Colin Powell Elementary 13340 Leland Road Centreville, Virginia 20120 Office Telephone: 571-522-6000 To Report an Absence: 571-522-6060 2012-2013 Parent-Student Handbook 1 COLIN POWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL—MISSION STATEMENT Learning Today… Leading Tomorrow It is the mission of Colin Powell Elementary School to ensure high academic achievement and social excellence for all students in a safe and caring learning environment. As a professional learning community, we work collaboratively to meet individual student needs through ongoing data analysis and intervention. We embrace our diversity as we develop responsible citizens and life-long learners. 2 General School Operating Procedures Table of Contents A Absence, Tardy, Release of Students Animals Announcements Attendance K Keeping Students after School Kiss and Ride L Lost and Found Lunch and Breakfast Purchases Lunch Manners B Backpacks Birthday Celebrations Bus Stop and Bus Privileges M Medication C Clinic Communication Conferences Crisis Plan P Parties Party Invitations Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Progress Reports D Discipline Dismissal Procedures E E-Mail Emergency Care Cards Emergency Closing S School Hours School Security Procedures Snacks Student Dress F FCPS Policies and Procedures Field Trips Fire Drill T Telephones Testing Tornado Drills H Handheld Devices Homework V Visitors Volunteers I Instruction Interim Reports W Withdrawal of Student 3 General School Operating Procedures Absence, Tardy, Release of Students Parents are requested to contact the school office each morning when a child is to be absent or tardy. Please call 571-522-6060 anytime. Pupils shall not be released during the day except when they have a note from the parent or when the parent comes to the school to pick-up the child. In either case, the child should be signed out in the office by the parent before leaving. Be prepared to show your ID every time you pick up your child early. Please note: Parents requesting an early dismissal for their child must pick their child up no later than 3:30. Animals Animals may not be brought to the classroom unless prior approval has been given by the principal. When they are brought as part of the approved program, animals should be brought by a parent and taken home when the parent leaves. Announcements Daily announcements will be made each morning over the CPNN broadcast. These announcements provide information for students. Students should listen carefully throughout the broadcast. The daily broadcast will contain the Pledge of Allegiance and a Moment of Silence. Attendance We believe that good attendance is vital to a student‘s achievement and DO NOT recommend that parents remove students from school for an extended period of time. While we recognize the value of travel, vacation and association with parents, we feel that our school calendar provides several opportunities for these activities, and that absence beyond the time allotted in the calendar may be detrimental to the student. Explanations and class discussions are presented daily which ―make-up‖ work cannot replace, and time lost from hands-on activities in classes is impossible to recover. Should you pull your child out of Fairfax County Public Schools for more than 15 consecutive days he/she will be automatically withdrawn and we cannot guarantee that he/she will be assigned to the same teacher. Upon your child‘s return to Colin Powell Elementary School you will need to re-register in the office by completing a registration update form. Please do not request homework in advance. Your child will have days in which to make up missed work upon returning to school. During extended absences students are asked to maintain a writing journal and to read daily. Backpacks Backpacks on wheels are not allowed at the primary grades (K-3). Upper grade (4-6) students may use backpacks on wheels in order to transport their heavier loads. Birthday Celebrations Birthdays will be recognized on the morning news. Students‘ names will be called, and those children should be sent to the office for a special pencil. Please do not bring balloons or goody bags to school as this becomes a disruption to our instructional program. Birthday cupcakes (or other items) are not allowed. Non-school related party invitations MAY NOT be distributed at school. This includes birthday invitations. 4 Bus Stop and Bus Privileges Students are expected to follow the rules of safety and good conduct while riding the bus and while waiting at the bus stops. Riding the bus is a privilege, not a right. At the beginning of each year, all students must sign the Parent or Guardian and Student Signature Sheet which is located at the beginning of the SR&R booklet which includes acknowledgement of the ―Standards of Conduct for Pupils Riding School Buses‖. Students will be disciplined based on this agreement. Bus privileges may be suspended for students who do not comply with this agreement. Clinic Any child who becomes sick at school will be brought to the clinic by the teacher or by responsible students. Parents will be called in case of illness or injury. Parents will be contacted when students have a fever of 100.0 F or higher. Students