Admissions
Kindergarten
students must be five years of age on or before September 1st of the
year they are to start school to be eligible to enter kindergarten. First
grade children must be six years of age on or before September 1st of
the year they are to start school.
At registration,
parents must present the immunization records and the student’s record of
birth. All children must be immunized prior to school entrance according
to the current recommendations of the State Public Health Agency.
School Day
The school day is
defined as beginning when a student first boards a school bus, or walks, rides
a bicycle or drives onto school property.
The school day ends
when a student walks or drives off the school property or leaves a school bus.
Students who are
absent from school may not be allowed to attend an after school event scheduled
for that day. The principal may grant permission to attend an after
school event scheduled for that day, basing his/her decision on the reason for
the absence.
School Rules
The following rules have been developed by our
students and teachers:
1.
Be
respectful.
2.
Be
gentle and kind. Treat others as you want to be treated.
3.
Be
helpful by working together and by asking for help when you need it.
4.
Be
safe.
5.
Take
care of everyone's things in our school.
Attendance
Daily attendance is
expected unless your child is ill. Parents are required by state law to
see that their children attend school regularly.
We place a call each
morning to the homes of children who are absent. This is our way of
knowing that your child is indeed safe at home. If your child is
absent because of illness, or other reasons, it helps us if you call the school.
Please feel free to leave a message on the answering machine if you need to
call before school begins. This prevents a long list of phone calls. We
want to know that your child is safe!
Parent Requested Dismissal
No child may be
dismissed from school without the consent of a parent. A note, signed by
the parent and given to the principal is needed to effect an early dismissal.
Emergency Closing
School may be closed
for emergencies such as weather conditions or maintenance failure in the
building. The starting time may be delayed.
Information of these
actions can be obtained by listening to any of the following radio stations:
106.7 WIZN, 102.3 WLFE, 1420 WWSR a.m., 92.9 WEZF, 1620 WVMT, 98.9 WOKO, WNCS
104.7. The closings and delays are also listed on WCAX Channel 3.
Remember that we are affiliated with the Franklin West Supervisory Union,
including BFA Fairfax. Usually, if BFA is closed due to inclement
weather, Fletcher will also be closed.
Early Dismissals
Storm conditions
that worsen markedly during the day or a building failure may cause us to
dismiss our students earlier than the regularly scheduled time.
When this
occurs, phone calls will be made in attempt to contact all homes or those
parties to be notified in the event of an emergency.
Under no
circumstance will we ever knowingly send a child to an empty house.
Please inform the office of special arrangements which need to be made in the
event of an early dismissal.
Delayed Openings
Occasionally road
conditions will require the school to have a delayed opening. A one or
two hour delay means that busses will begin their routes one or two hours later
than they normally start. Please adjust your schedule to conform with the
delayed opening. This means, for instance, that children should arrive at
school no earlier than 9:00 a.m. for a one hour delay and 10:00 a.m. for a two
hour delay. Breakfasts will not be served on days with delayed openings
and lunch menus may be modified. Morning kindergarten will not be held in
the event of a delayed opening. Delayed openings will be announced
through the same channels as school closings.
Tardiness
Please be sure that
your child arrives at school on time. Tardiness creates disruptions in
the daily program. If your child arrives late, please check in at the
main office before going to class.
§
Tardiness, defined as arriving
at school within an hour of the scheduled start time and is not considered an
unexcused absence.
Beginning in the
2001-2002 school year Vermont has redefined truancy as follows:
§
Any student enrolled in
school, regardless of age, is considered truant for each school day
the student is absent without an acceptable excuse;
§
Excused absences include
unavoidable absences due to illness, medical appointments, court appearances,
observance of religious holidays, or a family death;
§
Excused absences will
also include avoidable absences due to events such as family vacation when
the school is notified before the date the student is absent.
If your child is
absent and we have been unable to contact you by phone, please call or send a
note or your child will be recorded as "unexcused" in the school
register. Vermont State Statute considers a student who accumulates five
or more unexcused absences in a school year truant.
