The ABC’s of Plavan School- Student Handbook

Children will become academically successful when both the school and parent work cooperatively in steering the child toward the path of success.

-A-

ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance for each child is very important for a quality education. A child should be in school every day that he or she is physically able. It is extremely difficult to successfully keep up with class work if attendance is irregular. If a student is repeatedly absent or tardy without proper cause, you will be sent a letter to document absences and will be notified. Students who are excessively absent will be referred to the School Attendance and Review Board (SARB).

ABSENCES: If a child is going to be absent from school, or late to school, parents are requested to call/ email the office before 10:00 a.m. or send a note of verification when your child returns.The contact information for our office is (714) 378-4230 or . If a child does not arrive at school, we want to be sure he or she is safe with you. If we do not receive a phone call or note, an automated system will call you to let you know your child is absent. Unreported absences are considered unexcused. As of the 1998-1999 school year, California schools no longer receive funding from the State for any student absences from school. A child must be in attendance in order for the District to receive payment. We encourage you to send your child to school except when ill.

ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL: Students may arrive at 8:00 a.m. There is no supervision for students on our playgrounds until 8:00 a.m. When students arrive, they should proceed directly to the playground area. Neither students, nor parents, are allowed to wait in the hallways or classroom areas. Students arriving after 8:15 a.m. are considered tardy. A late slip is needed from our office before a student may enter his or her classroom and a parent will need to come in the office to sign them in. Tardy students disrupt the instructional program and miss valuable learning by arriving late. Students who are consistently late for school will be referred to the principal for appropriate action. Please help your child to develop good habits of punctuality by planning your family’s morning schedule to allow your child to arrive on campus in a timely manner.

AFTER SCHOOL: Students are to leave school at dismissal time. Since there is no adult supervision after school, students may not use the school or Plavan Park as a play /waiting area. We value your child’s safety. The school and police department personnel work together identifying “safe routes” to and from school with crossing guards placed at Greenleaf and Warner Avenue to assist our children. Please review your child’s safe route to school. Please let your teacher know if you are meeting your child at Plavan Park afterschool so they may ensure they are not left unsupervised. Any students still waiting 15 minutes after the bell will be brought in to the office to call home.

AGENDAS: Students in grades 2-5 will receive a student agenda at the beginning of the year. This student planner can be used as an educational and organizational tool. Students may write homework assignments and important information from their classroom teacher. We encourage all parents to look at their child’s agenda each night and initial what they have read. This is an excellent tool to keep communication between the home and school clear and consistent.

ALLERGIES: PLEASE SUPPLY THE OFFICE WITH A DOCTOR’S NOTE IF YOUR CHILD HAS AN ALLERGY TO ANY FOOD PRODUCT.

AWARDS: Student effort and excellence is valued at Plavan. Each month 1-2 students from each classroom will be chosen as a Proud Panther. This honor can be for any area the teacher feels the student has improved or excelled. Each Proud Panther will be honored for the whole month with an ID tag that gives them special privileges.

·  Each month 1-2 students from each classroom will be chosen as an Awesome Author. This honor is for improvement or excellence in writing. They are honored by the principal at a special sharing time.

·  Our school wide behavior program encourages our student to ROAR. Be Responsible, On Task. Always Safe and Responsible. Student displaying these characteristics will be acknowledged with thank you tickets and will be placed in a drawing at our Friday Flag Ceremony.

·  In addition to the school-wide awards program, individual classrooms have student recognition programs, which are determined by the classroom teacher.

-B-

BICYCLES/SKATEBOARDS/ SCOOTERS: Bicycles may only be ridden to school by students in the third grade and above. The school is not responsible for damage or theft. Children must wear a helmet and obey all traffic rules and signs, walk bikes at all times on the school grounds, do not carry passengers, and yield to pedestrians. Bike permit forms will be sent home with all 3rd through 5th grade students. Bike permits will also be available in the front office.

Skateboards, scooters, and roller blades are not allowed on campus at any time, either during or after school hours by FVSD Board Policy and Fountain Valley City Safety Codes. Please do not come to school on skateboards, as you will be directed to leave.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION: Plavan can earn extra money by submitting box tops to your child’s classroom or the office. Please look for information in your Monday folders.

-C-

CELL PHONES. Students may possess cell phones, but are restricted to using them only before and after school for emergencies only. Phones must be turned off and kept in their backpack during the day. Vibrate/silence mode is not considered “off.” Any cell phone that is visible or heard by a staff member during the day will be confiscated and must be picked up afterschool. Multiple infractions will result in a discipline referral to the principal’s office and parent will need to pick up the telephone.Plavan cannot be responsible for a lost or damaged phone.

CALLS TO PLAVAN: Plavan Elementary strives to provide a quality educational program which requires us to protect instructional time. If an emergency situation occurs during the day, you may reach your child by contacting our school office at (714) 378-4230.Children may use the office phone only in an emergency or with permission from their teacher. Please make after-school plans prior to school. If you wish to talk with your child’s teacher during the day, please telephone the office either prior to school starting or after school is out. If the teacher is not available at the time you call, a message will be taken by the office and given to the teacher. Office personnel are available for phone calls between 7:45 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Please do not hesitate to call the school during these hours.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Be sure to notify the office if you change your address, telephone number, place of employment or day care provider within 10 days of moving.

