Student Handbook Dear Parents, Students, and Friends, On behalf of the staff at Bee Log Elementary School, we welcome each of you to this new school year. As usual, we have many exciting, interesting activities and projects planned for this year. Our expectations and commitment to our students are very high. We pledge our best efforts in creating learning environments that challenge and value your child. The involvement and support of the home is critical to student success. Your interest in providing the time and resources necessary to promote learning both in and outside the school is invaluable. Together we can build a great school that fosters personal growth and achievement and creates a community of learners who care about and enthusiastically support the needs of each other. We thank you for your support and hope for your continued involvement. SCHOOL OPERATIONS POLICES SCHOOL HOURS The School will not be open until 7:30 a.m. Students are not allowed into the building until 7:30 a.m. Buses will unload at 7:30 a.m. Breakfast is served from 7:40 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. Academic instruction will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. It is very important that students arrive on time. School is dismissed at 2:30 p.m. Students should be picked up by 2:45 p.m. When you must get your child before dismissal time of 2:30 p.m., please come by the office and sign your child out. The School secretary will call for your child. ATTENDANCE Yancey County Board of Education believes that regular school attendance is of utmost importance to the educational achievement of each student. Further, the Board affirms that the primary responsibility for regular attendance resides with the parents/guardians and the individual student. The law recognizes this fact and mandates that children between the ages of seven and sixteen will attend school regularly. The five and six year old who register for kindergarten must now follow attendance procedures also. Absences will be recorded as excused or unexcused. Please make sure you bring a note on the day you return to school from an absence. Give the note to your teacher. The note must be signed by your parent/guardian. Without written notice, we will record the absence unexcused. Excusable reasons according to the North Carolina State Board of Education Compulsory Attendance Rules (NCAC2D.0400) are as follows: 1. Late or no bus 2. In-school suspension 3. Death or serious illness in the immediate family 4. Student illness (proper signature) 5. Educational opportunities 6. Legal procedures 7. Religious observances 8. Circumstances beyond student control For further information, please refer to the Yancey County Schools Attendance Policy. TARDINESS School will begin at 8:00 a.m. Academic instruction will begin promptly. Students will be counted tardy after 8:00 a.m. On a two hour delay students will be counted tardy after 10:00 a.m. Three tardies equal one absent. It is most important that students arrive on time. Parents who bring their child in tardy are contributing to class interruptions and missed instructional time. Teachers are not required to repeat work for students who miss activities due to tardiness. Please come by the office and sign your child in. Please refer to the Yancey County Schools Attendance Policy for further questions. TRANSPORTATION Every effort is being made to provide safe, reliable transportation for students attending Bee Log Elementary School. The teacher should be notified with a written notice in advance when you wish to pick up your child in the afternoon instead of him/her riding their regular bus. RIDING A DIFFERENT BUS If a child is to ride a school bus other than his/her regular bus, he/she must present a note from the parent/guardian requesting this action. Please do not call the school at the end of the day requesting a bus change. If a child does not bring a note they will be put on their regular bus. BUS POLICY All students who ride a school bus may be assigned to a seat. The following procedures shall be followed in handling cases of misconduct on the bus: First Offense: Conference with the driver, student and principal. The parents will be notified by the principal that the student has been placed on probation. Second Offense: Conference with driver, student and principal. A one day suspension from riding a school bus. Parents will be notified by principal. Third Offense: Conference with driver, student and principal. A three day suspension from riding a school bus. Parents will be notified by principal. Fourth Offense: Conference with the driver, student and principal. A five day suspension from riding a school bus. Parents will be notified. Fifth Offense: Automatic suspension from riding a school bus for ten days. Sixth Offense: Automatic suspension from riding a school bus for nine weeks. For gross misconduct, students may be suspended from the bus immediately for a period time determined by the principal. For repeated occurrences of misconduct a student may be suspended from riding a bus for the remainder of the school year. CAR RIDERS If you bring your child to school by automobile, please circle and drop your child off at the front entrance to the building after the buses have unloaded. Please make sure your child enters the building if dropped off. If you need to come in the school, please park your vehicle in the parking areas. AFTERNOON PICK-UP Afternoon pick-up will be in the front entrance of the building. Students may be picked up after the buses leave. Please circle around the driveway for pick-up. It is unwise to back up on school grounds where children maybe behind you. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will a student be allowed to leave with anyone in a private car without the permission of the parents. You should provide the school with a list of names of persons who will be allowed to pick up your child. STUDENT INSURANCE The administration of Yancey County Schools analyzes several student accident insurance policies each year in order to make available the product providing the best benefits at the most affordable cost. These policies are sent home at the beginning of the school year. Parents are encouraged to review and consider this coverage. The school system’s liability coverage is a claims-made coverage through the North Carolina School Boards Association Trust. This does not cover accidental inquiries for which the Board or staff are not liable, does not provide medical payments coverage, and must be accessed through litigation. Yancey County Schools has contracted with the Federal Automated Recovery Systems (FARS) for the electronic collection of checks returned for insufficient funds (NSF). The school system will gladly continue to accept your checks; however, in the event your check is returned, your account will be debited electronically for the face amount and fees allowed by the state of North Carolina. Please include the following on all checks written to the school: your drivers license #, full name, street address and phone number. STUDENT INVOLVEMENT AND EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS BEHAVIOR Students are expected to respect the rights of others and to strive to do their best in all activities. Each student’s behavior should include language and actions that do not offend or injure others or damage property and also promote a positive and supportive school environment. Disciplinary action shall be taken if a student’s behavior does not conform to expectations. If suspension from school is necessary, a parent conference is required before a child can re-enter school. The board has adopted Yancey County Schools’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. Please refer to the enclosed information. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES Students are expected to fulfill all assignments given by teachers, and it is the student’s responsibility to ask questions of the teacher if an assignment is not understood. Students are expected to come to class with paper, pencils, and other required supplies, as requested by their teacher. Pencil and paper are available for purchase at the school store. STUDENT EVALUATION Grades reflect a student’s ability and effort to achieve. Homework reinforces skills learned during class time. A parent must assume mutual responsibility with the student for completion of these assignments. K-2 students will receive a progress report rather than grades. Students in grades 3-5 should earn a grade of 70 or better in language arts, reading, spelling, and math in order to be promoted to the next grade. Progress reports/report cards will be issued for students every nine weeks. Mid-term evaluation will be sent home each nine weeks. Study Buddies will be sent home nightly for review. Weekly homework envelopes will be sent home on Friday. VISITATION If you are visiting our school, please stop by the office and sign in with the secretary. The front door is the designated entrance and exit for security reasons. Visitor tags are available with the secretary. PARENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATIONS Parent-teacher communications are encouraged. If parents and teachers work together your child’s school year can be a great experience. Parents also need to keep teachers informed of things that can affect the child’s schoolwork; such as death in the family, fears, or concerns about school that are expressed at home. Teachers will keep parents informed about the child’s progress through notes, phone conferences (when necessary), and parent-teacher conferences. Conferences can be scheduled between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. We invite you to visit our school and your child’s teacher; however, we ask that you please schedule a time for a conference. Disruptions during instructional time are costly to both teacher and students. PTO The Bee Log PTO works with the school to provide better communication among parents, students and teachers. It provides beneficial information concerning parents and current educational concerns. It also helps provide funds for extra needs that cannot be met by local, state or federal funds. We will send notices home about PTO meetings. Parents are encouraged to participate. VOLUNTEERS Our school welcomes parent participation at our school. We encourage you to volunteer your talents by helping our students. One of the most important strengths of our school is the involvement of community adults. Please come and share the learning with us. TELEPHONE The office telephone is a business phone. The students will not be allowed to use the office phone unless it is an emergency. The student will be accompanied by school personnel when using the telephone. MEDICATION POLICY Yancey County has a medication policy (4224) to assure the safe administration of medication to students during the school day. You must follow this policy. (Refer to enclosed sheets of information.) Students may not transport or possess any medication at any time. Medication may not be given at school unless correct forms/signatures are completed. USE OF TOBACCO The use or possession of tobacco products on school grounds is strictly prohibited. Yancey County Schools are 100% tobacco free. WEAPONS In compliance with State Law (GS-115C391A), the Yancey County Board of Education is required to advise all students and parents of the following laws regarding criminal conduct occurring on public school property and of the Boards intent to strictly enforce all of the laws as well as its own Board policies concerning misconduct. No guns, knives, or any object that can be construed to be a weapon is allowed on school grounds. FIRE AND DISASTER DRILLS North Carolina law requires one fire drill each month and one during the first week of school. In case of a fire or other emergency, the signal to evacuate the building will be a continuous sounding of the fire alarm. Tornado drills are announced by the principal. There is an evacuation plan posted in each room, which shows the route of evacuation for that particular room. In case of an alarm, students will be directed to an exit area designated