One advantage of a small school is that it allows
staff to get to know every student regardless of their grade. Besides
allowing for individualized educational programs this allows for individualized
responses to disciplinary infractions. While most offenses are settled by
the supervising staff member, persistent or serious problems are referred to
the principal for disciplinary action. Working from the beliefs that
schools teach children how to get along with others and that no two students
are alike, the principal will apply the rule of “fair but not equal” when determining
consequences. Consequences for breaking rules range from phoning parents
or loss of recess privileges to after school detention or in/out of school
suspension. Consequences will be designed to help a student learn how to
function in a group without harming others.
Bullying
Act 117; H.629 defines bullying as “any overt act or
combination of acts directed against a student by another student or group of
students and which:
a.
is
repeated over time;
b.
is
intended to ridicule, humiliate, or intimidate the student; and
c.
occurs
during the school day on school property, on a school bus,
a.
or
a school sponsored activity, or before or after the school day on
b.
a
school bus or at a school sponsored activity.
Bullying
will not be tolerated in our school. The school has a bullying policy.
Please refer to the Harassment Policy on the school website.
Responsive Classroom
Ours is a “Responsive Classroom School”.
Responsive Classroom is a systematic approach to creating a positive school and
classroom climate. It includes morning message boards, daily meetings,
student driven rule making, standardized classroom procedures and a discipline
system that involves students in the process of deciding on consequences for
rule breaking, and in “fixing” problems. Every classroom teacher has been
trained in Responsive Classroom, resulting in the same philosophy of classroom
management across the grades.
Kindergarten
This year we will
have 2 kindergarten sessions; a morning session from 8:00-11:00 and an
afternoon session from 12:00 to 3:00. To minimize long bus rides,
children are placed in each session based upon where they live and where they
attend before school and after school childcare.
The first week of
school will be used to assess our kindergarteners’ academic strengths and needs.
A letter will be sent to each family informing them of the time and day that
their child is scheduled to come to school for their assessments. The
first day of school for both kindergarten classes will be on September 4, 2007.
Fletcher Elementary offers a quality pre-school
program for children who are, or will be, 3 and 4 years old by September
1st. Our three-day program will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays from
8:00-11:00
and 12:00-3:00. Our two-day program will be held on Tuesday and Friday
mornings, 8:00-11:00. A sufficient number of spaces have been allocated
for Early Essential Education (EEE) students. Depending on the grant
allocation each year Early Education Initiative (EEI), spaces will also be
reserved for at-risk students. Any additional spaces will be filled by
community pre-school children who do not have either an EEI or EEE space.
However, in the event that enrollment does need to be limited to these
children, the following criteria will apply:
Preference given to:
§
Returning
students, then
§
Siblings
of students returning to the preschool program, then
§
Depending
on class structure, preference may be given to older students, then
§
By
order of sign up date (first come-first serve)
§
This
year, to accommodate a large group of 3-year olds, several of the older 3-year
old children will attend the three-day session.
Returning
students and their siblings will need to reserve their space by the Friday
prior to April vacation.
“Play
is the work of children.” It is in this spirit that Fletcher offers
programs and a playgroup for children and parents of children from birth
through
age 4. Any questions, you can contact Amy Gillilan, Success by Six
Coordinator. Playgroup will meet every Thursday from 9:15 – 11:00 in the gym.
Friends of Fletcher Elementary
The FOFE is an
excellent way to meet your neighbors and become involved in your child’s
education. Check the monthly activity calendar for meeting dates and
events.
Birthdays
Unless everyone in a
class is invited to a party, please do not hand out invitations during school
hours. Mail them instead.
Field Trips
Field trips provide
an effective way of presenting a learning experience. The primary
emphasis will be to develop a better understanding of particular studies.
However, some trips, particularly at the end of the year are also designed to
reinforce social skills and improve the classroom climate.
Parents are asked to
sign a Field Trip Permission Form for each individual field trip.
Students not returning their signed form will not be able to go on the field
trip. Teachers will give advance notice of all trips.
Library
The school library
is open Monday through Friday during school hours and is staffed by a
librarian. A well-maintained selection of books is available to the
Fletcher students. Special activities are a regular part of the library
program.
The library contains
a wide collection of books for all aged students. While we guide students
towards books that we feel are appropriate for their age level, it is also the
responsibility of parents to monitor their child’s reading selections. If
a parent has concerns about the suitability of a book, they should contact the
school librarian. If a parent has concerns with the content of a library
book, they should request a copy of the library materials review process from
the principal.
