The Village School

Back-to-School Essentials 2009-2010

September 9

First day of school for grades K-8

Kinder: 8:30-11:45, KinderCare until 1:00 for those enrolled, lunch service will be available

1^st -8^th Grades:  8:30-1:00, early release, lunch service will be available

New Parent Orientation 9:00am in the cafeteria

Regular School Hours: 

• 8:30-11:45  Kindergarten (Monday-Thursday, No School on Fridays)
• 11:45-2:30  Extended KinderCare (Monday-Thursday for those enrolled)
• 8:30-2:30    First-Third Grades
• 8:30-2:45    Fourth-Eighth Grades

Back-to-School Supplies:  The Village School supplies most  of the backt o school items your child will need, such as paper, notebooks, pencils, pens, art supplies, ruler, etc.   We ask for a modest donation of $75 to cover the cost of the high-quality items we supply.  Students in older grades may receive a letter from their teacher with a short list of items to purchase in addition to what we supply. 

Punctuality:  Please come to school on time! Because we start our day together thoughtfully and intentionally, we don’t want your child to miss the opportunity to begin each day with the class.  Classes start promptly at the scheduled time. If a child is late for school, parents must sign them in at the office and get a tardy slip.  For students in younger grades, parents must wait with the child in the hallway until circle time is over and the teacher opens the door. Check with the teacher if you are unsure of their tardy procedure.

Food:  Students in grades 1-8 should bring a healthy snack from home each day; kinders will eat a shared snack with their class.  School District 4j’s Healthy Food Policy prohibits having junk food, candy, or soda at school.  Breakfast and hot lunch are available in the school cafeteria, provided by the 4j school district food services program.  Students do not need to order lunches in advance; teachers take a lunch count each morning.  Hot lunches should be paid for in advance or on the day of purchase.  The lunch server will put a note in the family mailbox if you have a negative balance on your account.  Payments can be made in the cafeteria.  Applications for free/reduced lunches are included in this packet.  Your application must be processed and approved before you can receive benefits.  Families receiving this benefit last year will continue to receive it until the new forms are processed, with a deadline of mid October.

Attire:  Clothing and shoes should be conducive to safety and learning.  A detailed dress code will be in your parent handbook, but to get started, please consider the following:

Ï Clothes and Shoes should be comfortable and practical for the classroom and the playground, as there is recess everyday.  All students have Movement/PE class twice a week.  On these days, please make sure that your child is dressed in clothing that allows for freedom of movement and that they have appropriate footwear for class (shoes that lace or velcro and won’t fall off their feet when playing).  It is a good idea to leave a pair of shoes for Movement/PE class at school.  The teacher may have extra shoes available, but if a student is not appropriately attired for class, they may not be able to participate in the activity.

Ï Clothing should modestly cover the body; underclothing should not be showing; there should be no offensive or violent language and/or imagery; commercial imagery or media characters are strongly discouraged. 

Ï Kinder-Grade 4 students will need indoor shoes that slip on and cover the heel.  Soft-soled aqua socks, ballet shoes or cloth Chinese shoes work well.  They should also have a full set of extra clothes to leave on their hook outside the classroom, a rain coat, and mud boots.

Electronic Devices/Cell Phones:  Please leave all electronic devices such as I-pods and Gameboys at home.  We discourage cell phone use for students; if a student carries a cell phone to school, it should be shut off during the school day.  The use of cell phones is not permitted during school hours (including recess) or in the school building afterhours.  If a student must use their cell phone while at school, they can go to the office to use it.    

Visitors & Volunteers:  All Parent volunteers must complete and submit a Volunteer Background Check to the office before helping in the school or going on field trips.  Volunteer Background Checks are valid for two years.   All volunteers must sign in and out at the office when volunteering.  You will need a Volunteer badge to wear while on campus.  Volunteers also need to record their hours in the office so we can keep track of parent involvement.  

Drop-Off/Pick-Up:   Students in grades K-4^th should be dropped off and picked up at the classroom.  We ask that you be prompt in bringing your child in the morning and in picking up after school.  If you will be more than 10 minutes late picking your child up after school, please let the office know so we can bring your child into the office until you arrive.

Parking:  You can park in the parking lot, on Lincoln St., or on the side streets off of Lincoln.  Do not park in the grass by the parking area or across a sidewalk.  Please be considerate of our neighbors and not park in their driveways, block their driveways, move their personal property or recycling/garbage cans, or park in front of their recycling cans.  We have received a number of complaints about vehicles belonging to Village School families, and we are working hard to improve for this coming year.  Please plan ahead and leave a few minutes earlier so you have time to park safely and courteously.  Bike racks are available for bike riders.   

Carpool signup/Bus Passes:  A carpool sign up sheet will be posted outside the office door.  Join in and share the ride!  Students in grades 6-8 will be given an ID card and can receive a free LTD bus pass.  Look for parent permission forms in this packets.  LTD also helps coordinate groups of students from a neighborhood to walk to school together.

After school care:  Creative Care provides after school care on site.  You will need to enroll your child in the program to participate.  You can register in advance with Creative Care at 683-7291.

Extended Kindergarten:  Extended Kindergarten is available 11:45-2:30 Monday-Thursday.  You must register in advance through the office.  It is not available on a drop-in basis.  Enrollment is limited, and space is allocated on a first come basis.

Phone Numbers & Emails:  Family contact information will be available in the Family Directory, which will be distributed in the fall. Please let the office know by Sept. 30^th if your do not want your number included.   As well, phone trees are created in the first few weeks by the class teacher and Class Coordinator.

Medication: If your child needs medicine while at school (including over-the-counter, herbs or homeopathy), it must be kept and administered in the office.  Please fill out the appropriate paperwork in the office to authorize certified staff to store and administer medicine to your child.  Asthma inhalers may be carried by students whose parents approve, however the student should only use it in the office under supervision.

Parent Handbook:  You will receive a parent handbook this fall with much more information about school policies and procedures, discipline and guidance, and much, much more.  In the meantime, if you have further questions, feel free to contact the school office.

Thank you—We look forward to a wonderful school year!