La Center Elementary School
Parent & Student
Handbook
2008 – 2009
Student Hours: 8:25 – 2:55
Office Hours: 8:00 – 4:00
Our Mission:
To empower students to
become life-long learners
In an ever changing world.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Phone
Numbers................................................................................................................... 2
Staff.................................................................................................................................... 3
Attendance.......................................................................................................................... 4
Late
Arrivals........................................................................................................................ 4
Lost
and Found................................................................................................................... 4
Visitors/Volunteers.............................................................................................................. 4
Picking
Students up at School.............................................................................................. 4
Communication................................................................................................................... 4
Voter
Registration................................................................................................................ 4
Telephone........................................................................................................................... 4
Health.............................................................................................................................. 4-5
Immunizations..................................................................................................................... 5
Medications......................................................................................................................... 5
Life
Threatening Medical Condition...................................................................................... 5
Insurance............................................................................................................................ 6
Emergency
Information........................................................................................................ 6
Assessment
of Student Achievement.................................................................................... 6
Make-up
Work.................................................................................................................... 6
Report
Cards...................................................................................................................... 6
Newsletter........................................................................................................................... 6
School
Meals...................................................................................................................... 6
Emergency
Drills................................................................................................................. 6
School
Expectations......................................................................................................... 6-7
K-3
Bobcat Program............................................................................................................ 7
K-3
Student of the Month.................................................................................................... 7
4/5
Bobcat Bucks................................................................................................................ 7
Bobcat
Ambassador............................................................................................................ 7
Playground.......................................................................................................................... 7
Lunchroom......................................................................................................................... 7
Buildings/Hallways............................................................................................................... 8
Dress
Code......................................................................................................................... 8
Radios,
Gameboys, etc........................................................................................................ 8
Animals
(show & tell).......................................................................................................... 8
Fees
& Fines....................................................................................................................... 8
School
Board Policies......................................................................................................... 9
Buses/Use
of School Transportation.................................................................................. 10
School
Calendar................................................................................................................ 13
Campus
Map..................................................................................................................... 14
District
Office........................................................................................................ 263-2131
Elementary
Office .................................................................................................. 263-2134
Elementary
Fax Number.......................................................................................... 263-2133
Intermediate
Office................................................................................................. 263-2136
High
School Office................................................................................................. 263-1700
District
Info Line.................................................................................................... 263-1172
Community
Education............................................................................................ 263-2015
Principal.............................................................................................................................................. Carol
Patton
Associate Principal.............................................................................................................................. Scott
Lincoln
Elementary Secretary.................................................................................................................. Winnie
Harkleroad
Assistant Secretary......................................................................................................................... Tammy
Lichliter
Office Assistant.................................................................................................................................. Joyce
Hantho
Kindergarten............................................................................. Shawna
Dawson, Kim Hollopeter, Laura Tomberlin
First Grade........................................................................................................ Nancy
Buhrmester, Megan Cooper
.................................................................................................................. Lois
Englund, Joni Hancock, Rita Persic
Second Grade................................................................................................... Colleen
Johnson, Jennifer Matanich
............................................................................................. Treasha
Reser, Ruth Schrock, Sarah Stein, Amy Wise
Third Grade.............................................................................................................. Liz
Crandall, Barbara Harmon
......................................................................................................... Lola
Nordstrom, Kris Sawyer, Denise Skufca
Fourth Grade.......................................................................................................... Shirley
Barnes, Michelle Collins
............................................................................................................... Jason
Grotte, Butch Lepak, Pete Sloniker
Fifth Grade.............................................................................................................. Karen Alanko, Sharon Bussler,
......................................................................................................... Monica
Klump, Bonnie Poffenroth, Julie Smith
Choral Music......................................................................................................... Tonya
McCord, Brenda McKay
5th Grade Choral
Music & Band................................................................................ Rhonda
Stoll, Perry Calabrese
P.E................................................................................................................................ Rob
Bucklin, Anne Hazard
Reading Club Instructional
Assistants......................................................................... Mary
Byrne, Teresa Robinson
K-12 Media Specialist........................................................................................................................ Rita
Peterson
Library Technician................................................................................................................ Mary
Lynn Henderson
Curriculum Director............................................................................................................................. Bonnie
Lock
Math Specialist................................................................................................................................... Colleen
Wing
Math Club Assistants............................................................................................. Jana
Carder, Christine Matzdorff
ELL........................................................................................................................................................ Sally
Doss
School Nurse..................................................................................................................................... Candra Cook
Speech/Communication Disorder
Specialist............................................................................................ Laurie
Kerr
School Psychologist............................................................................................................................... Jim
Prather
Student Support Specialist........................................................................................................... Sherri
Birgensmith
ESD Special Ed. District
Coordinator............................................................................................... Michelle
Murer
Special Education....................................................................................................... Teresa
Smith, Mary Salomon
Lunch Clerk/Cashier........................................................................................................................... Dana
Hantho
Special Ed Instructional
Assistants.............................................
