THE VILLAGES ELEMENTARY OF LADYLAKE
TEACHER HANDBOOK
ACCIDENTS
All student accidents should be reported to the office immediately and a student accident report form filed in the office within 48 hours. Workman Compensation forms must be filed with the school bookkeeper immediately after an accident by all staff members.
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
The supervising teacher is responsible for students who have not been picked up on time. The teacher should escort the student to the telephone to call for transportation. Students are to remain under the supervision of the teacher in charge until they are picked up (chorus, field trips, detention, etc.)
ATTENDANCE AND ENTRIES
Student attendance should be entered into the computer each morning by
9:00 a.m. Students who arrive late, but prior to 8:45 a.m., should be marked tardy by the teacher. Students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. will be marked tardy in the office. Absences and tardies should be marked as follows:
U -Absent
T-Tardy
If changes in a student’s attendance are necessary, please attach a note to the attendance sheet and send to the data clerk explaining the change. Teachers should send the notes from parents for absences to the office with attendance.
After the first day of school, a single line should be placed through the name of no-shows. After that day, no student should be allowed in class without a note from the main office.
BUS DISMISSAL
All classroom teachers will escort their students to the bus loading area all year. Please have your students walk in line beside you.
CLASSROOM CLEAN-UP
Please leave your classroom neat and orderly. All paper and other litter should be picked up by the students at the end of the school day. If rooms are not cleaned appropriately, please send a note to the head custodian.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Each class area should reflect an atmosphere of purpose and it should be evident that you have a planned program where the children respond to your directions.
Whenever possible, teachers should handle discipline problems within the classroom. It is very important that parent contact is made with each home within the first week of school to establish good relations with parents. Please do NOT:
(1)Suspend children from your classroom and send them to be in the hall. Students need to be under adult supervision at all times.
(2)Administer mass punishment to an entire class to correct the behavior of a few.
(3)Use sarcasm. If we expect to teach children respect for others, we must in turn treat them with respect, even when they misbehave. Remember that teachers are the best models for the students.
(4)Withhold foodat break or snack time. Food cannot be denied for discipline reasons.
CONTRACT
Knowledge of the contract is the responsibility of each instructional person.
CUM FOLDERS
Cumulative folders are kept in the records room. They are confidential legal documents and must only be handled by school personnel. Cum folders should never leave the school office.
DISCIPLINE REFERRALS
The teacher should contact parents as soon as a pattern of poor behavior is evident. Notes home should not take the place of phone calls unless contact is not possible. Discipline referrals must be sent to the assistant principal’s office with the student. Each grade level must have a written discipline plan posted and filed with the assistant principal and/or principal.
Remember, a student can not be punished twice for the same offense. If you punish a child, do not send the student to the office to be punished for that same offense again.
DETENTION
Students may be assigned to stay after school for detention. Parent contact must be made giving one day’s notice and obtaining parent consent.
DRESS
Based on Article X, Section 34 in the Agreement Between the School Board of Lake County and the Lake County Education Association, the following dress code is in effect:
“Teachers shall be expected to dress in a professional manner which promotes mutual respect from students, colleagues, and the general public. Attire shall not be offensive or adversely distracting, and it shall adhere to basic standards of good grooming, personal cleanliness, modesty, and safety. Teachers shall wear clothing appropriate to their job assignments, including the wearing of special protective gear when needed. Casual attire shall be allowed on designated days and/or for designated activities as long as it meets generally accepted standards for appropriateness in the workplace. In the event an administrator believes a teacher’s dress or appearance fails to meet district professional standards, the administrator shall have the right to confer with the employee and to require that improvements be made.”
DUTY
A duty roster will be given out at the beginning of the school year. It is the responsibility of the teacher on duty to provide coverage for his/her duty when absent. If there are problems with coverage, please see the administration.
E-MAIL / MAIL BOXES
Please check your e-mail and mail boxes twice daily: in the morning and before you leave school for the day.
ENRICHMENT CLASSES
Each teacher is responsible for escorting his/her class to and from all enrichment classes, i.e. physical education, music/art, and media. The enrichment teacher is responsible for student behavior while in the enrichment class. Enrichment teachers are to make parent contact which relates to discipline problems within their classes.
