SCHOOL HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHTS
The complete family handbook for 2022-2023 is available here on the school website.
Please take note of the following policies/procedures:
We will revert to our original 24-hour-symptom-free policy for students returning to school following an illness. This means that a full 24 hours must elapse from the last symptom, not 24 hours from when the symptoms began, before a student may return to school.
Families using the playground outside of school hours are expected to follow the same rules in effect during the school day. Children must be actively supervised by an adult who is present on the playground - not waiting in a car - at all times. We ask that you be respectful of our equipment and the rules we follow at school during the day. Running up the slide is not permitted, and older students are not permitted on the bridge. Your cooperation in following these rules will help us to maintain consistency in playground expectations.
PARENTS AS PARTNERS CODE OF CONDUCT
We have implemented a new Parents as Partners Code of Conduct that will guide all actions and interactions in our school community. You can read the Parents as Partners Code of Conduct here. All parents will be expected to abide by this code. The code has been established to foster the partnership between parents and the school, as well as among parents themselves, and is grounded in respectful actions and interactions that align with our school mission. Please note that behavior that undermines our mission will not be tolerated and violations of the code may cause a family to be removed from the school. We trust that all of you will be true partners with us and with each other so that none of you will find yourselves in that situation.
DROPPING OFF AND PICKING UP ITEMS
The drop-off and pick-up bins are located on the Moorfield Road side of the building to allow 24/7 access. If a lunch or other forgotten item needs to be dropped off to a student in a time-sensitive manner, please call the school office at 330-867-8720 or ring the bell at the Moorfield entrance door, let the secretaries know what you are dropping off and for whom, and leave the item – clearly labeled with the student’s name and room number or teacher – in the drop-off bin. A staff member will retrieve the item and get it to the student. Items you may need to pick up can be left for you in the pick-up bin.
DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP REMINDERS
Dear Parents,
Thank you for helping us get off to a great start with the new school year! With a few days under our belts, we want to clarify some important things about morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal.
MORNING DROP-OFF
AFTERNOON DISMISSAL
2:55 pm - Kindergarteners and siblings
3:00 pm - Last names A-M
3:05 pm - Last names N-Z
Our dismissal plan only works if parents follow the rules. Please adhere to your designated time frame. No child will be left unattended, so there is no need to be first in line and cause a back-up if your last name falls in the second half of the alphabet.
Please do not leave car lengths of space in the line, also causing a back-up.
If you do not want to wait in the pick-up line, you can enter from Blue Ribbon Drive, park in the back lot, and meet your child(ren) in the Red Box (red square painted on asphalt).
Per the Fairlawn Police Department, our dismissal traffic cannot back up onto West Market Street. If you are unable to enter the line and enter our driveway, you must go around the block and enter the line only when you are able to enter the driveway.
Those turning right into the driveway, please be courteous to those turning left into the driveway. If the entire driveway is filled to West Market Street with those turning right, those who need to turn left have no opportunity to do so even when they have the turn arrow.
Cutting through the Citizens Bank parking lot to enter the pick-up line is not only prohibited, it is rude to your fellow parents and will not be tolerated.
Students are being trained to walk to the front of the line and enter cars at the furthest point forward in order to keep traffic moving. You may see your child(ren) on the sidewalk, but we ask that you keep pulling forward to keep the traffic flowing. Your cooperation with this and with instructions of our staff members on duty who are working to keep your children safe is greatly appreciated.
Please remember that there is Adoration in the Church on Wednesdays, so there will likely be additional traffic and people walking through the parking lot on those days.
You can also help us help you! Remind your child(ren) how they are being picked up each day. Students should come straight out of the school building (not stopping to talk to friends and teachers along the way) and walk to their pick-up area. Students should be paying attention and listening to the staff members on duty. Students should not have their cell phones out (unless given permission by a staff member) per our student handbook guidelines. Additionally, students should not be eating while waiting on the sidewalk.
We appreciate your help and support! We know the pick-up line can be more efficient, and following these guidelines can help everyone have a safer and less stressful experience at the end of the school day! Thank you!
ARRIVAL, DISMISSAL, LATCHKEY, AND BUSING
PLEASE SHARE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WITH CAREGIVERS!
Please note: We are a cell phone-free campus during drop-off and pick-up. For the safety of the children, please refrain from using your phone during this time.
ARRIVAL
- Students not attending morning Latchkey should arrive no earlier than 8:00 a.m. Families using Latchkey pay for this service. Supervision for all other students is not available until 8:00 am.
- Our tardy bell rings and homeroom period begins at 8:25 a.m. Students arriving after 8:25 am will be marked tardy.
- Students will report directly to classrooms upon arrival.
