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Parent Handbook and All School Code of Behavior

A student entering Kindergarten must be five years of age by October 1, and official certificates of birth and Baptism are required at the time of registration. Students entering Grade 1 must take a readiness test and be six years of age by October 1. Students registering for grades 1 through 8 must fulfill the age requirement for the desired grade level and present letters of recommendation from their previous school. Grade level and academic group determinations are made on the basis of school records. In addition, a limited battery of academic/skills tests will be administered to all new students to verify placement.

Required immunization records must be complete as listed below:

• Diptheria/Tetanus: 4 doses - one dose after 4th birthday

• Polio: 3 doses

• Measles: 2 doses on or after 1st birthday

• Mumps: 2 doses on or after 1st birthday

• Rubella: 1 dose on or after 1st birthday

• Hepatitis B: 3 doses

• Varicella: 2 doses on or after 1st birthday

• Meningococcal (MCV4): 1 dose on or after 11th birthday

• Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis (Tdap): 1 dose on or after 10th birthday
  

Registration for the fall term of 3 and 4 Year Preschool and Kindergarten classes begins on the first instructional day in January. While annual registration is required for the 3 Year and 4 Year programs, further registration is not required once a child is registered for Kindergarten.

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2.2 Attendance (Absences/Tardiness)

Regular attendance at school is a major factor in academic success, and the Pennsylvania School Code requires 180 days of instruction for each student attending schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Absences

Absences from school are defined as either Excused or Unexcused according to the guidelines set forth in the Pennsylvania School Code.

• Excused Absences: Excused absences include illness, quarantine, impassable roads, recognized religious holidays, and urgent reasons such as a death in the family or court appearance. The state guidelines also permit an Excused Absence for Educational Trips, if a request is sent to the school prior to the dates of the trip. If no prior notice is received, the absence is classified as unexcused.
  
  Family trips are discouraged while school is in session. Since the yearly calendar is sent out at the end of the school year, there is sufficient time to plan vacations when your children are not in school. Making up assignments and work upon the child's return to school does not begin to touch the rich exchanges that occur constantly while the lessons are presented.
  

• Unexcused Absences: Absences which do not comply with the guidelines above or for which a written excuse is not received within three days is classified as unexcused.

Parents of students in the 6th, 7th and 8th grade ONLY must report their child's absence EACH DAY by contacting the school office (412-881-2958) prior to 9:00 AM. (Please note that the school office opens at 7:30 AM.)

Upon returning to school from an absence, a student must submit a written excuse to his/her homeroom teacher as required by state law. This excuse, which must state the reasons for the absence, is maintained "on file" for the academic year.

Truancy

According to the Pennsylvania School Code, Section 1332, "The absence of any pupil who remains out of school with or without his parent's permission, and is not absent because of illness or for other urgent reasons, as defined in the School Code, shall be unexcused. Such absence will be recorded as 'unlawful-unexcused' for a pupil who is under the compulsory attendance age." Section 1333, "Any such child who has been absent three days, or their equivalent, during the term of compulsory attendance, without lawful excuse... shall be given written notice. If, after such notice is given... attendance is again violated by the person, such person shall be liable... for referral to the magistrate." Thus, when a child accumulates 10 days of absence, truancy will be investigated. If there is a question of truancy, the situation will be referred to the Allegheny County Truancy Task Force for further investigation and resolution. This action reflects the responsibility of the school and the parent to ensure that students fulfill the state requirement of 180 instructional days each year. In view of this, parents/guardians of students who acquire excessive absences may be required to provide documentation from a physician indicating that the absences are related to an existing medical condition.

Tardiness

Tardiness is absence for part of a day. Students arriving after 8:10 AM will be marked tardy by the homeroom teacher. Children arriving after 8:10 AM are to report to the School Office before going to the classroom. When time tardy contributes to a truant situation, it will be tallied as partial days absent.

Early Dismissals for Students

Parents should make every effort to schedule appointments at a time that school is not in session. However, if a child must have an early dismissal, he/she must have a written note that states the time and the reason for the early dismissal for the principal's approval. For these dismissals, parents or an authorized adult must meet the child at the office and sign him/her out at the authorized time.

Students who arrive later than 10:00 AM will be marked as absent for the morning; students who leave before 12:30 PM will be marked as absent for the afternoon.

Scheduled Early Dismissals

Faculty meetings, which provide opportunity for the professional growth of every faculty member, are generally scheduled once per month at St. Elizabeth Elementary School. On these days (as indicated on the yearly school calendar), dismissal of students will begin at noon and conclude at approximately 12:15 PM. There will be no lunch period on these days, but the Bake Sale provides a "sweet treat" as well as (y)our contribution to a designated charitable institution. Through your generosity, we are able to help the children realize that, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we must provide for those who are in need. This is the same purpose for non-uniform days, usually also scheduled on early dismissal days.

