School Procedures
September 2, 2009
Dear Parents: Please review the following Meadows practices with your child. Following
these guidelines helps to ensure a safe, smooth school year for all of us.
1. Safest route(s) to and from school. Observe crosswalks. Click here for a map.
2. Coming directly to school in the morning and going directly home from
school. We have no supervision after school. The only exception is
students who are working in the library, attending an afterschool class or are
enrolled in our Extended Day Program. Students need to leave or be picked up
immediately. STUDENTS MAY NOT PLAY BALL OR OTHER GAMES ON THE PRIMARY
PLAYGROUND AFTER SCHOOL, EVEN WHEN SUPERVISED BY PARENTS. WHILE WAITING FOR 2:35
SIBLING DISMISSAL, STUDENTS MAY PLAY ON PLAYSCAPE ONLY.
3. Student Arrival Time/Playground Supervision: Children will line
up outside their classrooms, as opposed to standing on “the dots”, as in the
past. Teachers will open the classroom doors at 8:05 am, when the bell rings to
signify start of school. CHILDREN ARE NOT TO ARRIVE BEFORE 7:55 am.
Responsible conduct outside the classroom door and to and from school is
important for your child’s safety.
4. WHEN DROPPING YOUR CHILD OFF IN THE ROWELL DROP-OFF ZONE, ONLY THE
FIRST TWO CARS IN THE FIRST TWO SPACES MAY LET STUDENTS OUT. PLEASE WAIT UNTIL
YOUR CAR HAS REACHED THE DROP-OFF POINT BEFORE LETTING YOUR CHILD EXIT THE CAR.
5. Students in Grades 3 through 5 may ride bicycles to school.
Bicycles are secured on the upper playground and must be locked. Students
riding bicycles to school must follow safety rules, which include NO RIDING OF
BICYCLES ON ANY AREA OF THE PLAYGROUND OR WALKWAYS.
6. Skateboards, roller blades, skates are not permitted at school.
.“WHEELIE SHOES” ARE NOT PERMITTED, NOR MAY THEY BE WORN WITHOUT THE WHEELS. THE
WHEELS HAVE A WAY OF WANDERING OUT OF THE BACKPACKS AND ONTO THE SHOES!
7. A crossing guard is stationed at Meadows Avenue and Manhattan Beach
Blvd. There is also a crossing guard stationed in front of the school and behind
the school. Parents are requested to use the crosswalks, also, in order to
provide a correct and safe role model for children.
8. A parking supervisor, who is a school district employee, is stationed
at the Rowell drop-off area. Please follow her directives. YOU MAY
NOT PARK IN THE RED ZONES OR STOP TO CONVERSE WITH FRIENDS WHILE IN YOUR CAR.
BOTH THESE ACTIONS CAUSE THE TRAFFIC FLOW TO STOP, PREVENTING OTHER PARENTS FROM
DROPPING THEIR CHILDREN OFF SAFELY AND IN A TIMELY MANNER.
9. CHILDREN MAY NOT PLAY ON PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT ON THE PRIMARY
PLAYGROUND WHILE PARENTS ARE WAITING FOR SIBLINGS TO BE RELEASED FROM
CLASS AT 2:05 OR 1:20 PM. THE NOISE FROM THIS PLAY IS VERY DISTRACTING TO THE
STUDENTS IN NEARBY CLASSROOMS AS ARE THE CONVERSATIONS OF ADULTS WHO ARE
WAITING. Children and parents may arrive at 1:50 (or 1:05 on Wednesdays), when
the Rowell gates are unlocked and must wait against the fence on the upper
playground or at the tables outside the Extended Day Program classrooms. Between
2:05 and 2:35, children may play on the playscape while waiting for their
siblings since the primary classrooms nearby will not be in session. Parents
and children may not wait on the lower playground, as their presence has
interfered with our P.E. classes. At 2:03 or 2:33 (or 1:18 on Wednesdays),
parents may proceed to their children’s classrooms. Please stand well away from
the doors so that your conversations do not interfere with last minute
instructions from the classrooms.
Please note that kindergartners and their parents may not play after dismissal
in the kindergarten yard at any time.
10. Locking of the School Gates Daily: Please note that the gates
bordering the Rowell Drop Off Zone will be locked at 8:20 am each morning and
unlocked at 1:50 pm each afternoon, except on Wednesdays when gates will be
unlocked at 1:05 pm.
11. Emergency Information: This information is VITAL to your child’s
welfare. It is IMPERATIVE that the school be notified immediately if you
have a change of address, employment, phone numbers, etc.
12. Permission to Leave School: Parents must come to the office and
sign a student release form. The office will then send for your child.
Children are released from the office and not from classrooms. Students
are not released via telephone contacts. Children will be released to only
those adults who are listed on the Emergency Card. We require proper
identification.
13. Absences: All absences are to be confirmed by a signed note from
the parent. Please contact the office as soon as possible if your child
contracts a communicable disease such as mumps, measles, strep, chicken pox,
conjunctivitis or head lice.
14. Health and Emergency Procedures: If your child becomes ill or is
injured at school, you will be notified promptly using the information on the
emergency information card generated from InfoSnap. The school will follow
the directions you give concerning your physician and others who are to be
notified if you are unavailable. The school gives first aid only, never “second
aid” or re-treatment for prior conditions or those occurring away from school.
