Parent/Student Handbook for 2009-2010

The UT Elementary Peacekeeper Pledge

Message from the Principal

Welcome to The University of Texas Elementary School for the 2009-2010 school year. This handbook provides a reference for pertinent details regarding our school and questions you may have throughout the year. Our goal is to provide the best education possible in a warm, supportive and safe school environment for each student.

We hope to build a reputation for a progressive attitude and involved parents. We invite you to become actively involved in your child’s learning. We know that your involvement, combined with our excellent faculty, will make this year a rewarding experience for your child.

"Hook 'em Little Horns!"

Sincerely,

Melissa Chavez, Principal

Dr. Ramona Trevino, Founding Principal/CEO

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the University of Texas Elementary School is a three-fold: to develop students into lifelong learners through rigorous research-based curricula delivered in a nurturing environment that includes parental and community involvement; provide opportunities for professional development and outreach for the University’s academic units; and serve as a model of an exemplary program for diverse learners.

U.T. MASCOT

The mascot of U.T. Elementary is the Little Longhorn. The school colors are burnt orange and white.

EARLY MORNING

The school doors are opened at 7:15 a.m. Students in grades 1-5 assemble in the community room in designated grade level areas. The school day begins at 8:00 a.m. with brief daily announcements in the community room. The instructional day begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:30 pm. Students MUST be picked up by 3:45 p.m. unless they are transported home on the bus, go to childcare, or have a teacher sponsored activity after school.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH

Breakfast is served from 7:20 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. for grades K-5. Breakfast is $1.75 and Lunch is $2.75. All meals must be prepaid for students to receive a meal. If your student’s account goes in the negative 3 times in the school year, an agreement will need to be made with the principal for the student to stay at UTES. Money will be collected on Mondays and Tuesdays and meals need to be paid for on weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Applications for the Child Nutrition Program are available in the school office.

ATTENDANCE

Regular, on time, attendance is essential to achievement. Attendance is checked each day at 10:00 a.m. If students are not at school at that time, they are recorded absent. Parents must provide a valid doctor's note, parent written documentation, and turn it in to the Attendance Clerk when a student returns to school. Parents must request make-up work for students when they have an excused absence for an extended period of time. Perfect attendance will be recognized at a special assembly in May. After 5 absences or tardies/leave earlies, the parents will be required to discuss their child’s attendance with the principal. After ten or more days or parts of days, the campus will file with the court system. Excessive absences, tardies, and leaving early without valid excuse will warrant expulsion from UTES and court action. Students will be withdrawn after five consecutive absences without contact from parent.

TARDINESS

Students arriving after 8:05 a.m. are tardy and must have a note from parents. The beginning of the day is valuable instructional time and when students are tardy, they not only start the day behind their peers, but they also disturb the learning process already in progress in the classroom. Tardy slips are issued from the office, documented on the report card, and four or more in a grading period will impact perfect attendance. Please make every effort to get your child to school on time. Excessive tardies will warrant expulsion from UTES and court action.

LEAVING SCHOOL DURING THE DAY

Any student leaving the building during school hours must be signed out in the office by a parent/guardian who is listed on the child’s registration form. Teachers will not release a child to a person who is not on this form. Parents are asked to NOT go to the classroom, but to pick up and sign out students from the office. No student is to leave the grounds without permission from the office. Parents are encouraged to limit early pick ups. These count as a part of state attendance requirements similar to a tardy.

WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL

When parents wish to withdraw a child from school, they should contact the school office at least one day before the date of withdrawal. Before a student can be cleared to withdraw, he/she must return all textbooks, library books, and pay meal balances, and for lost or damaged books. School records will be sent upon request from the new school.

AFTER SCHOOL CARE

UT Elementary does not have an on-site after-school care program. Please contact the following after-school programs for enrollment information, fees, and availability: Pan Am Rec Center at 476-9193, Zaragosa Rec Center at 472-7142, Metz Rec Center at 478-8716, Camacho Rec Center at 391-1863, Rosewood Rec Center at 472-6838, YMCA at 236-9622, and East Side Story at 322-2350.

CLASS/BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Class parties are at Winter Holiday, Valentine’s Day and at the end of the year. Parents are invited to participate in class parties. Birthday parties are not allowed in the classroom and invitations may not be passed out at school unless every student is invited. Parents are asked to coordinate treats for the class to enjoy after lunch time. Balloons or other floral decorations are not allowed in the classroom. Those delivered remain in the office until the end of the day.

STUDENT DRESS

UTES has a daily student uniform of burnt orange or white collared shirt and khaki pants, shorts or skirt. Each student will receive three uniform shirts from the UT Coop yearly. Additional shirt order forms will be made available through the office. Students without a collar (i.e. T-shirt) or have a colored shirt under the uniform shirt are not considered in uniform, and will be asked to change. Students are expected to wear appropriate shoes for PE and play. Flip-flops are not appropriate for school. Please keep hair appropriate for school setting. Unnatural colors and cuts can be distracting to the educational setting.