CLOSED CAMPUS: Once on campus, students are expected to remain until dismissal. Students who leave campus without permission will be disciplined. If a parent needs to take a child out of school during regular hours, the parent must sign the child out at the school office. Please try to schedule doctor and dentist appointments after school hours so that your child will not miss valuable instruction. In the event of illness or emergency, a child can only be released to the parents or persons listed on the emergency card. For this reason, it is important to keep the emergency card updated.

CONFERENCES AND REPORT CARDS: Report cards are issued every trimester. Parent-teacher conferences are held at the end of October and February. These conferences center on reporting a child’s progress, presenting test scores, and discussing goals for the student. Report cards are given to parents during or around conferences and sent home with students at the end of the year. If a student is not achieving at a satisfactory level in attitude/citizenship or academics, a progress report will be sent to parents mid-trimester.Please remember that each report card is accompanied with a parent comment and signature card. Make sure to sign and return this card after you have received your child’s report card. Teachers are available for a conference at any time during the school year. Please call our office to arrange a conference if you have a concern.

-D-

DAY CARE: Day care is available both before and after school from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for students in grades TK-5. Although housed at our school, the service is managed through the ESP office located in our back parking lot. If you are interested in this service, please contact the ESP office at (714) 962-4072 for additional information.

-E-

EMERGENCY CARD: An up-to-date emergency card is required for each family/student every fall. The main purpose of this card is to help us locate the parent or an authorized caregiver in the event of an emergency that involves a child.

If you have any changes during the school year of residence, home telephone number, work number, work location, day care provider, or other people who may pick up your child when you are unavailable, you may update it on the parent portal at Plavan.fvsd.us. If someone other than a person on the emergency card is coming to pick up your child during the school day, we must have a written note from you allowing us to release your child to that person. Without the note, we cannot release your child. A student can only be released to someone who is 18 years or older.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN: Plavan Elementary School has an emergency preparedness plan that will be implemented in the event of any disaster. The school will work with the Fountain Valley School District and the City of Fountain Valley to ensure your child’s safety. Fire, earthquake and intruder drills are conducted on a regular basis in compliance with state laws and school district policies.

Your child will remain in the care of the school in the event of a major disaster (fire, earthquake, explosion, etc.) until a parent or a designated person listed on the emergency form arrives. Please notify those designated persons that they are listed on your child’s emergency form.All emergency supplies are stored in the emergency bin on the playground in order to ensure the continued safety of all students, please follow the listed procedures when picking up your child in the event of a disaster:

Come to the school as soon as it is safe to do so. If possible, walk to school in order to leave room for emergency vehicles.

·  Go to the front gate on the primary playground to pick up your child. Please note the office staff will not release any child until we have completed accounting for all children in attendance that day.

·  Give your child’s name and room number or teacher’s name to an adult at the gate. Remember--only a parent or person(s) designated on the emergency card may pick up children.

·  After signing to release your child, you will be directed to a waiting area. Wait there and your child will be brought to you. If your child is injured, you will be directed to the first aide section.

-F-

·  FIELD TRIPS: A field trip is considered to be a trip designated to provide or enhance students’ learning opportunities not otherwise available at the school. As an integral part of the curriculum experience and an extended opportunity for factual and ethical learning and interpersonal skills. Students will not be allowed to go on a field trip without a Field Trip Authorization Form. These permission slips accompany students on any field trip. For safety and security reasons, all students must go and return from the field trip on the bus. Some field trips may require special arrangements regarding lunches and/or clothing. Lunches must be in paper or plastic bags with your child’s name on the bag. Do not include plastic or glass containers that need to be returned. Cell phones and electronic equipment are not allowed on field trips.Students are responsible for all personal items (hats, sunglasses, water bottles, etc.).

·  Prior to each classroom’s field trip, an awareness note will be sent home to notify parents about the planned field trip and trip details, along with a Permission Slip. Please read all information carefully so that your child will be properly prepared. Occasionally parents are asked to act as chaperones on their children’s field trips. Our experiences have taught us the safest and most efficient ways for all children to learn and enjoy themselves are for children and chaperones to follow the procedures below:

·  Siblings - this is a day for you to spend quality time with the child enrolled in the class taking the field trip. Siblings are not permitted on field trips. You are also being asked to supervise other students and siblings can be a distraction.

·  Cell phones – please limit your cell phone usage for emergency purposes only, as we need your assistance in supervising students.

·  Transportation – please keep in mind that all students must go to and return from the field trip on the bus. Teachers are not permitted to sign students out of school during a field trip.

-G-

GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION PROGRAM: Each spring students in the third, fourth and fifth grade may be referred by teacher or parent for testing for the GATE program. To qualify for the GATE program, a student must demonstrate achievement superior to that of his or her chronological peers. The GATE program is for students in Grades 4, and 5. GATE students are clustered in a classroom for differentiated instruction.