Piney Grove Elementary

PINEY GROVE ELEMENTARY

STAFF HANDBOOK

2013-2014

PINEY GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MISSION

Our mission is to establish a strong foundation for learning by nurturing, guiding, and challenging all of our students to enable them to become confident, self-directed, lifelong learners.

WE BELIEVE THAT:

Student learning is the chief priority for the school.

Teachers, administrators, parents, and the community share the responsibility for advancing the school’s mission.

All students can learn.

A safe and physically comfortable environment promotes student learning.

Exceptional students (e.g., special education, limited English Proficiency, talented and gifted, etc.) require special services and resources.

Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process.

Each student is a valued individual with physical, social, emotional and intellectual

needs.

A student’s self-esteem is enhanced by positive relationships and mutual respect among and between students and staff.

WORKDAY – STAFF

Students:The student day is 8:20 P.M. – 2:50 P.M.. Students may not come to the classroom until 8:00 A.M.

Full-Time

Teachers:The official teacher day is 7:45 A.M. – 3:30 P.M.. The seven hour forty-five minute day is to account for staff meetings, PTA meetings, and parent meetings.

Part-time

Employees:Varies

Teacher

Assistants:7:30A.M. – 4:00 P.M.--8 hour work day plus 30 minutes duty free lunch.

Office Staff: 7:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. (30-minute lunch hour break). If you are assigned to supervise students during your lunchtime, you may leave at 3:30 P.M.

Teachers should be at your doorway from 8:00 A.M. – 8:20 A.M. in order to supervise the corridor and to greet students as they enter the classroom. This is an excellent opportunity to give each student a positive beginning. Teachers in the POD should supervise the area between the building and the classroom.

Professional Days

The workday is 7:45 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. or 8:00 A.M. to 3:45 P.M. unless otherwise designated. Half-time personnel will work from 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. unless otherwise designated. The alarm system is usually activated by 4:30 PM or as announced.

ABSENCES – STAFF

SUBSTITUTE EMPLOYEE AUTOMATED CALLING SYSTEM

If you are to be absent, you are responsible for calling the Substitute Employee Automated Calling System (SubFinder). The telephone number is 661-6549. You must use your PIN number. The call must be made on a push button telephone. If you personally ask a substitute for a prearranged absence, call the system immediately to enter your job. If this is not done, you run the risk of not being able to obtain that substitute. The substitute may assume you have canceled the day and accept another position. This is very understandable as this is their livelihood. THIS SYSTEM IS USED FOR PAYROLL PURPOSES. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT INFORMATION IN THE SYSTEM IS CORRECT. You may elect to use the SubFinder via WebConnect link on the WSFCS web page (On-line Resources). Instructions have been provided.

According to school board policy, if the absence occurs without prior approval please call the school office and speak with Mrs. Willis or leave a message. Please make arrangements to provide lesson plans for your class.

When calling the system for an absence on a professional workday, please do not request a substitute. If a substitute shows up, they must be paid. We will be forced to deduct the cost from your check. A substitute is not required on a professional day when students are not in school.

Substitute Folder – All classroom teachers are to provide a substitute folder to be kept in your classroom for use by your substitute. A colleague or substitute teacher should find this folder in a prominent but safe location for use. Place the checklist at the front of the folder. This folder should contain:

1.General procedures and class rules

2.Roster and seating chart

3.Lesson plans and location of supplies and materials

4.Daily Schedule (cafeteria, specials, etc.)

5.Duty assignments

6.The names of adults who can provide assistance

The folder must also contain a set of generic emergency plans that can beutilized at a moments notice if necessary.

Sick Leave

May be used for:

Actual period of temporary disability caused by an illness or injury.

Medical appointments of the employee.

Illness in the immediate family.

Medical appointments related to illness in the immediate family.

Death in the immediate family.

Immediate family includes the employee’s spouse, children, parents, brother, sister, grandparents, grandchildren, step, half and in-law relationships (See Policy 4150.4).

The principal may request a doctor’s note when necessary if the employee has excessive absences.

Licensed instructional personnel may request Personal Leave. It cannot normally be taken the first or last days of the year or the day before or after a holiday. A teacher who requests personal leave at least five (5) days in advance shall not be required to provide reason. Please complete an “Absence Form” and have approval before you call the substitute system. Request forms may be found in the form cabinet in the main office. The cost of the substitute is deducted from your pay (See Policy 4150.5).In the event of an emergency, please contact administration to determine the appropriate type of leave available (i.e. sick leave, personal leave, etc.).

Attendance Procedures for Staff

The work schedule on professional leave days may be adjusted to 8:00 – 3:30.