PERSONAL ITEMS

Parent cooperation in limiting the amount of unnecessary items such as toys, radios, playing cards, CD players, electronic games, sunglasses, etc. is greatly appreciated. These interfere with the learning process. The school will not be responsible for any personal property brought to school, including jewelry. If taken away by administrators, these items will only be returned to parents. You will be informed by the classroom teacher of dates when personal items would be appropriate for “Show and Tell”.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Students are expected to have the necessary supplies for school each day. These supplies should be clearly labeled. Please tell the school office if you are in need of school supplies. Gang writing/tagging is not allowed on any school supply items.

PARENT VISITATION

Parents are encouraged to visit the school through the year. Making an appointment with the teacher at least a day in advance is not only a courtesy, but also enables you to schedule the visit for maximum benefit (the class may be taking a test or going on a study trip). Teachers cannot stop instruction to visit with parents who “pop-in”. Please sign in at the office and get a visitor sticker before going to any classroom teaching area. Please limit your visit to 30 minutes. Teachers will be happy to discuss your observation with you at a mutually convenient time. You are always welcome to visit and eat lunch with your child or volunteer in the classroom. Please arrange your volunteer time with your child's teacher. Video taping other students while visiting is not allowed.

TELEPHONE USE

The school phone is a business phone and is not used to make personal calls. Students may get permission from their teacher to use the phone in case of an emergency. Students may not carry or use cell phones at school.

COMMUNICATION

A monthly bulletin from the principal will be sent home with each child. Please take time to read these over. They will contain important information to keep you current on school meetings, issues, policies and services. Grade level newsletters are sent home monthly and will be sent electronically to families with Internet access. These newsletters will keep you informed of class activities and instruction. Please discuss newsletters, notes, and reports with your child. Your child's teacher will send a Parent Communication folder home each Thursday to inform you of your child’s progress and important events and information. Parents are also encouraged to read their teacher's webpage found at www.utelementary.org. Please read carefully and respond or ask questions as necessary. Principal Coffees are held each month with tours given afterward. The principal encourages you to come and meet with her.

REPORT CARDS

Report cards are sent home every nine weeks. Grades will not be given the first nine weeks in grades PK-1. Each reporting period the parent will receive written comments. Please read the comments and review grades with your child, sign and return the report card envelope each nine weeks. Any student failing or borderline at the mid-nine weeks will receive a written progress report.

CONFERENCES

Teachers and/or parents may request a conference when desired; however, the teacher must attempt to schedule a conference when the student’s grades are failing or the student is doing borderline work in any subject. The request for a conference is marked on the report card, along with scheduled time and date. UTES will hold parent conferences October 13 and February 16. Parents are required to attend all Parent Conferences.

HOMEWORK

At UT Elementary School, students are expected to follow through with homework assigned by the classroom teacher. Each student is expected to practice their reading at home daily and record their efforts in a nightly reading log, as well as complete assignments in one core content areas. Failure to complete homework will result in a homework referral to the child’s parent. The child’s parent will be called by the teacher on the 3rd homework referral. The student will receive a discipline referral to the office on the 4th homework referral. It is an expectation of enrollment at UT Elementary School that homework be complete by students and supported by parents or guardians.

DISCIPLINE

All students have a right to learn; therefore, no child is permitted to disrupt learning. School-wide rules and consequences are posted in all classrooms and communicated to parents at the beginning of each year. Severe disruptions would warrant an immediate Discipline Referral to an administrator. When this occurs, parents will receive copies of the form, which they will sign and return. All parents are required to sign a UT Peace Plan.

UTES school-wide rules are:

• Listen to others
• Follow directions on 1st request
• Respect self, others, and property
• Make safe choices
• Always do your best

Students will eat breakfast and lunch each day in the community room. While eating in the community room students are expected to:

• Show respect for others;
• Clean up after themselves;
• Eat only their food; and
• Talk quietly.
• Follow nutritional guidelines.

STUDY/FIELD TRIPS

Parents will be notified in advance whenever children leave campus on study trips. All study trips are planned for educational purposes only. When private transportation is used, students must have a permission and transportation form signed by the parent. We appreciate parent volunteers, but space can sometimes be limited on the bus. Please communicate with your child’s teacher if you plan to attend a field trip.

SECURITY

Any visitor who is not a student or staff member MUST SIGN IN at the front office and get an identification sticker. All gates are locked throughout the day with the exception of the doors to the main hallway. If a family has special custody or security concerns, it is the family’s responsibility to inform the school in writing and provide copies of court orders that give or deny permission to specific parties.

TRAFFIC AND SAFETY RULES

For smooth and safe student drop-off and pick-up times, all parents/guardians are asked to comply with the following safety rules:

Students are reminded to walk on all sidewalks and cross only at crosswalk.

Keep all traffic in the left lane when using the circle drive at drop-off and pick-up. The right lane is for the bus; students are getting on and off the bus there.

Follow the directions of the Crossing Guards (Ms. Chavez) at all times. They are there to keep traffic moving and children safe.

