Student Handbook and Calendar

TAYLORSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Student Handbook and Calendar

2016-2017

Sydell Gant, Principal

Casey Voelz, Assistant Principal

Box 277 9711 Walnut Street

Taylorsville, IN 47280

812-526-5448

812-526-2233 Fax

BE SAFE

No harm and no hurt.

BE RESPONSIBLE

Work to get the job done.

BE RESPECTFUL

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Table of Contents

BCSC Mission Statement; Vision Statement; High Expectation Objectives;

Taylorsville Vision; Taylorsville Goals…..……………………………………………………………..3

ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL

Car Riders; Change of Dismissal Plan…………………………………………………………………..4

ATTENDANCE

Introduction; Procedures to Report; Excused/Unexcused; Highly Extenuating

Circumstances; Tardies; ATTEND; Emergency School Closings…...………………………………..5-6

BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS

Life Skills and Lifelong Guidelines; School Pledge; Personal Appearance; What to Leave

At Home; Hall Passes; Treats at School; Bus Rules…………………….…………………………….7-9

SCHOOL DISCIPLINE PLAN – PBIS Behavioral Definitions and School-wide Expectations…...……...10-12

FERPA…..………………………………………………………………………………………………….13-14

STUDENT HAZING & BULLYING…..……………………………………………………………………...14

ANTI-HARASSMENT…..………………………………………………………………………………….…14

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY.………………………………………………………………………14-15

NON-DISCRIMINATION AND ACCESS TO EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY.………………15

EPA……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..15

HEALTH SERVICES AND SAFETY

Health Information; Health Services; School Clinic; Medicines;

Physical Exams; Immunizations; Health Screenings; Lice;

BCSC Search and Seizure; Substance Abuse; Bully Incident Report.……………………………..15-18

FOOD SERVICE

Breakfast; Lunch; Lunch Assistance; Visitors for Lunch; Wellness Policy………………………..18-19

ACADEMICS

Homework; Recommended Minutes of Homework; Parent Involvement;

Incomplete Assignments;PowerSchool Parent Portal; Ideas for Helping Your Child;

Report Cards, Grading Scale; Honor Roll; Study Trips;

Library; Library Usage and Care; Book Rental Fees; Textbooks;Itslearning;Chromebooks Vision Statement, Assessment; NEHS…………………………………………………………………….20-23

STUDENT SERVICES

Before/After School Programs; Student Council; Pupil Services;Project Connect;

Change of Student Information; Kindergarten Screenings;

Policies for Athletic, Extra Curricular & Co-curricularActivities;

Instructional Consultation Teams (ICT), Convocations; PTO; Recess……………………………24-25

GENERAL INFORMATION

Change of Student Information; Lost and Found; School Property;

Distribution of Materials; Telephones and cell phones; Chromebook Use Guidelines, Interruptions;

Parents/Visitors; Volunteers/Field Trip Chaperones; What to Do When Moving;

Use of Building; Indoor Air Quality; Parties and Treats; Pets; Textbooks;

Assignment Books; Supplies; Checks; Smoking; School Pictures and Yearbook;

Free Speech; Fundraiser..…………………………………………………………………………26-30

BUILDING CRISIS INFORMATION

Emergency Drills; Safe Schools Emergency Planning;

Parent Receiving Site; Student Evacuation Site; Security…….…….……………………………...30-31

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND MOMENT OF SILENCE……………………………………………….31

TECHNOLOGY AND INTERNET USE POLICY…..……………………………………………………32-33

CALENDAR………………………………………………………………………………………………..….34

STAFF PAGE…………………………………………………………………………………………………..35

PERMISSION PAGE (English & Spanish)………………………………………………………………...36-37

TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT FORM………………………………………………………………….38-42

DEAR PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND STAFF

Welcome! On behalf of the faculty, staff, and administration, we welcome you to this academic school year. We are pleased that you are part of the Taylorsville Elementary School family. We anticipate your involvement and cooperation in making this year successful.

BARTHOLOMEW CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL CORPORATION

MISSION STATEMENT

Deeper Learning is our individualized approach for preparing all learners to succeed in a competitive global economy and democratic society and to tackle the complex issues they will encounter.

