Live Oak 1-3 Learning Center And
E. Hale Curran Elementary
Student/Parent Handbook
2016 - 17
Pam Roden
Principal
40855 Chaco Canyon Rd
Murrieta, California 92562
951-696-1405
Revised 7-28-16
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WELCOME LETTER……………………………………………………………….4
ANIMALS AT SCHOOL.……………………………………………………………5
ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL……………………………………………………………5
ATTENDANCE………………………………………………….……………...... 5
AWARDS……………………………………………………………………………6
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT……………………………………………………….6
BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS……………………………………………………..6
BELL SCHEDULE………………………………………………………………….7
BICYCLES AND SCOOTERS……………………………………………………...7
BIRTHDAY PARTIES………………………………………………………………7
BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE……………………………………………………...7
BULLYING………………………………………………………………………….7
BUS RIDERS………………………………………………………………………...7
CAFETERIA…………………………………………………………………………8
CHILDCARE………………………………………………………………………..8
CLOSED CAMPUS/STUDENT RELEASE………………………………………...8
COMMUNICATIONS………………………………………...... 8
CONCERNS & COMPLAINTS…………………………………………………….8
DISCIPLINE REFERRALS…………………………………………………………9
DRESS CODE……………………………………………………………………….9
DRILLS…………………………………………………………………….………..9
EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSING INFORMATION……………………………9
FIELD TRIPS………………………………………………………………………..10
FRIDAY FLAG SALUTE…………………………………………………………...10
FUNDRAISING……………………………………………………………………..10
HEAT GUIDELINES………………………………………………………………..10
HOMEWORK………………………………………………………………………..10
ILLNESS OR INJURY………………………………………………………………11
INFORMATION UPDATING………………………………………………………11
LEAVING SCHOOL………………………………………………………………...11
LIBRARY INFORMATION………………………………………………………...12
INTERRUPTIONS ………………………………………………………………….12
LOST & FOUND…………………………………………………………………….12
MISUSE OF COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET……………………………….13
OPEN HOUSE……………………………………………………………………….13
PEANUT BUTTER………………………………………………………………….13
PERSONAL PROPERTY……………………………………………………………13
PESTICIDES………………………………………………………………………...13
PHONE MESSAGES………………………………………………………………..13
PHYSICAL EDUCATION………………………………………………………….14
POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION SUPPORTS………………………. 14
PTA…………………………………………………………………………………..14
REPORTING STUDENT PROGRES CARDS……………………………………...14
RESTROOMS……………………………………………………………………….14
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENTS……………………………..15
SAFETY ON CAMPUS……………………………………………………………..15
SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL………………………………………………………….16
SNACKS……………………………………………………………………………..16
STUDENT RECORDS………………………………………………………………16
STUDENT SUCCESS TEAM (SST)………………………………………………..16
SPECIAL EVENTS & FOOD……………………………………………………….16
TEACHER-DIRECTED DISCIPLINE……………………………………………. 16
TEACHER-PARENT COMMUNICATIONS…………………………………….. 16
VOLUNTEERS & VISITORS ……………………………………………………. 17
WITHDRAWAL OF STUDENTS………………………………………………… 17
Appendix
NOTES FROM NURSE
ACCIDENT INSURANCE
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION DURING SCHOOL HOURS
AUTHORIZATION FOR PRESCRIBED/OVER THE COUNTER MEDS
EMERGENCY CARDS
HEALTH CONCERNS
HEALTH OFFICE
ILL OR INJURED STUDENTS
IMMUNIZATIONS/KINDERGARTEN PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
PLAYGROUND GAMES AND RULES
VISION AND HEARING SCREENING
MVUSD BULLY DEFINITION
WELCOME
Dear Parents/Guardians,
All of us at E. Hale Curran Elementary School wish to welcome you. We are proud of our school and confident that your children will have a happy, productive school year. We are in Year 3 of our STEM implementation. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math prepares our students for the 21stCentury learning.
The purpose of this Student/Parent Handbook is to acquaint you with the procedures, rules and policies of our school. Please take a few moments to read and discuss the contents with your child/children. You are required to sign the acknowledgement and return it to your classroom teacher.
