School Handbook

WELCOME TO McKAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL This handbook will acquaint you with McKay Elementary School policies and procedures. Please familiarize yourself with expectations. McKay Elementary School is a very exciting and special place for students, parents and staff. It is a community devoted to learning and growing. Our staff is committed to providing each and every child with the very best learning opportunities possible. Your support in helping us maintain a positive and safe atmosphere conducive to positive learning is very important. Our rules and expectations are explained in this handbook. We want our children to learn and remember them. We ask parents to review the rules and expectations with their children before the end of the second week of school to reinforce our efforts at school. We expect our students to be safe, respectful and responsible. Such behavior is the mark of a good citizen. We encourage you to become actively involved in all aspects of the programs offered at our school. We look forward to making this a great year for you and your child.

 

 

Research tells us parental involvement raises the academic achievement of students. McKay Elementary School encourages involvement of parents to:

• volunteer in classrooms or on projects sponsored by the Parent Teacher Club
• serve on Site Council or the Community Engagement Committee
• attend Parent-Teacher Conference
• attend school events and activities
• make sure their children are in school every day, ready to work and ready to learn
• make sure their children complete homework, respect teachers and understand how education can help all students achieve their dreams, and be college and career ready

In order to build an even more effective home-school partnership, McKay Elementary School will provide the following:

1. An annual meeting at Back-To-School Night, to which all parents are invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of McKay’s participation in the Title I program and grade level expectations. The school will explain the requirements and the parent’s right to be involved.
2. A flexible number of meetings and activities throughout the year to assist parents in understanding the federal and state academic content and student achievement standards, as well as local academic assessments. Meetings will also focus on how parents and teachers can work together to monitor their child’s progress in order to improve student achievement.
3. A varied schedule for meetings and conferences in order to accommodate the needs of parents.
4. A minimum of one scheduled parent conference, where the progress of the student will be discussed as well as the expectations for the grade level, school curriculum, test information, and any other concerns the teacher or parent may have.
5. Frequent communication to assist parents in understanding how they can promote the education of their children at home. Articles will be written in the school bulletin, which will help parents become partners with the school in promoting the education of their child at school and home.
6. A school-parent compact, called the Plan and Profile, designed by parents and school staff that outlines how parents, school staff and students will work together to help students reach their individual goals.
7. A bi-annual survey of all parents to collect opinions and concerns about the current program and to collect suggestions for improvement and topics for meetings that meet the needs of parents.
8. Every effort will be made to communicate with parents in a format and language that is free of educational jargon and easily understood. Parents and community members are always welcome at McKay Elementary School. 

Beaverton Schools are concerned about the safety of your child(ren). Our elementary schools operate under a "closed campus" policy. This policy requires the school office be notified when:

• Students leave the grounds with parent/guardian permission
• Parent/guardian takes their child out of school for appointments, vacations, or transferring to another school
• Parent/guardians or visitors enter the building for any reason

All parents and visitors must sign in at the office whenever they are on the McKay campus. A visitor tag will be provided and is to be worn throughout the building.

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL DAILY SCHEDULE

7:45 a.m. - Buses begin to arrive; student supervision starts

7:45-7:55 a.m. - Breakfast

7:45 a.m. - Bell rings for students to enter classrooms

8:00 a.m. - Classes begin

2:35 p.m. -  Dismissal for grades Kindergarten – 5th grade

Arrival by Bike or by Walking Students crossing Scholls Ferry Road must cross where a crossing guard is present. If students are riding bicycles to school, they need to wear helmets. Once on school grounds, students are expected to walk their bikes. Bicycles are to be locked in the bike rack during school hours. Roller blades and skates must be removed before entering the school. (See Transportation on page 16 for more information)

Arrival by Car Our front parking lot is often congested with parents dropping their children off in the morning. It is imperative that all drivers follow the directions of staff directing traffic and practice extreme caution in the parking lot. Safety is our number one concern! (See Transportation on page 16 for more information). Please be courteous to other drivers, busses, and pedestrians during arrival/dismissal.

Arrival Time: Students can arrive at school at 7:45 a.m.
Supervision is not provided before 7:45 a.m

Options:

• Students should go directly to their assigned location at 7:45 a.m.
• Students may go to the cafeteria at 7:45 a.m. for breakfast.
• Students may drop off deposits for their MealTime account in the cafeteria, or notes from home regarding changes in after school plans to the office.

Students are expected to follow school rules from the moment they leave their homes in the morning until they arrive home in the afternoon.

Late Arrival: If a student arrives late to school, please have him/her go to the office and sign in before reporting to class. Excused tardies include sickness, family emergency, or medical appointment.

Dismissal: Students are to board the buses directly upon dismissal, wait for the crossing guard, or leave the school grounds by the most direct route for home or daycare. Students are to go directly home or to daycare from school unless they have written parental/guardian permission to remain after school or visit a friend's home.

Student supervision ends at 2:45 p.m. on a normal schedule.

If you encounter an emergency, please call the office to advise them of your late arrival. Change of Usual Plans Students must have a written note from a parent/guardian, countersigned by the classroom teacher and/or office staff, to ride a different bus or go home with someone different than usual. The signed note is to be given to the bus driver. Sending a note with your child helps eliminate interruptions in the learning process of the students. All arrangements should be made prior to start of school day. Students are not allowed to call home and change after school plans during the school day.