for their room. SCHOOL CLOSING OR EARLY DISMISSAL OF SCHOOL DUE TO WEATHER Decisions about school closings or early dismissals are made by the Central Office Staff. The safety of all children is our first concern when deciding if school must be closed, delayed, or dismissed due to weather conditions. In case of inclement weather (snow/sleet), listen to the area radio (WKYK) and television (WLOS-13) for school closings. School closing numbers are 682-1322 or 682-7322. The decision to close schools or delay opening will be made as soon as possible. Weather conditions sometimes worsen during the school day. If early dismissal of schools is necessary, the local radio will make the announcement. If in question, do not drop your child off at school. Please fill out and return all enclosed forms. These forms are kept on file with each child’s teacher. If telephone numbers, addresses, or designated emergency contact person(s) change, please notify the school immediately. FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA) Under the guidelines of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA or the Buckley Amendment), schools may release designated information that can personally identify a student without prior consent of the parent of eligible students. Please refer to the Yancey County Schools Student’s Rights and Responsibilities Handbook for further information. STUDENTS DRESS CODE The Yancey County School Board believes that the dress and personal appearance of students greatly affects their academic performance and their interaction with other students. The Board requests that parents outfit their children in clothing that is conducive to learning. A student will maintain personal attire and grooming standards that promote safety, health, and acceptable standards of social conduct, and are not disruptive, provocative, indecent, vulgar, obscene, or which advertises illegal drugs or displays obnoxious or indecent signs, symbols or drawings, or which endangers the health or safety of the student or others. Articles of clothing, which are offensive to race, creed, color, or sex will not be permitted. Refer to Yancey County School Board Policy Code 4316. CONTROL OF LICE & NITS Pediculosis (head lice) is recognized as a common parasitic infestation amoung school-aged children. Prevention, early detection and treatment are essential for head lice management. The Yancey County Board of Education's policy on head lice seeks to prevent and control infestation of head lice while maintaining confidentiality of each student and without disrupting the educational process of those involved. Students will not be isolated from the classroom nor shall they be required to miss educational time due to nits. When a child is found to have head lice, the parents shall be notified either by phone or in writing. Students may return to school upon completion of treatment. Parents must make every effort to remove all nits and provide proof of treatment. Students will not be admitted to school with live lice. Refer to Yancey County School Board Policy Code 4232. PROHIBITIO AGAINST DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT AND BULLYING The board acknowledges the dignity and worth of all students and employees and strives to create a safe, orderly, caring and inviting school environment to facilitate student learning and achievement. The board prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age and will provide equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups as required by law. The board will not tolerate any form of unlawful discrimination, harassment or bullying in any of its educational or employment activities or programs. Refer to Yancey County School Board Policy Code 1710/4021/7230. SHORT-TERM SUSPENSION A short-term suspension is the disciplinary exclusion of a student from attending his or her assigned school for up to 10 school days. A shot-term suspension does not include (1) the removal of a student from class by the classroom teacher, the principal or other authorized school personnel for the remainder of the subject period or for less than one-half of the school day or (2) the changing of a student's location to another room or place on the school premises. A student who is placed on a short-term suspension will not be permitted to be on school property or to take part in any school function during the period of suspension without prior approval from the principal. The principal or designee has the authority to determine when a short-term suspension is an appropriate consequence and to impose the suspension, so long as all relevant board policies are followed. Refer to Yancey County Board Policy Code 4351. USE OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICES The board recognizes that cellular phones have become an important tool through which people communicate with their children. Therefore, students are permitted to possess cellular phones and other wireless communication devices on school property as long as such devices are not activated, used, displayed or visible during the instructional day in the elementary and middle schools, during instructional time at the high school, or as otherwise, directed by local school rules or school personnel. Wireless communication devices include, but are not limited to, cellular phones, paging devices, two-way radios and similar devices. Refer to Yancey County School Board Policy Code 4318. ALERT NOW RAPID NOTIFICATION SERVICE Alert Now is a rapid communication service which allows Yancey County Schools and Bee Log Elementary School to notify parents of important announcements via the telephone. These announcements include school closings/delays/upcoming programs/activities, etc. In order to have effective communication through this system, please be sure the school has your current phone numbers. Also please notify us if your numbers should change. For further information on Alert Now, please refer to the handout you received in the Bee Log Elementary School “Back to School Packet.” |
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