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Douglas Elementary School Handbook
DOUGLAS ELEMENTARY…AN A+ SCHOOL DESCRIPTION AND MISSION STATEMENT The Douglas Elementary Creative Arts & Science Program taps into the variety of learning styles of children. As a NC A+ school and a Creative Arts and Science Magnet, we approach education as a continuous cycle of teaching, learning and assessment that is grounded in the belief that the arts play a central role in how children learn. This philosophy is based on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. The Douglas faculty is committed to participating in the NC A+ Schools Program to ensure the integration of arts in the instruction of the NC Standard Course of Study. Our mission is to teach the NC Standard Course of Study challenging all students to reach their potential. Students develop the necessary skills, learn the appropriate values, and acquire the habits vital for becoming responsible, well-rounded decision makers. Building a school community where mutual respect is as important as knowledge, our children will learn more than just the basics as faculty, staff and parents share in and demonstrate enthusiasm for the learning process. Our school day is from 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. To optimize the opportunity for school success, we need your child at school on time, and we need them for the entire day. Please make every effort to avoid late arrivals and early pickups. Parents who bring students to school are asked to arrive on campus between 8:45 a.m. and 9:05 a.m. Students arriving after 9:15 a.m. should check in at the office with a parent. We are prohibited from allowing students to leave campus prior to the end of the school day unless accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or designee. If you want your child to ride home with another adult, a note to that effect must be on file at the school. Students must always be “signed-out” in the main office if parents need to take a student from the school prior to the end of the instructional day. At this time, the receptionist will call the student to the front office to go home. Teachers will not send students to the office unless they are called by the receptionist. After the school day has concluded students will not be permitted to return to their classrooms to retrieve forgotten items as teachers have after school obligations and classrooms will often be locked. Daily attendance is very important for students to benefit fully from the school program and to establish good habits and a sense of responsibility. Students are legally excused from school for illness, religious holidays and bereavement. Requests to allow students to attend family trips and/or holidays on school days in which school is in session are rarely considered excused absences. Please make afternoon arrangements in the morning before leaving home. Any change in transportation must be in writing. EARLY ARRIVAL AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM Applications are available in the office for students who wish to enroll in the Early Arrival or After School Programs. The Early Arrival Program operates from 7:00 a.m. until school begins at 8:45 a.m. The After School Program begins at dismissal and continues until 6:00 p.m. each afternoon. SCHOOL LUNCH & BREAKFAST PROGRAM Students are responsible for their lunch money each day; however, prior payment to the cafeteria is encouraged. Each student may have three separate accounts with the cafeteria: breakfast, lunch, and snack. An AutoPay Lunch Money Program is available to have your child’s lunch money automatically deducted from your bank account or charged to a credit card at the beginning of each month. Due to federal regulations and bookkeeping, students cannot use money from a snack account to purchase lunch. When money in an account becomes low, we will use written notification to communicate this with you. Breakfast is $.80, $.30 for reduced. Lunch is $1.75, $.40 for reduced. Students who do not have money in their account are provided with fruits, vegetables and water in accordance with county policy. If you wish to join your child for lunch, please notify your child’s teacher before hand if possible. Our carpool loop is located at the front of the building. Cars should follow the pattern of turning right into the carpool loop from the Windsor Pl. direction. When exiting the loop only right hand turns onto Ortega will be permitted. Families who plan to carpool at any time during the school year need to register in the office for a carpool tag during the first week of school. This tag must be displayed as they come through the line. It will be used to help staff efficiently coordinate daily dismissal and to make sure children are only getting in a car with a family member or someone authorized by a family member. To further ensure your children’s safety, we ask that you always drop them off and pick them up in the carpool loop. If you need to come inside, park in a designated space, walk with your child into the building and sign-in in the main office. In the morning, staff members will meet the cars beginning at 8:45 a.m. Afternoon carpool students will be dismissed at 3:45 p.m. and will wait with teachers in a supervised area until their ride arrives. Students will not be allowed to walk to their car until it has arrived in the carpool lane. Traffic through this area will be single lane only. Parents please remain patient and cautious as you drive through the carpool lane. The law requires that every child in the state be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), poliomyelitis, red measles (rubeola) and rubella. All students entering school must present proof that the following immunizations have been received. Medical Evidence of the following immunizations will be submitted:
The law also requires that a child enrolling in kindergarten present proof of a physical examination. The Kindergarten Health Assessment Report must be completed by the child’s physician and filed in the student’s school records within the first month of school. Should this report not be on file by this time, law requires that the child be excluded from school until such time as the Health Assessment is complete. A student is sent to the office only for emergency medical help. Students who become ill or are injured during the day will be taken to the office. INFORMATION CHANGES ON STUDENTS It is very important that parents send their child’s teachers emergency information and any change of address, telephone numbers, parent’s work numbers, etc. We must be able to contact someone who can take responsibility for your sick or injured child. (Most doctors refuse any treatment until a parent is present.) REGULATIONS ABOUT MEDICATIONS AT SCHOOL If a drug is necessary for a student’s well being and ability to function in school and cannot be scheduled outside the school day, it can be given in school. The following are some examples:
A “Parent Request and Physician Order For Medication” form must be signed and kept available to the person administering the medication. No medication will be given by a school official unless it is in a container dispensed by a pharmacy with the student’s name, name of medication, the date the prescription was filled and directions clearly marked. After the medication is no longer being given, the request should be filed in the student’s permanent record. In the case of long-term medications, requests must be updated at the beginning of each school year and with any change of medication. Students may self-medicate with prescription medication if they have documented permission to do so. No over-the-counter medications may be self-medicated by the student. The principal shall be responsible for verifying requests and physicians’ orders, and for monitoring the administration and maintenance of medication. It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to obtain the physician’s orders for any medication to be given.
If your child is not a bus rider or a walker, please participate in and observe our carpool system and the No Parking signs along both sides of Ortega. It is also imperative that there is no parking on either side of the street at the “bottle neck” near the intersection of Windsor & Ortega. This will keep our car and bus traffic flowing efficiently and safely. Parking spaces are available in the Cafeteria Parking Lot & Gym Parking Lot. Please avoid parking in front of the school on both sides of the street during arrival and dismissal times. EARLY DISMISSAL DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER The first notification of early school dismissal is made to the Three expectations for student behavior are the basis of Douglas Elementary’s discipline policy: 1) respect yourself, 2) respect others, 3) respect property. Students receive classroom instruction on behavior and discipline while involved in school activities: In the teaching areas, hallways, cafeteria, on the playground, and on the bus. All school personnel accept the responsibility of monitoring student behavior and assisting students in proper conduct. When student behavior is of a serious nature and when all of our efforts to find a solution to the problem fail, the student will be suspended from class. The length of the suspension will depend on the severity and duration of the problem. Hats and bandanas are not allowed. Shorts should fall at least to the length of the middle finger when hands are placed by the side of the thighs. Sleeveless shirts are acceptable only with wide straps, not spaghetti straps. Midriffs must be covered at all times. We believe that parent conferences assist us in attending to student’s educational needs while in school; therefore, the teachers will schedule a conference with every parent early in the fall semester. Additional conferences will be scheduled throughout the year as deemed necessary by teachers or parents. Parents may request a conference whenever they feel there is a need for one. All visitors to the school must “check-in” at the office and get a visitor’s badge before going into other parts of the building. We welcome visitors, but, to insure safety at all times, we need to know who is here and their reason. To minimize interruptions, items being dropped off for classes or students can be left in the front office to later be delivered to the classroom. We encourage open parent/student communication as it serves as a deterrent to many problems that could arise. Remember, however, that there are times when parent/teacher conferences cannot be held effectively (i.e. open house or classroom visitation, during the teacher’s instructional time, etc.). For this reason conferences should be scheduled in advance. A student will be permitted to use the telephone only with his/her teacher’s permission. All children should know their emergency numbers. In case you child gets ill at school, the school will contact parents and/or persons designated by you for emergencies. It is very important that you notify the teachers and the office of any changes in any home, work or emergency phone numbers. Please make afternoon arrangements in the morning before leaving home. Wake County Board Policy states: “All school employees shall discourage and decline the giving of parties during school hours for students”. There are many exciting learning experiences which can be planned to take the place of parties. Please consider our unique situation and know that we must carefully utilize every minute of every day for effective instruction. Our PTA is very active and provides many services for the students at Douglas Elementary. They solicit and welcome your talents in volunteer work, comments, and suggestions. Please be part of the PTA. Together you can help make this another winning year for all of our students. Susan Spivey.……………………………………Principal Joanne Alexander..…………………………………. Lead Secretary |
© 2007
Wake County Public School System |