Student-Teacher Assignments

BurtonsvilleElementary School

2016 – 2017

PARENT HANDBOOK

Policies, Practices, and Procedures

School Hours

Office Hours:8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.School Day: 9:25 a.m. – 3:50 p.m.

Second Bell: 9:30 a.m. (Day Begins)

Teachers:8:50a.m. – 4:15 p.m.Early Dismissal:1:20 p.m. (Patrols Report)

UPCOMING EVENTS TO ADD TO YOUR CALENDAR

August 25Kindergarten only BTSN 6:30pm-7:30pm

August 26Open House 2:00pm-3:00pm

August 29First Day of School for Students –No supervision before 9:20am

September 1Back to School Night Grades 1-5 only 6:00pm-7:50pm

September 5Holiday – Labor Day (No School)

September 6PTA Meeting 6:30pm- Media Center

September 6Family Market 5pm-6:30pm

September 7Back to School Picnic 5:00pm-8:00pm

September 12No school for students – Professional Day for Teacher

September 30Early Dismissal 1:20 p.m.

STUDENT-TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS

Classroom assignments will be ready and posted on the front windows of the school at 4pm on Thursday, August 25th. Students and their parents will be able to learn who their teachers are and their room numbers. Teachers will be available on FRIDAY, AUGUST 26th. Prior to this time, they will be engaged in mandatory professional day activities. Please keep in mind that students are assigned teachers according to the following guidelines that must be respected: race, gender, number of students per class and specific academic needs of students. Again, classes must be balanced in accordance with the aforementioned guidelines. We take great pride in placing students where we believe they can be their best. At the end of the first two weeks of school, I encourage all parents to make contact with the teacher by calling or writing to discuss what is effective for your child or just to touch base.

OPEN HOUSE

OPEN HOUSE IS SCHEDULED ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 26th, FROM 2:00 P.M. UNTIL 3:00 P.M.FOR STUDENTS K-5. PARENTS, STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO VISIT CLASSROOMS TO “SNEAK A PEEK”.

SCHOOL HOURS

Our official school hours for all students K-5 are 9:25a.m. - 3:50 p.m. (6 hours, 25 minutes, the instructional day for students). The bell rings at 9:25 a.m., the time at which all students should be present. All students will attend school for a full day beginning the first day of school, Monday, August 29th, 2016. Daily attendance and punctuality are very important to school success. Please make every effort to ensure your child is present and ON TIME every day. Students arriving at 9:30a.m. or after will be considered tardy.

School office hours are 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. If you need to call other than this time period, please leave a message on the answering machine, giving your child's name and teacher's name.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PROCEDURES FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 29th, 2016

The principal, assistant principal, teachers and patrols will be on duty to help children locate their classrooms and answer questions. Monday, August 29th, 2016, bus riders will come in the front of the school where staff will be available to assist them as they arrive. K-2 students will go to the cafeteria where they will line up with their teachers. 3-5 students will go to the gym where they will line up with their teachers. Car riders should be dropped off in the carpool lane where they will come in the back entrance of the school. Staff will be available to assist car riders with getting to the cafeteria or gym depending on the grade level as stated above. We are asking all parents to allow scholars to come and leave on the first day the same way they will every day. Let’s help our scholars fall right into place. If your kindergartener will normally ride the bus but you are coming to take pictures, steal kisses and shed tears; please consider allowing your child to ride the bus while you drive. This makes it much easier on the student the next day. Also, if you are a parent of students in grades 1-5 think about having your student to go to their classrooms alone to ensure a smooth transition. Parents newto Burtonsville, please make sure that your children are registered in the front office prior to the first day of school. If this is a concern, please call the office at 301-989-5654.

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

In order that we may bring our records up to date, please notify the school of any changes in telephone numbers or addresses. Should it become necessary to call parents or guardians during medical emergencies, we need to be able to contact you. Please be sure to provide the school with telephone numbers where you may be reached during the day. Keep in mind that the health room is not set up to accommodate sick students for the entire day. We ask that you provide emergency phone numbers and make arrangements to pick up your child if he/she is not feeling well enough to remain in school.

SAFETY/TRANSPORTATION

STUDENTS SHOULDNOT ARRIVE AT SCHOOL BEFORE 9:20 a.m. School doors will remain locked until this time. They should line up at the back door or portable where teachers will be on duty.

Students may not ride buses other than the bus to which they are assigned. Non-bus students are not permitted to ride the buses. For your child's safety, we must have a note from you pertaining to after school arrangements. Students may not change their own dismissal schedule without parental permission.

Please be reminded that the front of the school is a BUSPICK-UP/DROP-OFF LOOP ONLY. Parked cars in this area only serve to disrupt the normal flow of traffic and potentially cause unnecessary accidents. Please, NO PARKING IN THE FRONT PICK-UP/DROP-OFF LOOP! When picking up students during dismissal, please do not loiter. For safety reasons, the front area should be cleared promptly. Also, please do not drop off students in the staff parking lot in front of the building to avoid a dangerous situation with buses entering and exiting.