should not return to school until fever free for at least 24 hours (without the use of medication). This will help ensure that all students at school remain healthy. (See also, Medications) Communication Frequent, open, and clear communication between the community and school is necessary in order to maintain an excellent instructional program. Staff will provide parents with FCPS Outlook e-mail addresses and Colin Powell ES phone extensions at Back-to-School night. FCPS 24/7 Learning (Blackboard) is another electronic means of communication. You will receive additional information about Blackboard from your child‘s classroom teacher. Tuesday Folders will be sent home to parents each Tuesday. Student work, grade-level newsletters, specific classroom information, school-wide and PTA information are some of what will be sent home in the folder. Parents are asked to sign the Tuesday Folder each week as acknowledgement that it was received. It is the student‘s responsibility to return the signed folder each week. The FCPS website at www.fcps.edu provides parents with additional FCPS information and school closings. Conferences Parent and teacher conferences are required for each student at the end of the first grading period. Parents and teachers may also request conferences whenever necessary. Parent liaisons who speak Korean and Spanish are available to assist with communicating with teachers. Additional translators can be made available for conferences throughout the year when needed. It will be helpful to know your need for a translator as early as possible so that arrangements can be made with the appropriate support personnel. Please contact either your child‘s teacher or the front office staff with your request. Although we make every effort to be available for conferences with you, we ask that you not enter instructional areas during the school day to talk to teachers about your child unless an appointment has been scheduled. Crisis Plan Colin Powell ES has a written Crisis Plan that is updated regularly. The plan is located in the office and may be reviewed by parents after arranging an appointment with the principal. 5 Delivering Items Left at Home Parents may drop off forgotten lunches, musical instruments, and homework in the front office. It is the students‘ responsibility to check with the office at an appropriate time that does not impact the instructional program. The office will not call or deliver forgotten items to individual classrooms. Discipline (See also Positive Behavior Support) The long-range goal of our school discipline policy is for children to develop the ability to make sound decisions regarding their own behavior, with a clear understanding of the likely consequences that may result. Students need support in a caring environment with good role models, high expectations, and opportunities to practice assuming responsibility for the decisions they make. Students and staff at Colin Powell are expected to demonstrate respect for themselves and others, as well as for the material aspects of the school environment. All will emphasize mutual respect and the practice of good manners. School-wide expectations focusing on safety, mutual respect, individual responsibility, and FCPS Student Responsibilities and Rights are necessary in order to ensure a safe place for all students and adults. A classroom environment that supports student efforts to reach their potential provides the best habitat for learning. Students need to have a clear understanding that the teacher is in charge in the classroom and that no student has a right to interfere with the learning of others. Fairfax County Public Schools‘ Student Responsibilities and Rights clearly state county expectations for student behavior and should be reviewed regularly as appropriate. You may download a copy of this document at http://www.fcps.edu/dss/ips/ssaw/SRR/. Student safety is of the utmost priority at all times. While at recess, students will be instructed to always stay in sight of the adults on duty. No contact games are allowed. Students should not interfere with the play of others. Throwing of sticks, mulch, etc. is prohibited. Students are expected to line up promptly when the teacher signals and enter the building and classroom quietly and orderly. Dismissal Procedures Student dismissals will be announced over CPNN TV in the following order: 1. SACC students and Bus students and Day Care Van students will be dismissed first at 1:20 on Mondays and 3:50 on Tuesdays through Fridays. Bus and day care van riders will exit through Door 1 and proceed to their vehicles. Due to overcrowding on buses, students are not to ride any bus other than the one assigned. To get to a friend‘s house, arrangements should be made for transportation after arriving home on their assigned bus. All buses are numbered with a CP number (CP-1, CP-2, etc.). Buses will be called using these numbers. During the first week of school, students will be given cards with their bus number and/or bus color as they arrive and depart their bus on the first day of school. We encourage all bus riders to ride their assigned bus on the first day of school. 2. Kiss ‘n’ Ride students will be dismissed next at 1:25 on Mondays and 3:55 on Tuesdays through Fridays. Students being picked up at ―Kiss and Ride‖ will exit through Door 7. Parents must remain in their vehicles with their brightly colored number visible in their front window. Kiss and Ride procedures will be explained to students during the first week of school. 3. Walkers will be the final group dismissed at 1:30 on Mondays and 4:00 on Tuesdays through Fridays. Walkers must exit the building through the front doors (Door 1). Parents who come to 6 pick up their walkers should wait on the sidewalk outside Door 1. Please keep the area clear to allow children safe passage through the area. Students are expected to cooperate with patrols and walk to buses, vans, or home in a safe manner. E-Mail Teachers may be reached on their FCPS e-mail address (first name.last [email protected]). Emergency Care Cards The school must have an emergency care card for each student. These cards will be available in the first day packet. Please ensure that we have the necessary (and current) information on file for your child. Please make sure you let your child's teacher know if any of the information changes during the year (home number, work number, address, child care provider, etc.). You may also submit your Emergency Care Card Forms electronically through weCare@School, via your FCPS 24/7 (Blackboard) Parent View account. If you do this electronically, you do NOT have to submit a signed paper form because of the transaction ID that will be printed from within weCare which counts as a legal signature. Emergency Closing Late opening, early closing, or cancellation of school due to inclement weather will be announced over local television (including FCPS Channel 21) and radio stations as soon as a decision has been made. It is recommended that you find information for Keep In Touch at https://fcps.medianext.com/fcps/signup.html to receive emergency messages on email. You must update your contact information for Keep In Touch through your FCPS 24/7 Learning (Blackboard) Parent View account as described on the website listed above. Please do not call the school for information about cancellations or closings. Fairfax County Public Schools Policies and Procedures Policies and procedures for the operation of Fairfax County Public Schools can be found online on the School Board website www.fcps.edu/schlbd/index.htm. Field Trips Field trips are planned as an extension of classroom instruction. Notices are sent home in advance describing the details and cost of the trip. Trips usually use normal school transportation and are scheduled to leave the building no earlier than 9:15 a.m. and scheduled to return no later than 1:30 p.m. (12:30 on Mondays). Adult chaperones are required on the basis of one adult for every ten students for most field trips. Fire Drill In the event of an emergency or a fire drill, it is essential that the building be evacuated safely and quickly. Planning for such an occurrence and practicing for it on a regular basis are necessary and required of all staff members and students. On the first day of school, teachers will discuss all emergency building evacuation procedures with their students. This discussion will continue during the first week of school. Special emphasis will be placed on how to evacuate the building during a class, during the lunch period, or if a primary exit is blocked. On the first day of school, teachers will practice walking the evacuation route with their class in order to prepare students for the first fire drill. 7 Handheld Devices All items brought to school should be of educational interest. Items, such as iPods, MP3 players and electronic games, shall not be brought to school without prior permission from the principal. Cell phones should only be brought to school for the purpose of communicating with parents before or after school. These devices must be turned off and kept in the child‘s school bag. Other items that the school staff considers to be distracting may be held in the office for parent pick-up. Homework Homework is an excellent means of providing students with the opportunity to reinforce skills they have learned at school as well as developing time management skills and responsibility. Although no hard and fast rules can be made about homework, some generally accepted principles should govern the assignment of homework. SUGGESTED HOMEWORK TIME ALLOTMENTS Grades 1-3 4-6 Maximum Amount up to 30 minutes up to 60 minutes Instruction The FCPS Program of Studies (POS) provides the basic instructional curriculum to be used by teachers. It provides a series of logical steps toward the implementation of instruction. It includes a philosophy of education in each subject area, the instructional objectives, and ways in which to evaluate that instruction. Teachers follow the Program of Studies (POS) and Standards of Learning (SOL) incorporating them into long-range and daily planning. Parents can find Nine Week Plans from their child‘s teacher regarding topics to be covered by going to the teacher‘s or grade level‘s Blackboard website. Interim Reports Interim reports provide parents with periodic updates on progress in student achievement. Interim reports may be sent home at any time. Many teachers send