- Please help your child prepare for the school day in a stress-free manner by ensuring that he or she arrives at school by 8:25 a.m. each day.
Traffic Safety Logistics for Morning Arrival:
On Both Sides:
- When pulling forward, please make sure you are looking forward and that the path in front of and around your vehicle is clear before moving the vehicle.
- Please pull up to the sign at the end of the drop-off area. This allows more cars to stop between the two signs. Three to four cars can fit in the drop-off zone. All cars that fit within the zone between the signs may unload at the same time to help keep the lines moving.
- Please make sure students are ready to exit the car when they arrive. Seatbelts need to be unfastened, backpacks need to be loaded and zipped, masks and winter gear need to be ready, and last minute discussions about the day need to be handled before the point where students need to exit so as not to hold up the line.
- Please do not put your car in park and get out of the car in the drop off lines. If your child needs assistance getting out of a car seat or unbuckling, please park in the lot, help your child get out, and walk him or her to the building.
- Please be sure your child is completely clear of your car before pulling away. Water bottles are often dropped and may roll under cars. Please instruct your child not to reach under the car or run back to the car for a forgotten item. Adults on duty will assist.
- Please remember that students should never get out of the driver's side of the car and cross in front of the car during morning drop-off. There have been tragic accidents resulting from this practice and we want to make sure all of our children are safe. If your child is unable to get out of the passenger side in the car line, please park and walk him or her to the building.
On The Moorfield Road Side:
- Please do not pull around stopped cars when they are dropping off students. Occasionally, a driver may need to exit from the non-curb side, and passing creates a dangerous situation.
On The Parking Lot Side:
- Please do not pull up to areas other than the designated car line to drop off. If you do not want to wait in the line, you may park in the lot and walk your child to the building.
- Please do not pull beyond the sign at the end of the drop-off area or stop on the cross walk to drop off. Please keep the crosswalk clear for pedestrians.
DISMISSAL
- We will follow a staggered dismissal schedule:
- 2:55 pm - Kindergarten students and their siblings
- 3:00 pm - Non-Kindergarten Last names A-M
- 3:05 pm - Non-Kindergarten Last names N-Z
- Students will not be released until their designated time, so it is important that you make every effort to arrive as close to that time as possible, rather than lining up far in advance. We also ask for your cooperation in picking up your child on time, or calling the office in advance if you will be a few minutes late.
- If you prefer not to go through the car line, you may park in the far back parking lot and stand in the red “box” painted on the parking lot where you can safely reunite with your child.
- All kindergarteners and siblings will be walked to the red "box" by school staff rather than being picked up at the car line.
- Students should go directly to their car or bus – no loitering.
LATCHKEY
- Morning Latchkey will be available beginning at 6:50 a.m. Students being dropped off for morning Latchkey will be dropped off at the Art Room Door.
- Afternoon Latchkey will be available until 6:00 p.m. Students being picked up from evening Latchkey will be picked up at the Art Room Door.
BUSING
Four districts provide bus transportation for our students who reside in those districts: Copley-Fairlawn, Highland, Revere, and Woodridge. We anticipate that these districts will provide transportation for St. Hilary School students barring driver shortages. In that case, there is the potential that bus transportation for St. Hilary School students who ride the affected district’s bus may be lost. We encourage all families to have an alternate transportation plan in place. For more information, you may contact the transportation departments listed below:
Copley-Fairlawn: 330-664-4820
Highland: 330-239-1901, ext. 1235
Revere: 330-523-3118 or 3119
Woodridge: 330-928-6312
Please also visit our Bus Transportation page on the school website.
COVID-19, ILLNESS/ABSENCE AND MEDICATION
COVID-19 POLICIES
PLEASE NOTE: THE INFORMATION BELOW REFLECTS WHAT WAS ISSUED LATE LAST WEEK BY THE CDC AND ODH. WE EXPECT SCPH TO ADOPT THIS GUIDANCE THIS WEEK AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS IS WHAT WE WILL BE FOLLOWING AS WE BEGIN THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR.
CURRENT GUIDANCE:
On August 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on how people can protect themselves and others from COVID-19, what actions to take if exposed to COVID-19, and what actions to take if you have symptoms or test positive with the virus.
As a result, on August 12, ODH also updated its guidance for Ohio K-12 schools and recommended the CDC’s general guidance to best protect Ohio’s students in the school setting.
- First, because contact tracing and case investigation has shifted to focus on high-risk environments, such as long-term care facilities and healthcare settings, ODH is no longer recommending the Mask to Stay, Test to Play quarantine alternative for schools.
- Instead, ODH recommends schools follow general isolation procedures from the CDC for confirmed cases. If students or staff feel sick or suspect they might have COVID-19, they should stay home and take a rapid test. If positive, students and staff should stay home from school for at least 5 days and longer if necessary until fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and symptoms are improving. Additionally, after isolation ends, students and staff should continue to take precautions as they resume normal activities by wearing a mask for 5 days (or after two negative tests 48 hours apart).
In addition, it is recommended that schools continue to work closely with their local health departments to monitor community spread and make decisions about the best measures to protect students and staff based on what is happening in their communities.
REPORTING:
Like all schools, St. Hilary School is no longer required to contact trace or report positive individual cases to SCPH, but we are still required to seek guidance in the case of cluster cases. Parents still need to state that a student has tested positive for COVID-19 if applicable as the reason for an absence when reporting the student absent on the attendance line. If you have a COVID-19 situation in your household, please contact school administration or nurses to help determine next steps for your child.
Jennifer Woodman, Principal - jwoodman@st-hilary.org
Darcy Alexander, Assistant Principal - dalexander@st-hilary.org
Julie Bauman, School Nurse - jbauman@st-hilary.org
Abby Laughlin, School Nurse - alaughlin@st-hilary.org
MASKING:
Masking is optional at this time and we will follow the updated guidance issued August 11-12 by the CDC and ODH, and expected to be adopted by SCPH. However, students may be asked to wear masks in the school clinic at the discretion of the school nurses, if there is an outbreak within the school, or in other limited situations as warranted.
All four school districts that provide busing for St. Hilary School students have communicated to us that students are no longer required to wear masks on their buses, but may do so if they choose. In some cases, drivers may continue to wear masks. Please note that in relation to school field trips involving buses, while students will not be required to wear masks on the buses, we will respect the mask policy of the field trip location during our time there.
All students, staff, and parents are expected to respect the masking decisions an individual or family chooses.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
We continue to be mindful of social distancing where appropriate, proper hand washing, sanitizing of highly touched areas, and symptom monitoring at home. Students are encouraged to bring water bottles to school. These may be refilled at our bottle filler stations.
SCHOOL RESPONSE SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
The CDC has stated that COVID-19 community levels and public health prevention strategies can be increased when communities are experiencing more severe conditions and decreased when things are more stable. Our school response will continue to follow the guidance we are given as conditions change and if more restrictive measures are warranted. For more information and resources to monitor community spread, read more about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Community Levels here.
REPORTING AN ABSENCE, TARDY OR EARLY PICK-UP
If your child will be absent, tardy or picked up early for any reason, please contact the school office. We have two options:
- Call our school attendance line at 330-867-8720, ext. 350 and leave a message 24/7, or
- Email attendance@st-hilary.org. Although not necessary, you may also notify your child's teacher and Latchkey as a courtesy. Please do not email other school staff regarding absences, as our dedicated attendance email inbox is checked each morning, but other emails may not be immediately received.
- Whether calling or emailing, please state your child's name, grade, and the reason for the absence, tardy or early pick-up, including specific symptoms if due to an illness. Absences must be reported to the school office by 10:00 am on the day of the absence. We are required by law to follow up with families who do not do so.
- If a student needs to be picked up for an appointment or is ill and being picked up to go home, please pull up to the Moorfield Road door, call the school office at 330-867-8720, and your child will be signed out with your permission and released to your car under staff supervision.
- Students who are ill may not return to school until they are symptom free for a full 24 hours without fever reducing medication. There is no perfect attendance award or other incentive to come to school when ill.
- Please contact teachers directly regarding requests for homework; however, please understand that requests may not be able to be filled until the next day if the teacher does not see your request until late in the day. Thank you for understanding that our teachers' first priority during the day is teaching.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS / MEDICATION AT SCHOOL
If your child has a medical condition or will need medication, an Epi-pen, etc. stored or administered in the clinic this school year, please be sure to complete the necessary forms (see below). NEW FORMS FOR MEDICATION, WHETHER PRESCRIPTION OR OVER-THE-COUNTER, ARE REQUIRED EVERY SCHOOL YEAR... SO EVEN IF YOU FILLED OUT FORMS FOR LAST SCHOOL YEAR, WE MUST HAVE NEW FORMS FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
The forms below are provided for your convenience. These may or may not apply to your child, and may or may not be necessary for you to complete. All students have a physical exam form on file from the date of initial enrollment so it is not necessary to complete this again for enrolled students. Immunizations are also on file from the date of initial enrollment and need to be updated only if there has been a change. Students who have medical conditions or need medication administered at school will need to have the appropriate forms completed and submitted to the school nurses.
In the event that you missed these forms, forgot to complete them if applicable, or your child's health situation has changed, they are attached here for your convenience.