For classified staff, all time sheets are to be on the computer and signed by the employee. Ms. Frye will sign them after you have turned your time sheet in to Mrs. Willis. No staff member is to change the schedule work time without the prior approval of administration.

Working additional hours is not automatic and at the discretion of the employee. Hours worked in excess of 40 hours must be approved in advance by administration in order to qualify as swap time or comp time. Classified employees working additional hours without administrative approval will be considered insubordinate and may be susceptible to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. When it is required for a classified employee to work more than 40 hours in a week, the individual will earn “comp time” at time and a half. Before any extra time worked can be counted as compensatory time, the following requirements must be met:

1.The reason the individual worked must be a requirement (i.e. PTA meeting, open house, staff development, field trip, etc.). It cannot be due to an employee decision to work late one day.

2.The extra time must result in a total of more than 40 hours for the week. Just because an individual works thirty minutes past the normal quitting time does not result in earning “time and a half” unless the resulting hours worked for the week exceeds 40 hours. If the 40 hours includes a holiday, the first eight hours will be straight time (hour for hour). When the actual time worked for the week exceeds 40 hours, the compensatory time will be earned at time and a half.

3.The “comp time” must be approved ahead of time by the principal. The time will then be documented on each employee’s timesheet.

4.Further clarification of Compensatory Time can be found in the WSFCS Procedures Manual.

5. All supervisors must ensure that those employees under their supervision are in compliance with the 40-hour workweek and the other guidelines of the Fair Labor and Standards Employment Act.

6. The Principal should approve in advance teacher assistants who work in the classroom settings and wish to take annual leave on student days. Sick leave may be granted for personal illness, injury or other temporary disability, illness in the employee’s immediate family that necessitates the employee’s attendance, death in the immediate family, and medical appointments.

1. Teacher assistants should not take home papers to grade or other work to do away from school. Your workday ends when you leave campus. Email should not be checked at home as this is considered time on the clock for classified employees.

Leaving Campus:

At no time during the day should a staff member leave campus without prior notification/approval from administration (check with Ms. Frye, Mr. Kleean or Mrs. Willis for prior approval). Normally, this should be for emergency or extenuating circumstances. However, staff members may leave campus during their planning time for special school related errands/tasks. If there is a special staff birthday or celebration and someone would like to go out and get lunch and bring it back for their team this is permissible with principal approval.

Internal Communications

Dial 5180 and the room number of intended party. A list will be provided of all staff phone numbers. During instructional day, telephone calls should be kept to a minimum. Non-emergency calls should not interrupt instruction.

51809...Willis51807...Routh 51811. Brown

4122…Front Desk 51816...Conference 51812. Strange

51808...Durham51825.. Hayes51814...Cannon

51810...Frye 51817. Health Room51820 Cafeteria

51823 Tech Office

E-Mail

Each employee has been assigned an E-mail address. Your E-mail should be checked daily for in-house communication. If you do not have a computer on the network, please gain access from a neighbor or use the computer in the Media Center.

External Telephone Calls

Dial 9 for an outside line. Outside calls come through the office. The office will not transfer incoming calls during instructional day. Calls will be transferred to your voicemail. If you are expecting a school business call, inform the office.

Transportation Messages

Office personnel will leave a note in your mailbox and someone will call the classroom after 2:00 p.m. with transportation changes.

PARKING – STAFF

Front parking spaces are reserved for office staff, visitors and our TOY/Support Person of the Year and Volunteer of the Year. Please honor this.

MAILBOX USE

1)Each staff member should check your mailbox each morning as you arrive, at lunch, and again at the end of the day.

2)Students should not be allowed to pickup your mail.

3)Students should not be allowed to remove any item from the mailboxes.

4)Be aware that the mailboxes are located in an open access area and are not secure.

5)Do not leave valuable items in the mailboxes.

Building Security & Visitors:

Visitors and volunteers are welcome at Piney Grove. All persons coming to the school during school hours must check with the office before going to any part of the building. The visitor will receive a Visitor’s Pass from the office. Anyone not following this procedure should be reported to the office. Any time you have a concern about a non-school person on campus, notify the office immediately.

Piney Grove personnel are expected to wear the ID badges daily. As a personal precaution, the staff is reminded not to leave pocketbook, purse or personal valuables in plain view. All classrooms should be locked when not occupied. All outside doors should remain locked at all times. DO NOT LET ANYBODY IN THE SCHOOL FROM AN OUTSIDE DOOR THAT IS NOT A STAFF MEMBER OR IS NOT WEARING A VISITORS BADGE. THIS INCLUDES MAINTENANCE WORKERS UNLESS THEY CAN DISPLAY A WSFCS BADGE. When putting door decorations on the classroom door, be sure that the window is either left uncovered or a peep hole is provided for visual access to the room. Should a security situation develop at Piney Grove, “A Lockdown” will be announced and teachers should immediately secure and lock their rooms until further notice. Details for this procedure are found in the Crisis Plan portion of your handbook.