Rebecca Bryant, Casey Buckbee, Linda Crowson,
............................................................... Rhonda
Huss, Julie Miller, Joyce Munger, Linda Sahling, Dasia Thompson
Playground/Classroom Support.......................... Darlene
Bechtold, Cherie Breault, Brenda Edwards, Diana Hantho,
...................................................... Tina
Moore, Susan Shufeldt, Deena Strawn, Tammy Swanson, Teresa Thatcher
OFFICE PROCEDURES
Attendance
School attendance is required
by law. Mutual cooperation and support between parent and school is necessary.
Please send a note to the school office stating date of absence and explanation
of absence with parent signature.
If your child will be absent
for an extended length of time, please complete a Pre-arranged Absence form.
Court Petitions
State law mandates that
schools file a petition with the court when a student accumulates ten unexcused
absences in a school year. If La Center Elementary School does not hear from a
parent via a phone call or signed note with the date of the absence, an absence
is determined to be unexcused. To ensure our attendance records are accurate
before filing a petition, a letter will be sent after the first, second and
seventh unexcused absence in a month and after the tenth unexcused absence in a
school year. If you receive such a letter, please send a note of explanation or
phone the school to change the status of the unexcused to an excused absence.
Late
Arrivals
Being tardy is defined as
arriving to school after 8:25 a.m. The student is responsible for being
punctual. Arriving late at school in the morning is excused by a call or a
signed note from the parent. Students need to check in at the office before
going to class. The school appreciates the parents' efforts to help their child
develop a habit of being punctual.
Lost
and Found
Clothing is displayed in the
main hallway at the west end of the building. Parents, as well as students, are
encouraged to check often. We send lost & found items to charities before
winter break and at the end of the year. We encourage you to label your
children's outerwear.
Visitors/Volunteers
All visitors/volunteers
entering the school are asked to please stop at the office to sign in and
receive a visitor’s pass prior to visiting a classroom. An appointment needs be made with the teacher
to ensure that any "special activities" such as tests, would not be
interrupted. Our school secretary will intercom the classroom and confirm your
appointment with the teacher.
We welcome volunteers in our
building. We appreciate any help offered and our students greatly benefit from
this assistance.
Picking Up Students At School
When picking up your child at
school early, please come to the office and let the school secretary intercom
the classroom. This allows us to operate with the least amount of interruption
and disturbance to the classroom. Students will not be released to anyone other
than their parents or guardians without special arrangements such as a signed
note from the parents or guardians. Anyone picking up a student must sign them
out in the office.
Communication
The */Connect-ED/* system
will be used to notify parents of school delays and closures, school emergency
situations, or simply to provide important information regarding school events
or activities. Please contact your school office if you have any questions or
want to sign up for additional phone numbers or email addresses beyond those
provided at registration.
Voter
Registration
Voter registration is a
community service provided by our school secretary. Anyone needing to register to vote or to
change registration may do so with the secretary during school hours.
Telephone
Please feel free to call
anytime you have a question, or need to leave a message with your child. We
will deliver the message to the child at the end of the day. Students will have
restricted use of the telephone. All arrangements for after school activities
are to be made before the student arrives at school. If
there is a change for after school transportation, please call before 2:00.
If we are unable to answer the phone, please leave your message on voice mail. This occurs when the secretaries are on the other line. Please leave a message or call back. We check our voice mail for messages throughout the day.
General Information
For the protection of all
children, including your child, the following guidelines should be followed:
• Never send an obviously sick child to school.
• A child with a sore throat, severe cough, ear ache,
vomiting, or who has had a fever of 100 or more within the past 24 hours,
should not be sent to school.
