2023-2024 PARENT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK Willards Elementary School
Judy Nicholson Jennifer Rice Principal Assistant Principal 2023-2024 PARENT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK THE SCHOOL DAY The instructional school day for students in grades Pre-K – 3 begins at 8:15 a.m. and ends 2:45 p.m. 7:45 a.m. Building Opens for Students Faculty and Staff Day Begins 8:15 a.m. Instruction Begins for Pre-K - Grade 3 2:45 p.m. School Dismissal Begins for Pre-K – Grade 3 3:15 p.m. Staff Supervision Ends Faculty and Staff Day Ends Arrival Students are welcomed into the building at 7:45 a.m. Prior to 7:45 a.m. proper supervision will not be available. Students wishing to eat breakfast may do so in their classroom. Attendance Daily school attendance is critical to student success. Please insure that your child attends school every day, only missing time when absolutely necessary. When children are absent they miss valuable instruction that cannot be replicated through make-up assignments. Additionally, student attendance is part of the state of Maryland’s rating scale for schools regardless as to whether the days absent are excused or unexcused. It is a fact that excessive student absenteeism could easily result in our school’s overall score. This is a risk we do not want to take for our school or local community. The automated calling system will call your designated telephone number each day that your child is absent. Please ensure that your telephone numbers are correct so that you will receive these important automated calls. Please be sure to reference the Wicomico County Public School Attendance Policy and Procedures located on the Wicomico County Public School website. Cafeteria Services Breakfast and lunch are served daily. A free breakfast is made available to every student in their classroom from 7:45 a.m. - 8:05 a.m. When Wicomico County Public Schools experience a one hour delayed opening due to weather, a modified breakfast will be served. If the delay is more than one hour, students will not be served breakfast at school as lunch will be served shortly after the student arrival time. Children will be charged for a la carte items (ex. ice cream etc.). Lunch Money for student food may be added to their account online. This can be accessed at www.wcboe.org by clicking on the Quicklink labeled My Payments. Parents may also pack school lunches, however, neither soda nor glass containers may be included. Lunch schedules will be provided in half hour increments for grades Pre-K Willards Elementary School 36161 Richland Avenue Willards, Maryland 21874 410-677-5819 (phone) 410-677-5830 (fax)
3 through Grade Three beginning at 10:45 a.m. and running through 1:15 p.m. You will receive your child’s grade level designated lunch time at the beginning of the school year. Dismissal If your child’s regularly scheduled dismissal routine must change on any given day, you must write that change on a signed and dated note and send it to school in the morning with your child to turn in to their teacher. For your child’s safety it is best to write a note in advance. Do not rely on phone calls to relay your change in dismissal procedures, as our office staff need to remain focused on overseeing dismissal safety. Bus Buses arrive for dismissal between 2:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Bus riders will be escorted to the gym by teachers and assistants, forming bus lines. Car Riders Parents/guardians, who will be transporting their children daily, must obtain a Car Tag Release Form prior to receiving their car tags. This release may be obtained in our school office beginning on the date of our Open House. Cars move through the continuous car loop, while the adults in charge escort the children to the cars as they pull up to the designated area. For the safety of all, please do not pull around a car in line ahead of you. Car riders will only be dismissed through the car rider loop. For safety reasons, you may not park your car in the parking lot and come into the office to sign out your child. Students will only be released to the cars with appropriate tags. Parents may not sign students out of the front office between 2:30 – 3:15. Visitors We require that all visitors to Willards Elementary School report to the school's office. When signing in at any Wicomico County Public School, all visitors are required to present their driver’s license or a state issued identification card. This license/card will be scanned to check for persons who may not enter public schools. Once you have been cleared by the electronic system, you will receive a Visitor’s Sticker to be worn while you are in the building. All staff members will look for this sticker on any non-employee or ask the person to return to the office. Also, remember that instruction and learning is happening in the classrooms. Cell phones and younger children can be distracting to our students. For this reason, we ask that you turn off all cell phones and make other arrangements for siblings during the time of your visit. Please understand that some of the visitor guidelines may change throughout the school year as a result of our current pandemic. Families will be notified on school messenger if and when changes must occur. Student Recognition Awards assemblies will be held at the end of each marking period for grades First through Third. All grade levels will have a completion ceremony at the end of the year. The dates and times for the assemblies will be posted in the Dolphin Press, our school newsletter. Outstanding Attendance Students who are absent three days or less will receive a certificate of outstanding attendance at the end of year ceremonies. Academic Awards Each quarter, students earning an A, B, O or S in all major content subject areas on their report card will receive the Academic Achievement Award. Students earning an “A” or an “O” in
