EISENHOWER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK Revised May 2013 Dear Eisenhower Families, This handbook has been put together with assistance from the Eisenhower Advisory Council and Eisenhower staff to provide information to our families about school procedures and educational programs at Eisenhower. While the handbook is not entirely inclusive, we expect that this handbook may answer many of your questions during the years your children attend Eisenhower. You may want to keep it in a convenient place to use as a reference. To avoid the expense of anticipated updates, revisions will be available on the school webpage, and will be communicated to you through the school newsletters. When your child leaves Eisenhower to go to Whitman, we would encourage you to return your handbook to us so that it can be recycled. This, too, will help defray duplication costs. We work hard at Eisenhower to build a strong partnership with parents, staff, and community. Our doors are always open and we welcome your thoughts and ideas. Your voice needs to be heard, both to raise questions and to applaud our efforts. Our collaborative commitment is important to the success of our school. We invite you to share some of your time with our school by volunteering. Whether you work outside the home or have younger children at home, there are opportunities for you to become involved with our school and/or PTA. We ask that you review this handbook with your child, and return the last page with both your signature and your child’s signature when your child enters Eisenhower School. The code of conduct on pp.22-24 , and a parent/guardian signature on the permission required for your child to access district computers on p. 38 are especially important for you to review with your child. If you have any questions, please contact us to provide additional information should you need it. We hope your Eisenhower experience will provide your family with many fond memories for years to come. Sincerely, Eisenhower School Staff and Advisory Council MISSION STATEMENT United with the parents and the community, the Wauwatosa School District delivers an outstanding education that equips and inspires our students to conquer their challenges now and in the future. The Wauwatosa School District does not discriminate on the basis of a person’s color, sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability. TABLE OF CONTENTS COMING & GOING 4 Arrival & School Hours 4 Arrival 4 Dismissal 4 Access to Building 5 Locked Doors 5 Attendance 5 Attendance/Absence Procedures 5 When Should Children Be Kept Home? 6 Contagious Disease 6 Returning to School After Absence 6 Assignments for Absentees 6 Tardiness 6 Bicycles, Skateboards, Scooters 7 Concerts 7 Crossing Guards 7 Day Care 7 Inclement Weather 7 Cold or Rainy Arrivals 8 Late Buses 8 Leaving During School Hours 8 Visitation 9 Field Trips 9 DOLLARS & CENTS 9 Accounting Practices 9 Fees 9 Field Trip Costs 9 Insurance 10 Lost & Found 10 Lunch Program 10 Free & Reduced Lunch 11 Pictures 11 Supply List 11 CURRICULUM, EVALUATION & SPECIAL SERVICES 11 Curriculum 11 Art 11 Communicative Arts (Listening, Speaking & Writing) 12 Health 12 Library 12 Mathematics 13 Music, General 13 Music, Instrumental (Band & Orchestra) 13 Music, Vocal (Choir) 13 Concerts 13 Physical Education 13 1 Science 14 Social Studies 14 Gifted & Talented 14 Special Education 15 School Counselor 15 Student Assistance Teams 15 Homework 15 Kindergarten Screening 16 Psychologist 16 Report Cards 16 Retention 16 Section 504 17 District & Statewide Testing 17 Statewide Testing 17 District Testing 17 HEALTH & SAFETY 17 Absences 17 Contagious Disease 17 Doctor/Dental Appointments 18 Emergency Evacuation & Drills 18 Emergency School Closing Procedures 18 Closing During the School Day 18 Closing After-School, Evening & Weekend Programs 18 Emergency Information 18 Student Family & Emergency Contact Information 18 Exclusion from Physical Education 19 Health Restrictions 19 Health Room 19 Immunization 19 Medication 20 Nurse/Wauwatosa Health Department 20 PARENTS & PARTNERS 21 Advisory Council 21 Directory 21 Non-Custodial Parents 21 Orientation Meetings/Parent Information Meetings 21 Parent/Teacher Conferences 21 PTA (Parent Teacher Association) Activities 22 RULES & REGULATIONS 22 Access to Pupil Records 22 District Code of Conduct 22 School Philosophy & Rationale 22 School Expectations 23 Serious Offenses 23 Consequences for Behavior 23 Intermediate Offenses 23 General Classroom Infractions 24 Suspension 24 2 Parents’ Rights Regarding Suspended Students 24 Students Code of Conduct – Board Policy #6021 25 Building Permits 28 Bus Regulations 29 Late Bus 30 Classroom Photos 30 Classroom Placement Practices 30 New Student Placement Practices 31 Clothing/Personal Items 31 Directory Data 31 Distribution of Information 31 Dress & Grooming 32 Enrollment in School 32 Early Enrollment in School 32 Entry into the Building 32 Equal Educational Opportunities Policy 32 Exclusion from Physical Education 33 Field Trips 33 Field Trip Rules 33 Harassment 33 Library Books 34 Playground Guidelines 34 Recreational Department 34 Residency 34 Section 504 35 Smoking Prohibited 35 Special Education 35 Technology Use Policy 35 Guidelines for Computer Use 35 Computer Equipment 35 User IDs & Passwords 35 Files 35 Internet Access 36 Consequences for Violation of Rules 36 Telephone Use 37 Transfer Policy 37 Chapter 220 Program 37 Foster Home Children 37 Intradistrict Transfers 37 Open Enrollment Program 37 Tuition Students 37 Visitations 37 Sample Student Code of Conduct Contract 38 3 COMING & GOING… ARRIVAL & SCHOOL HOURS The playground is supervised between 7:50 a.m. and 8:03 a.m. Children should not arrive at school before 7:50 a.m. or stay after 3:00 p.m (2:00 p.m. Weds.) Junior Kindergarten A.M. Class – 8:20 - 10:55 a.m. (M/T/W/Th/F) P.M. Class – 12:30.- 3:20 p.m. (M/T/Th/F) 12:17 - 2:20 pm (Weds.) Senior Kindergarten – Fifth Grade 8:20 a.m. – 3:20 p.m. (M/W/Th/F) 8:20 a.m. – 2:20 p.m. (Weds.) Teachers arrive at 7:50 a.m. and leave at 3:35 p.m. The school office opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. ARRIVAL Junior kindergarten (4K) and senior kindergarten (5K) students meet on the Center Street playground and enter at their kindergarten doors off the Center Street playground. 1st grade students enter through the Southeast doors. Second grade students enter through the southwest doors. Third and fourth graders enter at the northwest entrance and fifth graders enter at the far northwest entrance off the north playground. Students should not enter the building before the bells unless they have a special pass from their teachers or are going to club meetings, band, orchestra or chorus rehearsals. Once a routine has been established at the beginning of the school year, your child’s teacher will ask that your child take the responsibility of getting their things organized and entering the classroom without your assistance. Please do not be offended when this happens. It’s an important step for your child to take in developing independence. Please use the crosswalks when crossing the parking lot to enter the building. This is a busy place and modeling for your children where to cross will helps keep our children safe. Children should be dropped off at the curb. Dropping students off in the driving lanes puts the children’s safety in jeopardy as they need to cross in front of cars to get to the sidewalk. Students should not be crossing in front of cars to cross the parking lot. DISMISSAL Parents who need to enter the building or meet their child should park IN THE PARKING LOT, not at the curb or on the side street parallel to Center Street. NEVER leave your car unattended at the curb or in an area identified as No Parking. Children meet parents on the playground or in the parking lot. Children needing to meet siblings or friends should meet them at a planned place on the playground at dismissal. 4 Students who ride a bus should report to the north hallway outside the lunchroom. Students getting picked up by Day Care vans report to the front lobby. If you pick up your child at dismissal and you need to change that time, please plan ahead and tell your child before they leave for school in the morning. We try to keep classroom interruptions to a minimum. On the rare occasion you need to phone us, please call early in the day to insure the message gets to your child in a timely manner. The end of the school day is a hectic time. There is no after school supervision on the playground. Please plan accordingly for the safety of your child. An after school Day Care program is provided at a minimal cost for your convenience. Please stop at the school office for additional information. ACCESS TO BUILDING All visitors must obtain a visitors badge upon entry to the school building. Locked Doors After the start of the school day, all doors are locked and the buzzer system at the main entrance must be used for entry to the school. For security reasons, please do not coax students or staff to let you in other doors. They are instructed not to open doors for strangers. Our school entrance is locked at 6:00 p.m. when our Day Care closes for the day. To protect confidential information and/or student/staff belongings, classrooms are secured after the teacher has left for the day. Night custodians have been asked to keep these rooms secure at night, so if your child forgets school work, we ask that he/she returns the following morning after 7:50 a.m.