Leaving School Early: If it becomes necessary to have your child leave school during normal school hours, when possible, please inform the teacher in advance. This will help him/her plan and provide for the necessary make-up work. This procedure also helps eliminate interruptions in the classroom. The parent/guardian must sign the student out in the school office when the student leaves the building early. The student will be called from class when the parent/guardian has signed him/her out. Parent Visits to Classrooms Dropping into classrooms unexpectedly can be disruptive to the learning process. Parents are always welcome in classrooms as volunteers or observers; however, we ask that you make arrangements with the teacher in advance of your arrival. Please do not interrupt class to pick up your student or talk to the teacher. If you need to pick up your child, please come to the office and we will call him/her down. All Parents and Visitors must sign into the Office any time they are Visiting the School. As Per District Policy ALL Parents and Visitors must be Background Checked. This is a quick process that we are happy to support you with in the office

ABSENCES:

All children enrolled in school between the ages of 5 and 18 years of age are in addition required to regularly attend school. Occasional non-attendance due to an excused absence (as described below) is to be anticipated, especially during the elementary school years. Frequent nonattendance, however, is a concern and will be addressed by school personnel or local law enforcement official. Excused Absence IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT, PLEASE CALL THE ATTENDANCE HOTLINE @ 503-356-2171 BY 8:30 A.M. The school principal will be responsible for assessing and acting upon parental requests for students to be excused (school board policy). In general, absences for illness, bereavement or serious illness in the family, inclement weather, religious holidays, or emergencies will constitute an excused absence. For an absence to be excused for any other reason, it must be approved in advance. It is possible to be in violation of state law regarding compulsory school attendance if the child is absent for more than five days in a three month period or ten days on any six months. (ORS 339.065). Unexcused Absences Students who are absent from school for reasons other than medical or family emergency will be considered “unexcused.” Parents are in violation of state law regarding compulsory school attendance if the child has eight unexcused half day absences in any four-week period during which the school is in session (ORS 339- 065). Homework Policy for Extended Absences By state and district rule, a student who will be gone from school for more than 10 days will be withdrawn. We will re-enroll the student again when he/she returns to school. We will hold a place for the student in his/her teacher’s classroom so that he/she can continue with the teacher upon return. When parents choose to take their children out of school for extended periods, they assume all responsibility for their child’s education during the child’s absence. It is not reasonable to expect the classroom teacher to be responsible for providing homework or missed work. The majority of a student’s learning in elementary school occurs as the result of the teacher’s instruction and learning activities that occur in the classroom. We encourage parents to schedule all optional vacations/absences during non-school times. 

Good Health
A sick child needs to be at home to get better and to prevent exposing other students to illness and disease. A child with a fever needs to remain at home the following day and until the child is without a fever for 24 hours. If your child is not well enough to participate in school activities (recess, P.E., etc.), please keep him/her home. If your child is healthy enough to be at school he/she is expected to participate in all activities including outdoor recess.
Medication
All medication taken at school must be kept in the office and administered by school personnel. It is important the policy outlined below is followed:

1. A parent/guardian must bring all medication to school for his/her child. A medication form and authorization must be completed and signed at that time. Telephone authorization is not acceptable.
2. Students cannot carry medicine to or from school.
3. Nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicine, including cough drops and aspirin, must be in the original container accompanied by specific written directions and signed by the parent/guardian.
4. Prescription medication must be in the prescription bottle labeled with the student's name, dosage, time, physician's name, and the prescription number. Pharmacists are willing to provide a second container with a prescription label for the school at the request of the parent/guardian.
5. If medication is for emergency use only, such as a bee sting kit or oral glucose, a parent/guardian must demonstrate proper procedures to the person who is responsible for administering the medication. Instructions should include a statement about the necessity for immediate administration of the medication.

Immunizations

Under Oregon Law, each student enrolling for the first time must present evidence of one dose each of polio, DPT, MMR, two doses of hepatitis A, hepatitis B, varicella (chicken pox) plus a second dose of measles, prior to entering school. Immunizations may be obtained from your physician or from the local health department.

Phones:We want to be accessible to you for school-related business; therefore, we ask that our lines be used only for school business. Students will not be allowed to use the telephone to establish or change after school arrangements. Please send a note in the morning so that classes will not be interrupted.

Cell phones are not to be used during the school day. Cell phones should be “ off and away” while on school grounds including recess. Phones that are out at school may be confiscated until a parent can pick it up.

Students are responsible for personal items brought to school. Toys and electronic devices are not to be brought to school. The school is not responsible for replacing or repairing personal items that are lost, stolen or damaged.

Because the staff believes that each child must feel he/she belongs, we have the following policy: We ask that food not be brought to school for birthdays. If you wish to send something special to school on your child's birthday, your child could bring his/her class a birthday book, game, puzzle, etc. (wrapped in birthday paper and tied with a ribbon if you wish) that he/she could share and/or give to the class. These could then become a permanent part of our classroom materials.

If your child wants to invite children from class to his/her birthday party, please do not send the invitations to school to be delivered to children in class. This practice can cause endless misunderstandings and hurt feelings, as children know immediately who has been invited and who has not. Most children are devastated by being left out. Thank you for your understanding with this very sensitive matter. If your child is having a birthday party and has invitations for everyone in his/her class, she/he may bring the invitations to school. The office does not distribute personal information such as addresses for birthday parties.

CLASSROOM PARTIES
Classroom celebrations are sponsored each year by the teachers and the McKay PTC. These celebrations are planned by room parents and take place during the last 45 minutes of the day. Students will celebrate our “Communication and Caring” month (February) on Valentine’s Day with the exchange of cards and a treat to eat. Grade level celebrations may occur at the end of a curricular unit and vary as to the date each year.