor’s Badge. No parents/visitors are to be in school hallways before school and during afternoon dismissal without properly signing in at the office. Students are trained to not open any locked doors for anyone without permission.
School Visitors:
We look forward to meeting you, and we welcome visitors to our school. All visitors on school grounds must report to the office, sign in, and pick up a Visitor’s Badge. Your help with this procedure greatly aids our efforts to maintain a safe campus. School visits and volunteering are encouraged. In order to best facilitate classroom visits within the daily instructional operations of the school community, parents/guardians are asked to make prior arrangements with teachers if they wish to attend a class. Parental requests for meetings with teachers will gladly be honored through phone calls or in-person meetings held during non-instructional times during the school day, or before or after school if the teacher is available at those times. Should an emergency situation arise, please contact the office staff so that we may promptly offer assistance. Students are not allowed to bring younger siblings to school.
Breakfast and Lunch Visitors—You are welcome to enjoy breakfast or lunch with your child. We ask at breakfast that you sign the visitor’s log in the cafeteria. At lunch, please sign in and get a visitor’s badge in the main office prior to your child’s lunch time so you can walk with your child’s class to the cafeteria. For safety reasons, we cannot provide visitors with door keys. Fast food and soft drinks cannot be taken into the cafeteria. We provide a private area outside the cafeteria where you may enjoy lunch with your student.
Special Occasions:
Food/treats for special occasions should be store bought packaged goods with visible ingredient lists in order to ensure safety and health for students who have food allergies. Please make arrangements with teachers at least 3 days in advance in order to allow planning for the best time to share food/treats with your child’s class.
Pets:
Cats, dogs, and other animals are not allowed in the building without special permission from administration.
Contact Information:
Only a legal guardian may enroll a student in the school. If at any time during the year your phone number, address, or job site changes, please notify us so that your information can be changed. Up-to-date information is imperative should your child become ill or get injured.
If you will be changing schools, please stop by the school office to fill out a withdrawal form. This will ensure that your child’s records will follow you promptly. Any change in address should be reported to the office at once. We need to know where to reach parents in case of an emergency.
Emergency Days & Inclement Weather:
When severe weather creates hazardous conditions or school emergency days are necessary, the regular school schedule may be suspended to ensure students’ safety. It is the parents’ responsibility to monitor news reports and radio stations. Radio stations WLIL, WLOD, WIVK, and TV Stations ABC, NBC, and CBS will announce when there is no school. Also, we will try to send announcements through the school’s messaging system regarding school closings. If your contact information changes, please make sure you update your child’s record in the office.
Fire Drills/Tornado Drills/Lockdown:
Every precaution is taken to provide a safe environment for your child during normal school hours. Periodic fire, tornado and lockdown drills are executed to make certain students learn proper safety procedures and adhere to all guidelines.
Pre K & Kindergarten Requirements:
All students entering school for pre-kindergarten must be four years old by August 15th. All students entering school for kindergarten must be five years old by August 15th. Parents must provide their child’s birth certificate, proof of Loudon County residency, proof of income, proof of physical examination on appropriate state form, and white Certificate of Immunization. New immunization rules state that children entering kindergarten must have Hepatitis A (2 doses) and should be documented on the Certificate of Immunization.
Immunizations:
Any student not producing an immunization record as required by law will only be admitted for a ten-day period during which time the proper immunizations shall be obtained.
Communication:
Steekee administrators and teachers believe an important part of student success is to keep open lines of communication between home and school. There are several ways we do this: (1) Weekly newsletters from teachers and green communication folders, (2) Monthly Steekee News newsletter from administrators, (3) Telephone calls and voicemail, (4) Parent nights, (5) “All On Board” meetings, (6) School web site (www.ses.loudoncounty.org) (7) Individual notes home, (8) Yearly parent surveys, (9) E-mail (10) Twitter (@SES_scouts), (11) the message center at morning drop-off time, (12) Skylert automated calls and messages, and (13) the marquee at the front of the campus (14) Facebook (Steekee Elementary School). A phone messaging service allows the school to automatically send phone reminders to parents. You can sign up to have notices delivered via phone or email in the office.