Family Handbook
St. Mary’s CatholicElementary School
412 North Monroe
Moscow, Idaho83843
208-882-2121
Fax: 208-882-0970
Notice of addenda to Handbook:
By virtue of your enrollment at St. Mary’s School, students, parents, and guardians agree to accept and abide by the policies and procedures as outlined in this handbook. Failure to abide by this “contract” may risk a student’s continued enrollment.
St. Mary’s School administrator(s) has final recourse and reserves the right to amend this handbook.
Statement of Non-Discriminatory Policy:
In accordance with Christian principles, St. Mary’s School recruits and admits students of any race, color, sex or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities.
St. Mary’s was established in 1908 to help Catholic families of Moscow and the surrounding area in the education of their children. St. Mary’s is open to families other than Catholic on the basis of values match and space availability.
Dear Families at St. Mary’s ParishSchool,
Moscow, Idaho has had the opportunity for continuous Catholic education since 1908. Bishop Glorieux of Idaho invited the Ursuline Sisters from Ohio to come and establish a Catholic school in Moscow in 1908. When UrsulineAcademy closed in 1956, St. Mary’s School opened immediately.
At St. Mary’s ParishSchool we have always believed that school is an important part of a growing child’s life. We want the students to be happy, to be challenged, to develop their potential for learning, to do their best work, and to feel a sense of real achievement. We also want children to be respectful and to accept responsibility for their own learning and behavior. This can only be accomplished when all of us work together for the sake of our children.
Our school is a partnershipwith parents/guardians in the education of children. We share the responsibility of providing the best educational opportunities for our students. Our challenge is to help students become life-long learners. We do this by creating a learning environment where respect and understanding, security and risk-taking, and responsibility are important values. We believe that each child is unique and special. The values we teach are based on a Catholic philosophy of education. We promote a strong personal relationship with God and respect for the dignity and innate goodness of every person.
St. Mary’s Elementary is your school and we hope you will take a full and active part in all school activities. We encourage you to visit the school and communicate with us often. We need to hear your questions, concerns and encouragements. Please speak to your child’s teacher as soon as a concern occurs so that we are made aware of any issues and can deal with them in a timely manner. We encourage you to volunteer your time and talents whenever you are able to do so as well as joining your children for Mass at our Friday Mass.
Let us be united together in asking God to be with us to strengthen and support us in all that we do for the sake of God’s children. Through your efforts and ours, may your child(ren) truly experience who God is. May we allow God to work through each of us—parents, teachers, staff, pastor and students—so that we will grow in God’s wisdom and grace together.
This handbook will assist you in receiving basic information about St. Mary’s Elementary School. It also suggests a number of things you can do to cultivate sound educational/personal attitudes and habits in your child. The handbook is both general and particular in nature especially when dealing with processes and procedures. If you require any information, please contact us at 882-2121. Thank you.
