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Windham Center School Student Handbook
ABSENCE (Table Of Contents) Students are expected to be on time for school and to come prepared for the day's activities. Whenever a student is going to be absent, a parent should call the school and leave a message on the nurse's sick line answering machine (432-7962). If a call is not received and a child is absent, volunteers will call the home or workplace of a parent to verify the absence. We encourage families to take vacations during school vacations. Taking students out of school for several days in a row or longer, presents a variety of problems. It is very difficult for students to make up work, and in some cases, it is impossible to make up work that has taken place during class time. Students will be given the same number of days to make up their work as they have missed, unless other arrangements have been made with the team or individual teacher. Unauthorized absence from school is considered truancy, and will be treated as such. See RSA 193: 1, 2, 7 APPROPRIATE SCHOOL ATTIRE (Table Of Contents) Dress Code Policy-Regulations Specific appropriate dress standards are designed to promote the health and safety of all students. Dress codes ensure that all students will have the right to learn without being offended or distracted in the learning process by the clothing or appearance of others. Students are expected to adhere to standards of dress and appearance that are compatible with an effective learning environment. Presenting a bodily appearance or wearing clothing which is disruptive, revealing, offensive, or endangers the health or safety of the student or other students is prohibited. The dress code will be followed during school and at all school functions. Students have the responsibility to learn and observe the basic standards of appropriate school dress, personal cleanliness, modesty and good grooming. Expectations for appropriate school attire may include, but are not limited to, the following:
BICYCLES (Table Of Contents) Students may ride their bicycle to and from school as long as they have written permission. Permission slips can be good for the entire year, if so stated. Bicycles are to be kept in the rack in the front of the school. Students are encouraged to provide locks for their bikes and must wear helmets. BUILDING RULES (Table Of Contents) All Center School students will observe the following rules:
Recess Responsibilities:
BUS TRANSPORTATION (Table Of Contents) All questions and complaints concerning bus scheduling, routes, assignments, bus stops, and other transportation issues should be directed to the Director of Transportation at 893-1631 or call Jan Fournier at 635-3005. Any requests by parents regarding a bus stop change should be made in writing and delivered to the Business Administrator, Brian Gallagher, at SAU 28, 19 Haverhill Road, P. O. Box 510, Windham, NH 03087. Riding the bus is a privilege, which may be temporarily denied or permanently revoked, if misconduct of a child jeopardizes the safe operation of the school bus, or safety of the children riding the bus. Infractions will be reported to administration. Parents will be notified of the infraction by writing and by phone. CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES (Table Of Contents) After school clubs and activities are offered at Center School to provide students an opportunity to participate in enriching and fun activities. We offer Chess Club, Math Club, Ski Club, Floor Hockey, Bowling Club, First Lego League, Drama Club, and DI. CUSTODIAL/GUARDIANSHIP INFORMATION (Table Of Contents) If there are legal guardianship and/or custodial implications of which the school should be made aware, please be sure a copy of the legal document is made available to the school for your child's protection. DISCIPLINE (Table Of Contents) Consequences for Inappropriate Behavior Students are expected to follow the Center School Rules at all times. Failure to follow the rules will result in a consequence. Detention One consequence that may be given is a recess detention. Another consequence of inappropriate behavior is an after-school detention. Parents will be notified 24 hours in advance of the detention so that appropriate transportation can be worked out. The length of time for an after-school detention will be 1/2 hour (or time agreed upon with teacher or administration), commencing at 3:00 and ending at 3:30 p. m. Fighting Fighting in school, on the playground, or at school activities is not allowed and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Students involved in fighting will receive up to a 3-day school suspension. In extreme cases, or when students are repeat offenders, a school suspension of up to 5-days may be issued. Parents will be called and notified in writing of a suspension. In School Suspension Students whose behavior is unacceptable may be given an In-School Suspension by the administration. Students on an In-School Suspension will be assigned to a classroom for the entire day. While on an In-School Suspension, the student will be given his/her full day's assignments. An In-School Suspension can be a half day to three days, depending upon the nature of the problem. In all cases, parents will be notified when their child receives an In-School Suspension. The classroom teachers handle most discipline problems. The partnership of school and parent will demonstrate to students that a common ground of appropriate behavior is expected. No Gum Chewing Chewing gum is school is not allowed. Students who do chew gum will be asked to properly dispose of it. Chronic offenders may receive a detention, and/or loss of privileges. DISMISSAL (Table Of Contents) When dismissing a student during the school day, please inform the school with a note to his/her teacher. There will be NO dismissals after 2:30 p.m. from the front of the building. All dismissals after 2:30 