FIELD TRIPS
Field trips must be approved by the administration. Paperwork must be completed two (2) weeks prior to the planned trip. Monies collected for the trip must go through the school account and be turned in to the office daily. Please do not keep money in your room for any reason. Please follow the schedule of grade level trips and complete the Field Trip Packet and turn it into the bookkeeper. Permission forms should accompany the students on each field trip. The number of chaperones per trip, according to CountySchool Board policy, is one per ten students. Chaperones must be fingerprinted. This procedure takes eight (8) weeks for completion.
FIRE DRILLS
Safety drills are required each year. You will be notified of the first drill. Please explain the exit route to your class. Take your class roster with you.
During the drill:
(a)Close the classroom door but leave the lights on when leaving. (Make sure to check the restrooms.)
(b)Students should walk in line to the assigned area, then turn around and face the building.
(c)Teachers should call roll after the class is properly lined up.
(d)Silence should be maintained.
(e)Contact an administrator if there is a missing child.
FULL NAMES
Full legal names should appear on all forms, records, referrals, etc., concerning students.
GRADE LEVEL MEETINGS
Grade level meetings will be held weekly. Planning together with team members is an important strategy toward success.
GRADING POLICIES
Grading policies are outlined in Chapter 7, Section 07 of the School Board Policies. You are to record all numerical grades in the class grade book under the date taken. Use the following scale for grading:
A=90 – 100
B=80 – 89
C=70 – 79
D=60 – 69
F= 0 – 59
Seven (7) grades are required per grading period per subject for each student, depending on the grade level. Students should not receive less than a 50 on their report card.
GUIDANCE / CURRICULUM REFERRALS
Refer all students who are experiencing academic or behavioral difficulties to the Guidance Counselor or Curriculum Specialist.
HEALTH PROCEDURES
Remember to use protective gloves if it is necessary to be in contact with body fluids (blood, urine, etc.). Gloves for classroom use are available in the office. They should be kept in an easily accessible place. Students should be checked for head lice each Monday morning. Each Monday morning, the teacher or teacher assistant should send to the Clinic a notice that each student has been checked. This will help us monitor a very serious problem.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
Grade levels will send home a copy of their homework policy at the beginning of the school year. A copy of this policy should be filed with the administration.
PERSONAL LEAVE
Personal leave is available to employees under certain guidelines. (Please follow the School Board / LCEA Agreement.) Personal leave must be requested five (5) days prior to requested date for instructional personnel and three (3) days prior for classified employees. No more than 10% of the teachers can take leave on a given day.
LEAVING DURING SCHOOL HOURS
Faculty members desiring to leave school during the work day must see the administration for approval. Always sign out with the bookkeeper before leaving school early (Workman’s Compensation).
LESSON PLANS
Lesson plans are required and will be checked. These plans must be kept on file for three years. The Curriculum Guide, Sunshine State Standards, and Sunshine Math commentary should be of prime importance in planning. Extra lesson plans with detail, for substitutes, must be kept in a specific location in each teacher’s room. The location of these plans must be recorded with the grade level chairman and the bookkeeper so substitutes will not have to scramble for plans at the last minute.
LUNCHROOM
It is very important that students arrive at the lunchroom and are picked up from lunch on time because our schedule is so tight. Please go over lunchroom procedures frequently with the students. Everything you can do to help enforce the cafeteria rules will help make the lunch time manageable.
MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS
If you have any problems with maintenance items (bulbs, a/c, electrical, etc.) please request in writing to the bookkeeper and she will either contact custodial help or write a maintenance request.
MEDIA
The media staff will provide multi-media materials (books, filmstrips, cassettes, records, kits, transparencies, charts, study prints, etc.) for your study units. Please let the media specialist know when you plan to do the unit and she will select materials and have them ready for you to preview before you do your lesson plans. Please keep the media staff informed of new materials that should be added in the media center, especially those items listed in the Teacher’s Edition of new textbook series. When AV equipment or materials are broken, report this to the Media Specialist. Other equipment that is broken is reported to the bookkeeper. (Do not allow any student to move TV or audio-visual carts.)
MESSAGES
Messages received in the morning will be placed in mailboxes. Mailboxes should be checked twice daily.
MID-TERM PROGRESS REPORTS
Progress reports will be sent at the four and one half week mid-point of each 9-week grading period. All information should be entered on to E-sembler Please turn in a copy of each mid-point progress report to the principal (not 9 week’s grades). Parents should be notified any time a student’s performance has shown a significant drop (more than one (1) letter grade).
M.I.P.
You may attend county classes for M.I.P. points to extend your teaching certificate. Classes are given in a wide variety of subjects, including reading, discipline, legal responsibilities, and learning disabilities. Please see the Media Specialist for details or check for posting of classes on the bulletin board in the mailroom.