Parents are vital members of our school partnership. Parent membership and participation in the PTA, support of School Site Council, and parent volunteers are crucial to the success of our students. We would like to invite you to volunteer to help in our classrooms or for the school at large. Please join us so that together we can continue to make E. Hale Curran Elementary School a dynamic educational setting for all children.
Everyone at E. Hale Curran Elementary School is here to help support your child. We are committed to open communication with parents so that your children will have successful academic and social experiences. We believe that communication is important so that the parents and the school can work together as a team to help each student. By working together, we can make your child’s educational experience a positive one.
Parents are the most influential factor in any child’s success in school. We need your support for their attendance, good behavior, structured study habits, and the desire to excel in school. Our goal is to contribute to the happiness and academic success of each child.
We are looking forward to working with you and your child in order to make this an awesome school year. Again, welcome!
Sincerely,
Pam Roden
Principal
ANIMALS AT SCHOOL
We respectfully request that parents do not bring family pets on campus when dropping off or picking up children after school. This policy is in place to protect everyone’s safety and security.
Animals may be brought to school for educational purposes ONLY and must be brought in a pet carrier or container. Before a pet of any kind may be brought to the classroom, district policy requires an “animal permission form” to be completed by all parents in that particular classroom. The teacher will send this home for signature in the event he/she is including pets in the classroom. Parents/guardians must bring the animal to the classroom, stay with the animal during the entire visit, and then take the animal off campus when the visit is over. Students/parents must have prior approval from the teacher before bringing any animals to school. Neither the school nor the District assumes any liability for the safety of animals voluntarily brought to school.
ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL
Supervision begins on the school grounds at 8:10. Students should not be on campus before 8:10 as there is no supervision. Students are to proceed to the school playground or 300 POD Computer Lab at 8:10. Students are NOT to go to their classes to drop off backpacks.
ATTENDANCE
Regular school attendance is essential for the student to make the most of his or her education, to benefit from teacher-led and school activities, to build each day’s learning on the previous day’s, and to grow as an individual. Absences from class may result in serious disruption of a student’s mastery of the instructional materials, therefore, the student and parent should make every effort to avoid unnecessary absences. Perfect attendance includes both absences and tardies (arriving late or leaving early).
Student Absence
Parent/guardians are encouraged to call the school office if a student is absent and/or send a note. Parent/guardians may leave a message on the school phone system (951) 696-1405 regarding a student’s absence and excuse for the absence. Michelle is always available at extension 2294 to assist you with questions or concerns.
Excused Absences – State Approved
- Student illness or injury
- Student medical/dental appointment
- Death in the immediate family (1 day in state; 6 days out-of-state)
Unexcused Absences
- Unexcused absences are those which do not come under any of the definitions of excused absences. Trips to theme parks, the river and trips out of town are unexcused absences. Students who have unexcused absences may be denied make-up privileges. This may be reflected in the student’s final grade.
Truancy will be reported to the attendance supervisor or the superintendent as defined in the Education Code 48260. School Attendance Review Board letters are sent routinely to parents/guardians of student who are truant as stated above. Three unexcused absences generates the first absence letter from the school. Ten excused absences generates the first excessive excused absence letter from the school. If a student is absent for 14 days due to illness, the principal may require that further absences may require a medical note. These notifications are in place to communicate with families and ensure that students attend school regularly and are able to experience success in school.
Leaving Early
When students leave early from school it is documented as a tardy. Leaving early interrupts the classroom and interferes with learning. Leaving school early is VERY disruptive to the classroom. We do NOT encourage early release of students. Students will not be dismissed early from school 15 min prior to dismissal. Please plan accordingly.
Tardiness
PROMPTNES TO CLASS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Tardies interrupt the classroom and interfere with learning. We also find that arriving to class late puts undo stress on the child. Continued tardiness on the part of any student will be viewed as a very serious matter and will be reported to the School Attendance Review Board.
Students shall be marked tardy to school if they are not in their classrooms when the bell rings to start the school day. Students shall report to the office for a tardy permit if they arrive at school after 8:30 AM.