United Together in Your Child’s Education,
Deacon George CanneySister Margaret Johnson, osu
AdministratorPrincipal
Father Brian May
Parochial Vicar
St. Mary’s School Family Handbook
Policies and Procedures
Table of Contents
Policies and Procedures of St. Mary’s School
A.Vision for the Schoolpage7
B.Philosophypage 7
C.Mission Statementpage 7
DGuiding Principlespage 8
E.Statement of Responsibilitiespages8-9
F.Academic Recognition----pages 9-10
BlueRibbonSchool Information
Accreditation
G.Religious Formationpages 10-11
Masses/Liturgies
Reception of Communion
Sacramental Program
Participation in Religious Activities
Worship/Prayer
H.Curriculum Program at St. Mary’spages 11-16
Goals and Objectives for our Curriculum Program
Key Software Tools including
Accelerated Math and Accelerated Reading
Gifted and Talented
Advanced Math Group (see Addenda F)
Technology/Acceptable Usage Contract (see Addenda A)
Grading
Homework
Music Schedule
Testing
I.Disciplinepages 17-24
General Guidelines
Behavior Guidelines
Expectations
School Rules (respect, responsibility and resourceful)
Lunchtime rules
Church behavior
Consequences for breaking school rules
Consequences for not following school rules
Parent responsibility
Student responsibility
Violence (physical and verbal)
Bullying: general principles
Major Infractions of the School’s Rules
Consequences for serious behaviors
Probation
Suspension
Expulsion
Due Process for Suspension or Expulsion
Dismissal due to other circumstances (Diocesan Policy #5140)
J.Financial Informationpages 24-26
Financial Policies
Tuition
Financial Assistance
Fundraisers
Fundraisers that cost nothing
Family Involvement
Financial Schedule—current year Addenda “E”
K.School Boardpages 26-27
Role/purpose of the School Board
L.General Information
- After School Programpage 27
- Arrival/Dismissalpages 27-28
- Asbestospage 28
- Attendance: Tardiness/Absenteeismpage 28-29
- Birthdayspage 29
- Bus Servicespage 29
- Cell phone/Electronic devicespage29
- Child Protection and Custodypage 29
- Communication—guidelines forpages 29-32
Flow Chart: who to contact for one’s questions and concerns
Verbal vs. Written Communication
Conferences
Boundaries/Confidentiality
Everyday Communications
- Communicable disease/Illnesspage 32
- Donationspage 32
- Dress Codepages 32-33
- Emergency Drillspage 34
- Emergency Formspage 34
- . Entrance Requirements/
Continued Enrollment pages 34-35
- Field Tripspage 35
- Gum/Sodapage 35
- Gym—use ofpage 35-36
- Immunizationspage 36
- Injuries and/or Illnesspage 36
- Librarypage 36
- Lunch Programpage 36
- Medicationpage36
- Moneypage 36
- Non-Motorized Wheeled Vehiclespages 37
- Nutrition/Wellness Planpage 37
- Palouse Paradise Basketspage 37
- Personal Propertypage 37
- Phone Policypage 37
- Physical Education classespage 37
- Procedures--Before school, Recess, Noontime page 37-38
- Property and Equipmentpage 38
- Recesspage 38
- Reports of Student Progresspage 38
- Right to Informationpage 38
- . Schedulespage 38
- . School Closurepage 38
- Special Services page 39
- Transfer of Students (procedure for)page 39
- Transportation Policypages 39
- . Visitorspage 39
- Volunteerspage 40
- Websitepage 40
Unwritten Regulationspage 40
Addenda:
A. St.Mary's School Technology Acceptable Usage Contractpage 40-41
B. School Calendar (current year)page 42
C. School Safety-Field Trip Driver Information Sheetpage 43
D. Parent/Legal guardian Permission Slip for
Field Trip Participationpage 43-44
E. Tuition and Registration Fees (current year) for St. Rose’s and
St. Mary's Schoolpage 44-45
F. Form to be considered for an Advanced Math Group
in Grades 5 or 6page 45-46
G. Classroom curriculum per gradepages 46-55
Grade Kindergarten: page 46-47
Grade 1: page 48-49
Grade 2: page 50-51
Grade 3: page 51-52
Grade 4: page 52-53
Grade 5: page 53-54
Grade 6: page 54-55
School Mottosand Symbolspage 56
“A Prayer for Youth”page 56
Poem:“The Three R’s of St. Mary’s Schoolpage 57
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF ST. MARY’S SCHOOL
A,OUR VISION STATMENT
Imagine your child......
Increasing daily in respectfulness, resourcefulness and responsibility,
Focuseddaily on God's loving presence,
Being guided daily by devoted and professional teachers,
Being equipped to excel...and growing daily in confidence.
Imagine your child changing the world!
St. Mary's/St. Rose'sSchool is the foundation that gives students these gifts
So they may become
Dream makers and world changers.
B.PHILOSOPHY: Idaho Catholic Schools is part of the teaching ministry of the Roman Catholic Church. Through education, we seek to prepare each student to proclaim the Good News, to translate it to action, and to transform oneself and society with God’s help (To Teach as Jesus Did, pg. 29, #105). We integrate religious truth and values with life.