• A child with a known communicable disease (chicken pox,
impetigo, strep, scarletina, scabies, ringworm, pinkeye, etc.) should not be sent to school without the
specific approval of your doctor.
• A child with head lice will not be admitted or allowed to
attend school until nit-free. If a child
has head lice, treatment must be sought.
• If your child has been ill with a cold or flu, please use
common sense and your own judgement as to when to send your child back to
school.
If a child becomes ill at
school, symptoms are noted but not treated and the parent is notified to pick
up the child. In the event of a serious
injury, parents are contacted for direction. If it is impossible to contact the
parents, medical assistance will be obtained. The school office should be made
aware of children with known medical or health problems.
Immunizations
La Center Elementary follows
the State of Washington student immunization law, which requires all students
to be adequately immunized according to their age and grade level. Proof of
immunization status must be presented to the school on or before the first day
of school attendance. This information must be recorded on a Washington State
form signed by the parent/guardian. Exemptions are available for medical,
personal or religious reasons. Please keep in mind that if an outbreak of
vaccine-preventable disease for which that student is exempted should occur;
the student will be excluded from school for the duration of the outbreak.
Medications at School
Prescription and
over-the-counter medications, which must be given during school hours, require
a signed authorization form completed by a parent and physician. Authorization
forms may be obtained from the school office.
Medications must be supplied
in the original container and have a pharmacy label with instructions that
match the physician’s written authorization. Schools may only accept a 20-day
supply. The medication must be transported to school by a parent, where it will
be counted and signed for by the parent and school staff.
Only trained school staff may
administer oral medications, which includes inhalers. NO medications may be
administered by eye, ear, skin or injection, except for an epi-pen injection,
which may be administered by a trained staff member in a life-threatening
emergency.
The above is in accordance
with Washington State Law and La Center School District policy.
We understand that some
students may need to carry and self-administer insulin or asthma inhalers. An
elementary student who carries and self-administers these medications must have
an EXCEPTION FORM completed in addition to the standard Authorization for
Administration of Medication at School form. A backup supply of the same medication
provided by the parent/guardian must be stored with school staff.
Life
Threatening Medical Condition
State Law requires a
medication/treatment order from a Licensed Health Professional before your
child can attend school if a life threatening condition exits. A form is
available from the school office.
Insurance
It is possible to purchase
secondary accident insurance through the school for a very nominal charge.
Information is sent out during the first week of school. Call the office if you
wish to purchase this insurance or need more information.
Emergency
Information
At the beginning of each
school year, your child will bring home a Family Emergency Plan to be used in
case of an “emergency” early dismissal. Please return the form promptly. Be sure
to update the office anytime you have a change of address or new phone numbers.
Reliable alternative phone numbers are also needed in case you cannot be
reached.
As per Policy No. 3414 pg. 1,
"The District shall require that the parents or guardian complete a
medical history form at the beginning of the school year."
SCHOOL PROCEDURES
Assessment of Student Achievement
The State Superintendent of
Public Instruction has mandated that the Washington Assessment of Student
Learning (WASL) is administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 10 in
March and April. The La Center School District will also administer a reading
assessment to all K-5 students in the fall and spring. These assessments help
us determine each individual student’s academic strengths and weaknesses. We
then develop curriculum and instruction to meet these individual students’
needs.
Make-up
Work
Whenever a class is missed,
it is the student's responsibility to see his/her teacher concerning make-up
work. To request missed assignments,
please call the office by 9:00 a.m. The teachers will get the work to the
office by 3:00. When it is known in advance that a student will be absent from
school, the student should obtain assignments for make-up work from the
teacher.
Report
Cards
Students in kindergarten
through fifth grade will receive report cards on a trimester schedule.
Parent-teacher conferences will be held in October and first of March.
Newsletter
Our school newsletter comes
out on a weekly basis. Enjoy reading about student awards, classroom
activities, upcoming events and Community Ed. Classroom teachers also provide
weekly or monthly newsletters.
School
Meals
Parents may deposit a minimum
of $20 into an account for their child (ren). We have what we call a
Bank-A-Meal program at La Center. When students buy a meal, the amount is
automatically deducted from their balance. Parents will receive a statement
when their child's balance is down to $2.00 or so.
Breakfast for all K-5
students is $1.00. Student lunches
are $2.15 for K-4 and includes milk. Fifth grade students will pay $2.40. Adult
meals are $3.60. Students who bring cold lunch may purchase milk for 30˘.
Throughout the school year, a
regular series of fire, earthquake and lockdown drills are scheduled for our
elementary students and staff.
Twice a year our local police
and fire departments critique our students and staff during those drills and
give us feed back on how we can improve.
SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS
Our main
objective is to encourage students to be respectful and disciplined young
people. Serious discipline problems occur very seldom at La Center Elementary
School. When problems persist, we seek parent involvement. Often, parents are
having the same problems and questions as our staff. We can work together to
find the cause of the problems rather than treating the symptoms.
Classroom and school
expectations are taught at the beginning of each school year. These
expectations are reviewed on a regular basis in the classroom and at school assemblies.
We encourage acceptable
behavior by using positive reinforcement through our Student of the Month
awards, Bobcat tickets for K-3 and Bobcat Bucks for grades 4-5.
K-3
Bobcat Program
This program helps build self-esteem and encourages self-management. Students will receive a ticket for getting "caught" following the La Center Elementary Guidelines For Success. The guidelines are:
1) Always trying
2) Being responsible
3) Being cooperative
4) Doing their best
5) Respecting others
We have a drawing every week.
These weekly winners are called to the office and may select two prizes.
K-3 Student of the Month
The Student of the Month
award is designed to give special recognition to students for a variety of
reasons. They include academic performance, behavior, citizenship and other
areas of excellence or improvement. These students are honored at the monthly
Bobcat recognition in the cafeteria. Parents are welcome and encouraged to
attend.
Grades
4-5 Bobcat Bucks
Fourth and fifth grade classroom teachers participate in an incentive program which awards students a weekly "Bobcat Buck" for exhibiting responsible behavior in the classroom. Students then use their Bobcat Buck to purchase "goodies" from the Bobcat Buck Store, which is open for business once a month.
Bobcat Ambassador
The Bobcat Ambassador Program is designed to introduce 4th
and 5th grade students to a school and community service process
that will encourage them to pursue student government activities and community
service in middle school and high school. They will receive training in team
building, working collaboratively, respect and diversity. They will be asked to
provide valuable service to our school and community by: assisting with new
student orientation and tours, assist in fundraising and community service
events, assemblies, kindergarten “Meet & Greet” first day of school, field
day, etc.
Playground
Students need to be
respectful of others and follow the safety rules set for the playground. Please
review these rules with your child (ren).
1. Students keep their hands and feet to themselves at all times.
2. Eating is allowed in the cafeteria and classrooms only.
3. Children are allowed in the building with a pass from the recess teacher. Passes are for bathroom or office only.
4. Walk across crosswalks.
5. Toys from home or classrooms not allowed at recess.
6. Tag is not allowed on the playground or equipment.
7. Trucks are only allowed in the bark chips by the wooden bench – not by the swings or equipment.
8. Students need to stay in the parameter of the playground.
9. Students are not to climb on fences/gate.
10. Sitting on planters is allowed.
11. Throwing bark chips, rocks, balls or hula-hoops at others in an aggressive manner is not allowed.
12. Use appropriate language.
13. Ramps to portables or steps/porches are off limits during recess.
Lunchroom
The student will:
a) Talk in a normal or inside
voice.
b) Sit with feet under the
table.
c) Once seated, stay at the
table.
d) Use good table manners
e) Take turns putting trays
away.
f)
Wait
for the lunch aide to dismiss to the playground.
Buildings/Hallways
The student will:
a) Respect the rights of others.
b) Walk.
c) Talk in a normal or inside
voice.
d) Stand quietly in line at the
drinking fountain.
e) Use hall passes as determined
by staff.
f)
No
gum or hats in school.
For students who disregard
major rules, the following disciplinary procedure will be used:
1. Time out
2. Discipline referral
3. Parent contact
4. In-school suspension
5. Suspension from school
Dress Code
Students and their parents
have the primary responsibility for determining student attire within the
guidelines established. Dress or appearance that has the potential for causing
disruption is not permitted. Clothing or accessories that advertise, promote or
depict alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs are prohibited. Display of profanity,
vulgarity, or sexual innuendo is not appropriate for school.