AWARDS
Throughout the year students will be recognized for their achievements as well as for their effort. The following are a few of the awards that students can work towards:
Academic Awards – Reading Inventory;Math Inventory; Reading Counts
STEM Awards
Attendance Awards
Mindset Awards
Positive Behavior Awards (PBIS)
Awards will be presented to students during grade level award assemblies, during Friday Flag assemblies and/or in class.
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
Back to School Night is a family event. As parents attend classroom presentations where teachers share curriculum and expectations, children will be participating in STEM activities throughout the school.
The general format for Back to School Night will be as follows:
- Welcome/PTA Meeting
- First classroom presentation/STEM activities
- Passing time
- Second classroom presentation (a repeat of the first one)/STEM activities
BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS
In order to keep a school climate free from disruptions that interfere with the learning process students, staff and parents must share the responsibility and support the following student expectations which are centered aroundbeing Safe, Respectful and Responsible.
It is expected that individual students will assume responsibility for self-discipline in accordance with stated expectations. However, when violations do occur, discipline will be administered in order to correct disruptive behavior, to protect other students, school employees, or property, and/or to maintain a positive learning environment.
Student discipline shall be administered fairly and equitably after a careful assessment of the circumstances of each case. Factors to be considered include:
- The seriousness of the offense
- The student’s age
- The frequency of misconduct
- The student’s attitude
- The potential effect of the misconduct on the classroom/school environment
Social Events and behavior expectations
School rules apply to all school social events. Guests attending these events are expected to observe the same rules as students, and the person inviting the guest will share responsibility for the conduct of his or her guest.
BELL SCHEDULE
Curran’s bell schedule is available from the school office.
BICYCLES, SCOOTERS AND SKATEBOARDS
Bicycles, scooters and skateboards must be walked onto and off of the school grounds. They must be parked in the bike rack area and should be securely locked. The school is not responsible for stolen bikes, scooters and skateboards. Students will not be allowed to ride bikes, scooters or skateboards without a helmet. This is the law.
BIRTHDAY PARTIES
In an effort to maximize classroom learning time, we will not be allowing birthdaytreats or balloons for birthday parties for students. Teachers have a variety of ways to recognize children on their birthdays. If you wish to recognize your child’s birthday you are welcome to make a donation to your child’s class in recognition of their special day. Your child will also be recognized for this donation by their classroom teacher.
BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE
We have adopted a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for our special B.Y.O.D. Days ~ as directed by the teachers. This policy will allow students to bring many of their own technology devices to school for use in our classrooms. We will now be incorporating the use of such items as laptops, iPads, netbooks and cell phones with browsing capabilities for educational purposes only. Similar to other personally owned items, the district is not liable for the loss, damage, misuse, or theft of personally owned devices brought to school.
Any parent who wishes that their child use a personally owned electronic device within E. Hale Curran Elementary School sign and return the BYOD Agreement and submit it to the classroom teacher.
BULLYING:
Bullying is not tolerated. All cases of bullying should be reported to administration or be reported on Sprigeo on our school website. See appendix for MVUSD bully definition
BUS RIDERS
The goal of our transportation system is to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for the children and adults who ride school buses. Student misconduct distracts the driver and jeopardizes the safety of the trip as well as the safety of the pupil within the bus. Because of these threats to safety, misconduct may cause the loss of a student’s privileges to ride the bus.
The following rules will apply to student conduct on school transportation:
1.Follow the driver’s directions at all times.
2.Board and leave the bus in an orderly manner at the designated bus stop nearest home.
3.Keep hands, feet, and other objects to yourself and out of the aisles. (KAFOOTY)
4.Always follow regular school rules while on the bus.
CAFETERIA
We strongly encourage prepayment of lunches on a weekly or monthly basis. Pre-paying helps keep the lunch lines moving quickly during lunch and eliminates the risk of your child losing their money during the school day.
Visit to create or view your account.
Create your child’s account with a unique login and password and the child’s birth date and name. Balances and purchase history are only displayed after the account is validated with the first payment and correct user login and password are entered. A 3% convenience fee is charged for this service at the time of deposit. Note: needs to be completed the day before it is needed in the account. It takes at least one day to get posted into your child’s account.
