Woodrow Cummins
Elementary School
PARENT GUIDE
2014-2015
Table of Contents
Welcome from Ms. Coleman 3
Daily Schedule 4
Enrollment Form Information 5
Cafeteria Information 6
Traffic Pattern 7
Birthdays and Snacks 8
Party Guidelines 9
Physical Education Rules 10
Field Trips and Excursions 11
Check-In and Check-Out Policies 12
Parental Involvement 13-14
Frequently Asked Medical Questions 15
Contact Information for Staff 16
Dear Woodrow Cummins Family,
On behalf of the Woodrow Cummins Elementary Staff, let me welcome you to the 2014-2015 school year. We are excited about this year and hope that the feeling is contagious. Woodrow Cummins has a wonderful reputation for academic excellence. You have my personal assurance that our staff is dedicated and more determined than ever to see our goals through, not only this year, but into the future.
Our number one goal each and every day is to maintain the safest possible environment for our students, parents, and staff. There are a couple of things that you can do to help. First, it is extremely important that all visitors sign in at the office and wear a visitor badge, even if you are just dropping in for a minute or walking your child to class. Visitors will ring the doorbell after 8:30 and identify themselves to the office staff. The front door will then be unlocked to allow you to enter the school office. The building is only unlocked from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Second, it is imperative that we have up-to-date emergency contact numbers for your child. It is critical that they are available to our office staff.
With the large volume of phone calls each day, it is sometimes hard to get an immediate answer to your questions. Our office staff has designed this Parent Guide to offer assistance to you. This should provide a quick reference for you in items ranging from our school procedures with traffic, to state mandated regulations.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to work with your child. If I can be of any assistance to you, please contact me at 513-4417, or .
Best regards,
Dayna Coleman
Principal
Woodrow Cummins Elementary School
Daily Schedule
2014-2015
7:30 Building Opens
7:30-8:00 Students may report to Cafeteria
8:00 Students Dismissed to Classrooms
8:10 Tardy Bell
10:30 –11:00 Kindergarten Lunch
11:00 –11:30 First Grade Lunch
11:30 –12:00 Second Grade Lunch
12:00 -12:30 Third Grade Lunch
12:30 -1:00 Fourth Grade Lunch
3:00 Car Riders, Early Bus Riders and Daycare Riders Dismissed
3:25 Late Bus Riders Dismissed
Enrollment Forms
Ø Please remember to resubmit any custody paperwork which may affect who is allowed to contact your child at school. By law, we must release a child to the requesting parent unless we have a current copy of a No-Contact or Protection Order.
Ø Be sure to give local contact numbers of individuals allowed to pick up your child in the event of an emergency when you cannot be reached.
Ø Please remember to keep enrollment forms updated during the school year as your contact information, such as phone numbers or place of employment, change. The enrollment form is our only source of information when we need to contact a parent. It is extremely important that this information be accurate and current.
Cafeteria Information
Please, when sending money to the cafeteria, make sure that the money is in a secure envelope and labeled with the child’s first and last name. You can also put money in their account online using ezschoolpay.com. There is a charge for this service. Notices only go home when your child’s account has a negative balance. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s account, please call the cafeteria office at 513-0152.
If your child has special dietary needs or allergies, they must have a form completed by a licensed physician in order to make any changes or substitutions to the menu for him or her.
· Student Lunch $2.05
· Student Breakfast $1.25
· Adult/Guest Lunch $3.00
· Adult/Guest Breakfast $2.00
· Reduced Lunch $0.40
· Reduced Breakfast $0.30
· Extra Water or Milk $0.50
· Juice $0.30
Water and juice cannot be used in place of milk. If you wish to eat with us, please let your child’s teacher know the morning of, so that we can adequately prepare enough meals. If you are bringing your child a lunch and are not on time, your child will be required to get a school tray. Parents are not allowed to accompany their children to the playground after lunch.
Thank you,
Lauren Snow, Cafeteria Manager
513-0152
Traffic Patterns
Morning
To ensure your child’s safety, the following traffic patterns should be followed daily:
Student drop off is in the front of the school building only. If you wish to walk your child to the front door, please park your car in a parking space and walk with your child using the cross walks. For the safety of your child, we ask that you do not drop him/her off in the outside lane.
All students will report to the cafeteria if they arrive before 8:00 a.m. They will be dismissed to class at 8:00 a.m.
Afternoon- At no time shall a student walk out of the building without an adult.
· Kindergarten Car Riders are dismissed at the cafeteria wing of the building.
· Car Riders First through Fourth grade students are dismissed at the front of the building.
· Bike Riders are also dismissed at the front of the building.
· Bus dismissal – students report to the physical education gym. A duty teacher will dismiss to the buses.
· Daycare Riders are dismissed at the gym wing of the building
Daycares should be notified by parents of students who are absent, have checked out early or are going home in a different way.
Cars picking up students must have your child’s name written on the tag provided so that it is visible to the teacher on duty.
There is NO walk-up pick-up. We will buzz you in prior to 2:45 to check out your child if you cannot pick up your child through our car rider line. There will be no check outs after 2:45.
Birthday Celebrations and Snacks
To be in compliance with Act 1220 and mandates by the State Board of Education, we must celebrate birthdays and special occasions according to the following guidelines.
· We will have birthday snacks for students only one time per month. This will be the last Friday of each month, except December and February. In December and February, birthday snacks will be combined with class parties. This is the only time each month when birthday snacks may be served to students.
· Please make other family members and friends aware of this guideline. Snacks sent to classes at any other time will be sent back to the office.
· No foods may be served to a class 30 minutes before, during, or 30 minutes after lunch. For example, this means pizza may not be brought for an entire class for lunch.
· Please do not bring any products containing peanuts.
· Food must be prepared in a facility that is approved by the State Department of Health. We are sorry, but we cannot serve homemade snacks to the students.
· If you chose to send or bring a snack for a birthday, please send individual cupcakes or cookies. Individual juice/drink boxes may also be sent. Teachers do not have plates, cups, serving utensils, etc. in their classrooms to serve birthday cakes and drinks.
· Please do not send birthday balloons, flowers, etc. to students at school.
· Students may not bring birthday party invitations to school to pass out unless every child in the classroom is invited.
· Also, in response to Act 1220, we are not allowed to sell snacks from a cart or school store. If your child’s class has a snack time during the school day, those snacks will have to be brought from home.
We understand that birthdays are an important part of childhood, but these guidelines are state mandated and must be followed. We are sorry but no exceptions can be made. Please do not ask.
Classroom Party Guidelines
There will be two parties and one end-of-the-year activity per grade level. The two parties will be Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
· In accordance with Act 1220, snacks and refreshments served at parties should include, but do not have to be limited to, nutritious choices such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Additionally, they should not include any peanut products due to the danger these present to students in our school who have peanut allergies.
· Christmas and Valentine’s Parties will also serve as birthday celebrations for students who have birthdays during the months of December and February.
· Christmas parties are scheduled for Thursday, December 18th. Parents will be asked to provide refreshments prepared in a facility approved by the Health Department.
· Valentine’s Day parties are scheduled for Friday, February 13th. Students may not give Valentine’s gifts, such as jewelry or boxes of candy, to individual students at school. Anything brought must be shared with the entire class.
· Dates and/or times of parties may change if scheduling conflicts arise during the school year.
· The end-of-the-year activity will be scheduled by the teachers later in the school year and parents will be notified.
Thank you for helping us to exercise a conservative approach to parties and holiday celebrations. We appreciate your cooperation as we try to maintain a fun environment for our students while guarding valuable instructional time and complying with legislative mandates.
District Rules and Regulations for
Elementary Physical Education
Rules
1. Wear appropriate shoes; no sandals or boots.
2. Wear appropriate clothes for physical education activities. If a student wears a dress, they must wear shorts underneath.
3. After three (3) consecutive notes for health related problems from a parent, a doctor’s note must be obtained.
General Information
1. At the beginning of each school year, we will have a two-week grace period. Students will be informed about the days they will have physical education and what clothing to wear.
2. Students will not be allowed to call home for inappropriate PE clothing after the first two week.
Field Trips and Excursions
Conway Public Schools recognizes that the first-hand learning experiences provided by field trips are a most effective and worthwhile means of learning. It is the desire of the Conway Board of Education and Conway Public Schools to encourage field trips as an integral part of the program of all of the schools.
Please assist us with the following procedures/polices:
· Students and staff are the only ones permitted to ride our school buses.
· Preschool siblings should not go on field trips or picnics.
· All students must travel to events in transportation provided by Conway Public Schools, unless special arrangements have been made with the school. Even though the absence will not count against them, for legal purposes students must be checked out through the office.
· Students will be permitted to leave a field trip with his/her parent only if signed out at the location. Your child’s teacher will have a check-out sheet.
· Parents can only sign out their own child from the field trip. Teachers cannot release children to anyone other than the parent or guardian.
· All student trips, and the arrangement of them, must have the approval of the school principal.
· The school bus safety code adopted by the Board will govern the behavior of students while on the bus.
· Each child who goes on a field trip must have written parent consent.
Check–In and Checkout of Students
Students who arrive at school before 8:00 a.m. must go to the cafeteria and stay until a teacher dismisses them. A student who arrives after 8:10 a.m. must be checked-in by a parent in the office.
A student is always checked-in or checked out through the office for his/her protection and to avoid interruptions to the classroom. If your child is tardy or returns to school after being checked-out during the day, he/she should check-in through the office. To limit the amount of adults in the building and classroom disruption, please do not walk your child to their classroom. A child must not leave the campus without being properly checked-out by an adult.
Your child must have a note from you giving permission for him/her to do anything after school other than his usual routine. (Example: Walk home with a friend if he/she normally rides the bus.)
Tardiness and Early Checkout
It is imperative that students arrive at school on time and remain at school throughout the school day. Tardies and early checkout are very disruptive to the education process. Excessive tardies and/or early checkouts (10 per semester) may result in reporting to juvenile authorities. Please try to avoid checking out children before the dismissal bell rings, unless there is an emergency.
PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT PLAN
Woodrow Cummins Elementary School will comply with the parental engagement requirements as outlined in ACT 307, of 2007 and ACT 397 of 2009.