SECURITY SYSTEM

We are committed to providing a safe environment at Piney Grove. Exterior doors should remain locked all day. Please assist this safety measure by leaving classroom doors locked when the classroom is not occupied. Please do not prop any door open. Each employee has been issued a key for safe entrance.

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Visitors are asked to report to the office upon entering the building. If they need to visit the building elsewhere, a name tag is issued to them. If you see someone without a name tag, please ask them to check by the office. If you suspect anything strange, notify the office immediately.

If a parent wishes to take a student out of school during the day, the student must be signed out in the office. We are not allowed to release a student to anyone other than the parent or guardian unless we have the parent’s permission. Refer all requests to the office.

Piney Grove is equipped with a motion detection alarm system. On student days the alarm is normally off from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. On professional days the alarm is usually cut off around

4:30 p.m.

Identification Badges

Staff members should wear identification badges at all times.

Hospitality Committee:

Each staff member may join the Social Committee by making a voluntary donation of $15.00 for the year.

Dress Code for Staff and Students

Board policy 5131 applies to all students, K –12. It requires the school to monitor student dress to insure it is not inappropriate, disruptive, or unclean. Examples of prohibited dress or appearance include, but are not limited to, those listed below.

At a minimum, the following dress or appearance is prohibited:

1. Clothing that contains advertisements for tobacco, alcohol or drugs; pictures or graphics of nudity; words that are profane, lewd, vulgar, or indecent;
2. Halter or bare midriff tops, or bare midriffs;
3. Spaghetti straps or tank tops;
4. Strapless shirts or tube tops;
5. Bare feet;
6. Short shorts or skirts;
7. Pants, slacks or jeans that sag below waist; and
8. Any symbols, styles or attire frequently associated with gangs, intimidation, violence or violent groups about which students at a particular school have been notified.
9. Hats, caps, or bandanas (unless the headwear is worn for religious purposes
10. Underpants or bras showing or worn as outerwear;
11. Provocative, revealing attire that exposes cleavage

PGE interpretation is shoulders must be covered. If a student stands up straight with arms hanging to the side, with fingers extended, the tip of the fingers must touch fabric. If not, the shorts or skirt are too short. If there is a religious or medical reason for a particular dress, that would be a consideration. If any question arises about the dress code please see administration.

STAFF DRESS

As educators, our dress should also reflect the educational environment in which we work and the professional image we must project. Our dress can often set the tone for how students and their parents respond to us. Our dress can enhance or detract from our perception as professionals. It can also be a powerful tool in how parents respond to you as well. Please know that you are role models for the standard of dress that we want our students to use at school. Therefore the same dress code that applies to students should also be honored by the staff. For example: students are asked not to wear strapless shirts to school. Even though these are now very much in fashion, staff should refrain from strapless shirts when students are at school. Staff members are asked to refrain from wearing flip-flops as well. Sandals are acceptable.

Emergency Plans and Procedures Flip Chart

Familiarize yourself with all aspects of the various plans: fire, bomb threat, tornado, intruder, total evacuation of the school, and death or serious injury of a student or faculty member. Make sure you have emergency exits/plans clearly posted in your room. Go over these plans with your students during the first week of school. Whenever there is an emergency in the classroom, please contact the main office immediately.

Fire Drills:

The state requires fire drills the first week of school and each month thereafter. State law requires that an evacuation map be prominently posted in each classroom.

1.Teachers are to count students and lead their classes quietly from the building according to their specific exit map.

2.Upon arrival outside the building, the teacher is to count his/her class and account for every student.

3.The last student (or adult) in the line shall be sure no one is left in the room, close the door and turn off the lights (designate this student or adult).

4.The teacher shall be responsible for the conduct of the class.

5.Students should exit the building in an orderly fashion with no talking (in case an announcement needs to be made).

6.Students are not to stop to put on coats or clothing unless directed by an adult.

7.All personnel must leave the building.

8.Cafeteria staff shall turn off all fires, ovens, and appliances before leaving the building.

9.All classes shall remain outside until the all-clear announcement is given.

10.Do not assemble in the driveways, in an actual emergency; emergency vehicles would travel these.

11.All participants should treat each drill or simulation as an actual emergency.

12.A copy of the exit map should by the door of each room.

Bomb Threats:

All fire drill rules apply to this situation. The only difference is that an announcement will be made stating, “We will be having a special fire drill.”