them at the mid-point of the grading period for students who are struggling academically or behaviorally. Keeping Students After School A teacher may occasionally wish to work with a student after school. Parents will be notified and permission will be requested either in writing or by phone in advance of the day the student is to stay. Parents will be requested to transport the student home. Kiss & Ride All students are encouraged to ride their assigned buses. Kiss ‗n‘ Ride is provided as a courtesy for those students who walk during inclement weather or for those children that must occasionally be transported by their parent. To obtain a Kiss & Ride number, please complete an application. Parents should drop their children off at Kiss & Ride no earlier than 8:50 a.m. The Kiss & Ride lane closes promptly at 9:10 a.m. Students are marked tardy at 9:15. 8 Parents should pull into the Kiss & Ride drop-off zone and ensure that students have all their belongings before leaving the car. Please, do not get out of your car to help children unload. Patrols and Powell staff will be there to help with large projects or small children. All children should enter through the front door and go to their assigned locations until they are released to their classroom teachers. At the end of the day, please pull into the Kiss and Ride drop-off zone and have your brightly colored number attached so that it is easily visible. Lost and Found All outer clothing, lunch boxes, etc., should be marked with children‘s names. Lost articles are kept in the Lost and Found shelves located in the cafeteria. Articles of value such as jewelry, eyeglasses, and wallets are kept in the main office. Please encourage your child to check for lost articles. Lunch and Breakfast Purchases If you are sending a lunch from home, it should be packed and labeled separately from snack. Packed lunches must contain condiments, napkins, and utensils from home. Cafeteria hostesses will not be providing these materials to students with packed lunches. Parents may prepay for school meals for the month, week, or day. Checks should be made out to ―Colin Powell ES‖. Add your child‘s name and teacher‘s name in the subject line of the check. Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) are used for prepayments. Cash should be sent in an envelope that is marked with the child‘s and the teacher‘s name. Parents may specify how payments are to be used by their children - lunch and breakfast only, or lunch and a la carte items. If you do not want to worry about lunch money, you may also wish to set up an account on www.mylunchmoney.com where you can pay for meals with a credit or debit card, check balances, and add funds via computer, phone, or fax. You may also access features such as viewing student purchases and spending history, low balance email notifications, the ability to set daily/weekly spending limits for your child and the capability to set your child up for meals only or a-la-carte. Breakfast Students $1.50 Lunch Students $2.65 Students without lunch money or credit will be given cereal and milk. By law, cafeteria managers are not permitted to give money to students. Lunch Manners Powell Cafeteria Manners include:   Respect Yourself Select and eat healthy foods Get all supplies needed for breakfast or lunch     Respect Others Practice good table manners Use inside voices Stay seated Raise your hand for assistance 9 Respect Property  Clean up the eating area (table and floor) Medication Parents and guardians should bring medication to school in person and sign the required consent form. The school is not permitted to administer medication to a child without a signed consent from the parent or guardian. Please call the clinic at 571-522-6010 for more information about medication or procedures for administering medication. Nutrition Guidelines FCPS School Board Goal 2 regarding Essential Life Skills states that schools should help teach students how to make healthy lifestyle choices. During the upcoming school year, nutrition and exercise will continue to be a focus of our instruction in this area to help students achieve lifelong goals and be at their personal best. Following are some suggestions and guidelines for you as parents to help support us in these goals. Lunch We are hopeful that your child can energize themselves at lunch by choosing and eating nutritional foods as well as being smart about the snacks they may purchase. We feel that eating a healthy lunch including a variety of food groups will benefit them as they continue their instructional day. We discourage students and families from bringing in fast food and carbonated soft drinks for lunch. Parties Two class parties may be held during instructional time throughout the year. These will be held in the classrooms with the help of the room parents. Party Invitations Non-school related party invitations may not be distributed at school. This includes birthday invitations. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) The focus of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBS) at Colin Powell Elementary School is to provide a clear and consistent system of expected behaviors for the entire school. In each common area within the school, students are taught consistent expectations and appropriate behaviors for that area (cafeteria, hallway, bathroom, etc.). Through PBS we intend to create and maintain a productive, safe environment in which all school members understand behavioral expectations and why these behaviors benefit the school community as a whole. We will:  Respect ourselves, Respect others, Respect property. ―Proud Pumas‖ are awarded regularly to reinforce and encourage students exhibiting positive and appropriate school behaviors. Progress Reports Progress Reports (report cards) are completed four times a year at the end of each grading period. Grades and comments will be used to clearly communicate strengths and concerns for each student. General education and special education staff will work together to determine progress report grades and document IEP progress for special education students. IEP progress updates will also be provided to parents along with the progress report at the end of each grading period. ESOL teachers will consult with classroom teachers to determine grades for ESOL students. 10 School Hours Monday 9:15 a.m.—1:25 p.m. Tuesday-Friday 9:15 a.m.—3:55 p.m. Students should not arrive OR be dropped off at school before 8:50 a.m. and will be marked tardy at 9:15 a.m. School Security Procedures Security and safety of students is of prime importance. All exterior doors except the main front doors are kept locked during school hours. Students must use the ―buddy system‖ by traveling in pairs when leaving the classroom. All parents and visitors must sign in and wear a visitor‘s badge. All parents and visitors must come to the office before going to any classroom. Younger children as well as friends or relatives of students can not be permitted in the classroom because of liability concerns and distraction to the classroom learning environment. If you have any questions, please ask your child‘s classroom teacher. Snack Children may bring a reasonably sized, healthy snack to school each day to be eaten in the classroom within a short period of time. Good choices might include grapes, strawberries, celery sticks, carrots, apple slices, etc. A variety of choices is still encouraged and acceptable. Candies, cakes, and other heavy sugar snacks are discouraged. Student Dress Any clothing that interferes with or disrupts the education environment is unacceptable.  Hats, caps, hoods, or other headwear are permitted for health, safety, or religious reasons only.  Clothing may not show obscenities or violence; bare midriff or under garments; promote alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Spaghetti straps are not to be worn.  Shoes are required at all times. Because of safety on stairs and at recess, flip flops are not to be worn at school. Students participating in physical education classes must wear appropriate shoes designed to support and prevent injury. Telephones All teachers are provided with individual Colin Powell phone extensions in their classrooms. Phones will not ring from 8:55–3:55 (8:55-1:25 on Mondays) when students are in classrooms, but parents may still leave a phone message. Testing The testing schedule will be provided to parents as soon as it is established. Family trips and doctors' appointments are discouraged during state and county testing times. The testing windows for administering the Standards of Learning (SOL) will be March 11- April 5, 2013 for Grade 5 Writing and May 13-June 7, 2013 for Grades 3-6 Non-Writing. Tornado Drills 11 Tornado drills are conducted yearly. Classes will be moved to their designated locations on the lower school hall as quickly and quietly as possible. Students learning in the outside trailers will be moved into the building during all tornado drills. Visitors All visitors are required to report to the office immediately upon entering the school. Visitors must sign in at the office and wear a visitor‘s badge at all times while in the building. Parents may drop off forgotten lunches, musical instruments, and homework in the front office. It is the students‘ responsibility to check with the office at an appropriate time that does not impact the instructional program. The office will not call or deliver forgotten items to individual classrooms. Parents are welcome to visit classrooms, but as a courtesy to teachers, parents should be encouraged to schedule observations. Observations should generally last no more than 30 minutes. When possible, parents will be accompanied by an administrator. No visiting relatives or out-of-town friends will be allowed to come to school with our students. This is a FCPS liability issue. Volunteers The faculty, staff, and students appreciate the variety of tasks performed by dedicated volunteers. The many hours devoted by these dedicated volunteers enhance the total school program. The volunteer coordinator(s) work closely with the teachers to match tasks and talents for service and assistance in the classrooms, the library, the clinic, the office, and at school events. Withdrawal of Student Please notify the teacher or the registration secretary as soon as you know that your child will be withdrawn from school. Certain procedures should be followed before your child leaves. 12