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Bus Transportation

Students who live beyond the 1.5 mile radius from the school and those who live along a route which has been declared "hazardous" by the Board of Education Transportation Division are eligible for bus transportation.

All students in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including students attending non-public schools, are subject to the student transportation policies and procedures of the local educational agencies responsible for busing students. Therefore, bus transportation is provided by the school districts who arrange the bus stops and schedules. For reasons of safety and insurance, each child must ride his/her assigned bus. Insurance regulations also dictate that students from one district may not ride a bus of another district.

Students are expected to maintain appropriate behavior while on the bus. In particular, students are to observe the following regulations:

• Be courteous and cooperative with the driver as the person who is in charge of the vehicle and its occupants. Any instructions given by the driver are to be followed.
• Observe the same conduct with one another as is expected on school property.
• Remain seated at all times until the correct stop is reached. If the driver has assigned seats, these seat assignments are to be honored.
• Keep head, hands, and feet inside the bus.
• Refrain from loud talking or distractive behavior. For reasons of safety, the bus driver must be able to clearly hear emergency vehicles and issue instructions to students.
• Do not eat or drink on the bus.
• Do not use profane language or vulgar talk.
• Do not deface the bus in any manner.

The driver of each bus issues misconduct notices. Consequences are determined by the action. Generally, the following procedures will be followed when a student violates the above regulations:

• The first individual, specific offense results in parent notification.
• The second offense results in a 3-day suspension from the bus.
• The third and continual offenses result in suspension from the bus for a time determined by the nature of the offense.

If a student forfeits bus privileges due to inappropriate behavior, the student/parents are responsible for making other arrangements for transportation to/from school.

Car Riders 

Students who are transported to/from school by private car enter and exit the school via door 7 as described in Section 2.4 on Traffic Patterns.

Walkers

Students who walk to/from school by private car enter and exit the school via Door 7 as do car riders. Hence, for reasons of safety, walkers are dismissed at the end of the day shortly after students who ride the bus or are transported via private car.

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2.4 Traffic Patterns

When children arrive at school, they go directly to the classrooms after 7:55 AM. Students should not arrive before 7:30 AM. Between 7:30 and 7:55 AM, students report to the cafeteria where they are monitored. No child is permitted in a classroom until it is monitored by a teacher. On arriving in their classrooms, students follow the guidelines set up by their homeroom teacher. 

Car Riders - Arrival

For the safety of the children, parents who drive their child(ren) to school must adhere to the traffic pattern described below:

1. Enter Campbell Drive by way of Brentview (beside the Rectory). Turn in our parking lot by the Day Care Building (former Convent).
2. Follow the yellow arrows that indicate "one way traffic". Circle to Door 7 and discharge your child(ren) at the door. DO NOT PARK IN THE LINE OF TRAFFIC.
3. After discharging your child(ren), leave the parking lot with caution, turning RIGHT on Campbell Drive toward Irwin Drive.
4. At arrival and dismissal Campbell Drive is a one-way street for the safety of the children.

Car Riders - Dismissal

Again, for the safety of the children, parents who drive their child(ren) to school must adhere to the procedure described below:

• Give your child a note which is signed by you stating that the child is to be a car rider on a given day.

          - The child has the note signed in homeroom and takes it with him/her when car riders are called.

          - Car riders wait silently in the hall so they can hear the announcement of their names.

          - The child hands the note to the teacher at the door as s/he leaves to get in the car.

• Drive into the school grounds WITH CAUTION by way of Campbell Drive.
• Drive into the parking lot near the church and loop around in two lanes to Door 7.
• As you get to Door 7, your child's name is called and s/he is dismissed to your car.
• Leave the property and the street WITH CAUTION, always turning RIGHT.

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2.5 Emergencies

Emergency Information Cards

It is imperative that the school be able to contact parents/guardians in the event of an emergency situation or illness. Therefore, parents are required to complete a Student Emergency Card at the beginning of each school year. Please complete this card and return it by September 6. This will enable the school to contact a designated person in the event of an emergency concerning your child. Since parents are not always available, it is also important to supply information regarding alternate people to be contacted if parents cannot be reached. Keeping this information up to date is a necessity. For your child's sake, please inform the school immediately of any change  in address, telephone number, or family status.

Emergency Closings and Delays

St. Elizabeth Elementary School will CLOSE only if the Baldwin-Whitehall School District closes. Delays, however, will be determined by the district which transports your child(ren) (West Mifflin, West Jefferson, City of Pittsburgh, etc.) and must be honored by you and the school. If your district closes, you will have NO transportation even if St. Elizabeth is open. It is your decision as to whether you can provide the transportation to and from school. 


Emergency Dismissals

In the event that school must be dismissed early, the St. Elizabeth Emergency Phone Chain will be activated. An information form for this chain is provided at the beginning of each school year. The chain begins by the school office phoning the parents in charge of the chain. These parents will phone the parents for whom they are responsible. In cases of unexpected early dismissal, it is very important for parents to wait for the call from the phone chain rather than calling the school office.