Students should not wear
clothing that is excessively revealing. Any attire, which exposes a student’s
midriff, is not permitted. "Tube" tops and halter-tops are not
permitted, and tank tops with straps narrower than one inch is not allowed. Any
clothing with excessive holes or holes in revealing locations are not
permitted. Shorts and skirts are permitted, but may be no shorter than the
extended reach of the student’s fingertips. For safety and health concerns,
students must wear appropriate footwear at all times at school.
The principal or her designee
will have the final decision as to the potential for disruption at school, and
the requirement that the attire be changed. Students wearing inappropriate
attire, who do not have appropriate attire available at school, may be sent
home to change.
Money,
Radios, Tape Players, Gameboys, Walkmans and trendy items, etc.
Please limit the amount of
cash students carry to school to the amount needed for the day. It would be helpful if money (preferably
checks) were placed in an envelope with the name, amount, and purpose stated on
the outside.
No look-alike toy guns of any
kind are allowed on campus. Students are not allowed to bring valuable items
such as cameras, radios, tape players, gameboys, walkmans, trendy items, etc.
to school. If students bring cell phones to school, they must be turned off
during school hours and stored in their backpack. The school will not accept
responsibility for any personal items.
The purpose of these
guidelines is to provide information that will promote health and safety for
staff and students when animals are brought into the classroom. Many times
inadequate understanding of animal disease and behavior can lead to unnecessary
risks for the students, staff, and animals.
Animals that are UNACCEPTABLE
for school are wild animals, poisonous animals, wolf-hybrids, stray animals,
baby chicks, ducks, and aggressive animals.
It is important that animals,
which are brought onto the school campus, be clean and healthy so that the risk
of transmitting diseases to students is minimal. Therefore, parents need to
provide the following proof: verified rabies vaccination, health certificates
for dogs and cats, and proper restraint for animals.
Because of diseases, students
should not handle the following: birds of any kind, ferrets, reptiles and
amphibians. To minimize the chances of students getting bit, scratched, etc.,
all animals must be handled by the person responsible for them.
Fees
and Fines
An appropriate fee/fine will
be assessed for lost or damaged textbooks. Such fees/fines will take into
consideration the cost of replacement and/or repair of the book.
SCHOOL
BOARD POLICIES
Please visit the district
website: www.lacenterschools.org
for information on School Board Policies as well as the following: district
calendar, teacher web pages, school closures and delays, and elementary school
information.
BUSES / KWRL TRANSPORTATION
Discipline Procedures
Pre-ticket misbehavior: When misconduct occurs, the
bus driver will make every attempt to change the behavior of the student prior
to issuing a referral. In the case of serious misconduct, drivers will make
every attempt to resolve problems directly with students and their
parents. Calling home, assigned seating,
and parent-student-driver conferences are interventions that may be used prior
to sending a bus referral to the principal.
If the misconduct is not corrected, the following progression of
disciplinary action will be imposed, although some infractions may warrant
skipping to a more serious consequence.
· First Referral: A meeting is held between the administrator and student; discipline at the discretion of the administrator.
·
Second Referral within a 60-day school period: A meeting is held between bus driver, student and
administrator. Student may receive a one to three day suspension from the bus
as determined by the administrator.
·
Third Referral within a 90-day school period: Student may receive a three to five day suspension
from the bus as determined by the administrator.
·
Fourth Referral within a school year: Student will receive a one to four week suspension
from the bus as determined by the administrator.
·
Fifth Referral within a school year: Student will receive a long-term suspension or
expulsion from the bus as determined by the administrator.
* Students
who are suspended from a bus are suspended from all busses for the time of the
suspension.
Emergency Suspensions: There may be unusual circumstances when a driver feels a student’s misbehavior is so serious that it jeopardizes the safety of other students, and does not think that student should be allowed to ride the bus the next morning. In those cases, the driver needs the approval of KWRL Dispatcher/Assistant Director of Transportation. The parent must be contacted and a meeting with the administrator should occur the following day.
Use
of School Transportation
Students often use the school
transportation system to go home with another student, etc. Procedures have been established for these
occurrences as follows:
1) Students need to bring a note
from home stating where they are to go with a date and signature of the parent
or guardian. Notes are to be signed by
personnel in the office. The student
will then give it to the bus driver.
2) Students having parties, who
plan to have other students ride the bus to their house, need to make
arrangements with the school office at least one day in advance of the party
date. Permission will be granted based
on availability of space on the bus.