p.m. will take place with the car dismissals at the back of the building. This policy is in effect for safety reasons. Therefore, please make all necessary arrangements with your child if they have an appointment during this time to pick them up before 2:30 pm. A general announcement for all students being dismissed will be made at approximately 2:55 p.m. Please note: Students will be picked up in the back of the building at the car dismissal location. Any student dismissed before 12:00 p.m., who does not return, will be considered absent for half the day. Please send a note to school with your child if they are to be part of the car dismissal procedure. If you need to call during the school day to change dismissal plans, the calls need to be placed before 2:30 p.m. ELEVATOR USE (Table Of Contents) A student may access the elevator when he/she is injured and is not able to use the stairs to the second floor. EMERGENCY INFO (Table Of Contents) A properly, completed emergency information sheet for each student should be on file in the school's office. In order to be prepared to respond promptly to student-related emergencies, the school must be notified and updated immediately of any new address, phone number or other changes, which should be reflected on your child's emergency sheet. ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages (Table Of Contents) Windham Center School has been fortunate to have among our student body students from other countries. The ESOL coordinator is helping these students with limited English proficiency experience academic success. FIELD TRIPS (Table Of Contents) Field trips are planned educational experiences correlating closely with grade level curricula. Since these lessons occur away from the school grounds, permission slips signed by parents are a prerequisite for students' participation. School personnel and parent volunteers supervise all field trips. Parents volunteer to be chaperones for our students; therefore, younger children cannot accompany parents on the field trip. Provisions will be made for students who may be unable to afford a particular field trip; no student will be denied the opportunity to participate because of lack of funding. Students with medical issues must have a parent accompany them on the field trip or have a written authorization to designate responsibilities in the event of an emergency. HEALTH ROOM (Table Of Contents) The school maintains a fully equipped health room staffed by a full and part time nurse. The school nurse conducts yearly screenings of vision and hearing for all students; scoliosis screenings for students in Grade 5; measurement and recording of height, weight and blood pressure for all students. Pediculosis (head lice) screening is done the first week of school and on an as-needed basis thereafter. Information from the screenings is used to make appropriate referrals to insure a student's optimum ability to learn. No medication can be dispensed by the nurse without the written permission of a physician. This includes non-prescription drugs as well as prescription drugs. Students or parents must give all medications to the nurse to be kept in the health room. Students are not allowed, under any circumstances, to keep medications on their person or in their personal articles. The school nurse should be notified of any communicable diseases present in the school population in order to insure the health of all students. This should include chicken pox, measles, mumps, etc. Inhalers are allowed with student with permission from parent in writing. HOMEWORK (Table Of Contents) We believe homework is important as a valuable aid in helping students make the most of their experience in school. Homework is useful in reinforcing what has been learned in class, preparing students for upcoming lessons, teaching responsibility, and helping students develop positive study habits, which will increase self-esteem. Homework for Grade 3 students should not exceed 30 minutes. Homework for the Grade 4 students should not exceed 45 minutes and homework in Grade 5 should not exceed 60 minutes. When special projects or long term projects are assigned, additional time may be required. We feel that parents are the key to making homework a positive experience for their children. Homework assignments may also be checked by accessing the teacher web site through the Windham School District site. LITERACY SUCCESS (Table Of Contents) This program targets At Risk Students in helping them to become successful readers and math students. Classroom teachers identify At Risk Students by pre-selected criteria. Individual and small group pull-out instruction is offered to improve reading and math skills. LOST BOOKS (Table Of Contents) Textbooks issued to each student are his or her direct responsibility. If a student does not turn in the book assigned, that student will be charged a replacement cost. If books are returned damaged, full or partial payment may be assessed depending upon the condition of the book. All textbooks are to be covered the entire school year. Students are also responsible for any materials checked out of the library and are liable for any replacement costs. LOST AND FOUND (Table Of Contents) Please label student belongings so that they can be returned to your child. Remind your child to look for lost articles. Parents, please feel free to come in and search the Lost and Found. The unclaimed articles will be given to a charitable organization at the end of each month. LUNCH/MILK PROGRAM (Table Of Contents) Windham Center School offers a lunch program, which includes a complete meal with milk or you can purchase milk separately. A list of these prices will be sent home the first day of school. We use the SNAP program in which each student has his or her own SNAP account. This is a debit account. The student MUST deposit money into the account before purchasing his/her lunch. The deposit can be any