Charles H. Chipman Elementary School “Dream Big ~ Shine Bright!” Let’s POP~Progress Over Perfection Student Handbook 2023-2024 Principal: Ms. Antionette Perry Assistant Principal: Ms. Meeka McCoy 711 Lake Street Salisbury, MD 21801 Phone: 410.677.5814 Fax: 410.677.5882 Website: www.wcboe.org/schools/ces Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wcboeces/ Twitter: Chipman Elem Class Dojo: www.classdojo.com Page|1
Welcome to Charles H. Chipman Elementary! Where we DREAM BIG & SHINE BRIGHT The staff at Charles H. Chipman Elementary School is pleased to have you as a member of our school family. Your time with us will be a pleasant and rewarding experience. Charles H. Chipman is a Title I school that instructs approximately 233 Pre-Kindergarten 3 through Grade 1 students. This handbook provides information that will answer questions you may have about school policies and procedures. We encourage you to read it and to file it for future reference. MISSION STATEMENT Charles H. Chipman is a community of connected, capable and contributing individuals that build an environment of lifelong learners. BELIEF STATEMENTS ❖We are building a firm foundation for success. ❖All children can learn and experience success regardless of diversity, capabilities or background. ❖Education must be the shared responsibility of the student, family, school, and community. ❖Children have a right to learn in a safe and positive environment. ❖All instruction must be engaging and rigorous for children to reach their full potential. ❖Individual integrity, tolerance and respect for others must be taught, modeled, expected, and acknowledged. SCHOOL HOURS School Building Opens 8:30AM Instruction Begins 9:00AM Dismissal Begins 3:30PM School Building Closes 4:00PM DAILY CYCLE Chipman Elementary operates on a six-day schedule. Days are identified as A, B, C, D, E, and F. Most classes will meet every day (A-F) or every other day (A, C, E or B, D, F). Generally, this day is consistent through the school year, but may change due to planned or unforeseen circumstances. The daily cycle always will follow sequentially regardless of day(s) missed for holidays, weather, etc. Page|2
ATTENDANCE Regular and prompt attendance is necessary for a student to maintain satisfactory progress. According to Maryland law, it is a parent's responsibility for their children to attend school. Excessive absences and tardiness from school are detrimental to the educational process. A doctor's note or parent note is required for an absence to be excused. Five parent notes are accepted per school year. Parents will receive a formal letter from the school following 4 unexcused student absences. A meeting with school administration and an Attendance Improvement Plan will be required, each marking term, once a child has accrued 5 unexcused student absences. Unsuccessful completion of the Attendance Improvement Plan could result in failure for the marking term. After all school level intervention attempts are exhausted, a referral to the Truancy Reduction Program will be initiated. ARRIVAL OF STUDENTS School doors are unlocked for students to enter at 8:30 a.m. each school day (or in case of weather-related delay, 90 minutes later). For the safety of your child, please see that they do not arrive before 8:30 a.m. Supervision will not be provided by the staff until 8:30 a.m. Leaving your child unattended before that time will be considered neglect. If a student arrives after 9:00 a.m., an adult must sign them in at the school office. Students will be given a tardy slip before going to the classroom. The front of the school is open for buses only between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Students arriving by car, must enter using the car rider loop located off Stewart Street. Staffwill be outside to receive your scholar. The car rider door will close at 8:55 a.m. daily. Acar rider tag is not needed for morning drop off. If you wish to walk in with your scholar, please park in the parking lot off Booth Street and walk to the main office to be signed in through the portal access. You will need your license to check in. DISMISSAL OF STUDENTS Dismissal begins at 3:30 for all students. For the safety of our scholars, the bus loop in the front of the school is open for buses only between the hours of 3:00 p.m – 4:00 p.m. ● Bus riders will be dismissed as the buses arrive. ● Car riders are to enter the car rider loop from Stewart Street. Parents are asked to form two lanes and remain in their cars. Families picking their children up are required to display their tag daily. Students will be matched to each vehicle based on a pick-up number assigned to your family for their safety. Staff will assist with loading children into vehicles. ● Walkers (only available for students designated as a WALKER per the Board of Education Transportation Department) will be released from the gym exterior door located at the front of the school. Parents are asked to wait for the students outside the Page|3
main gym door. Students will only be released to those who are listed on the walker’s registration form. If a student must leave school early or go home differently from the way they arrived at school, a note indicating such changes must be written and signed by the parent and given to the teacher in the morning. For security reasons phone calls cannot be accepted; a written note is required which can be emailed to ckoch@wcboe.org and lwiggins@wcboe.org or faxed to (410-677-5882) by 1:00 PM on the day of the desired change. Please include in the note the name of the scholar and the person, if different from the parent(s)/guardian(s), who will be picking up your scholar. PARENT COMMUNICATION We strongly believe that good communication between home and school is crucial for your child’s success. We have several ways to keep you informed: ● RECORDED TELEPHONE/EMAIL MESSAGES FROM ADMINISTRATION-Occasionally, the administration will send out a pre recorded telephone/email message. This message will be sent automatically to your primary phone and email. Please make sure we have your correct phone number and email address on file in the office. Please help us by listening to the whole message as there may be no one in the office to respond immediately to your inquiry if you use the call-back feature of your phone. ● TUESDAY FOLDER-Each student will bring home their weekly assignment, notes written by their teachers, and other important information to keep each parent/guardian informed in their Tuesday Folder. We ask that each parent/guardian keep all graded papers but return any signed forms or needed notes. ● CLASS DOJO-DOJO Messages make it easy for families to communicate with teachers and staff anytime, anywhere—and are automatically translated into more than 35 languages. It also helps teachers and families collaborate to support social-emotional learning with Points and Big Ideas—and gives kids a voice of their own with portfolios. ● SCHOOL NEWSLETTER-All students will receive the school newsletter the last Tuesday of each month. In it, you will find articles about things going on at Chipman Elementary as well as important upcoming dates. Please take the time to read the newsletter to keep up to date on the latest happenings. ● FACEBOOK-Please look for us on Facebook! School celebrations with pictures are frequently published. Page|4
PARENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATION The relationship between parents and teachers is important to each child's success. Maintaining a positive, open line of communication is essential to facilitating common expectations between home and school. All teachers have been encouraged to contact parents frequently by phone, Class DoJo, and/or email. At the beginning of the school year, please share with your child's teacher the most efficient way to contact you. Please feel free to contact the classroom teacher to address any concerns that you may have regarding your child's success in school. Remember that even though you and your child's teacher may not always agree, both parties are committed to your child's success. CLASSROOM VISITATION We have an open-door policy and encourage parents to visit your child’s classroom. Visitors must report directly to the school office to obtain a visitor’s pass. A state-issued driver’s license or identification card must be used to check into the Passage Point System to gain access to the school. You are required to wear the visitor’s pass throughout the duration of your visit. To maintain an uninterrupted instructional environment, kindly note that siblings and non-school aged children that are not enrolled at Chipman Elementary will not be permitted in the instructional areas. We request that you refrain from talking on your cell phone during your visit. NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH/BREAKFAST PROGRAM All students that attend Chipman Elementary receive free breakfast and lunch. Students will only need money if they desire to purchase ice cream. Scholars are required to eat their lunch before purchasing ice cream. FIRE & CRISIS DRILLS To ensure that our students are aware of the procedures in case of an emergency, practice fire and safety drills are conducted the first week of school and at any other time deemed necessary. If you are in the school when a fire bell rings or an announcement regarding a code is made, please follow the instructions given to you by school personnel. Drills of this nature are practiced with the children and staff in order to ensure their safety and well-being. DISCIPLINE Each staff member at Charles H. Chipman Elementary School accepts responsibility for the maintenance of discipline and for the promotion of a program for the development of wholesome human relations. A student’s behavior should conform to acceptable standards of Page|5
conduct as established by the Wicomico County Board of Education, administration, and teachers. PBIS (POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION SUPPORT) Positive Behavioral Intervention Support is a process for creating safer and more effective schools. PBIS is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based school-wide and classroom discipline systems. The process focuses on improving a school’s ability to teach and support positive behavior for all students. PBIS provides systems for schools to design, implement, and evaluate effective school-wide, classroom, non-classroom, and student-specific discipline plans. PBIS includes school-wide procedures and processes intended for all students, staff, and settings. Expected behaviors are posted in all areas of the school. Students will earn positive “Class Dojo” points daily to attend celebrations for making good choices and following our Chipman Best. Parents can monitor their child’s daily behavior by using the Class Dojo App on any smartphone or tablet. The Class Dojo App also serves as an excellent way to communicate with teachers and administration. Chipman Scholars show their B.E.S. T I am at my best when I… Classrooms ❖ Raise my hand to speak ❖ Use kind words ❖ Follow directions the first time asked ❖ Watch with my eyes and listen with my ears ❖ Am quiet and my body is still Hallways ❖ Keep my hands and all body parts off the wall and displays ❖ Face forward in line ❖ Use a quiet voice and walking feet Bus ❖ Use a quiet voice ❖ Follow directions the first time asked Page|6
❖ Stay in my seat when the bus is moving ❖ Keep my hands and feet to myself ❖ Walk safely to and from the bus Playground ❖ Keep my hands and feet to myself ❖ Take turns and share equipment ❖ Follow directions the first time asked ❖ Use equipment properly ❖ Stop playing and line up when the whistle blows Cafeteria ❖ Stand in line quietly to be served ❖ Use good table manners ❖ Use kind words and an inside voice ❖ Raise my hand quietly if I need help ❖ My body is still, and I stay seated. Bathrooms ❖ Use a quiet voice ❖ Use the bathroom correctly ❖ Keep myself and the bathroom clean ❖ Flush, then wash and dry my hands EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIPS Properly supervised and planned educational field trips are an important part of the instructional program. Field trips are taken at the discretion of the teachers at each grade level and must be curriculum-oriented with specific objectives taught prior to the trip and appropriate extension activities conducted after the trip. When trips are taken, it is most important that all members of the class attend. Cost for field trips is determined by the number of people going on the trip, the cost of buses, and the cost of any admittance fees. It may not be possible to refund money paid for trips if for any reason a person cannot participate since we assess the absolute minimum to pay for the expenses listed above. Once a teacher decides to take the class on a field trip, parents are notified in writing by the teacher, giving you all the details concerning the trip. Questions about trips should be directed to your child's homeroom teacher. A signed permission slip from a parent or guardian and payment of trip cost are required for all field trips. MEDICATION POLICY All prescription, over the counter, homeopathic, and herbal medications to be given at school must be accompanied by a signed doctor’s order. The original prescription container should accompany all medications. Medications MUST be brought to school by the parent or responsible adult. Children are NOT permitted to transport medications. Children are also not Page|7
permitted to keep medication in their possession during the school day. This includes cough drops, medicated lotions, etc. REPORT CARDS/PROGRESS REPORTS Progress Reports are released to be reviewed on X2 Parent Portal at midterm four times per year. Report cards are released via X2 parent portal at the end of each term, four times per year. A paper copy of the progress reports and report cards are also sent home with each scholar. A request for a conference is indicated on the report card by the teacher. You are asked to review your scholars report progress report and report cards to be aware of his or her progress. Taking time to review your child's report card is beneficial. Celebrate their successes and set goals for improvement in their areas of need. Always feel free to contact your child's teacher to seek opportunities and materials to help your child find success. Page|8
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