DO NOT park in the fire lanes, even if for brief periods of time.

DO NOT park in the disabled parking area in front of the circle drive. These parking spots are for our children and parents with special needs.

During drop-off and pick-up times, keep traffic flowing in circle drive. DO NOT park your car in the circle drive to walk your child to the door. DO NOT park in staff parking spaces. DO park your car on the street.

DO NOT stop your car in the crosswalk area. The crosswalk is utilized by all of our students and parents during drop-off and pick-up. Stop your car before the crosswalk when a crossing guard is bringing your child to your car.

When the weather is bad, it is especially important that we follow all the traffic safety rules. It will take a little longer, but it will ensure the safety of everyone.

TEXTBOOK AND LIBRARY BOOKS

It is the responsibility of the school and the principal to issue, collect, care and account for all state-adopted textbooks. All textbooks and library books that are lost, damaged, or destroyed by a student are paid for by that student at the state established price.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

The volunteer program is designed to enable parents to participate in the educational process of our school. Parents have the opportunity to volunteer in several areas such as: in-classroom, clerical, at-home and other. In-class volunteers assist teachers in the classroom with small groups of students. This takes approximately one hour a week. These projects usually include cutting out laminating, making posters, making copies, and other handwork. There are many other events in which volunteers are needed. All parents are required to volunteer in some manner during the school year.

PARENT FORUM

The Parent Forum provides an important and necessary foundation on which the academic program can successfully build. We encourage all parents to become involved in their child’s education by joining the UTES Parent Forum. All parents or guardians are required to sign a compact with UTES to assure the success of their child. This includes assuring your child’s attendance at their grade level program.

BUS TRANSPORTATION

The bus driver has the responsibility for the safety and conduct of students riding the bus to and from school. Students are to obey the driver at all times. Failure to abide by bus rules could result in a bus referral, suspension or revocation of bus riding privileges. Check with the front office for UTES bus route.

HEALTH SERVICES

Effective February 15, 2008, the UTES School Nurse shall have the capacity to exercise his or her professional judgment regarding the fever exclusion policy. If a student is demonstrating symptoms, including a fever lower than 100.4°, that suggest illness of a contagious nature, that student my be required to leave school for the day. During times of reported illness cases, such as flu or strep throat, these measures may be enforced to protect the students and staff who are currently feverish and symptom-free.

MEDICATION: Any medication, which cannot be taken at home and must be administered during school time, must be sent to the office in a labeled bottle. A medical consent form signed by Parent or Guardian allowing us to administer the medication must be completed before we give the medicine. Proper utensils for measuring and dispensing the medication must also be sent (spoon or medicine cup.) All prescription medicine must be in ORIGINAL LABELED CONTAINER. The container and your notes must include: student’s name, name of medicine, purpose of medication, dose, time of day when it is needed, and how the medicine is taken.

EMERGENCY CARE INFORMATION: It is very important that we have a complete registration form on file for each child. All telephone numbers e-mail addresses, and street addresses should be recorded and kept up to date so that a contact can be made as soon as possible in the event of an emergency. A parent will be called to pick up a student from school if they are injured, ill, have a 100.4º temperature, or lice. Parents are expected to pick up their child up as soon as possible. Students sent home with fever may not return to school until fever-free for 24 hours, without any medication. Students sent home with lice may not return until the hair has been treated and nurse sees a difference in child’s hair. The school office will not release students to individuals not listed on the registration form. Special permission for someone else to pick up your child must be sent in advance and must be in writing. Parents may stop by the school office to add or delete names as appropriate. All parents should have a telephone number where they can be reached during the school day. Persons who are picking up students must provide identification.

LICE: Even though UTES is animal-friendly, lice cannot attend school! Students who have live bugs may not return to school until treated. If nits remain, the student will be sent home and not allowed to return until nit free. The nurse or office staff will be happy to assist parents in learning how to eliminate these pests from our lives. If we discover that a student has lice, notes will be sent home with all students in the class. Parents are asked to carefully check their child for several weeks after an infestation has been discovered. Persistence is the only way to deal with these parasites; working together we can beat it! Nit-picking is a must!

NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES

UTES has adopted the following nutritional guidelines. When selecting foods for your child, please follow them closely:

Foods with Minimal Nutritional Value (FMNV) are restricted during the school day from 7:30 to 3:30. This includes candy, gum, soda and popsicles (unless they contain fruit juice).

Competitive foods are restricted during breakfast and lunch periods.

Fried foods such as French fries and fried chips are restricted to once a week.

We recommend juice or milk for the drink option for meals.

The school may decide on three school events to be designated as a special time for consuming FMNV.

The school supports the "Square Meal" recommended snack list: graham crackers, animal crackers, pretzels, fig newtons, vanilla wafers, fresh fruit, low-fat pudding, string cheese, fruit/nut/grain trail mixes, carrots/broccoli/cauliflower/celery.

Campus approved field trips are exempt from the nutrition policy.

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