amount. Each student will have their own laminated SNAP lunch card. Within a SNAP account, there are two categories, a lunch account and a snack account. We feel that the option of having two accounts will give the parents more control of where their money is being spent. On the first day of each week, the Kitchen Manager will accept the deposits. A deposit MUST be in an envelope clearly marked with the students name, teacher, bar code # and amount inside envelope. Any questions regarding the SNAP program should be directed to the Kitchen Manager at Center School. Snap accounts that are in excess of $10.00 debt at the end of the school year could result in your child's report card being held until the debt is paid. Please make checks payable to the Pelham School District. Students that have a negative balance in their account, may be given an alternative lunch. MEDIA CENTER (Table Of Contents) The Media Center is staffed by a Media Specialist and a assistant. Students are encouraged to use its resources often. Generally, students will use the library for reference, research, selecting books for reading, using periodicals and for using the computers. All books and materials must be signed out and returned when they are due so others may use them. MONEY & VALUABLES IN SCHOOL (Table Of Contents) Students are encouraged not to bring money, CD players, walkmen, game boys, or ipods to school. If it is necessary to bring money, students should not leave it in their desk, gym bag, or jacket. School sponsored events that require payment should be paid by check. NO SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS (Table Of Contents) The decision to cancel school is made by 6 a.m. There is a delayed opening procedure which may be enforced until 7 a.m. If weather conditions deteriorate between 6 and 7 a.m., cancellation notice may be made at 7 a.m. No school announcements are made on the following radio stations: WLLH 1400 AM WZID 95.7 FM WGIR 61 AM WBZ 1030 AM WCVB CH 5 WMUR CH 9 WHDH CH 7 WRKO 680 AM The same stations will provide information regarding delayed opening of schools or early dismissals due to weather. In most cases, the start of school and the bus runs would be delayed by 90 minutes. Parents are encouraged to discuss with their children a plan of action in the event of an early dismissal from school. The plan should include how your son/daughter may gain access to their home or another safe location. PARENT CONFERENCES (Table Of Contents) Parent conferences are scheduled in November and April for the purpose of parents meeting with the homeroom teacher to discuss their child's progress in detail. This provides an excellent opportunity for parents to ask questions and make comments. Your participation is encouraged. Windham Center School has a Parent/Teacher Association. This organization plays an important, supportive role to staff and students. All parents are encouraged to become active members of this organization. PROMOTION/RETENTION (Table Of Contents) It is our belief that students should be promoted on the basis of academic success. In general, students shall be placed at the grade level to which they are best adjusted academically, socially, emotionally and developmentally. The educational program shall provide for the continuous progress of students form grade to grade. Initial information regarding the possibility of retention shall be gathered by the teachers and submitted to the principal. The principal will meet with the teachers and contact parents if retention seems to be a reasonable possibility. If it is a possibility, the principal will advise the parents and student by April 30. Parents will be asked to meet with the staff and the principal to discuss the issues. It is desirable that an agreement is reached by all parties and the decision be reached at this meeting. Failure to reach an agreement by June 15, the principal shall reach a decision and advise all parties concerned. In the event a parent wishes to appeal the final decision of the principal, a written appeal may be made to the Superintendent of Schools. The Superintendent of Schools will make a final decision on the appeal by July 15 and notify the parents and the principal. PUPIL INSURANCE (Table Of Contents) Notices are sent home each year regarding the availability of accident insurance for students. Parents MUST return the form signed whether or not the insurance is wanted. Please make sure that your child's name as well as your legible signature is on the form. RECESS (Table Of Contents) Students will have a 20-minute recess following lunch. Students are encouraged to dress appropriately during the winter months. There will be outdoor recess, weather permitting. REPORT CARDS/PROGRESS REPORTS (Table Of Contents) The school year is divided into four marking periods of approximately 45 school days. At the end of each marking period, a report card is issued to each student. Students will receive progress reports mid-way through each quarter, if they are in academic jeopardy or their grade has dropped significantly. A general school conduct grade will also be given each quarter to address lunchroom, recess, corridor, library and bus dismissal behavior. REPORTING CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT - MANDATORYSCHOOL DISTRICT POLICIES (Table Of Contents) New Hampshire Law (RSA 169-C; 29-30) requires that any person who has reason to suspect that a child under the age of 18 has been abused or neglected MUST report the case. Although it is most unlikely that the following policies will be violated at the primary school level, it is our responsibility to inform all parents and students of these policies: No Smoking Policy/Use of or Possession of Tobacco Smoking, the possession of tobacco products, or showing evidence of smoking is prohibited by students on school property during school hours and during any school sponsored function. School property includes the school