Books and School Issued Materials
Books and other
school materials should be cared for and kept in good condition. Lost
books and damaged materials must be paid for by the student at the end of the
marking period or at the conclusion of the school year.
Playground Safety
Recess activities
occur on the playground during good weather. Children are provided an
opportunity for supervised play outside. Seasonal sports such as soccer
and softball occur. Playground equipment is inspected twice a year as a
safety precaution. It is expected that students will play within the
designated areas and follow the school rules during recess.
Emergency Drills
The school has plans
for, and practices responses for several different types of emergencies.
We hold monthly fire drills with our students, as well as periodic lock down
drills. Directions for fire drills are posted in each room. The faculty
understands our procedures for evacuations in response to bomb threats, as
well. When practicing for emergency situations we try to be sensitive to
our students to avoid causing too much anxiety.
Transfer of Students
New students: Children entering the school system shall present an
official transcript from the last school attended.
Students Leaving
Fletcher: Official transcripts
contain information vital to the new school. Please provide us with the
new school address as soon as possible so the school officials will have this
data when you enroll.
Student Records
Every child has
records that are on file in the office and are updated each school year.
These files are available to you as they concern your child. As a parent,
you have the right to examine your child’s folder. Please notify the
school and an appointment will be arranged. Assistance will be provided for
you, as needed. The school policy on student records follows the
guidelines of the Family Education Rights Privacy Act. A copy of this
policy is available at the school office.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible
students") certain rights with respect to the student's education
records. This policy is available for review on the school website.
Pupil Progress Reports (Report Cards)
The school year is
divided into four quarters. Pupil Progress Reports are issued at the
close of each of these quarters. The closing dates for grades this year
are: November 2, January 18, March 28 and tentatively June 9.
Conferences are scheduled for November. Spring conferences will be held
at parent or teacher requests.
Progress reports may
be sent home at the mid-point of each quarter as deemed necessary by the
teacher.
Honor Roll
Fifth and sixth grade students who meet high
academic standards will be recognized quarterly by having their names published
in the Fletcher Honor Roll.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
A conference
concerning student academic or social progress may be requested by the parent,
teacher, or principal at any time in the school year. Each party to the
conference should receive appropriate advance notice.
Regular
parent/teacher conferences are scheduled at the end of the first marking period.
Placement/Retention Procedure
It will be the
policy of the Fletcher Elementary School to place students in a classroom or
learning atmosphere that seems to best meet their academic, social and
emotional needs. The educational program is designed for continuous
progress of the children. In a few cases, the best educational placement
may be for a child to repeat a grade level for more than one year with a
program that best meets the student’s needs. Parents will be consulted
prior to making such a decision.
As a community
school we welcome input from all members of our town. Any decision or
action may be questioned or appealed through the school district’s chain of
command. Please bring your concerns first to your child’s teacher,
then to the principal, the superintendent and finally to the school board.
It will be the
policy of the Fletcher Board of Directors to comply with all applicable state
and federal laws and regulations, not to discriminate for reasons of gender,
race, religion or ethnic background.
In compliance with federal regulation for Title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972 the board adopts the following statement
regarding gender discrimination. Inquiries concerning the application of Title
IX may be referred to the principal or the Office of Civil Rights.
The Fletcher School
District will adhere to a procedure of non-discrimination on the basis of
gender in all matters related to the operation of the programs by the public
schools of the school district.
To view actual
grievance procedures for cases of alleged discrimination please call the office
for a copy of the school policy.
Hazing Policy
The Fletcher Elementary School has adopted a Hazing Policy, in compliance with
the requirements from the Vermont Department of Education. This policy is
available for review on the school website.
Harassment
Vermont Law (Act 91; H.113) defines harassment as when “an incident or
incidents based upon a students’ status as a member of a protected class,
substantially undermine or detract from his or her educational performance or
access to school resources, or creates in intimidating, hostile or offensive
school environment.”
Harassment of students or staff will not be tolerated. The Fletcher
School has adopted a policy to effectively identify and eliminate acts of
harassment. This policy is available for review on the school website