MONIES COLLECTED
Teachers are responsible for their monies collected for special projects or programs. All monies should be turned in daily. The school cannot be responsible for money left in the classroom. All money should be kept in the safe. In order for daily deposits to be made by the bookkeeper, all monies must be turned in by 10:00 a.m. each day. Remember to keep all valuables and purses in a secure place.
NOTICES GOING HOME
Grade level or any whole-class notices or letters should have prior approval by administration before being printed and sent home.
OBSERVATIONS / ASSESSMENTS
Observations and assessments will be completed in accordance with Article XI of the School Board / LCEA Agreement: Teachers new to the district will receive two evaluations during their first year. Each evaluation will include a minimum of two formal observations and two informal observations. The Instructional Practice Score (IPS) used to determine the annual rating will be based on the second evaluation. Teachers with professional service and annual contracts will be evaluated annually. The evaluation will include a minimum of two formal observations and two informal observations. School administrators will conduct all observations and will provide feedback to teachers during post-observation and evaluation conferences. There will be an in-service for teachers on the assessment process within the first six weeks of school.
P.E. REQUIREMENTS
The physical education teacher will give a list of rules about the playground equipment. Instructional teacher assistants are to be used for in-class activities and working with small groups or individual students, not supervising outside play. The physical education teacher assistant can supervise P.E. activities, under the close supervision of the P.E. teacher. Teachers must provide 30 minutes per day of physical activity on those days the class does not participate in P.E.
PARKING
Staff parking should be in the west parking lot. Please make sure your car is
locked. The marked parking spaces near the 200 building should be left for
visitors to the school.
PAYCHECKS
Checks are picked up from the school secretary on the 15th, and the last workday of the month.
PHONE CALLS
Please do not make personal long distance phone calls from school. If you find it necessary to make a personal long distance call, please send to the bookkeeper the necessary information (your name, date of call and number called). When the bill comes to the school, she will find out the charges for that call and ask you to reimburse the school for those charges.
PLEDGE
All students are to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States, unless prohibited because of religious beliefs. After the pledge, there may be a short period of silence.
PURCHASE ORDERS
Purchase orders must have prior approval by the principal. No purchases may be made without prior approval from the principal, especially for reimbursement.
REPORT CARDS AND REPORTS TO PARENTS
District generated report cards will be completed each nine weeks according to the district calendar. The instructions will be provided when dates are available.
READING SUCCESS NETWORK (RSN)
Teachers should enter into their planbooks RSN 2:30 – 4:30 on designated
Wednesdays. Teachers will meet from 2:30 – 3:30 in groups and use the
additional hour to work on action plans.
SICK CHILDREN
When you have a sick child or suspect a child is sick, see if a little TLC will take care of the situation before sending the child to the Clinic. If you feel care is needed, please use the appropriate forms provided by the school nurse for students who need her services.
SMOKING
All Lake County School Board facilities are completely smoke free.
SPECIAL CLASSES
All students must attend enrichment classes unless they have a doctor’s note or because of illness. Students in our E.S.E. programs should not be expected to make up assignments missed while attending special classes.
SUBSTITUTES / CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL ABSENCES
If you need to be absent, please call Marti Young at 753-1444 as early as
6:00 a.m. Please do not call after 9:00 p.m. (Please do not wait until 7:30 a.m. to call. It is difficult to find subs that late.) If you are not going to return the following day, please call Marti at school by 3:00 p.m.
SUPERVISION
Do not leave your class unsupervised at any time. You are leaving yourself open to the possibility of a lawsuit should you choose to leave your class unsupervised. Students are not to be in the hallway without supervision. Please call the office if you need assistance.
SUNSHINE COMMITTEE
Dues and social arrangements will be made by the Sunshine Committee.
TEXTBOOKS
Students will check out textbooks trough the MediaCenter at the beginning of the year. Teachers will do textbook checks each nine weeks. If textbooks are missing, please notify the Assistant Principal. Textbooks will be checked back in at the end of the year. When a student moves, send the textbooks to the Media Center or to the Assistant Principal.
TRANSPORTATION
Do not provide transportation to any student before checking with the administration. Students should continue in their regular mode of transportation unless a note is received from the parents or you are notified of a change by the office.
VISITORS
All visitors are to be sent to the office for a visitor’s pass. Parents must pick up and sign out students in the office.