building, school grounds, and school buses. This policy is corollary to NH RSA 78:12b 11, which makes possession of tobacco products unlawful for persons under 18 years of age and NH RSA 155:64, which makes it unlawful for smoking to take place in school buildings or on any school property. Further, RSA 155:76 provides the person in charge to the building, typically the principal, the ability to call enforcement authorities if any person refuses to refrain from smoking. It is the policy of the Windham School District that smoking in any school building or on any school property, at any time, is prohibited. Alcohol use by Students The use or possession of intoxicants in or on school property, vehicles, and at school events is PROHIBITED. Using or Having Possession of Dangerous/Illegal Drugs or Look-alike Drugs The use or possession of illegal drugs, dangerous drugs or facsimile drugs in or on school property, vehicles or at school events is PROHIBITED. Using or Having Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/Facsimile The Windham School Board views with utmost seriousness the behavior of any student who is violating or is appearing to violate the NH or Federal Controlled Substance Act. The trafficking or possession of look alike or illicit appearing substances and articles among students is not permitted. Dangerous Weapons or Look-alikes in the School Dangerous weapons or look-alikes (such as knives, guns, firecrackers, brass knuckles, etc.) are not permitted on school property or school buses. Students in possession will have weapons confiscated, parents notified, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.. Please be aware that under the Gun Free School Act, a 12-month expulsion is mandatory for bringing or possessing a firearm in a safe School Zone without written authorization from the Superintendent or his designee. Acts of theft, destruction, violence, drug and alcohol offenses, sexual offenses, arson, criminal mischief, and assault threatening will be reported to the Windham Police Department. Consequences beyond those, which the school may impose, may result form police involvement. Parents will be notified and the school Principal will impose Consequences for any of the previously mentioned offenses and /or Superintendent according to school district policy. A copy of the school district policy is on file in Center School office as well as the SAU office. SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER (SRO) (Table Of Contents) In coordination with our local police department, Center School shares a School Resource Officer. The role of the SRO is to reinforce our school safety policies in coordination with school administration. In addition, the SRO assists guidance counselors in delivering classroom instruction on the topics of bullying, harassment, and making healthy choices. STAR COMMITTEE (Table Of Contents) This committee consists of the reading specialist, guidance counselor, administrator, and classroom teachers. The purpose is to provide teachers with a support system to access when they have concerns regarding a student in their classroom. These concerns could be of academic, social, or emotional nature. The STAR Committee is the pre-referral process for accessing other support systems. STUDENT RECOGNITION (Table Of Contents) It is our belief that academic success and good citizenship should be formally recognized. This will be done throughout the year in a variety of approaches. Samples of recognition will be done through assemblies, certificates, news articles, verbal and written praise, Caught Being Good Program, 25+ Book Club Awards, Continental Math Awards, School Board Buddies, and parent-teacher contact, etc. SCHOOL COUNSELOR (Table Of Contents) The Center School Guidance Counselors are available to work with students, parents and teachers. They are valuable members of our staff and we encourage students and parents to draw upon this resource. Students can make an appointment to see the counselor by stopping by the main office and dropping a note in her mailbox. The counselors can also be reached at 432-4296. Our counselors are Jean Morrow for grade 3 and grade 4 and Elizabeth Jodoin for grade 5. TARDY PROCEDURE (Table Of Contents) Students are expected to arrive at school on time, no later than 8:45am. All students who are tardy MUST report to the main office to get a pass in order to be admitted to the classrooms. When students are consistently late, they miss valuable academic lessons. The student may receive a half hour after school detention for being tardy for more than 3 unexcused days per month. TEACHER COMMUNICATION (Table Of Contents) Very often parents need to see a teacher or the team of teachers at various times during the school year. These meetings can take place by sending a note in to the student's homeroom teacher to schedule an appointment, a phone call, or e-mail. Teachers will also call parents, write notes or e-mail at various times throughout the school year. TELEPHONE/CELL PHONE USE (Table Of Contents) Students will not be allowed to use the phone in school except in emergencies. There is a pay phone located outside the cafeteria. Cell phones can be brought to school for after school use, only for emergencies. Cell phones are to be kept off during the school day. VISITORS (Table Of Contents) All visitors must report to the office to obtain a valid visitor's badge before entering the halls or classrooms 504 ACCOMODATIONS (Table Of Contents) The Rehabilitation Act of 1073 requires schools to accommodate the needs of the disabled person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the person's major life activities, i.e. walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, etc. but does not adversely affect academic performance thus not requiring an IEP. |
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©2008 Windham School District : 19 Haverhill Road, Windham, NH 03087 : 603.425.1976