Parent Handbook / Primary School Policies
Revised February, 2005
All Parents and Guardians are responsible
for the following information.
HOURS OF FACILITY
•
The school is
open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Please check calendar for early dismissal
days.
•
A fee of
$1.00 per minute will be charged for children picked up after 5:45 p.m. or
after indicated early dismissal times. This late pick-up charge will be paid
directly and immediately to the child care provider on duty.
•
Please write
in the time your child is dropped off and picked up each day on the sign-in
sheet.
TUITION & CHARGES
•
The registration fee and the tuition/fees deposit are due at the
time of registration. The registration
fee is non-refundable. The tuition/fees
deposit can be rolled over from one year to the next for reregistering
families.
•
Tuition is
due on the 1st of the month.
No statements will be sent out unless there are additional fees or
credits. Checks or money orders are to be left in the payment box. Cash must be given to a teacher, and a
receipt will be issued to you. Tuition rates and other fees are made known to
parents prior to registration and are accepted by the parents at the time of
registration. Parents are therefore
responsible for paying the correct monthly amounts for their children.
•
There is a 15
minute grace period after the scheduled time for each program to pick-up
children. Children picked up after this
grace period will be charged for extra care at an hourly rate charged in ¼ hour increments or part of.
•
Late Charges: Monthly payments arriving in the office
later than the 2nd of each month, will be assessed a late fee of
$5.00 per day. Should full tuition
payment plus late-payment charges not be in the office by the 10th
of the month it may result in the student’s dismissal.
•
Delinquent or
overdue tuition is ultimately the responsibility of the child’s parents or
legal guardians.
•
A statement
is sent out to all parents having child care expenses at the end of the year
along with the school’s EIN number for tax purposes, but if you need a monthly
receipt in addition to this, please contact the office.
•
No tuition
credit is extended for vacation time or sick days. If you plan on being gone for an extended
time period during the school year, the full month’s tuition will be required
to hold your child’s spot.
REFUND POLICY & EARLY WITHDRAWAL
•
Notification of withdrawal must be given to the office 30 days in advance, otherwise a full month’s tuition
is due. With proper notification, mid-month
withdrawal will be prorated.
•
Upon early withdrawal the tuition/fees
deposit will not be refunded.
•
The tuition/fees deposit will be refunded
in full upon the student’s completion of
the entire school year,
provided there are no outstanding charges.
Any unpaid charges will be deducted from the refunded amount. The refunds will be made within 30 days after
the last school day. These deposits may
also be rolled over should the student re-register for the following school
year.
•
Should a
registered student be unable to attend,
the school administration must receive notification
prior to May 15th in order to receive a full refund of the deposit.
No refund will be given for
notification after May 14th.
CHILD’S RELEASE
For your child’s
safety and protection, no child will be released to anyone other than a parent
or person whose name appears on the registration release form or on the
Emergency Information card unless arrangements have been made by a parent
stating the name of the person to whom the child will be released. This person must be at least 18 years old and
will need to present picture identification.
DRESS
•
Please dress
your child appropriately for outside play and for the weather. Unless it rains, the children will go outside
every day.
•
“Flip-flops”
or “thongs” are dangerous footwear for outside play. Please provide safe and appropriate outside
footwear during all seasons.
•
Jewelry
should be worn at home. It can be
distracting to your child’s work and can easily break.
•
When the
weather starts to turn wet and nasty, “outside
footwear” will be required for your child to play off the patio area. This can be boots or another pair of
shoes. This footwear may be left at the
school until the wet season is over.
•
Please
provide the school with a complete change of clothes, including underwear
and socks, in case of accidents. Place clothes in a shoe box or similar container with your child’s name on the
outside. Whenever your child has an
accident, please send a fresh set of clean clothes.
•
If your child
is sent home in the school’s extra clothing, please wash and return them.
Primary Parent
Handbook – 2 of 3
NAP TIME
•
All children
are provided with a floor mat for nap time.
Blankets are not required, but if your child should bring one, please have it be small and in a nylon or plastic sealable container (i.e. small day pack,
duffel bag, sweater bag). Blankets are
to be taken home at the end of the week,
laundered, and returned clean
for the beginning of the next week.
•
Only one
small stuffed animal and one very small pillow may also be brought
if your child “needs” them. All of
these items should fit inside the sealed nap-time bag. (NO dolls, toys, or
standard size pillows, please! They will
be sent home! )
LUNCHES
To help the
teachers spend less time in the kitchen, and more time with your children,
please ………
•
Try to send a
cold lunch whenever possible.
