East Hill Elementary School Home of the

East Hill Elementary School Home of the………….

BLAZER BEES!!!!!!

Greetings East Hill Families-

I am thrilled to be the principal here at East Hill Elementary School. For those who are new, “Welcome!” We are glad you have joined us on this wonderful journey! For those of you returning to East Hill, we trust that you will continue to support our efforts to provide quality learning experiences for our students through your ongoing participation in school programs, the PTA, and special activities. We encourage you to become actively involved in your child’s education. Our goal is that each family will give a total of 30 hours of involvement and or volunteering this year in order to better support student learning.

Please review and discuss the contents of this handbook with your child to emphasize the value you place on schooling and to better familiarize you and your child with East Hill Elementary School’s policies, procedures, and educational programs. Through all of us being “on the same page” it will enhance our future communication and may also help your child to have a very successful school year!

School newsletters will be sent home on a monthly basis. We have an open door policy. Feel free to call or stop by if you have any questions or concerns. You are also urged to contact your child’s teacher as questions arise throughout the school year. If you would like to come visit your child’s classroom, please prearrange this visit. As always, we would like all visitors to check into the main office. This is to ensure student safety and to allow time to make the necessary accommodations.

At East Hill Elementary School, we are striving to reach our goal of ensuring high levels of learning for all students! Only by parents, students, and teachers working closely together can we achieve this goal. We look forward to working with you in an effort to provide our students a successful, productive, and rewarding educational experience.

Here’s to a great year ahead!

Warmly,

Brian Patrick,

Principal

East Hill Elementary School

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide all children with a positive environment where they can learn and be challenged to develop their total potential with dignity and respect. We are dedicated to help prepare all students for their future.

Vision

We want East Hill Elementary to be:

A school where all students are given the opportunity to learn and achieve their full potential in a safe environment

A school that accommodates the diverse needs of students and works in partnership with families and the community

A school where mutual respect creates a positive learning environment, which reflects pride, order, and stability

A school where parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s educational experience

A school where staff, students, and parents collaborate to make decisions together

KSD BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Agda Burchard
Russ Hanscom
Maya Vengadasalam
Karen DeBruler
Debbie Straus / KSD CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION
Dr. Edward Lee Vargas, Superintendent
Louanne Decker, Chief Student Achievement Officer
Brad Brown, School Improvement Officer

East Hill Elementary School Administrative Team

Mrs. Daxa Thomas – Principal – (253) 373-7455

Mrs. Kaaren Kim – Assistant Principal – (253) 373-7455

SCHOOL PHONE NUMBERS

Main Office/Office Manager (Kathy Andrew)………………………………..(253) 373-7455

Attendance Secretary (Diana Kirkland)...……………………………………….(253) 373-7455

Registrar (Linda Corwin).……………………………………………………………….(253) 373-2303

Psychologist (Rebekah Hereth)……………………………………………………...(253) 373-7936

Nurse (Karen Aspelund) …………………………………………………..…………… (253) 373-2307

Kitchen Manager (Karen Gowin)…………………………………………………….(253) 373-2310

General Information

Main Office—for attendance, registration, to see the Principal or Educational Assistant, or other business matters, please address them to the main office, located in the Olympic building of the campus. The main office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on school days.

School Hours & Student Check Out--Normal school hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 3:38 p.m. East Hill’s breakfast program serves food for students from 9:00 to 9:25. Students are not allowed on campus until 9:05 a.m. Students that arrive before 9:05 a.m. will be sent home. At the end of the school day, students are expected to leave campus promptly at 3:38 p.m. unless they are involved with after school activities or tutoring.

East Hill is a “Closed Campus”. Once students arrive, they should not leave until the end of the school day. Authorized parents or guardians picking up students must check-in at the main office and show picture identification. The adult’s name must be on the student’s record as an authorized person to pick the child up.

Reporting Absences

A parent or guardian should call the office (253-373-7455) on days when a student is absent. If parents do not call, the school will call them as required by the BECCA law. When a student returns to school after being absent, he/she must bring a parent-signed note to the office stating the reason for the absence.

Excused & Unexcused Absences

Absences with a written parent note may be excused for the following: illness, legal or medical appointments, emergencies, and family trips with one-week prior approval. Absences without a written parent note are considered unexcused. Unexcused absences (even with a written parent not) are absences because the student is needed at home, oversleeping, missing the bus, etc…

Kent School District will file a petition with the juvenile court when a student has five (5) unexcused absences in a month or ten (10) in a school year. A petition may also be filed for a student with excessive excused absences. Parents may request school wok for excused absences longer than two (2) days. Teachers have the option of providing makeup work to students for unexcused absences, but are not required to do so.

Visitors

All visitors to East Hill Elementary School must register in the main office and obtain a visitor’s badge, which needs to be visible at all time while the visitor is on campus. Visitors must also check out in the main office when leaving.

Deliveries and Messages

Deliveries of personal items will not be made to students during instructional times. Students may pick up items in the office during lunch or after school. Deliveries of flowers, balloons, etc. are discouraged. Phone messages will be communicated to students in a timely manner as determined by the school.

Electronic Devices and Toys

IPODS, headsets, CD player, laser pins, cameras, computer games/hand held video games, and toys of any kind are not allowed at school. If confiscated by a staff member for violation of this school rule, the item will be held in the main office until the end of the school day to be picked up by a parent. If a student violates the rule more than once, the item(s) will be held in the office for the rest of the school year.

Cell Phones—Students that bring cell phones to school must have them turned off and put away from the time they arrive on campus until they are dismissed at 3:38 p.m. Cell phones can be used as soon as they leave their respective buildings but not in hallways or classrooms after the last bell has rung. After the first violation, the phone will be held in the main office for parent pick up. Repeated violations may result in loss of the privilege to have the phone at school and/or In-School/Out- of- School Suspension.

