Turnberry Elementary
Student Handbook
2012-2013
Please read the handbook with your children.
Reading and understanding the policies will help students have a positive year.
SCHOOL HOURS:
The school day begins at 8:30 am and ends at 3:30 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday’s, the school day will run from 8:30am to 2:15pm. Student supervision will begin 15 minutes before school and end 15 minutes after school. For safety reasons, please do not allow your students to arrive at the school prior to 8:15am as they will be alone outside. For families who need supervision for their children prior to 8:15, contact our before and after school daycare program. Additionally, students not picked up when supervision ends after school will be brought in to the office to contact families. Students continually not picked up will be placed in before or after school care and charges may apply.
ATTENDANCE AND REPORTING AN ABSENCE:
In order to meet the educational demands of all children, it is essential that your child be at school. Student attendance is critical to the educational process. A student who is only 5 minutes late every day loses 15 hours of instruction in a school year. Please try to schedule events, vacations, and appointments, around school hours. We do recognize that there are circumstances that would prevent your child from coming to school. In the situation where your child cannot be in attendance, please call the office attendance line to report the absence by 9:00 a.m. If you fail to call in by 9:00 a.m., you can expect a call from the automated phone system to verify the absence. Communication between parents and school helps us keep track of your child. Please help us in this effort by communicating whenever your child will be absent. We will also try to arrange for your child to get missed class work, homework, and books. If attendance becomes a concern, Turnberry’s attendance liaison will arrange a conference.
TARDINESS:
Classroom teachers will take attendance at 8:30 am. If students arrive after 8:30 am, they must report to the office before proceeding to their classroom. Students will receive an entry slip, which enables us to better prevent attendance errors. If tardiness becomes a concern, a conference will be held with the parent and child.
STUDENT CHECK OUT:
A parent or guardian is required to sign out students before leaving the school campus. No exceptions. Parents will be need to present photo verification and sign their child out of school. Students will not be released to individuals, other than the parent or guardian, unless previous arrangements have been made.
PHONE CALLS/ MESSAGES:
Students will be allowed to use the office telephone in the event of an emergency. Classroom phones are not answered during the school day to limit interruptions to student learning time. If you need to contact your child during the school day, please stop by the office or call the direct line at 720-685-5350. The school will be happy to get a message to your child as long as it is received no later than 3:00 pm.
PARENT VISITATIONS:
Parents are always welcome to come and visit school anytime. They will be asked to notify the classroom teacher ahead of time and sign in the office. All adults wishing to enter the school will be required to show identification. Once parents or visitors have signed into the office, they will receive a “VISITOR” badge. Parents or visitors who are not wearing a badge will be asked to sign at the office.
LUNCH AND BREAKFAST:
Students will have the choice of buying a hot lunch or bringing their own sack lunch. Hot lunch is available to purchase for all 1st through 5th grade students and those enrolled in full day Kindergarten and EDK. Milk is available with hot lunch and can also be purchased with a cold lunch. Nutrition Service packets for free/reduced meals are available in the office. Meals may be paid for with cash, check, or online with a credit card at www.payforit.net. There is a charge maximum of $5.25. Once the limit is reached, students will be given an alternative meal of homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a white milk until the balance is paid in full. This meal will not be charged to their account. Breakfast will be available for students between 8:00 and 8:25 am. Lunch times vary according to grade level.
Lunch Prices: Breakfast Lunch
Kindergarten through 5th grade ….……$ 1.25 ………and……… $2.00
Adults …………………………………$ 2.25 ………and……… $3.25
MEDICATION:
Any student who needs to take medication at school, whether it be a prescription or over the counter medication, will need to pick up forms from the Turnberry office to be signed by both parents and doctor. before any medication can be distributed by the school. The office will keep records of any and all medication distributed. No medication will be administered without the proper documentation on the proper forms provided by the school. Medication does not carry over from year to year and will be destroyed if not claimed by the parent at the end of the school year.
ACCIDENT PROCEDURES:
You can expect that your child will be safe from harm while at Turnberry Elementary; however accidents do occur sometimes. Our health aide is certified to administer basic first aid to injured students. In case of a serious accident, parents will be contacted immediately. If the parent cannot be reached, we will contact the emergency person recommended by the parent. It is critical that parents keep the school up-dated on all phone numbers and emergency contacts.
IMMUNIZATION:
No student shall be permitted to attend or continue to attend any school in the district without meeting the legal requirements for immunizations against disease unless the student has a valid exemption for health, religious, personal or other reasons as provided by law. Students who do not submit a certificate of immunizations or present a valid exemption shall be suspended and/or expelled from school until such certificate or exemption is received. If at any time there is danger of an epidemic from a communicable disease for which immunization is required, students on an exemption status will be required to be immunized, or will be excluded from school until the danger is over.