•
Foods that
need warming (leftovers ) should take no longer than 1 - 1 ½ minutes in the microwave.
•
Such foods
should be in a microwave-proof container, with a lid, that can go directly into the microwave, and
from which the child can then eat.
•
Do not fill
containers too full of food.
•
NO TV or FROZEN DINNERS, nor CUPS OF RAMEN
NOODLES Please! They take too long.
•
Please
provide the following in your child’s lunch box: nutritious food, a drink, eating utensils, and a cloth place-mat or
large cloth napkin. The
place-mat/napkin make taking trash to the garbage can
a cinch!
•
A
frozen ice pack preserves perishables in the lunch box, but if there are any
items that need refrigeration, please place just those items, not the entire lunch
box, in the refrigerator. Have your child’s name on them, and inform your child
what and where they are, so they can be independently responsible for them.
SNACKS
•
The school
does provide low-, or no-sugar snacks.
The snack sign-up sheet is on a voluntary basis only. For parents who do
sign up to bring a snack, please make it nutritious. Fruit
is always a welcome treat!
ILLNESS AND MEDICATION
•
Children with
a contagious disease, a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, severe vomiting,
or severe diarrhea should not be sent to school.
•
Medications
will only be administered when the conditions stated in the Medication Policy
have been met.
•
Any children
with head lice and/or nits will be sent home immediately, and may not return
until totally lice and nit free!
IMMUNIZATONS
All children
enrolled at Rose Hill must provide proof of immunizations or provide a letter
of exemption (for medical or religious reasons only). It will be the parent’s responsibility to
keep immunizations current according to the Central District Health Department
schedule and to provide the school with all updated records. Failure to do so within 14 days of needing an
update on a shot may result in the student’s dismissal.
HOLIDAYS / CLOSURES / EARLY DISMISSALS
Please check the
attached School Calendar or the calendar on the bulletin board for days the
facility is closed, and days the school closes at noon. Children picked up after 12:00 noon on early
dismissal days will be charged $1.00/minute late pick-up fee.
Should the public schools in Boise be
closed for snow, our school will also be closed.
Closures are announced early on most local radio stations.
TRAFFIC PATTERN
For safety and
efficiency, all cars should enter the driveway on the west and exit on the
east.
KINDERGARTEN FOLDERS
A large clasp
envelope with your child’s name on it will be placed on his/her shelf every
Monday. It will contain your child’s
Kindergarten work for the previous week.
Please take the time to go over the work, sign the front sheet, and
return the envelope on Tuesday. This
should provide an easy way to stay informed on your child’s progress and what
is being covered in the class.
Primary Parent
Handbook - 3
ORIENTATION EVENING
Prior to the start
of the school year an evening is set aside for teachers to acquaint parents
with some of the school policies and their classroom policies. All new families or parents that had not
attended in one of the previous years are expected to attend. All others are encouraged to attend.
OPEN HOUSE/PARENT EDUCATION NIGHT
One evening a year
is set aside for the parents to come and learn more about the Montessori Method
and Philosophy. Please watch for the
announcements on the bulletin board and in your child’s cubby.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent
conferences are held each fall and spring to provide a meeting to discuss and
share the progress of your child. Sign
up sheets are in each classroom previous to each conference time. Shared communication is an integral part of
providing an optimal experience for your child.
Special
meetings outside conferences may also be arranged should circumstances or
issues deem necessary.
Should you need to address a teacher
regarding a concern, please send a note or leave a message to have the teacher
contact you at a convenient time. Please don’t be inconsiderate of the entire
class by coming in at the start of the school day and expecting to have a
discussion with a teacher.
PTO
Rose Hill has a
very active Parent Teacher Organization that offers yet another avenue for you
to be involved in your child’s school and education. The PTO is a non-profit organization whose
purpose is to
support the school by building community and
raising funds to enhance your child’s educational experience. Annual events include a Spaghetti Dinner or
Chili Feed, Ice Cream Social, and Silent Auction.
It has also
sponsored the All 4 Kids Consignment Sale, the Yearbook Committee, School
T-shirts, and various other fund-raisers.
In the past the PTO has provided support to send teachers to Montessori
conferences, covered the cost to provide each student with his own yearbook,
purchased classroom
materials to support the Montessori equipment, as
well as provided the fabulous climbing structures you see on the
playground. As you see, the school and
your child benefit directly by the work of the PTO.
Please plan to be
involved in some way. The PTO meets the
second Tuesday of each month at the school from
MISCELLANEOUS
•
No toys are to be brought to school, unless appropriate for Share
Day. Books from home are always welcome.
•
Party invitations are not to be given out at school
unless the entire class is invited. Mail
the invitations or call the parents at their homes. A class list will be provided.
•
The Tumble Bus comes to the school to do a
gymnastics program for the primary students.
This is an optional program for an extra charge.
•
Check your child’s shelf and the bulletin board daily for announcements: Share, Field Trips,
•
There is a
Lost & Found Box in the Office/Mud Room for all unclaimed objects and
clothes. Items left in there more than a
month will be thrown away or donated.
Please contact us when your child needs
extra attention, and if you feel your child has a problem at school. We will make every effort in assisting
him/her and easing his/her anxieties.
Attached are: Discipline
Policy, Illness Policy, Medication/First Aid Policy, & Immunization Policy
Thank you for your cooperation with the
school policies.
Parent Handbook
Attachment – 1 of 2
Discipline Policy
The goal of a child’s behavior is to obtain recognition and a feeling of significance. When these cannot be gained through positive behavior, the child quickly learns to use any behavior that works.
Behavior is determined by its consequences. A consequence is what happens as the result of an action.
A “misbehaving” child needs to be redirected by consistently applying positive consequences for positive behavior and arranging predictable, logical, and undesirable consequences for undesirable behavior. Ways need to be found to meet the child’s need for significance and recognition at times when his behavior is acceptable.
At Rose Hill Montessori clear limits are set and
consequences are defined. “We’re going to go outside to play now; you
can either play on the equipment without fighting, or you can sit on the bench
while the others play without fighting.
You decide.”
This eliminates a majority of behavior problems before they arise. It places responsibility for the child’s behavior in the child’s hands. He/She is the only one that can control it anyway.
At times limits need to be set on the spot. We….
“Play with the puzzle without throwing the pieces or it will be put on the shelf until tomorrow.” The choice is to “behave” or lose a privilege.
The consequences must be reasonable and respectful of the child. The verbal message must have no implications of anger, or punishment, or moral judgment. The adult’s attitude must be casual with mild regret.
Consistent application of logical consequences maintains a positive atmosphere between the adult and child. It trains through the reality of the situation. It teaches the child to be responsible for his/her own behavior. It trains the child to develop self control for the future. It develops inner discipline.
ILLNESS POLICY
The following illness policy
is designated to protect the health of your child, the other children in the
school, and the staff.
·
It is important
for the parent/guardian to have back-up child care or be able to leave work if
her/his child is too ill to be in school.
·
If a child should
become ill while in school, and in the opinion of the teacher is too ill to
remain, the child’s parent will be notified immediately to pick up the child
within 1 hour.
·
A child who
becomes ill while in school will be separated form the other children and made
as comfortable as possible.
·
Please DO NOT bring your child to school if she/he had diarrhea, vomiting,
or a fever of 100 (orally) within a 24 hour period.
·
Please notify the
school immediately if your child or a family member is diagnosed with or
exposed to an infectious disease or head lice.
·
You will be
notified if a child attending this school has been diagnosed with an infectious
disease or head lice.
GUIDELINES
FOR EXCLUSION. A child will be sent home if any of the
following apply:
·
A fever of 100 or
higher
·
Severe vomiting
or at least 2 incidents
·
Severe diarrhea
·
The child is too
uncomfortable to remain
·
The child has
head lice and/or nits
Parent Handbook
Attachment - 2 of 2
MEDICATION / FIRST AID POLICY
Rose
Hill Montessori will secure emergency
medical and/or surgical treatment from a licensed physician and/or hospital
should such be necessary. All reasonable
efforts will be made to notify a parent/guardian before such action is
taken. All expenses of such emergency
care will be accepted by the parent/guardian.
A minor accident report will
be filled out for every incident for which a child must be given first aid
treatment.
A parent/guardian will be
notified if the injury is significant or if there is a request to notify them
of all injuries.
A major accident report will
be filled out for every incident and the parent/guardian will be notified
immediately.
Medication will be administered if the following
policies are followed.
1. Prescription medication will be given if
2. Non-prescription medication will be given if
Fever reducers will not be given unless a note from a
doctor accompanies them stating that the child is not contagious.
IMMUNIZATION POLICY
According to Idaho Code
39-1118, all enrolled children must provide proof of immunizations or provide a
letter of exemption (for medical or religious reasons only). It will be the guardian’s responsibility to
keep immunizations current according to the Central District Health Department
schedule and to provide the school with all updated records. Failure to do so within 14 days of needing an
update on a shot will result in the student’s dismissal.