Tom Joy Elementary School
Parent and Student Handbook
2201 Jones Avenue,
Nashville, TN 37207
Office-615-262-6724
Fax- 615-262-6959
Sandra Moorman, Principal
Stephanie Adams, Assistant Principal
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tom-Joy-Elementary
Twitter: @TomJoyElem
August 5, 2015
Dear Parents,
We are proud to have your child as a student with us here at Tom Joy Elementary. We look forward to working with your child with great anticipation.
We are committed to providing your child with the very best education possible. Our faculty and staff of Tom Joy have worked diligently to provide a stellar academic program in a caring and secure learning environment. We have many special services to supplement our regular school program. These services include a Literacy Coach, Vanderbilt Therapist, School Counselor, Encore teacher, Interventionists, Reading Clinic and Reading Recovery.
Parents, we feel, as partners in this community it is our job to educate our children. Your participation is greatly needed and very much appreciated. You can support your child's academic performance by attending school/parent meetings and keeping in close contact with your child's teachers.
Contained in this handbook is valuable information about Tom Joy, including school regulations, rules, school services and adopted school policies. Please read through it carefully and keep it in a handy location for quick reference. If you need additional information not contained in the student handbook, please feel free to call the office during school hours.
We welcome your suggestions and solicit your support. Together we can continue our success at Tom Joy Elementary. Thank you for your support as we enter this school year.
Sincerely,
Sandra E. Moorman
Sandra E. Moorman, Principal
Stephanie Adams
Stephanie Adams, Assistant Principal
Tom Joy Elementary Tigers
District’s Vision Statement (www.mnps.org)
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools will provide every student with the foundation of knowledge, skills, and character necessary to excel in higher education, work, and life.
School’s Vision
Tom Joy Elementary strives to be an exemplary learning community which encourages meaningful real world experiences where students and staff grow socially, emotionally and academically.
District’s Mission Statement
The mission of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the heart and soul of the creative spirit of Music City, is to ensure each student realizes his or her ability to excel at levels not previously imagined, through a system distinguished by: safe environments characterized by love, value and acceptance; inclusive communities of learners; engaged students eager to share their thoughts; multiple paths to success; and active support among home, school, and community.
School’s Mission
To succeed we must inspire students to achieve at their highest level and build positive community support.
School’s Belief
At Tom Joy we believe:
· High expectations of proficiency and beyond for student learning is the chief priority for our school.
· Student learning needs should be the primary focus, with purpose and direction, of all decisions impacting the work of the school.
· High expectations are held that all students can learn and become life-long learners.
· Students learn best when they are surrounded by a high performing learning culture and have appropriate opportunities for success.
· Data-driven instruction will ensure student achievement.
· Teachers, administrators, parents, students and community must collaborate and share responsibility for advancing the school’s mission and for decision-making that ensures student success.
· Ongoing data-driven assessment, both formal and informal, is necessary and is used to make decisions that drive learning goals, measure student achievement and provide valuable information to teachers, parents and students.
School’s Motto
Tom Joy…. “Where Learning is a Joy”
Questions
Please call the MNPS Customer Service Center at 615/259-INFO (4636) or your child’s principal.
Policies are subject to be modified or added throughout the school year. The current text of all policies is available in the following locations:
• The Metro Schools’ website at www.policy.mnps.org;
• Metro Schools Customer Service Center,
259-INFO (4636);
• Your local school
Spanish Si usted necesita información adicional o si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor llame o contacte al director de su escuela.
Somali Haddii aad u baahan tahay macluumaad ama aad qabto su’aalo, fadlan u dir maamulaha iskuulka telefoon.
Vietnamese
Serbo Croation/Bosnian Ako trebate dodatne informacije ili imate neko pitanje, molim nazovite svoju skolu i kontaktirajte direktora.