BARTHOLOMEW CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL CORPORATION

VISION STATEMENT

BCSC demonstrates a community commitment to deeper learning for one…and all.

BARTHOLOMEW CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL CORPORATION

HIGH EXPECTATION OBJECTIVES

BCSC will ensure a balanced, intentional and forward looking approach to meet the following objectives:

Enable achievement of core academic knowledge and varied levels of critical thinking

Advance a deep community commitment to all learners’ health, personal and academic success

Provide multiple pathways that intellectually engage all learners

Promote and support agile, collaborative learning environments

Foster multiple perspectives to develop global citizens

Provide a welcoming and diverse learning culture of respect, fairness and trust

Cultivate a commitment to a life-long learning process for all

Please visit to find School Board Polices and Administrative Guidelines.

TAYLORSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL VISION

We believe Taylorsville Elementary is a learning community with heart committed to Deeper Learning.

TAYLORSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GOALS

• By the spring of 2017, 80% of grades 3-6 students will meet Indiana Academic Standards in Language Arts as measured by ISTEP+.
• By the spring of 2017, 75% of grades 3-6 students will meet Indiana Academic Standards in Math as measured by ISTEP+.
• Taylorsville will increase our daily attendance from 96.5% to 98%.
• Taylorsville will maintain a Culturally Responsive PBIS learning environment by reducing the disproportionality in referrals committed by our male students from 90% to 75%.

TAYLORSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS

Be Safe Be ResponsibleBe Respectful

ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL

1. Students are admitted to the building no earlier than 7:50 a.m. Walkers must enter through Door D (front of the building). Unless the student is eating breakfast, students must remain under the porch, in the front foyer or in the gym until 8:00 a.m. Students remain on the bus until 8:00am unless they are eating breakfast. All students in the cafeteria should be eating breakfast.
2. At 8:00 a.m., students may report directly to their homerooms unless they eat breakfast at school.

Students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade eat breakfast in classrooms at 8:00 a.m.

1. Students must be in the classroom at 8:15 a.m., or they will be considered tardy.
2. Dismissal times:

Grades K, 1, 2 and 3 (first bell) 2:35 P.M.Grades 4, 5 and 6 (second bell) 2:37 P.M.

Students must walk in front of the buses. Students should NOT walk behind or around the dumpsters. Students may re-enter the school after dismissal, only if accompanied by an adult.

1. BCSC offers a before and after-school supervision and enrichment program called i-Care at Taylorsville. This is a fee-based service with a limited number of scholarships available. I-Care may be provided in the morning between 6:30 AM and the beginning of school. I-Care will be provided after school until 6:00 PM. Call Anna Villa at (418-0924) for additional information about services and charges.

CAR RIDERS

1. Morning Drop Off

• Students are to be dropped off beginning at 8:00a.m. along the sidewalk in front of the building. They may not be dropped off at any other location. Cars are to remain in a single line next to the sidewalk. Cars must stop to allow walkers and bike riders to walk across the parking lot walkway into the building. The walkers lane is marked in yellow. The tardy bell rings at 8:15 a.m.

1. Afternoon Pick Up

• Drivers are to use the process outlined below.

Students who are car riders will be picked up on the “NORTH” side of the building. Drivers of these vehicles are asked to line-up along Mulberry Street and overflow onto Walnut Street. Drivers will then pick-up student/s in the kindergarten wing area, circle around the drive and exit to the right onto Cross Street to Pearl Street. Take Pearl Street all the way to East Street to make your way back to Tannehill Rd / 650 North. Please DO NOT EXIT the school via Walnut Street. (FOLLOW THE ARROWS!!!)

• Cars will be released at the discretion of TES Staff. Staff will provide direction on when to pull away from the sidewalk and leave.
• Students are assigned a number and cars are given a corresponding numbered tag to display in the front window of the vehicle. Please display the numbered tag until the child is in your vehicle. This will assist the adults on duty in getting your child/ren safely and quickly to the car.

1. Parking & Picking Up in Office or Lobby

If you park in the Front Lane or in the South parking lot in order to pick up your child in the Office or the Lobby, please use the following procedures:

• If you park in the front lane, we ask that you wait until all of the Car Rider cars are gone, which is approximately 2:55 p.m. You may exit onto Mulberry Street and proceed west to East Street before heading south to Tannehill.
• If you park in the lot, you must escort your child to your car. We also ask that you do not attempt to leave until all of the buses have departed, which is approximately 2:45 p.m.

WALKERS/BIKE RIDERS

Walker/bike riders will go to the gym at dismissal time and will be dismissed after the car riders have departed.

CHANGE OF DISMISSAL PLANS

Please send a written note if your child will be using a different mode of transportation to go homeat theend of school. If there is no note, the child will be dismissed from school in the usual manner.

ATTENDANCE

Good school attendance is necessary for success in school. Our average daily attendance over the past several years has been nearly 97%, which shows excellent support by the home. Our goal is 98%. If there are problems that may interfere with your child’s ability to attend school daily, please be sure to contact us. The ATTEND Team, composed of BCSC elementary and middle schools and service organizations in our county, developed and created our attendance guidelines. Those guidelines are as follows:

1. If your child is absent, contact Taylorsville Elementary School (526-5448) by 8:30. For your convenience voice mail is available to take your calls when the office is closed. If you cannot telephone, please send a note with a sibling stating the reason for the absence. If neither is possible, send a note with your child on his/her return to school.
2. Following excused absences, teachers will work with students to ensure missed work is made up. Parents may pick up assignments during the period of a student’s extended absence (two or more days). Students do not receive academic credit for any work missed during an unexcused absence. However, students are encouraged to complete makeup work to be successful in the classroom.
3. The school counselor will investigate all frequent absences, unexcused absences, late arrivals, and early departures. Frequent absences (missing more than five days of school in a semester or in a previous school year) may result in requiring a doctor's statement to count as an excused absence. Continued problems with absences, late arrivals, and early departure s will be referred to the Attend Team, Bartholomew County Prosecutor, and/or Children's Protective Services for further investigation.
4. If your child misses more than five days of school in a semester because of illness, you may be asked to provide a statement from your doctor or have the doctor complete a Medical Incapacity Form.
5. If a student is to be released during school hours, a note should be sent to the teacher explaining the reason/s.
6. When your child visits the doctor, dentist, optometrist, etc., the doctor must confirm the visit. Forms are in the doctors' offices and are also available at the school office. If the doctor does not confirm the visit, the absence will be recorded as unexcused. The student should miss only the time necessary for the appointment and travel time to and from the appointment.

HIGHLY EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES

If you wish your child to be excused from school for “highly extenuating circumstances” or for participation in a non-school sponsored state, multi-state or national competition, please obtain a special request form from the school. This request should be submitted and discussed at least two days before the scheduled absence.

TARDIES

It is imperative that children arrive at school on time. Important opening instructions concerning the day’s activities are presented early in the day. Tardiness disrupts your child’s education and the education of other students. Please help your child avoid this problem. If a student arrives after the 8:15 a.m. tardy bell, he/she will be counted tardy and will be required to obtain a tardy slip from the office to be presented to the student’s teacher. Parents should notify the school by phone or written note when a child is late.

ATTEND

ATTEND is a coalition of schools, law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and service agencies in Bartholomew County. Their task is to respond to violations of BCSC’s attendance policy and the Indiana Compulsory Attendance Law (I.C. 20-8.1-3).

EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSING

DO NOTCALLSCHOOL – CHECK THE BCSC WEBSITE

For the safety of the children during inclement weather, schools may be closed, dismiss early or have a two-hour delay in starting. Families should be prepared for any of these situations. The school will send home a form to complete regarding your emergency plan. These forms should be returned to your child's teacher. Children and staff must know the alternative plan for your child in case of an emergency school closing. Emergency closings are announced by radio stations WCSI (1010 AM), WKKG (101.5 FM), WWWY (104.9 FM) AND QMIX (107.3 FM). Parents are asked to listen to the radio for announcements and to not call the school. In case of a two-hour delay, school will begin at 10:15 a.m. When there is a two-hour delay, buses will run two hours later, i.e. if the bus normally picks up at 7:45, it would pick up at 9:45 a.m. Parents can also use the BCSC e-alert system to receive text messages about closings and delays. Go to to sign up for e-alerts.

BUS SCHEDULES

Check the BCSC website for latest bus information: Inclement weather such as snow, icy roads or other Local Weather Alerts may delay all buses. When this is the case, you can expect delays on most routes. If the reason for the delay is due to a serious problem while your child is on the bus, you will receive a phone call.Should your bus be running later than its regularly scheduled time, please view the Transportation link for delay information on the BCSC website.

BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS

LIFE SKILLS AND LIFELONG GUIDELINES

In order to grow and develop, children need to be in an environment with firm, consistent, and positive limits. This environment also needs to provide warmth and support for this appropriate behavior. Our school reinforces positive behavior and provides consequences for negative behavior. The guidelines for our program are simple. They include the following guidelines that govern our behavior and are as follows:

Be Safe Be Respectful Be Responsible

Family cooperation and assistance will greatly help in reaching our common goal of instilling self-control within each student. Most students are able to follow rules most of the time. Action will be taken to assist students who have problems following rules. These actions may include withholding of privileges, conferences, detention after school, in-house or at-home suspension, or modified scheduling. Our ultimate goal is for each student to become self-disciplined. These disciplinary steps have been created to assist students in meeting this goal and allowing teachers to spend as much time as possible in instruction. Your assistance and support will help to guarantee success.

SCHOOL PLEDGE

I am a student of Taylorsville Elementary School.

I pledge to obey the school rules of being Safe, Responsible, and Respectful.

I promise not to bully others and to help those who are bullied.

I pledge to be fair and honest and eager to do my best today and everyday.

GENERAL RULES

PERSONAL APPEARANCE

The primary requirement for the appropriateness of any dress for children is the cooperation of the parents. If a child's clothing is so unusual that it attracts excessive attention to himself/herself, it may distract from the educational process. Students inappropriately dressed will be sent to the nurse to change or have appropriate attire brought to them by parents. No rule will suffice for all occasions.

• Printing, patches, or badges, which are profane, promote alcohol or drugs, wrestling, or suggestive, must never be worn on clothing.
• Sleeveless is okay, however, no spaghetti straps, tank tops or halter-tops should be worn. Undergarments and torso should not be visible.
• Pants must come to the waist and stay up. Clothing must also be a safe fit. Clothes that are too tight may restrict movement during PE or a safety drill.
• Shorts, skirts, and skorts must pass the fingertip test. Shirts must cover the midriff/torso and be modest. Shirts must keep the entire torso covered when students raise their hand.
• Sensible shoes are to be worn at all times to assist in student safety onthe playground, during PE classes and during the instructional day. Shoes should be ones that do not restrict physical activities. Such shoes that may restrict activities include high heels, flip flops, shoes with tall soles/heels and clogs. Shoes with built-in skates are prohibited.
• Painted or colored hair is strongly discouraged. This disrupts the learning environment.
• Pro wrestling shirts of any kind shall not be worn to school.

 Hats and caps are prohibited in the school building. Any gang emblem or insignia is prohibited.

WHAT TO LEAVE AT HOME

Anything not needed for class should be left at home: ipods, MP3 players,cd players, cd’s, cameras, radios, recorders, skateboards, pets, knives, matches, lighters, electronic games, guns, card collections, etc. Toys should not be brought to school.

Students are not to bring candy or gum to school. Fireworks, tobacco products, alcohol and illegal drugs violate state and local laws. Possession under any circumstances will result in serious penalties. Electronic paging devices or cellular phones used on school grounds during school hours in a situation not related to a school purpose or an educational function may also be grounds for suspension. Taylorsville Elementary is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

HALL PASSES

Students are required to have a pass when not with an adult.

TREATS AT SCHOOL

For the safety and welfare of all children, treats for birthdays that are brought to school should be store purchased and individually wrapped. Nutritional treats may also be purchased through the cafeteria.Please contact your child’s teacher before sending any treats to school.

PETS

Pets or other animals of any kind should be left at home. If a classroom project requires a live animal, the classroom teacher will make special arrangements for the care and supervision of the animal. If your child has allergies, notify the classroom teacher.