School personnel cannot administer treatment to students. Children taking
medication during school hours must have a note signed by a physician and parent
specifying the conditions and the dosage. All medication must be kept in
the school health office and should be brought to school in the original
container by the parent or other adult.
Cafeteria Procedures: Cafeteria lunches cost $3.25, which includes milk.
Extra milk costs 50 cents. Our district uses an electronic point of sale
(cashier) system. Through this POS system, you have a convenient and secure
online prepayment service to deposit money into your child’s school meal account
at any time. This service also provides you the ability to view your child’s
account balance and print out a copy of your child’s eating history report. To
access these services, simply go to the district web site at MBUSD.org and click
on the Food Services link. The process is simple. You will need your child’s
permanent student ID number (this is the number that appears on report cards,
class schedules and most official documents you receive from the district.) If
you still have trouble finding the number, please contact our office. If you
choose not to take advantage of the online prepayment service you may continue
to make advance payments via check, which should be made payable to the MBUSD
FOOD SERVICES. Please write your CHILD’S FULL NAME, ID NUMBER AND SCHOOL NAME on
the check.
If your child loses or forgets his or her lunch money or we cannot contact you
to put more money into your child’s account, your child will be offered a cheese
sandwich and milk for lunch.
16. Items Brought to School: Children are discouraged from bringing
large sums of money to school. We cannot be responsible for its loss.
Balls, and items to share as part of the school program, are the only personal
articles that children may bring to school. Only basketballs, volleyballs,
soccer balls, kick balls, or tetherballs are part of the school program.
Please do not bring footballs, tennis balls, small rubber bouncing balls, super
balls, hacky sacks, etc.
17. School Dress: The Meadows School Community has traditionally
expected students to attend school with general cleanliness, dressed neatly,
safely and appropriately for the activities of the day. Clothing with
spaghetti straps or bare midriffs or questionable sayings may not be worn. No
visible underwear. Sleeveless tee-shirts with large armholes must have another
shirt worn underneath. We do expect shoes (no high heels) and clothing to be
appropriate for both indoor and outdoor activities. Appropriate shoes are
an especially important safety factor during physical education. This
program focus makes thongs (go-aheads, flip flops) and most sandals impractical
and often unsafe. All clothes should support vigorous physical activity without
producing concern in your child that his/her attire will not stay in place.
18. Weekly Information: Our weekly Meadows Tuesday Envelope (MTE) is now
electronic for the most part. You will get a weekly email containing brief
paragraphs of news and announcements regarding important information such as
upcoming events and functions sponsored by PTA, school and/or district
information. Those paragraphs will also include hyperlinks to the full paragraph
and/or links to PDF files with MTE content. If you are not on the mailing list,
please send an email to Susy Werre asking to be added to the MTE Mailing list.
Occasionally, teachers will send home a Tuesday envelope containing student work
and classroom items.
18. Marking Children’s Possessions: All jackets, sweaters, coats,
rainwear, balls and lunch boxes should be labeled with the child’s name for
identification. Many articles are lost at school, and remain unclaimed,
because they are not labeled.
20. Lost and Found: If an item is lost, have your child check either
at the office or cafeteria where lost clothing is displayed on racks or in a
bin. Parents may visit the office to inquire about lost articles. At
the end of the year, we give unclaimed items to charitable organizations.
21. School Library: We encourage children to use our library and the
public library to widen their reading experiences. Children are allowed to
take library books home from school. Books may be checked out for one week
and may be renewed for a longer period. Students are financially
responsible for lost or damaged books and textbooks.
22. Parties: The PTA sponsors two parties each year. We
discourage additional parties because they distract from instructional time.
Please do not send food, candy, favors, flowers, balloons, etc., to school for
your child’s birthday. We discourage this practice Districtwide.
23. Food/Drinks: Students are not permitted to eat or drink any
items not approved beforehand by their parents. You will receive notice
from your child’s teacher of any food to be consumed in the classroom for
special activities. Please send healthy snacks and lunches with your
child. Soft drinks and candy are not permitted.
Special Note: Please give us your full cooperation in making Meadows a
“peanut-free” zone. Several of our children have life-threatening allergies to
peanuts, which can even be triggered by smelling the breath of a student who has
consumed peanuts.
24. Visiting Classes: You are encouraged to visit and assist in your
child’s class. Please make an appointment beforehand. If you are
interested in seeing a particular subject, a note to the teacher in advance will
permit the teacher to inform you about when that subject is taught. We
encourage you to volunteer and help in the classroom on a regular basis, or to
share a special talent/skill or information on a short-term basis. Please check
in at the office before your visit to obtain a visitor’s badge.
25. Teacher Inservices: A staff development day will take place on
Monday, October 12, to maintain and extend the professional skills of our
teachers. You will receive a reminder notice of this date later.
Children will not attend school on this date.
25. Major Emergency: In the event of a major emergency in the area,
emergency school information will be broadcast every fifteen minutes over
station KEZM FM (107.5), giving you pertinent information in an attempt to keep
the phone lines clear. Meadows regularly practices fire, earthquake and
other disaster procedures.
26. The School District Calendar for the 2009-10 school year will give you
information related to modified days, parent conference days, staff development
days, and holidays. Our Meadows Handbook, as well as the Meadows website,
contains much helpful information about our school and PTA. The handbook
will be published in the fall. The website address is:
www.meadowsschool.org
On behalf of the Meadows staff, welcome back to Meadows School. We look
forward to another year of learning, friendship and teamwork! It is our pleasure
to partner with you on behalf of your children.