You may also pre-pay in the school cafeteria before school starts by putting the money or check in an envelope and writing the student’s first/last name and Meal I.D. number on the envelope. No need to wait in line – just drop it into our locked mail drop on the wall in our school office. The cashier will enter the pre-payments into the computer prior to lunchtime. Please make checks payable to MVUSD plus the school name your child attends. There is a $25 fee for returned checks.
If you believe that your children may qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch and Breakfast Program, please fill out an application. Applications are available in the office. Only one (1) application per family is needed. Be certain that you list ALL children enrolled in the district. APPLICATIONS for Free or Reduced Lunch MUST BE RENEWED EACH YEAR.
CHILDCARE
There is childcare available before and after school through Family Services SEED Program. Please call (951) 304-1624 for information.
CLOSED CAMPUS/STUDENT RELEASE
For the protection of the students, E. Hale Curran Elementary School has been designated as a closed campus. This means that ALL visitors must check in at the office and may NOT go directly to the classrooms. Students will only be released to adults who are listed on the emergency card and have proper identification.
COMMUNICATIONS
Administration will utilize our Blackboard communication system to communicate by email and phone calls. Weekly reminders and general announcements will be made through these emails and phone calls. Parents are encouraged to read the e-mails when they are delivered as they contain important information for the upcoming week.
Our website also reflects current school information. If you are not currently receiving emails from the school, please contact the office to ensure we have an updated email address. Our school newsletter highlighting school events is available on our website.
CONCERNS & COMPLAINTS
We are committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students. Usually concerns or complaints can be addressed by a phone call or a conference with the teacher. If your child is having a problem, which involves the classroom (example: a problem with other students or on the playground, completing assignments, grades, etc.), please contact the teacher first. If it is unresolved, then please call the office.
Any student who believes that he/she has been subjected to discrimination or harassment (including bullying, intimidation, or retaliation) based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability in any district program or activity should immediately contact school administration to file a complaint. Any parent can file a complaint on behalf of their child. For those complaints and concerns that cannot be handled at the school site level, the district has adopted a standard complaint policy; forms are available at each school office. The complaint form can also be downloaded from the district website and submitted to site administrators.
DISCIPLINE – Please refer to Positive Behavioral Interventionsand Supports (PBIS)
DRESS CODE
Cleanliness, personal appearance, and proper dress habits are important in determining the pattern of school and social conduct, and there is a direct correlation between student appearance, attitude and behavior. Our dress code is established to teach grooming and hygiene, instill discipline, prevent disruption, avoid safety hazards and teach respect for authority. The District prohibits any clothing or grooming that in the principal’s judgment mayreasonably be expected to cause disruption of or interference with, normalschool operations. If the principal determines that a student’s grooming violates the dress code, the student shall be given the opportunity to correct the problem at school with replacement garments or notification to the parents to bring appropriate items to school.
Students will wear clothing, jewelry and accessories which are clean, safe, healthy, and allow for participation in an active learning environment.
- Clothing and accessories and other personal items may be decorated with messages, slogans, logos, etc. which are appropriate for school.
Not allowed: messages which reference any race, symbols of racial supremacy; messages which reference drugs, alcohol, tobacco or any other controlled substance; references to weapons or explosives; messages that promote tagging or other defacing or damaging activities; violent messages; messages with sexual overtones.
- Clothing will maintain socially acceptable standards of modesty in order to avoid causing a disruption to the learning environment.
Not allowed: exposed midriffs, exposed undergarments, and spaghetti straps less than 1” wide.
- Clothing or other items which can be intimidating to others or is attributed to gang affiliation or puts the wearer in danger will not be allowed. Because gang-related symbols are constantly changing, definitions of gang-related apparel shall be reviewed on an on-going basis.
- Sunglasses and hats with bills forward may be worn at school, outdoors only. Dew rags are not allowed at any time.
- For students’ safety, bicycle helmets must be worn by students riding bicycles, scooters and skateboards to and from school.
No list of dress and appearance guidelines for students can be written that will anticipate all potential dress and grooming extremes. In the case of questionable dress or grooming that is not specifically covered in the list above, the administration will make the final decision. Appropriate action will be taken at the time and, when necessary, a home contact will be made seeking parental cooperation and assistance.