REPORTING STUDENT PROGRESS

Student progress is reported on a formal basis through the Standards Based Reporting System (SBRS) twice a year, at the end of each semester in February and June. In addition to SBRS, parent/teacher/student conferences are held in October and February to discuss student goals. Conferences afford parents, teachers, and students the opportunity to discuss the student's academic, social, emotional, and physical growth. The final SBRS is given to students on the last school day of the year.

Parents may obtain additional progress data by calling in advance to arrange a conference with the teacher. We strongly encourage you to do this whenever you have any questions, concerns, or information to share. Ask your child’s teacher for his/her direct phone number to the classroom. You will get voice mail during school hours.

School Nurse and Medical Matters

Our school nurse, health technician, or office staff will help students who need to come to the health room. If a student is sick, he/she should report to his/her class first, get a pass from the teacher, and then proceed to the health room. In an emergency, come directly to the health room. Students should not call parents from a classroom if they are sick. This must be done from the health room. If you are being sent home, do not leave campus without being checked out through the attendance office.

MEDICATION AT SCHOOL

It is desirable for medication to be administered at home. Therefore, we ask that you arrange, with your physician, a medication schedule outside school hours. However, if medication is required during the school day, the following guidelines must be followed to ensure safety for your student and others.

1.  Bring a written statement from your physician specifying the condition for which the drug is to be given, the name of the drug, the dosage, the time of administration, possible side-effects and if necessary, emergency treatment for an allergic reaction. The school has forms for this purpose, or the doctor can write a note at the time of your visit. A note must come from parents, giving the school written authorization to administer medication.

2.  Medication must be brought in the original bottle and be labeled with: child's name, date, name of drug, dosage, strength of drug, time to be given, and the doctor's name. Your pharmacy can divide the prescription for you into home and school bottles. Medication must be brought to school by the student’s parent or guardian. Written medication orders must be obtained any time dosage is changed and at the beginning of each school year. No medications are provided by the school (including non-prescription). All over-the-counter medications, including Tylenol and cough drops, must follow these guidelines.

Since school nurses serve more than one building, medication will frequently be administered by other authorized school personnel.

Student Behavior

The following acts by a student on or near school grounds, or off school grounds at any school-sponsored activity shall result in some form of discipline, such as in-school/out- of- school suspension, and/or expulsion:

·  Fighting (assault/battery). Instigation of a fight (Regardless if you were hit first.)

·  Using profane language, racial slurs, or other forms of abusive language

·  Disrespect to adults

·  Damaging school property (breaking or writing on furniture or walls, etc)

·  Stealing

·  Use of cell phones or unauthorized electronic devices during school hours

·  Showing outright disrespect toward adults

·  Possessing weapons or “toy” weapons (knives, guns, sticks, fireworks and explosives, etc.)

·  Excessive classroom disruptions

·  Gambling (shooting dice, pitching pennies, playing cards for money)

·  Leaving school grounds without permission during school hours

·  Possession and use of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol

·  Chewing gum or unauthorized food or drinks

·  Arson

·  Bullying, Intimidation, Harassment

·  Gang-Related Activities

·  Refusal to comply with reasonable requests from a school authority figure

Consequences

Consequences for violation of any of the previously listed behaviors may include, but are not limited to the following:

·  Conferencing with student(s)

·  Parental contact via phone, email, written letter

·  Loss of recess privileges

·  Exclusion from school activities (assemblies, field trips)

·  Assignment of school Clean-up Duty

·  After School Detention

·  Friday School Detention

·  In-School Suspension

·  Formal out-of-school long-term/short-term suspension/expulsion in accordance with Kent School District Policy

Written communication between our school and parents will come in the form of an Administrative Disciplinary Action Notice or Behavior Alert. These forms indicate all pertinent information regarding an incident that a student was a part of. When a student receives this notice, the student will take the white copy of the form home. The yellow copy of the form will be filed in the main office and the pink copy will be filed with the classroom teacher.

ANTI BULLYING POLICY

We at East Hill Elementary School are committed to making our school a safe and caring place for everyone. We will treat each other with respect, and we will refuse to tolerate bullying in any form at our school.

Our definition of bullying:

Bullying happens when someone or a group keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose. Bullying is unfair and one sided. It takes place repeatedly and over time.

A person who is bullying uses power (size, age, popularity, confidence, and verbal ability) to hurt someone physically or emotionally. The power between the bully and the victim is not equal. When bullying occurs, there is intent to harm, dominate, inflict pain, exclude, or otherwise cause the victim distress.

Bullying behavior often includes the following:

§  Physically hurting by hitting, tripping, pushing, shoving, biting, etc.

§  Using name calling, put-downs, teasing, mockery, racial slurs, sexual comments, or swearing to insult, intimidate, or make fun of someone

§  Spreading rumors about someone

§  Excluding someone on purpose from a group activity, or trying to get others to not play with someone

§  Using cruel gestures or facial expressions

§  Touching or showing private body parts

§  Taking or damaging someone’s possessions

Adults at our school will do the following in order to prevent bullying and to help students feel safe at school:

§  Watch for signs of bullying and stop it when it happens

§  Respond quickly and sensitively to bullying reports

§  Closely observe students in the building, on the playground, and elsewhere on campus

§  Take concerns about bullying seriously

§  Assign consequences for bullying and contact parents

§  Provide immediate consequences for retaliation against students who report bullying

§  Address issues in class meetings

§  Support students who have been bullied

Students at East Hill Elementary will do the following in order to prevent bullying: