North Side Elementary School


	1000 North Roan Street Johnson City, TN 37601 (423)434-5249 Fax(423)434-5295
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School Handbook 2009-10
		PARENT / STUDENT HANDBOOK 2009-2010 Sharon Pickering, Principal North Side Expectations BE READY BE RESPECTFUL BE RESPONSIBLE FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS DO YOUR PERSONAL BEST North Side Pledge* I will strive to be a North Side Scholar every day in every way. I will arrive at school on time and ready to learn. I will do my best on every assignment. My words and actions will show respect for my teachers, my classmates, and myself. I will do this because I am WORTH IT! August 6, 2009 Dear North Side Families, The North Side School of Math, Science & Technology begins the 2009-10 school year with great excitement. We have several new faces on campus this year with more than 360 students in grades PreK – 5 ready to make this year as successful as last year. We are PROUD to be at North Side and excited to help our students achieve new heights in the year ahead. Our mission is to continue to focus on math, science, and technology to provide our students an educational program that enables them to perform at or above grade level. We also want to be good stewards in our community and guide our students to become productive citizens. We look forward to the partnership that education offers as schools and parents work together to assist students in becoming successful. You are the key component in that partnership and we look forward to what this school year holds! This fall we will again offer our tutoring and homework help programs and after-school clubs. Like last year, the students will be able to take advantage of this and other extended learning opportunities to help them excel. We will also have after school Educare and Pre K Educare to assist our working families in providing affordable childcare. We are going to be busy and look forward to having another positive and progressive year. Thank you for helping make North Side even GREATER! Sincerely, Richard Church ARRIVALS / DISMISSALS NO STUDENTS SHOULD BE DROPPED OFF FOR SCHOOL BEFORE 7:45AM UNLESS HE/SHE IS GOING TO EDUCARE! See page 13 for Educare info. Adult supervision will not begin until 7:45am. Doors will open at 7:45am. Students will report to the cafeteria for breakfast until 8:10am. Classrooms will open for students at 8:00am. An Educare program is available for students who must arrive early or stay late. In the mornings, students who are riding to school should be dropped off at the covered walkway, located on the Eight Avenue side of the building. For YOUR CHILD’S SAFETY DO NOT DROP STUDENTS OFF IF AN ADULT IS NOT PRESENT. Drop-offs after 8:15 need to go to the main office. In the afternoons, pick-ups are on the Eighth Avenue side of the building under the covered walkway. Kindly stay in your vehicle and follow traffic signals. Your child will be escorted to your car. Please do not leave your vehicle unattended in the front of the building, busses will use this area. Parents waiting for walkers should wait outside on the Chilhowie Avenue side of the building. Students will be dismissed at 3:15pm. ABSENCES/ATTENDANCE School attendance is a major factor in determining academic success. Please call the school before 9:00 A. M. if your child is to be out for the day or if your child will be late for school. Our policy requires that a WRITTEN EXCUSE FROM THE PARENT WILL BE SENT TO THE OFFICE THE DAY THE CHILD RETURNS TO SCHOOL. This note will explain the absence or tardiness. If a parent contact is not made, attempts will be made by school staff and administration to check on your child. The school resource officer will make home visits as needed when absences are unexplained. Truancy is a serious offence. After a student is absent three (3) days, he or she has to have a dentist or doctor’s note before the absence can be recorded as excused. The student will also be referred to “Operation On Track” and may be required to produce documentation to court authorities after ten (10) total absences. The school is obligated to report absences to the authorities. Attendance Procedures (Unexcused Absences) · 3-absences: parent call · 5-absences: attendance letter (each subsequent absence will result in a phone call and a doctor’s excuse must be turned in) · 8-absences: conference w/ Mr. Church · 10-absences: Home Visit / Attendance Plan · 11+ absences: referral to Juvenile Court 100% Attendance is considered being at school everyday, there may be occasional excused tardies or excused early dismissals According to Johnson City Board of Education policy 6.200, the principal of students in grades K – 7 may recommend that students who miss twenty (20) or more days of school not be promoted to the next grade. This includes unexcused or excused absences. ACCELERATED READER North Side supports the school-wide use of Accelerated Reader, a web based reading system, as a component of a comprehensive reading program. Student participation in the program involves assessment and student placement in a reading range that meets their needs. Students read books from a list of thousands of available books and earn points by taking and passing quizzes based on difficulty of the book. As points accumulate, students receive rewards and progress through several certification levels. Parent volunteers are needed to read with students when available. Contact your child’s classroom teacher or Mrs. Hawley in the Library Media Center if you have any questions about AR. BICYCLES / SCOOTERS Families assume all risks for their children and their bicycles / scooters when choosing to ride them to school. Students riding bicycles / scooters to school must park them in front of the building and leave them there until dismissal in the afternoon. Students are advised to bring suitable locks for their bicycles or scooters. Parents are encouraged to review bicycle / scooter safety rules with their children and provide proper safety equipment. BREAKFAST Students may choose to eat breakfast in the cafeteria. Students eating breakfast at school should arrive no earlier than 7:45 and no later than 8:10 or the last bus arrival. Universal free breakfast is available to all North Side students. All breakfasts will be served in the cafeteria, unless students have had behavior problems in the cafeteria. Some students may have to be removed from breakfast if their conduct is disruptive. Students who eat breakfast are still expected to be in their classrooms before the tardy bell. Eating breakfast past 8:15 is not considered an excused tardy unless a bus was late. BUS RULES All school rules (Johnson City Schools Code of Conduct) apply on the bus and at all school sponsored events, going to and from school, and at the bus stop. Transportation is provided as a convenience to parents. Students who do not obey the bus rules will lose the privilege of riding the bus for a period of time. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous, well-behaved manner while waiting for the bus and during travel. The JOHNSON CITY TRANSIT SYSTEM (423-434-6278) bus rules apply at the bus stops as well as during the routes both to and from school. They are as follows: FRONT SEAT OFFENCES: Students will receive a written warning and be placed on the front seat of the bus for 2 weeks as a result of the following behavior: 1. Eating or drinking on the bus 2. Failure to remain seated 3. Hanging out the window 4. Improper boarding/departing procedures 5. Refusing to obey driver 6. Rude, discourteous, and annoying behavior 7. Spitting or littering 8. Unnecessary noise 9. Use of profanity Depending on the severity of the offense, the student may be placed on the front seat indefinitely. Repeat occurrences of front seat offenses will result in at least a 2-week suspension. AUTOMATIC TWO (2) WEEK SUSPENSION FROM THE BUS 1. Bringing articles of injurious or objectionable nature aboard 2. Destruction of property 3. Fighting/pushing/tripping 4. Possession of tobacco products 5. Making obscene gestures 6. Other behavior relating to safety, well- being, and respect for others 7. Tampering with bus equipment 8. Throwing objects in or out of the bus INDEFINITE BUS SUSPENSION: Student will be suspended from riding any school bus for the remainder of the school year as a result of the following: 1. Attacking the bus driver 2. Use of combustible material 3. Possession of weapons on the bus or at the bus stop 4. Verbal threats and/or intimidation of other students/driver on the bus or at the bus stop Other behavior not specifically listed will be decided on a case-by-case basis depending on the severity of the incident. After serving two 2-week suspensions, the 3^rd suspension will be for the remainder of the school year. THE AUTHORITY OF THE BUS DRIVER IS TO PRESERVE ORDER AND GOOD BEHAVIOR AS DELEGATED BY THE PRINCIPAL. PARENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TRANSPORTING STUDENTS TO AND FROM SCHOOL IF THEIR CHILD IS SUSPENDED FROM RIDING THE BUS. CODE OF CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE The Johnson City School Board has adopted a Code of Student Conduct and Discipline. Each year, parents are responsible for informing their children of its contents. Our school will comply with the current Code of Student Conduct. Each student in grades 3-5 will receive a personal copy. All teachers, including grades K-2, will discuss this booklet with their classes. Parents are to sign the page provided to indicate that this has been communicated to their child. Return this signature page to school. COMMUNICATIONS Throughout the year we strive to have close contact with all of our parents. We need your help in this process. We request you stay in contact by: · Reading our weekly class newsletters · Attending parent conferences, parent meetings, and family night activities · Taking a few minutes each day to talk to your child about school · Calling or writing us a note for more explanations · Making sure you look at and sign the student planner (grades 3-5) or communication folder daily · Visiting Classroom websites www.jcschools.org/northside Working together will improve all aspects of your child’s education. CONFERENCES Conferences are very important to the success of your child. The school or parent may call or write and request a meeting at any time. Please make an appointment with the teacher at least 24 hours prior to your visit to insure a private, productive meeting. Teachers are not available to meet everyday and will not be able to meet while their classes are in session. School-wide conferences will be scheduled in the fall and as needed. We will not be able to forward calls to the classroom except at the teacher’s planning time or before and after school. COUNSELING The guidance / counseling program supports students in their efforts to learn, assists them in their social and emotional growth, and provides guidance in transitions. These services are delivered through large groups, small group sessions, and individual sessions. DISCIPLINE The enforcement of discipline by administrators and teachers is authorized as provided in Tennessee Statutes. “GROUNDS FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION ARE WILLFUL DISOBEDIENCE OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL OR OTHER PERSONS SO DELEGATED BY THE PRINCIPAL; VIOLENCE AGAINST PERSON OR PROPERTY; ANY ACT THAT DISRUPTS THE ORDERLY OPERATION OF THE SCHOOL OR SCHOOL PROCESSES AND ACTIVITIES; AND WILLFUL DISOBEDIENCE OF SCHOOL RULES.” We operate on the premise that the school has the responsibility to insure that no student’s learning will be infringed upon by another student’s constant misbehavior. EACH STUDENT HAS THE RIGHT TO AN EDUCATION IN A POSITIVE, SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. The faculty and administration will maintain student behavior. However, an individual’s chronic misbehavior is the responsibility of the parents. Minor offenses will be handled through parent-teacher contact. Students who continue to be disruptive, disrespectful, disobedient, or defiant will be removed from class. Parents may be notified shortly after they are referred to the office to come to the school to pick up their child. Please talk with your child so that he/she will not need to be removed from school. Students who are expelled or suspended from school are counted as absent. Students may receive school-work. Work completed during suspensions may or may or may not count towards the student’s average. DISCRIMINATION/HARASSMENT Johnson City School Board Policy states that students and staff shall be provided a learning/working environment free from sexual, racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination/harassment. Learning environment includes school district facilities and premises, and non-school property if at any school sponsored, school approved, or school related activity or function such as a field trip or athletic events where students are under the control of the school district. It shall be a violation of this policy for any employee or any student to discriminate against or harass another person through disparaging conduct or communication that is sexual, racial, ethnic, or religious in nature. Any concerns regarding the use of discrimination and/or sexual harassment should be reported to the school principal immediately. DRESS CODE/SCHOOL GEAR The appearance of our students reflects the quality of the school and must not cause disruptions to the learning environment. The administration has the right to ask students to leave at home any item that may distract the class. We stress good grooming, neatness, and clothing that allow the students to participate in all activities during the school day. The following items will not be allowed at North Side or any school related activity: · Sagging pants or pants that drag below the shoes because they cause tripping and are hazardous · Extra piercings are discouraged · Clothing with suggestive or offensive messages, especially t-shirts with offensive messages. · Short tops that show the midriff. · All tops should have shoulder straps of wider than 2 inches, absolutely no “spaghetti straps”. · Shorts or skirts that are shorter than mid-thigh (use the finger tip test). Girls are expected to keep skirts and shorts pulled down to at least below their finger tips when arms are straight down. · Brightly colored hair or unusual face make-up are not allowed at any time. · Hats, visors, bandannas, or any head coverings may not be worn at the school. This rule applies to both boys and girls. · In-line skate shoes (Heelies) are not allowed. P. E. requires tennis shoes or athletic like footwear. Students are made aware of their class P. E. schedule. Students who are dressed inappropriately during the school day will be asked to wear a “loaner” tee shirt or clothing from the clinic or to notify their parent to make arrangements to correct the problem. Students who bring non-school supply items to school will be asked to leave those at home. These items distract from learning. If a student keeps bringing the items to school, they will be collected and kept in the principal’s office until the end of the year. Students should never bring toys to school. They are a disruption to the learning environment. Students may be allowed to bring certain items from home for special events. In those cases parents will be notified and the school will not be responsible for stolen or missing items. Cell phones are DISCOURAGED. Students who need cell phones MUST have them turned off and stored for the day. If phones are seen, or heard by school staff, appropriate discipline measures will be taken. 1^st Offence: Cell Phone will be taken and returned only to the parent after a conference 2^nd Offence: Cell Phone will be taken and kept until the end of the school year and returned only to a parent the final day of school EARLY DISMISSAL INFORMATION Students are not to leave school without permission from the office. All appointments, including medical and dental appointments, should be made outside of school hours. The parent/guardian or other responsible adult needs to come by the office to pick up an early dismissal slip and sign the student out. Only those persons named on the emergency/enrollment card will be permitted to pick up students, unless the parent gives verification in written or personal form. Please do not send unauthorized persons (not on the emergency form) to pick up your child. All times students are not in class (8:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.) should be verified by proper documentation. Students should not be brought to school late or picked up early without a valid excuse. EARLY DISMISSALS WILL BE TREATED LIKE TARDIES. INSTRUCTION TIME IS VERY IMPORTANT. STUDENTS WHO ARE FREQUENTLY PICKED UP EARLY WILL NEED TO MAKE UP WORK DURING THEIR RECESS TIME. EDUCARE / PREK Educare A before / after school childcare program (Educare) will be offered at North Side. The Educare program opens at 7:00am and closes at 6:00pm. The program is designed to enrich the students’ school experience, as well as to provide help with academic needs. Students who are brought to school before 7:45am must be enrolled in Educare. The cost to parents for morning care is $2.00 per day. The cost to parents for after school care is $7.50 per day. An Educare information packet may be requested from the school office. EMERGENCY/ENROLLMENT CARD INFORMATION PLEASE KEEP THE OFFICE INFORMED OF A CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND/OR TELEPHONE NUMBERS. We need several current working contact numbers. A current phone number on file will ensure you of an immediate contact in case of an emergency. If you have an unlisted number, we will keep it confidential; however, we must have the number. Children are not permitted to use the office telephone for routine and/or social matters. Please try to make end of day pick up arrangements before students leave home in the morning. Calls to the office to make end of day arrangements should be rare and certainly the exception. Change of arrangement calls at or after 3:15pm will not be honored and the parent will need to come pick the child up at school EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSING PROCEDURES Please discuss with your child, in advance, the plan that you have established in the event that school is closed early. Occasionally, it becomes necessary to close school due to inclement weather conditions. If this occurs, buses may be able to run on emergency routes only, due to poor road conditions. The following guidelines have been developed to ensure the safety of our students in the event of an emergency: Notification of Emergency School Changes: For information about school closings and delayed openings, parents and students may listen to any one of the area radio and television stations. Parents and students are urged NOT to phone their school, the director of schools, or the area media for information, but to stay tuned to the station of their choice. IF THERE IS NO ANNOUNCEMENT BY 6:30 A.M., SCHOOL WILL BE IN SESSION. Emergency Bus Routes: On those days when school will be in session, but there are poor road conditions, some city school buses will travel on “emergency routes”. In such cases, there will be a change in the regular pick-up schedule with buses picking up students at different locations. The bus drivers will give maps indicating emergency routes to the students; extra copies will be available at each school. Delayed Openings: Johnson City Schools has a “snow schedule” or delayed opening schedule. This is a two-hour delay. School begins at 10:15 on a delayed opening day. Buses will run two hours later on a delayed schedule. On these days breakfast will not be served. Students arriving after 10:15 a.m. on a delayed opening school day will be considered tardy. Adult supervision begins at 9:45 on a delayed opening. Early Dismissal: On those days when weather conditions worsen after the students arrive at school, parents will be alerted to early dismissal by area radio and television stations. FIELD TRIPS At various times during the school year, teachers will organize field trips that enhance the curriculum, reward good behavior/ hard work and introducing new experiences. A permission form explaining the trip and cost will be sent home and must be signed before the student can participate in the trip. Since these trips are also optional and grades do not depend on them, sometimes students will not be able to participate because of behavior or other concerns. We always want parents to be a part of all activities. They may accompany their child(ren) on any field trip. But due to insurance and school regulations parents are not allowed to ride the school bus. Parents will need to drive and meet the group at the trip destination. They will also need to be prepared to pay the appropriate entrance fees for the activity. Students on field trips are still under the authority of school personnel, even if parents are on the trip. Teachers are responsible for orderly behavior of all students representing North Side. FIRE DRILLS/TORNADO DRILLS/SAFETY DRILLS-CODE BLUE Monthly practice drills are conducted to make certain that all students and school personnel are aware of and adhere to the safety guidelines. Please confirm to your child that these are just practice to make sure we are ready to keep every one safe. A fire drill is the speedy exit of all students and faculty. Tornado drills are drills inside the classroom to teach the students safe areas away from windows. A Code Blue or lock down drill brings school to a halt. FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES Detailed information about meals provided by the cafeteria is included in the Back to School information sent home on the first day of school along with the application for Free and Reduced meals. Only those who wish to apply need to fill out and return these forms. The cafeteria serves breakfast and lunch. Student meal charges for the 2009-2010 school year are as follows: Breakfast-Free Lunch- $2.00 and milk is $0.35. Meal costs may be paid on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis through the Food Services Manager or through the Johnson City Schools website @www.jcschools.org. Students may choose to bring lunches from home. Sodas, excessive sweets, or glass containers are not allowed. Also, remember there is no way to refrigerate or heat up lunches brought from home. Lunches from restaurants, or outside sources other than home are not permitted in the cafeteria. Cafeteria rules are as always: 1.) Come through the line in an orderly fashion. 2.) Keep hands and feet to yourself. 3.) Use indoor voices at all times. 4.) Stop at the cashier, be ready with your first and last name. 5.) Remain in your seat at all times unless given permission to get up by a monitor. 6.) Close milk/juice cartons before taking them to the dishwasher window. 7.) Please prepay all lunch money at breakfast. 8.) Return trays and silverware and trash to the dishwasher counter. 9.) Remain in the cafeteria until you are instructed to leave by the teacher or monitor. HOMEWORK The purpose of homework is to reinforce and extend skills that have been taught in the classroom. Homework is generally assigned on every school day. All classes will require that students read every evening for a set period of time. Their AR goal will reflect their dedication to this independent reading. Reading, language and math skills must be practiced for improvement. This is very important. Please look for additional information from each teacher. Homework varies from teacher to teacher. If you have questions regarding homework-please call and make an appointment to discuss this with the teacher. Sometimes work brought home may not be work assigned for the home, BUT instead it may be work assigned for class work that was not completed. Often students who have excessive homework are NOT using class time wisely. Students are encouraged to have good work ethics at school and home. We appreciate your support of this important concept. Students who have good work habits and are completing tasks at school will be great workers in our future work force. That training and expectation begins in elementary school. We ask that you, as a parent, see that your child does the assigned homework. Homework is an essential part of the school process. The purpose is not only to reinforce and practice concepts learned throughout the school day, but also to develop a sense of responsibility. It is also another way that the school is able to communicate and involve parents in the learning process. If your child states that he/she does not have homework or a reading assignment on a regular basis, please contact his/her teacher for clarification. Each teacher or team has developed a consequence for failing to complete homework. These may affect your child’s grades. Students who do not do homework and/or classwork in a timely manner will miss free time activities and, in extreme cases, they may be kept from their special area class to complete necessary work. The following is a good rule of thumb concerning time spent doing homework: K-2: 20 – 35 mins. daily 3-5: 35-50 mins. daily LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER The school library is an up-to-date media center that affords various learning opportunities for students. Students attend library class each week. The library is open for student usage each school day between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 3:15 P.M. STUDENTS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF KEEPING UP WITH THEIR LIBRARY BOOKS! PARENTS WILL NEED TO PAY FOR LOST OR DAMAGED BOOKS. Most importantly, parents should take the time to share the joy of reading with their children. MEDIA ACCESS TO STUDENTS School administration is authorized to grant permission and to set guidelines for media access to students in the school. Representatives from the media are required to report to the administration for approval to access students. Such media access may include photographing and interviewing students but shall not be unduly disruptive. Parents / guardians are given the option to withhold permission for public news interviews or photographs of their children while at school. This is to be indicated on the Emergency / Enrollment card. MEDICATION All medication, including cough drops, inhalers, throat sprays, etc., must be housed in the clinic with the proper paperwork on file in order to be administered at school. Parents must bring the medication to the office. FORMS MUST BE ON FILE FOR PRESCRIPTION AS WELL AS OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS. Office personnel give all medications in the clinic. Prescription medications can not be given at school without the proper physician forms. PARTIES Schools are under strict guidelines from the state department concerning foods offered to students at any time during the school day. Because of this and other concerns, we have revised our procedures for school parties and celebrations. Teachers have the option to have two classroom celebrations or “parties” during the year. Healthy treats should be provided for these occasions. These should not include items with sugar or carbonated drinks. We want celebration snacks to be limited to fruits, cheeses, crackers, popcorn, nuts and healthy fruit juices. Parents may supply and distribute a special treat to be shared on the child’s birthday during lunch or at the very end of the day. All parties will need to adhere to the new standards for healthy food offerings and be arranged with the teacher. PERSONAL PROPERTY Please label all of the student’s property with a full name. This includes anything which may be removed or misplaced while at school. A lost and found area is located next to the clinic. Items that cannot be identified that are left at school will be placed in this area and left there for one month. Any clothing left after this period of time will be donated. PHYSICAL EDUCATION The physical education program provides organized activities planned and directed by a certified physical education teacher. No child will be excused from participation in physical education unless a written excuse is presented or the teacher/principal feels it is necessary. Prolonged excuses must have a doctor’s recommendation for exclusion (those in excess of three days). Students’ grades will be based on conduct, participation, and sportsmanship during class. TENNIS SHOES SHOULD BE WORN ON P.E. DAYS! Reference current class schedules for the day that your child has PE because it may change each nine weeks. REPORT CARDS/Mid-term/Progress Reports Report card/progress reports are issued every 9 weeks for grades K-5. Mid-term reports are given about 4 - 5 weeks into the new term. Additional parent-teacher conferences are encouraged. Conferences are extremely important to keep up with the progress of your child. Students in K, 1^st, and 2^nd will receive developmental progress reports and students in grades 3 – 5 are given letter grades at the term and mid-term. Third graders receive letter grades for the first time. It is important to realize that Mastery Levels in grades K-2 are not necessarily an A or B in Third Grade. Teachers will issue mid-term progress reports to all students during the fourth week of the reporting period. This report will indicate the student’s strengths and needs. SCHOOL DAY/HOURS The school day begins at 8:15 A.M. and ends at 3:15 P.M. for all students K-5. Educare will be available for all children who arrive before 7:45 A.M., at a nominal fee. Please do not drop students off before 7:45 A.M. Students who come to school before 7:45 A.M. are not supervised unless they are in Educare. Pre-kindergarten hours begin at 8:00 A.M. and end promptly at 1:30 P.M. SCHOOL INSURANCE School insurance is available for purchase. Information regarding such insurance will be included in the materials sent home on the first day of school. STUDENT SAFETY The front door of the school will be unlocked at 7:45am daily and locked at 4:00pm daily. Students arriving before 7:45am must enter through the designated Educare door. ALL visitors and volunteers must enter through the main doors on the Chilhowie Avenue side of the building. In compliance with state law and in the interest of safety, all visitors must register in the office and wear identifying badges. Only authorized persons listed on the student’s Emergency / Enrollment card may pick up the student. SCHOOL SYSTEM PARENT/FAMILY INVOLVEMENT POLICY The school district shall be governed by the statutory definition of parent involvement as cited in the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA), and shall carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with this definition. The School Board shall implement the following as required by federal and state legislation: § The school district will put into operation activities and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its schools. Those programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents. § The school district shall incorporate activities and strategies that support the district wide family and community engagement policy into its Tennessee Comprehensive Systemwide Planning Process (TCSPP). § The TCSPP shall include procedures by which parents may learn about the course of study for their children and have access to all learning materials. § The TCSPP shall include strategies for parent participation in the district’s schools which are designed to improve parent and teacher cooperation in such areas as homework, attendance and discipline. § If the school district’s TCSPP is not satisfactory to the parents, the school district shall submit any parent comments with the plan when the school district submits the plan to the State Department of Education. § To the extent practicable, the school district and its schools shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in an understandable and uniform format and including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand. § The school district shall appoint a Family and Community Advisory Council that will annually assess, through consultation with parents, the effectiveness of the Family and Community Engagement Program and determine what action needs to be taken, if any, to increase parental and community participation. In order to accomplish this, each advisory council shall be composed of representatives from parents of students in elementary, middle and high schools, community business leaders, a member of the school board, and representatives from the school district. STUDENT PERFORMANCE Report cards will be sent home following the end of each 9 weeks. The grading scale is as follows: For Grades K-2 For Grades 3-5 Follow grade specific A = 94–100 Excellent assessment key found on B = 86-93 Above Average Report Card C = 75-85 Average D = 70-74 Below Average F = 50-69 Failing Students receive awards for academic, attendance and Lifeskills efforts each nine weeks at their grade level academic assembly. TEXTBOOKS Textbooks are distributed to your child for his/her use during the school year. These books are the property of the Johnson City Board of Education and shall be returned to the student’s teacher at the end of the school year or upon withdrawal. Parents or legal guardians are responsible for the textbooks received and used by their child(ren). TITLE I North Side is a school wide Title I Federally Funded School. This designation provides additional funding for our school to be used for personnel, equipment, supplies and staff development. These additional resources enable our students to receive help in promoting their educational progress. UNEXCUSED TARDY/EARLY DISMISSAL REGULATIONS (SYSTEM AND SCHOOL POLICY) School attendance is a major factor in determining the academic success of students. Arriving on time and remaining the entire school day provide students with full academic instruction. Acceptable reasons for being tardy or being dismissed early would include medical or dental appointments (doctors’ excuses required) or a death in the immediate family. UNEXCUSED TARDY – A student arriving at school after 8:15 a.m. for unacceptable reasons UNEXCUSED EARLY DISMISSAL - A student leaving before 3:15 p.m. for unacceptable reasons. If a child arrives at school after 8:15, a parent must come into the office to sign a child into school. Upon the third unexcused tardy and/or early dismissal in a grading period, the student will be subject to one or more of the following consequences: loss of free play, after-school detention, and loss of privileges (including field trips and field days). The school principal has the authority to implement “time for time” procedures that would allow students to make up time missed from school. TARDY PROCEDURES** · 3-unexcused: parent call · 6-10-unexcused: One day of lunch detention for each tardy (EXCEPT KINDERGARTEN) · 10-unexcused: conference w/ Mr. Church · 15+ unexcused: Privileges will be lost on a case by case basis * * * * * * * Johnson City Schools prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. North Side does not practice or condone discrimination in admission or access to its programs or activities. If you feel you have been discriminated against in any way you should contact the principal. Parents of the students at North Side have the right to inspect and review educational records of their children. These records are confidential and their contents may not be disclosed to outsiders without prior parental consent except under circumstances as provided by law or regulations. Parents may obtain a copy of the child’s educational records , and may also seek correction of any fact in the record which is believed to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s rights, including the right to a hearing upon request.