Kurdish
Korean
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General Information about Tom Joy Elementary
School Colors
Blue and yellow
Mascot
Tiger
Program Highlights
· FLIP tutors
· Related Arts: Art, Music, Physical Education, and Technology
· Computer Lab
· School Counselor
· Social Worker
· Daily Character Education
· Character Recognition
· Reading is Fundamental (RIF)
· Literacy Coach
· Pre K program for 4 year olds
· Tiger Award Celebration (Academic and Character Awards)
· Reading Recovery
· Reading Clinic
· ENCORE
Emphasized Character Education Traits
v Respect & Responsibility
v Kindness, Friendship & Caring
v Perseverance
v Honesty
v Courage
v Self-Control
v Citizenship & School Spirit
Acceptable:
ü Students are allowed to wear jeans on Fridays.
ü Any color Tom Joy t-shirt will be allowed to be part of standard school attire.
ü No flip flops are allowed- safety concern within the building.
ü Students are expected to be in standard school attire throughout the school year unless notified by the office. Disciplinary actions will be taken for not following our policy.
ü Any solid color shirt may be worn. It may be short or long sleeve and must have a collar (polo, button-down, dress-style without buttons, peter pan or turtleneck, etc.).
ü All shirts must be properly buttoned and tucked inside pants, shorts or skirts. Students will be required to keep shirts tucked in at all times.
ü All pants, shorts, capri pants, skirts or skorts must be navy blue, black, any shade of khaki.
ü Dresses with short or long sleeves and a collar in the district- or school-approved solid colors are acceptable.
ü All clothing must be appropriately sized. Tight-fitting, baggy or saggy shirts or pants are not allowed. A belt must be worn with any item that has belt loops.
ü Logos or manufacturer trademarks, if any, must be no larger than two inches. School logos are permitted and are not limited in size.
ü T-shirts with or without sleeves may be worn as undergarments. The undergarments may not display any writing, pictures or images.
ü A single blazer, suit jacket, vest, sweater, or cardigan is permitted as an item that may be worn over the Standard Attire top. These garments must be in one of the district- or school-approved solid colors. Hooded sweatshirts are not allowed.
ü Outerwear such as raincoats, windbreakers and cold-weather jackets and coats may not be worn in the school. No hats are to be worn in the building.
ü Appropriate footwear must be worn at all times. Laces on shoes or sneakers must be tied.
No flip flops are allowed- it is a safety concern.
ü Torn clothing or see-through clothing is prohibited. Spiked accessories and inappropriate head coverings such as bandanas or do-rags cannot be worn or seen during school time or school functions.
Attendance Counts
Your child's attendance is so important that the State Legislation deems it necessary and compulsory by law. The attendance law makes the school and principal responsible for recording and reporting your child's attendance. When children are absent, tardy, or leave early, it becomes difficult for teachers to assist students in getting caught up on missed skills and concepts. Every day a child is absent from school, our school system also loses instructional money to improve learning.
When a pupil is absent from school, he/she is expected to bring a note from his/her parent, guardian, or doctor, giving the reason for the absence. The note is given to the homeroom teacher upon arrival at school. Parents will have 3 days to provide a note for the absence to be excused.
The State of Tennessee dictates what may be an unexcused absence. The reasons are:
1. Child's personal illness. (A physician's statement may be required.)
2. Illness in the family requiring temporary help from the child.
3. Death in the family. (Not more than three days absence is excusable.)
4. Special and recognized holidays which are regularly observed by persons of their faith.
5. Head lice, up to three days per infestation
6. Court appearances or legal mandates
Make up Work: Students with an EXCUSED absence shall be provided the opportunity to receive assignments missed during the absence and to make up the work upon their return for the full grade. The parent or student must request make up work within three days after returning to school. The attendance record is not changed when missed work is completed. At the PreK-12 level, students with UNEXCUSED absences will be provided the opportunity to make up work at the discretion of the classroom teacher or building administrator. The unexcused absence will remain unexcused even if missed work is completed. A suspension is an unexcused absence.
Absences Reference MNPS policy #SP.6-113
Always bring a note when you return to school to explain your absence. A note must accompany your child upon his/her return to school if the absence is to be excused.
· Excused Absences: student illness, death in the family, religious holidays, or family emergency when student is needed to help with family responsibilities
· Vacations are unexcused.