SAFETY PATROLS

Patrols have been assigned their posts and should be on duty the first day of school. Patrols should report at 9:00 a.m. Patrols should follow the same procedures that they used during the last week of school. There will be no patrol meeting prior to the opening of school.

SAFETY: BUSES

At the elementary level, parents are responsible for student safety at bus stops (school safety patrols assist). Students who wish to go home with a classmate after school (either by car or riding a different bus) must bring a signed note to the office in the morning for verification. The bus drivers will not allow students on buses without written parent/school permission. Teachers must sign the parent permission note before child is to go home on a different bus.

For problems concerning bus routes and stop locations, call:

Mrs. Paula M. Long-Simmons Depot Mgr. (301) 879-1065

or

Mr. David Harmon,

Transportation Cluster Manager at (301) 879-1061

SAFETY: PM DISMISSAL

Safety is paramount at Burtonsville. We have implemented the following procedures to ensure students are safely and efficiently dismissed during the afternoon:

• All who are walkers will be dismissed first and exit through the back doorleading to the black top to meet their parents/guardians.
• A staff member and two patrols will be stationed at the cars to call out the cars via walkie-talkie to the staff member in the school monitoring the car riders.
• Parents who change dismissal procedures must inform the Main Office by 3:00 p.m. on the day of pick-up (for example, if a student who is normally a walker will now be picked up, please inform the Main Office).
• If no phone number is visible, staff has the right to ask for photo identification.

ABSENCE POLICY

Daily, consistent attendance at school is imperative for adequate student achievement. We urge students and parents to make school a priority and to schedule vacations around the school calendar. As always, parents are asked to call the school by 8:55 a.m. if their child/children will be absent or arrive late. In addition, a written note of each student's absence is required from the parent when the student returns to school. The request for students to leave school at a time other than regular dismissal time must always be made in writing by the parent/guardian.

In accordance with the Maryland School Performance Program:

• Students will be recorded as a.m. absent, if they arrive at school more than two hours late.
• Students will be recorded as p.m. absent, if they leave school more than two hours early.
• Students will be recorded as either a.m. absent or p.m. absent, if they are absent from school for more than two hours, but less than four hours during the school day.
• Students will be recorded as full-day absent, if they are present for less than two hours of the school day.
• Students will be recorded as full-day present, if they are present for more than four hours of the school day.

If your child will be absent, please call the school office as soon after 8:55 a.m. as possible. If you suspect your child has a communicable disease, please note that at the time of your call. The school will attempt to verify the apparent absence of any student whose parents have not called.

Dated notes, stating the specific reasons for absences, signed by a parent or guardian, are required no later than one day following an absence. Excused absences from school include: illness, doctor or dentist appointment, death in the immediate family, observance of a religious holiday, or a court order.

RELEASE OF CHILDREN

For the safety of all children, it is requested that parents who wish to pick up their children to attend after-school appointments do so before 3:30 p.m. When picking up students prior to dismissal, parents must sign them out in the office. The student will be called from the classroom to the office. Students will not be released to unknown parties.

If there are any changes to your child’s regular p.m. schedule, please have all arrangements made before the start of the school day. If it is necessary for a student to be picked up by someone other than the parent, the school must receive written permission from the parent. Identification must be provided at the time of pickup.If an emergency should arise during the day which changes the dismissal plan for your child, please call the school as soon as possible, but no later than 3:15 p.m., to ensure adequate notice for your child. Please review with your child that he/she is never to leave school during the day without the permission from the teacher and the office.

LATE ARRIVAL

Children who arrive late to school must be signed in at the office by a parent or guardian. Students should also have a written excuse for tardiness, signed by their parent or legal guardian.

BREAKFAST/LUNCH/RECESS

Beginning the first day of school, breakfast will be provided for each student free of charge in the classrooms. Breakfast hours will be from 9:20 a.m. -9:40 a.m. We will make concessions for those students who arrive late. The cost of school lunch is $2.55, and milk will be 60 cents. The lunch/recess period is one hour and ten minutes. Menus are sent home on the first day of each month and can be found on the school’s website. Hot lunches are served daily with alternate choices. Lunch is$2.55 including milk. Milk may be purchased separately for 60 cents.Parents are highly encouraged to start a SNAP (Student Nutrition Accountability Program-computerized cash register system) account for their child. This will eliminate lost or forgotten lunch money. The price of lunch or a snack will be subtracted from the account. Low-balance letters will be sent home once a week, from the cafeteria manager, when a child’s account is lower than $10.00. The maximum negative amount allowed on a SNAP account is $10.00. Once this negative balance is reached, students will receive cheese sandwiches instead of a meal. Money deposited on the student’s account by the parent/adult will be applied to the negative balance. Checks should be made payable to Burtonsville School Cafeteria. A prepayment form can be found in this mailing. Please also check out MySchoolBucks.com.