We strive to create a Christian educational environment conducive to spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and aesthetic growth of each student. As an educational community, our intent is to enable our students, through a challenging curriculum, to reach their full potential as Christian individuals.
The Ursuline Sisters from Ohio founded our school in 1908. They came to Idaho at the invitation of Bishop Glorieux. They originally named the school UrsulineAcademy. It continued under this name until 1956 when UrsulineAcademy closed and St. Mary’s ParishSchool opened.
C. OUR MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of our St. Mary’s ParishChurch “is to extend the Kingdom of God through our church community by growing in faith, love and service”. (Mission Statement of St. Mary’s Church. St. Mary’s ParishElementary School exists as a vital part of the parish’s ministry to support families in the total education of their children. We encourage students to grow spiritually, to develop a life long love of learning, and to strive to achieve their highest personal and academic potential.
D.GUIDING PRINCIPLES:As a school community, there are certain key values that we both hold and desire to entrust to our students. These are:
- FAITH inthecornerstone of our beliefs
- RESPECT have forone’s self and others, and for all life
- RESPONSIBILITY be accountable, dependable and reliable
- TRUST confident and honest
- CARING show compassion and kindness towards others
- FAMILY care, share and learn together
.
In living out the philosophy of St. Mary’s School, the faculty/staff strive to help the students grow in mutual love and respect for themselves, others and God.
We strive to do this by:
Providing daily times of prayer, religious teaching and nurturing of the child’s spirituality
Having weekly liturgy and other prayer experiences which are participated in and developed by the teachers and the students
Encouraging positive self-imaging
Providing for a positive, loving Christian environment
Helping students deal with their feelings
Fostering respect for the uniqueness of each person
We provide an outstanding academic program that is enhanced by the fine arts and physical education. In our academic program we strive to:
Provide a challenge for every individual at his/her learning level with opportunity for success
Encourage each student to think for himself/herself
Provide exposure to diversity of people, experiences and concepts
Create a trusting atmosphere where students can feel free to take risks and grow
E.STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILIITES
Becoming a member of St. Mary’s Catholic School Community brings with it certain expectations and responsibilities. Our school community is based on common beliefs and values. The responsibilities of the principal, faculty, parents and students shall be as follows:
Principal shall:
Endorse and display a professional attitude and a dedication to Church teachings
Participate in ongoing spiritual and professional growth and development
Communicate effectively and routinely with pastor, faculty, students, parents/guardian, the school board, and parish community
Develop and implement educational goals, objectives, and curriculum for St. Mary’s School
Provide leadership in spirituality, curriculum and staff development of the school
Supervise the quality of instruction provided to the students
Maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning
Implement and administer policies as established by both boardsof the Diocese and Parish
Faculty/Staff shall:
Model Christian ideals for their students and parents/guardians
Endorse and display professional attitudes as well as a dedication to Church teachings
Participate in ongoing spiritual and professional growth and development
Use instructional strategies that are most effective in promoting learning
Communicate effectively and routinely with students, and parents/guardians
Endorse and actively pursue the educational goals and objectives of St. Mary’s School through the development of school curriculum
Present content using a variety of methods which are sensitive to the individual needs of the students as well as curriculum outcomes
Maintain a classroom conducive to learning
Show support for the policies of the school
Parents/Guardians shall:
Model Christian behaviors and attitudes and support the spiritual growth of their children
As their child(ren)’s primary educator, encourage and help them to learn
Support the educational goals and efforts of St. Mary’s School in the education of their child(ren)
Provide an appropriate environment, resources and adequate time for completion of schoolwork
Share their talent, time and resources with the school and its fund-raisers
Assure that their child(ren) learn to follow rules and be punctual in attendance
Support efforts and guidelines of St. Mary’s School Board
Students shall:
Demonstrate by their language, behavior, and attitude a respectfulness toward adults and other students
Maintain an attitude of accountability for their own learning and actions
Show respect for the Catholic ideals on which our school is centered
Display a willingness to share their time and talents
Cooperate with school and parish personnel and other students
F.ACADEMIC RECOGNITION:
Blue Ribbon Award:St. Mary’s is a Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon School by the Federal Department of Education. St. Mary’s qualified for this prestigious award by testing in the top 10% of all Idaho elementary schools in the fields of mathematics, language arts and reading via Idaho Standard Achievement Tests (ISAT). Once we qualified we were then able to make application for this award. The school was evaluated on in all areas of a school. St. Mary’s School was the only Idaho school that was awarded Blue Ribbon Schools Award for 2005-2006. Blue Ribbon recognition immediately raises the status of a school as a recognized school nationally for academic excellence. As C. L. “Butch” Otter from 1st District of Idaho stated in Congress: “Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw the attention of the House to a school from my district that has received the No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools award from the United States Department of Education. St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School, in Moscow, Idaho, stands as the only school in the State of Idaho to receive this prestigious and important educational award. This award honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academicallysuperior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. St. Mary’s School strives to encourage its students to grow spiritually; to develop a life-long love of learning and to achieve their highest personal and academic potential. This mission represents and promotes the State of Idaho and the enormous potential of its people. The children of America are our most valuable asset. St. Mary’s School provides a successful K-6 academic program and exemplifies the high quality of education and emphasis on learning in my great State. I hope the House will join me in acknowledging St. Mary’s CatholicElementary School’s achievement. Thank you Mr. Speaker.”
The school was given the Blue Ribbon Flag at the National Conference held in WashingtonDC in November 2005. Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling said to the honorees: “Congratulations on receiving the highest honor that can be bestowed on a school.” And Dr. Stephen O’Brien of the Office of Communications and Outreach U.S. Department of Education said to all present: “The schools that have earned the Blue Ribbon Award know how to succeed.Every child has learned to be successful in your schools in every way. What a great accomplishment. You can truly be proud today of what you have done. You are an inspiration to the rest of the country.”
Accreditation:St. Mary’s School is accredited through the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA). WCEA is recognized as an accreditation agency by the Northwest Accreditations Agency of Schools (NAAS) Idaho recognizes schools receiving recognition through NAAS as being state accredited. All our salaried personnel (teachers and administrators) are certified by the State of Idaho.
F.RELIGIOUS FORMATION
- Masses (Liturgies):Students attend the 9:00 a.m. Mass on most Fridays. Check the monthly calendar for any exceptions. Students should walk to and from the church with their classes unless they have a physical injury that prevents them from doing so. Parents and friends are welcome and encouraged to come and pray with us at these services. Classes take turns being the prayer leaders for the rest of school community.
- Reception of Communion: While we welcome our non-Catholic students and families at our celebration of the Mass, Catholic Church Guidelines do not allow permission for non-Catholics to receive Holy Communion. However, students who are not Catholic (or students who have not yet received their First Communion) are welcome to come forward with their class with their arms crossed over their chests and receive a special blessing instead of Communion. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the divisions that separate us. We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us “that they may all be one” (John 17: 21).
Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship. Members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (canon 844 ş 4). Members of the OrthodoxChurches, the AssyrianChurch of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of communion by Christians of these Churches. (Canon 844 ş 3).
- Sacramental Program: Students are prepared to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist in Second Grade. Parents/guardians are a vital part of this preparation and are encouraged to attend all the scheduled parent meetings for both sacraments. These meetings are held to aid the parents in their own adult faith life as well as learning additional ways to help their child. Students who are in grades 3-6 and who have not received these sacraments may request preparation. There is a sacramental materials fee for all participating students.
Students who have already received the Sacrament of Reconciliation usually have the opportunity to receive this sacrament during the seasons of Advent and Lent at a Reconciliation service appropriate for their age level. St. Mary and St. Augustine’s parishes hold a communal Reconciliation service during these seasons too. The students are encouraged to attend these services with their families.