Regular attendance is extremely important! Please make every effort to have your child at school each day. If a student has five or more unexcused absences per nine weeks, a referral will be made to the Metro Schools Attendance Office or to the Attendance Review Board, an arm of the Metropolitan Nashville/Davidson County Juvenile Court.
Arrival
Tom Joy doors will open each day for students to enter beginning at 7:45 a.m. All students (K-4, walkers, car riders and bus) will enter the school in a single line and go directly to their classroom for breakfast. Breakfast is served from 7:45-8:00. Students must be seated and ready to begin the instructional day when announcements begin at 8:00. Students arriving after 8:00 are tardy and must be signed in by an adult in the office.
If you are dropping off your child, the driveway has been divided into two rows to help the flow of traffic go smoother and faster. Greeters will be available to help students get out the car and keep the flow of traffic moving. Parents will not be allowed to park and get out of their vehicle around the circle because this will cause the traffic to get back up on Jones Ave. Please be cautious of other students when they are getting out of the car. Sometimes children are not looking where they are going and can be behind your car and the driver doesn’t realize it.
Pre-K students will be dropped off at the gym door.
Birthday Parties Reference MNPS policy #IM 4.146 Appendix A
Birthday parties are not allowed during school hours. If parents wish, they may send in a healthy snack (See Health and Wellness District Policy at www.mnps.org) to be eaten during lunchtime in the cafeteria.
Breakfast and Lunch
The district is working with CEP (Community Eligibility Program) this school year. After completing an economic survey your child will be eligible for Free Breakfast and Free Lunch. The economic survey is mandatory for all students. Breakfast is served daily in the classroom at 7:45a.m. Students should arrive by 7:45 a.m. if eating breakfast. Snacks are available for purchase only. No charges will be allowed for snacks. The cost of lunch for adult visitors is $3.75 and adult holiday meals are $4.50.
Healthy snacks are also available at an additional cost. These purchases may be limited to ONE per meal.
Bullying Reference MNPS policy # SP.6.110
MNPS strives to provide a positive educational environment that prohibits any type of intimidation or bullying of students. Intimidation or bullying should be reported to any staff member, who must report the incident to the principal. The principal must take prompt action to prevent future harm. Guidelines for investigating bullying allegations will be followed and appropriate actions will be implemented to address and alleviate bullying behavior.
“This policy addresses conduct that takes place off school grounds, at any school sponsored activity, on school-sponsored transportation, at any official school bus stop immediately before boarding and immediately after leaving school transportation of any kind. Bullying that begins off-campus can be considered school related if it interferes with school activities, causes a disruption at school or interferes with the rights of students. Any incidents that occur in an after-school program will be referred to the afterschool program provider for discipline.”
Buses
· Obey the bus drivers’ instructions
· Remain in your seat on the bus
· Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself
· Talk quietly
· Students who live at least 1.25 miles from school may ride the bus
· Bus drivers must approve any requests for additional passengers-this must occur a day in advance of the request.
A bus driver’s job is an EXTREMELY difficult task. The school makes every effort to support them in their efforts to be effective, responsible, and safe. Bus discipline is handled using progressive discipline. Should a driver bring a child into the office and file a formal complaint, the student is given a warning. Additional trips to the office will result in a gradual loss of bus privileges, in some cases; students may lose the privilege of bus transportation for the remainder of the school year. Please be sure to read MNPS rules for riding the bus with your child, sign, and return the appropriate copy to school.
Consequences for not following the bus rules:
1. Warning with bus referral
2. Parent Contact
3. Bus suspensions
Conferences
Conferences with Teachers
The faculty is ready to discuss any concerns you might have about your child and his/her experiences at our school. To protect the instructional time of our students, please call and arrange a convenient time to meet with your child’s teacher. Teachers are assigned to supervise children closely at all times. To set up an appointment for a conference, just write a note to the teacher requesting a conference. The teacher will then set a time convenient for everyone either at their planning time or before/after school. If you have a problem getting a conference, call the office and the principal will assist you. Always ask questions and get to know the adults who work with your children. The best time for this is not during an unscheduled conference time. It only takes a moment for a problem to arise when a teacher is having an unscheduled conversation with a parent or guardian.