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 2.6 Cafeteria/Lunch Program

All children must eat a lunch during the lunch period by either participating in the hot lunch program or bringing a lunch from home. Lunches are prepared at St. Elizabeth and are reasonably priced. Lunch tickets for 1-5 days may be purchased daily, weekly, or monthly. A menu, sent home each Friday (or last instructional day of the week) indicates what will be served the following week.

Free and/or reduced lunches are available to anyone who qualifies. Participation in the government program benefits the school. You are encouraged to take advantage of the program if you are eligible.

A la carte items, extra milk and orange drink hot pretzels, snacks, ice cream, and extra entrees are available. No a la carte item may be purchased unless the main part of the lunch has been eaten. Extra entrees are only available to those children who purchase a hot lunch on that particular day.

Anti-discriminatory Policy: Children who receive free or reduced price meal benefits are treated the same as children who pay for meals. In the operation of child nutrition programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex, color, national origin, age or handicap. If you believe you have been discriminated against, write immediately to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.
NOTICE to all parents, Legal Guardians, Teachers and Staff Members Pursuant to the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), our school was inspected by a certified AHERA inspector. A Management Plan was developed and submitted to the State of Pennsylvania Department of Education. A copy of our Asbestos Inspection Report and Management Plan is on file in the administration office of our school. Our school will be re-inspected by a certified AHERA inspector every three (3) years. Our maintenance staff conducts its own inspection each December and June.

Proper decorum and good manners are encouraged at all times; therefore, the following cafeteria rules are to be observed by all students:

• Students are to be courteous and respectful to all those helping during any lunch period.
• Students are to remain seated unless performing a necessary act such as disposal of garbage, etc.
• Students are not to remove food from the cafeteria. Students must also refrain from abuse of food - theirs or that belonging to others.
• Students are to walk in the cafeteria.
• Students are to refrain from shouting or screaming. Meals should be a time to enjoy each other's company.

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2.8 Field Trips

Field trips are planned in order to enrich the learning experiences of the children. A schedule of the trip (departure time, return time, lunch, and cost) will be sent home several days prior to the trip on the diocesan permission release form. Unless that form is signed by the parent/guardian and returned, the child will not be permitted to participate.

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The Department for Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Pittsburgh provides the following recommendations for daily home study:

Parents' attitude toward their children's homework and reports is a crucial factor, and their assistance has been sown to make a significant difference in the child(ren)'s learning experience. The following are some ways in which parents can aid students' homework efforts:

• Provide a quiet place for study away from television, telephone, or other distractions.
• Check that designated study time is used well and that assignments are completed correctly and neatly.
• Be willing to listen to assignments requiring reading and memorization (such as spelling and acquisition of mathematical facts). Also, be willing to explain procedures, but please do not do the assignment for the student.
• Contact the teacher if "I don't have any homework." or "I did all my homework in school." occurs too frequently.

If, for some reason, a child cannot complete an assignment, the parent should inform the teacher of the reason in a written note. Arrangements should be made to complete the assignment as soon as possible.

A parent can also help a child by notifying the teacher of any recurring homework problems.

Assignments for Absent Students

After 3 consecutive days of absence, homework may be requested for a student. Requests should be made early in the day so that material may be prepared by the end of the school day.

Teachers are not obligated to prepare assignments for students who are absent for family trips.

2.10 Messages

Messages regarding a change in transportation at dismissal time MUST be made to the school office prior to 2:00 PM. A change should only occur in the event of an emergency, NOT on a daily basis.

No student is permitted to use cell phones during school hours. Cell phones, brought to school for use after school, must be turned off and kept in the student's locker. The office phone may be used if a matter is questionable or urgent.
 

• Intramural basketball for girls and boys (Grades 1 - 3)
• Instructional basketball for boys and girls (Grade 4)
• Rec League Basketball for boys (Grades 6-8)
• Diocesan League girls' and boys' basketball (Grades 5 - 8)
• Diocesan League girls' and boys' volleyball (Grades 5 - 8)
• Cheerleading (Grades 4 - 8)
• Soccer (Grades 1 - 8)
• Cross Country for girls and boys (Grades 3 - 8)

• Student Council is an elected position of student leadership. To be an officer on Student Council requires a minimum average of 80% in every major subject area; the guidelines of Student Council determine the action taken for failure to maintain this average.
• Behavior of all students involved in extra-curricular activities and/or Student Council must be in accordance with the Code of Behavior of St. Elizabeth Elementary School. Removal for behavior or repeated disciplinary action is an option that exists at the discretion of the principal.
• Participation in extra-curricular activities is encouraged. However, if at any time a student begins to experience academic difficulty, participation in extra-curricular activities may be curtailed after discussion between parents and principal.

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3.0 Curriculum

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