Free or reduced lunches are available to eligible students. Guidelines and application forms will be sent home the first week of school. The application process for the Free and Reduced-price Meals System (FARMS) is a household application. Parents and guardians will need to submit just one application that is pre-printed listing all the children in the household who attend Montgomery County Public Schools. Please be sure that the names, ID numbers, birthdate, and schoolsof the children for whom you are applying are listed. (Parents/guardians are reminded that student identification numbers can be found on report cards.) Since all students from a household will apply on one application, only the youngest child in the household will receive an application the first week of school. Please apply even if you feel that your child is ineligible for free or reduced meals. Please complete, sign and mail the application form as indicated. Those approved for free/reduced lunch during the 2015-2016 school year must reapply.

School policy states that students will go outside for recess when it is 32 degrees or warmer. (Wind chill temperatures may be factored into decisions made.) You should make sure your child comes to school with appropriate winter clothing, hats and gloves, etc., as they will be going outside for recess on most days.

Lunch/Recess Schedule

Lunch Recess

Grade411:00 - 11:3011:30 - 12:00

Grade 111:30 - 12:0012:00 - 12:30

Kindergarten12:00 - 12:3012:30 - 1:00

Grade 212:30 - 1:00 1:00 - 1:30

Grade 3 1:00 - 1:30 1:30 - 2:00

Grade 5 1:30 - 2:00 2:00 - 2:30

Early Dismissal Schedule

Arrival:First Bell 9:25 a.m. Students report to class

Dismissal: First Bell 1:20 p.m.Patrols report to duty

Lunch Schedule(Early Dismissal) Lunch Schedule (2hrs Delayed Opening)

Grade 410:00 - 10:30Grade 411:25 - 11:55

Grade 110:30 - 11:00Grade 111:55 - 12:25

Kindergarten11:00 - 11:30Kindergarten12:25 - 12:55

Grade 211:30 - 12:00Grade 212:55 - 1:25

Grade 312:00 - 12:30Grade 3 1:25 - 1:55

Grade 512:30 - 1:00Grade 5 1:55 - 2:25

STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Forms for Student Accident Insurance will be sent home with students the first week of school. These forms are to be returned following the instructions provided on the insurance application. A prompt return of these forms will be greatly appreciated by the agency.

ILLNESS/MEDICATIONS

A child who is ill is routinely sent to the Health Room. The school nurse or school health technician will assess the child, contact the parent or guardian, and send the child home if necessary. Any child with an elevated temperature of 100 degrees or above is sent home. School policy states that your child must be free from fever for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.

It is likely that some time during the school year your child will have a medication prescribed for the treatment of a health problem. As a general policy, the school recommends that children receive medication at home whenever possible. In the event your physician decides your child needs to receive medication during the school day, certain procedures must be followed.

MEDICATION POLICY

In the event that your physician decides that your child needs to receive medication at school during the school day, MCPS Form 525-13, Authorization to Administer Prescribed Medication, must be completed and on file. Forms are available in the School Office and in the Health Room.

If you do not have access to the proper form, a written order on the physician's stationery or prescription pad is acceptable, provided it includes the following information:

• Your child's name
• Name of medication being ordered
• Dosage
• Time of administration
• Possible side effects

The first full day's dosage of any new prescription must be administered at home. Medication must be brought to the school by the parent or guardian. Under no circumstances will medication be given which is brought to school by a student. Medication must be properly labeled by a pharmacist. Over-the-counter medication, e.g., aspirin, must also be prescribed by a physician as noted above and brought to the school by the parent or guardian in the original unopened container with the dosage labeled by the manufacturer. For more information contact our School Nurse directly, or the school health technician, at (301) 989-5654.

DELAYED OPENING/EARLY DISMISSAL/CLOSING OF SCHOOLS

If schools open late or dismiss early, the time and instructions regarding kindergarten through grade five will be announced promptly and regularly on radio and television, as soon as this information is available. Please listen to local news and weather stations for updates or log on to: Please do not call the school. Sign up for MCPS Quick notes at to receive instant email notices regarding school closing and delayed openings.

If schools open two hours late, buses will arrive at their pick-up points two hours later than normal. Classes will begin two hours later than their usual beginning time. All day or early closings automatically cancel all afternoon and evening activities in the school. All emergency closings, late openings, or early dismissals are announced promptly and regularly on radio and television. Parents should plan to make arrangements for their children to cover emergency dismissal, etc. when no one is home to receive students. Following these procedures will keep your child from feeling anxious or upset.

REPORT CARDS AND CONFERENCES

Kindergarten report cards are distributed twice each year, February and June. Report cards for Grades 1-5 are distributed four times each year in nine week cycles - November, January, April and June.

Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled at the end of the first nine week period for each student in Grades K-5. This year conferences are scheduled for November 10th and 11th. It is requested that appointments for other conferences with teachers or the principal be scheduled in advance. We can spend more time for your conference if we have prior notice to arrange our schedules.

MEETING WITH TEACHERS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR

Should you require a time to meet with a staff member, please email or call for an appointment. Please do not plan to stop by before, during, or after school for unannounced conferencing, this includes when dropping off and picking up students from daycare. Teachers are often in meetings or are using planning time to prepare for upcoming lessons. ALL visitors and volunteers are required to sign in at the main office and to wear a visitor’s badge. We appreciate your cooperation.