LOST AND FOUND:
Students who have lost items should first check with their classroom teachers and the lost and found located in the main hallway. Valuable items will be handled and secured by the school secretary. It is the student’s responsibility to care for personal equipment at all times, as the school is not liable for ANY lost or stolen items.
WEATHER DELAYS/ SCHOOL CANCELLATION:
There may be a number of factors that would cause Turnberry to start late, end early, or cancel school. All cancellations will be broadcasted over various radio and television stations. Please listen for District 27J delays and cancellations before calling the school.
Television Channels: 2-WB, 4-KCNC, 7-KMGH, 9-KUSA, 31-FOX
FM Radio: KSIR-107.1, KBCO-97.3, KBPI-106.7, KISS-95.7, The Fox –103.5, KTCL-93.3, KYGO-98.5, KCKK-104.3
AM Radio: KOA-850, KKFN, KCUV-1150 (Spanish)
TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM SCHOOL:
Transportation to and from Turnberry will be consistent with the District 27J’s policy. Riders shall have the option of being bused to and from school for the required fee. Students who fall outside of the attendance boundary for Turnberry will not be provided district transportation. Families should contact the transportation department with questions about busing at 303-655-2991. Students are allowed to ride bikes, skateboards, and roller blades to school, but will not be allowed to ride these while on school grounds. Motorized vehicles are prohibited. On occasion, parents may request that students ride the bus home with a friend. Students must have permission slips signed by their parent and Mr. Minne prior to doing so.
If you are transporting your child to and from school, please follow the guidelines while at Turnberry:
Drop off and pick up should only occur next to the sidewalk. Dropping off and picking up from the middle lanes creates a safety concern for all kids who must weave through traffic.
The drop off and pick up lane should not be a parking spot. Please do not leave your car. If you must, circle back around the parking lot to pick up your kids.
Arrange a safe meeting place for you and your kids to meet every single day. Inconsistent meeting places result in confusion and lost children and parents.
BE PATIENT. Our parking lot is always cleared within 10 minutes. 10 minutes is not worth an accident.
BE AWARE. Know your surroundings as you drive through our parking lot and do not back up from the drop off pick up area, kids smaller than your vehicle may be behind.
Educate your children. Please help reinforce to your students that they should cross in designated areas and not run across the parking lot. We do have staff that prohibits this, but extra reinforcement is appreciated.
Buckle Up – It is the law.
SCHOOL-PARENT COMMUNICATION:
PHONE CALLS AND THE AUTOMATED PHONE SERVICE:
Turnberry will call parents for a variety of reasons: concern, praise, events, etc. We also have an automatic phone system that will allow us to send a message to all parents in our student database. The automated dialer will keep you regularly informed. It may sound similar to an advertisement, so please be patient with it. If you’d like to be excluded from the automated phone service, please contact the office and we will honor your request.
PLANNERS:
All Turnberry students will be given a daily planner. This planner will help students organize their class work and homework, as well as provide the teacher and parents with a mode of communication. Parents and teachers should expect that each child bring their planners to and from school on a daily basis. Notes between teachers and parents can take place in this planner, as well as homework assignments being more detailed. Help us stay on top of your child by checking in with their planner use regularly. Replacement planners are $10.00, so help support your child with the responsibility of caring for it.
REPORT CARDS AND PROGRESS REPORTS:
Teachers will regularly communicate the progress of each student with the parents/guardians. Progress reports will be sent home quarterly. A written evaluation in the form of a report card will also be shared with parents at the end of each school quarter. A student’s academic standing and personal growth should never be a surprise to the parent. Parents are encouraged to regularly check in with the teacher to monitor their child’s growth. If you do not have access to Infinite Campus, stop by the office for information.
PARENT – TEACHER ORGANIZATION:
The purpose of this organization is to encourage an active partnership between the parent community and the school. All parents are welcome to attend monthly meetings and actively support the various school programs offered throughout the year. Contact the school office for meeting dates/times.
STUDENT DRESS CODE:
Students should dress in a manner that is appropriate for school and the weather. Appropriate dress and appearance of students shall rest with individual students and their parents. Modes of dress, hairstyles, and personal grooming habits will be accepted provided they are not disruptive, offensive, compromising to student safety, or contain any inappropriate logos or mottos that could deter the health, safety, or morals of individuals. The following dress is not appropriate for Turnberry Elementary
· Hats, caps, scarves, pajamas, slippers, sunglasses or bandanas worn in the building, except for extracurricular activities and events.
· Ripped clothing which becomes revealing or a distraction.