4 all subject areas will receive the Academic Excellence Award at the end of the year. Homework Homework is an important part of a student's total educational program. It is an extension of the daily instructional program designed to reinforce, enrich, and provide practice of skills and concepts. Students should be encouraged to view homework as part of their responsibility and follow through with its completion. Reading Challenge Each year, Willards Elementary participates in a year-long reading challenge. Although it may vary from year to year, each student is encouraged to participate in the school wide reading incentive. During the instructional day, the teachers incorporate at least 20 minutes of independent reading and ask that the students read at least 20 minutes at home. Report Cards & Progress Reports Students receive report cards four times during the school year. Four weeks into each of the four marking periods, students will receive a Progress Report. Teachers may request conferences with parents on the Progress Report or the Report Card. Parents may request a conference with the teacher at any time during the school year. Please email the teacher or call the school office to request a conference with your child’s teacher. Families of students in grades 1- 3 have the ability to register for online access to every grade their student earns through the Parent Portal. This is the teachers’ electronic grading system. Parents are encouraged to sign up for this online service to be able to view their child’s grades on every assignment throughout the school year, as well as quarterly Progress Reports and Report Cards. Automated School Telephone Calling System Wicomico County Public Schools has an automated telephone calling system. This system will call your designated telephone number to alert your family of school delays and closures due to weather, emergency situations, student absences and principal messages regarding upcoming school calendar events, projects, activities, etc. This message may also be emailed to your family if you provide the school with a valid email address on your child’s Student Personal Data and Enrollment Information form sent home on the first day of school. Guidance Services Guidance and counseling services are available to all students at Willards Elementary. Students can refer themselves or they can be referred by parents, teachers, or administrators. Students may be seen twice without parent permission. Health Services Willards Elementary School has a school-based nurse. Students who become ill or injured will report to the nurse's office with a note from the teacher. When the nurse is unavailable, students will report to the main office. Please maintain correct information on your child’s Student Personal Data and Enrollment Information form that is sent home at the beginning of the year. If contact information changes during the school year, please update the form in the school office. Please ensure that your current home, work and cell phone numbers are always on file in the office. It is necessary that you also include alternate contact names and phone numbers in case of an emergency.
5 Media Center Students are encouraged to read books and use other materials available in the media center. Each classroom will have a scheduled opportunity to visit the media center. Students have an opportunity to check out books. Lessons are literature, reference, and technology based. PTA Willards Elementary PTA is designed to provide enrichment activities and support materials for our students. The PTA meets four times during the school year. Parents are encouraged to join and get involved in the activities of the PTA. The school will send a schedule and notices of such meetings, along with other information, home monthly in the “Dolphin Press”. Treats from Home Throughout the school year, celebrations occur, such as birthdays and other holidays, in which parents would like to send in treats. For the safety of all children, treats brought into school must be store bought, have an ingredients list and sealed due to the high number of children with severe food allergies. We must be able to view the list of all ingredients for their safety. Treats that do not include an ingredients label or comes in packaging unsealed will not be distributed. Birthday treats should be brought to the office and they will be shared in the classroom during a time designated by the teacher. Treats will not be shared in the cafeteria. Birthday and holiday treats need to be discussed with the teacher prior to the celebration. Instead of sugary treats, another option to have the class recognize your child’s birthday is to donate a book to our school media center in honor of your child. You may contact the school’s media specialist in advance of your child’s birthday to select a book title. This book will then include a label with your child’s name and the name of the person(s) that has donated this book in their honor. You may also ask the classroom teacher or media specialist to share this book with your child’s class so that they may be recognized.
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