Student Handbook

The guidance you may need to help you to make the most of the opportunities on offer at Finkids

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Finkids Parent and Student Handbook

School Attendance Information for Parents Introduction Receiving a good full-time education will give your child the best possible start in life.
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To all students

We extend a warm welcome to all students entering Centertown Elementary. Centertown Elementary has a history of academic excellence, and we encourage all our students to continue on this path of excellence. We have a variety of extra-curricular activities that offer each student an opportunity to take part in one or more activities of his or her choosing. We look forward to working with the parents or guardians of our students. The Partnership of parents/guardians and teachers helps each student reach his/her potential. A complete listing of local policy is contained in the Policy Manual of Warren County Board of Education. This manual is on file at the Central Office Teacher’s Center at 2548 Morrison Street. Interested persons may review this policy manual during regular office hours, 8 am – 4 pm, Monday-Friday.

MISSION STATEMENT

We are a learning community dedicated to the success of every student.

VISION OF THE SCHOOL

Centertown’s faculty and staff are committed to helping each student achieve excellence in learning, social responsibility, and self-worth to attain career/college readiness and life-long success.

ADMISSION AND IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

Students entering a Tennessee school for the first time must present proof of age, residency zone of Centertown School and Warren County. Children entering school (K-12) must have the required immunizations or the appropriately documented exemption. The state of Tennessee has new immunization requirements for entrance into the 7th grade. Students without proper documentation for immunizations will be sent home until documentation is provided (Board Policy JGCA). Students entering kindergarten must have reached the age of 5 on or before August 15th of the current school year.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Centertown School does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age or handicap in the provision of educational programs, activities, or opportunities.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

This, and any, type of harassment will not be tolerated. Students should report any incident of harassment to his/her teacher, counselor, or principal.

NEGLECT/ABUSE POLICY

Students should tell their teacher, guidance counselor, or other school employee if they feel they are being neglected, hurt, or abused by someone or if they know a friend who is neglected or abused. Abuse Hotline number is 1-877-237-0026.

CHILD NEGLECT AND ABUSE POLICY

According to TCA 37-1-412, anyone having suspicion or information suggesting child abuse/neglect is required to report it to the Department of Children Services (DCS) at 473-1524. Students should tell their teacher, guidance counselor, nurse, or other school employee if they feel they are being neglected, hurt, or abused by someone or if they know a friend who is neglected or abused.

VISITORS

When visiting the school. please park in a designated parking spot. All visitors are required to report to the office when entering the school, sign a logbook, and receive a visitor’s badge. The faculty and administration welcomes the opportunity to meet with you and discuss your concerns. Please schedule a time to meet with your child’s teacher after class so this does not interrupt instructional time. If a parent needs to give his/her child a message, they must go to the office and the child will be called.

SCHOOL DELIVERIES

Our school opens for students at 7:00 and students should NOT arrive before this time. Student arriving at 7:00 should report to the cafeteria or gym as instructed by their teachers. School begins at 7:45 a.m. Students should enter through the front of the building. Parents are asked to report to the office and make arrangements to visit classrooms. Safety is our primary concern. Please use caution and do not exceed the 15 mph speed limit while on school campus. Cell phones usage while driving is prohibited by a new state law while on campus. Violations are subject to citation by law enforcement officers. Please do not drop students off in front of the gym; this is a safety concern. The school day is over at 2:45 p.m. Students who walk home or ride with parents may leave at this time. Students must be picked up by 3:10.

TARDIES

Being at school and class on time is essential for optimum teaching, learning, and earning promotion to the next grade. School bus transportation is provided free of charge to students in Warren County. For this reason, tardiness related to car problems, traffic, oversleeping, etc. are not valid reasons for tardiness.
School begins at 7:45. Due to heavy volumes of traffic around 7:30 am, it is advised that you plan accordingly. Students are released to go to classrooms at 7:40. Students must be in their classrooms when the 7:45 bell rings, or they WILL be tardy and MUST report to the office for a tardy slip. NEVER drop your child off if he/she is tardy, without coming inside to sign the student in! If the child is tardy and is not signed in, you will be called and asked to come back to school to do so.
•Three tardies or unexcused early dismissals within the same quarter will result in a warning being issued and the parent notified by the attendance clerk.
•On the 4th tardy or unexcused early dismissal within the same quarter, the student will receive two hours of After School Instruction (ASI) and the parent will be called for a conference at the school.
•On the fifth tardy or unexcused early school dismissals within the same quarter, the student will have a mandatory meeting with the school principal and/or District Attendance Director and the student will be placed on an attendance contract for the remainder of the quarter. If the student is out of zone, the student will be required to attend the school they are zoned.

SIGN – OUT

When it becomes necessary for a student to leave during the course of the school day, he/she must be signed out in the school office by the parent, guardian, or parent designee. No student is to leave campus for any reason at any time unless he/she has been properly signed out. The individual signing the student out is to report to the office. The office will then contact the student. Authorization cards (yellow cards) are to be filled out when a student registers. Only persons whose name appears on the student’s card will be allowed to sign the student out. STUDENTS SIGNED OUT EARLY OR REPORTING LATE WILL ACCUMULATE TIME COUNTING TOWARDS A DAY’S ABSENCE. Students going home with other students must have a note signed from the parents stating who the student will be leaving with and on which bus the student will be riding. This note must be brought to the office and initialed by the secretary and then given back to the student to give to the bus driver. This gives the student permission to ride the bus for that day. All arrangements must be made in advance or the student will follow their regular routine. Students will not be permitted to call home to make arrangements. DUE TO RECENT SAFETY CONCERNS, PHONE CALLS CHANGING A CHILD’S PICK-UP PLAN WILL NO LONGER BE ACCEPTED. Parents must report to school to change a child’s pick-up plan. For the safety of our students, the will be no sign-outs in the office after 2:30. Proof of identity will be required if school personnel are not acquainted with you. Please have a photo ID.

DROP OFF

Due to safety concerns, student drop off will not be allowed before 7:00 a.m. Please be advised that if your child is dropped off before the door opens, you may receive a phone call from the SRO or school administration. A lane in front of the building is available for parents to pull forward and drop off students. Beginning at 7:30, an employee will assist your child to exit the car and enter the building since this is a high traffic time for drop off. Parents who wish to park and not get in line will need to walk their child to the door. Students do not need to be released in the parking lot to enter the building unescorted due to high volumes of morning traffic. The drop off line moves efficiently if students are prepared to exit when they reach the front of the line. Please be courteous to other drivers by pulling in and parking if you are not prepared to immediately release your child to enter the building when at the front of the drop off line. Please do not pull up and release your child on the opposite side of the building. This is the bus lane and children are not supervised to enter the building from this direction. Phone calls from the SRO or school administration may be placed if this safety violation is observed. We would like to ask drivers to observe the school zone speed limits as they leave the campus. Cell phones usage while driving is prohibited by a new state law while on campus. Violations are subject to citation by law enforcement officers.

DISMISSAL

School is dismissed at 2:45. Students who walk home or ride with parents may leave at this time. All students will be picked up in the car rider line. Due to heavy traffic volume and traffic control, there will be no sign-outs in the office after 2:30. The drive next to the gym will be used for Kindergarten students and their siblings due to the additional time that it takes for these students to load and be buckled up by their parents. This line will not be available to Kindergarten parents after 3:00 due to bus loading zones. Any Kindergarten student or sibling that is not picked up by 3:00 will be transferred to the regular car rider line, and their parents should get in that line to pick up students.