· Exposed midriffs or backs
· Clothing, hats, body markings or jewelry that display offensive words, phrases and text, profanity, or advertise illegal or restricted substances. (i.e. alcohol, drugs, tobacco, etc.)
· Costumes
· No immodest clothing – as indicated by the following guidelines:
ü No tube tops or halter-tops and no strapless tops.
ü No bare skin exposed between the shirt and pants – either sitting or standing
ü Shorts and skirts need to be of appropriate length. Shorts and skirts should extend to the length beyond the tip of the thumb when arms are relaxed at your side.
If a student's dress or appearance does not represent the values of Turnberry Elementary, the students will be asked to correct the situation immediately. This will take place in one of two ways:
1. Students will be asked to contact their parents to resolve the situation by changing into appropriate clothing.
2. The school will provide alternative clothing for the duration of the day (this will usually means sweats and/or plain tee-shirts).
STUDENT CONDUCT:
Students shall conform to the policies and regulations of the School Board, the Superintendent of schools, building principals, and teachers. The rights and responsibilities of students apply to all school functions both away from the school and on the school premises. Parents shall be responsible for their children’s regular attendance at school ensuring their arrival on time, proper dress, and in condition of physical health and mental alertness to benefit from instruction. School staff will be responsible for the conduct of students when in their classes, on school property and when supervising students outside school hours.
DISCIPLINE:
The person to handle minor infractions of classroom and building rules is the classroom teacher, or the person aware of the infractions. Parents will be notified if behavior does not improve, minor infractions continue, and/or a major problem arises. Conferences will be held with parents, students, teachers, and administrator to make sure all parties are aware of the problem, and to reach a solution to the problem. Students will be held accountable for their actions.
CONSEQUENCES:
Consequences can and will be enforced by the classroom teacher, lunch/playground supervisors, as well as school administration. In determining consequences, individual statements, due process, and further investigation will occur prior to consequence assignment. Assigned consequences will be at the discretion of school officials and may include the following:
ü Loss of recess
ü Class removal
ü Assigned detentions (before school, lunchtime, or after school)
ü Conference with a student
ü Discipline referral filed by supervising teacher
ü Student/Parent contracts
ü In/Out of school suspensions (student held in office or removed from school)
ü Expulsions (student removed from school and not allowed to return)
Repeat infractions will result in increased severity of the consequences. Parents should expect to be notified by the school of the behavioral infractions of their children. In severe cases resulting in suspension, parents will be asked to pick up their child immediately. They will be asked to attend a re-entry conference at the conclusion of the suspension date as well. A formal conference may be scheduled with the parents, child, teacher, and principal to develop an Academic or Behavioral Plan as well.
PARENTS ROLE IN ENSURING STUDENT SAFETY:
Student safety is and must be an entire school community effort. Please do your part to ensure the safety and welfare of our children and assume responsibility for the following:
ü Know what your student is bringing to school in his/her backpack.
ü Always enter our school through the main entrance/front door and sign in at the main office. Don’t be surprised or offended if you are asked to show your driver’s license or asked to return to the office to sign in again.
ü Help police our school. Every adult in our school should be wearing a visitor sticker. If they are not, introduce yourself and ask who they are here to see, why, and if they knew the policy of checking in at the office.
ü Talk to your child about school and the walk home regularly.
ü Help your child become a problem solver. Many times kids lack the communication skills to be effective problem solvers. Help them brainstorm solutions to playground woes and empower them to ask for help if they need it.
ü Call when there is a concern, rumor, or question. Over communicating is better than not saying anything at all. Your help can increase our ability to identify and solve problems.
ü Drive with extra caution around the school. Drop off and pick up will take 10 minutes. Allow for this time in your schedule and do not rush to get out of the parking lot. Students should only be picked up or dropped off from the round-about curb. Your child should not be running through cars in the parking lot. If you are going to park, come and get your child and be their escort.
ü Encourage your child to be an advocate for what is right. Encourage him/her to use his/her voice and to tell an adult at school when there are problems
CELL PHONES on SCHOOL GROUNDS
Student use of cell phones is prohibited during school hours at Turnberry. If a student is asked to carry a cell phone by parents (ie. the student walks home and phone is for safety), the phone must be kept in a secure location by the student until the end of the day. The camera function of a cell phone or other electronic device is strictly prohibited on school premises at all times. Students who violate this provision of the policy will have their cell phone confiscated and a parent/guardian will be required to pick up the device from the school office. The use of cell phones and/or other electronic devices while riding to and from school, or to and from school-sponsored activities, is at the discretion of the bus driver. Distracting behavior that creates an unsafe environment will not be tolerated.
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