This handbook was developed to provide parents and students with important information

regarding the operation of Echo Hills Elementary School. Please read each section so you will be familiar with school policies and procedures.

If you have any questions or concerns I invite you to consult your child’s teacher or the staff member involved first. I am here to help as well.

Sincerely,

David Ulbricht

Principal

In the event of your child’s absence the following procedures must be followed:

Call the school office @ (330) 689-5450. Please state the child’s name and reason for absence. Messages may be left on the school voice mail if you wish to call during non-office hours.

Pre-planned absences (vacations, family obligations) should be reported to the school at least three days prior to the absence using the form found at http://www.smfschools.org/parents/formsapplications

Even if you email your child's teacher about an absence you must still call the Office.

Please be advised that absences are automatically marked as unexcused if we do not receive parent/guardian communication.

Good attendance is an important factor in school success. Since it is impossible to recreate the instructional day through make-up assignments, regular attendance is crucial.

If a student is absent from school for any reason the parent/guardian is obligated to provide a written statement regarding the cause of the absence.

Students who arrive after 9:05am are marked tardy and must report to the Office to sign in. Tardy students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Repeated absences including tardiness disrupt the educational process. Consequences including but not limited to the following may be issued to address excessive or habitual absences:

• Warning letter
• parent conferentes
• referral to the Attendance Intervention Team
• School consequences such as detention
• Referral to Stow Youth Services.

Arrival

All parents/guardians who choose to transport their child(ren) to school in a private vehicle must remain in the vehicle and join the car rider line (shown in the diagram above by white arrows) as it moves around the perimeter of the lot. Drivers must remain in their vehicle at all times (parking and coming to the front of the school on foot can no longer be permitted). As you approach the curb adjacent to the school please remain very close to the curb to allow moving traffic from the parking area to exit. It is HIGHLY recommended that children exit using the passenger side of your vehicle. This will allow them to get out on a sidewalk rather than in the midst of moving vehicles. Children must remain in your vehicle until 8:55am. They may not leave vehicles prior to that point. A staff member will be present to direct them to the building by “following the Bulldogs”.

Children may walk to school at parent discretion. An adult could choose to walk the child to a point just off school property and visually supervise the completion of their journey to school. They will enter from the front doors marked for students and staff.

Daycare providers will continue to be parked in a designated spot near the trees in the main entry driveway. These spots are reserved for daycare vans and parents/guardians must not park there.

Dismissal

Parents/Guardians who choose to transport their child(ren) home must remain in their vehicles at all times. Please line up around the perimeter of the lot as shown in the diagram above. Please also prepare a 8.5 x 11 sized sign with the last name(s) of the children you are picking up marked in large block letters. That sign should be placed on the passenger side of your vehicle dashboard so it can be easily seen by our staff. Those names will be called out by the staff members assisting with the car rider line.. Generally, the youngest children will be lined up closest to the crosswalk.

Walkers (see above definition) will be dismissed from Door #9 on the South side of the building and will leave school property immediately and independently on foot.

Daycares will park in the space noted above and children will be assisted while crossing the cross walk to those vehicles.

Buses will be “pre-loaded” in the building so that children are dismissed from the school to their bus in a manner that allows them to move directly to their assigned seat without passing by other seated children.

Students may bring in a birthday treat to share with classmates. Please follow the following guidelines.

• Please contact the teacher regarding potential food allergies.

• Treats should be easily distributed by the child. Due to allergy and logistical concerns, the treats must be commercially prepared with ingredients clearly marked and individually wrapped/packaged. Homemade treats are not permitted.

• Students should transport treats to school. Treats being brought in by an adult must be left in the office.

Students may pass out party invitations at school ONLY when inviting the entire class, or if the party is for all the girls or all the boys in the class. Selective invitations (only inviting a few students in the class) may not be passed out at school. The office will not provide parents with student addresses or emails.

A nutritious lunch provided by you or our cafeteria is instrumental in your child’s academic performance.

In recent school years Breakfast and Lunch were available free of charge to all students as a form of pandemic relief. Funding for this program has been discontinued at the state and federal level. This means that breakfast and/or lunch will be offered for a fee this year, unless your child is eligible for free/reduced meals.

All parents & guardians are asked to complete the free/reduced lunch application that is included in your child’s annual forms (Final Forms). Funding for academic programs like Title 1 is determined based on data gathered from these applications. Your willingness to fill out the form helps to maintain funding for these important programs. You may discover that you are eligible for free or reduced price meals by completing this form.

Other considerations for breakfast and lunch at school include:

• A peanut-free table is offered for students with food allergies. Contact the school nurse if your child has a food allergy.

• Students are expected to act responsibly, independently open lunch items, and clean up their area.

• Students should be able to open any food item sent in as part of a lunch independently. Juice pouches, “go-Gurt” and fruit cups are items that children commonly struggle to open. Staff will always be available to help any child who needs it, but your child will be able to more readily enjoy his/her lunch if assistance is not needed.

• Parents/Guardians may not enter the building for lunch.

• Parents may use PaySchools to add money to their child's nutrition services account. https://www.payschoolscentral.com/

Students may bring cellphones to school at parent discretion. However, these devices must be kept in the student's locker and turned off at all times during the school day. Students are not permitted to use cell phones or other personal electronic devices during school hours. This includes but is not limited to wrist watch cell phones or any other device capable of texting or voice communications or of capturing/transmitting video and or audio.

Cell phones or other personal electronic devices used inappropriately by students will be confiscated by a staff member and will be returned at the end of the school day. In the case of repeat offenses, devices may be confiscated and held until they can be retrieved by an a parent or guardian.

In the event of an emergency parents/guardians should contact the school so that we may alert your child.

It is extremely important that we have accurate information about your child on file at all times. Parents/Guardians use Final Forms to provide a yearly update. You will also use this form to make corrections or to provide updates (eg change of telephone number). In the case of a change of address, you will also need to provide updated proof of residency to our Board of Education Offices. The registrar can be reached at 330-689-5445.

https://stow-oh.finalforms.com

As a school we rely heavily on electronic delivery. This includes building newsletters, email notifications, and student report cards, just to name a few. If you require assistance with access to important information please contact your child's teacher.

8:55...Students may enter the building. Car riders should remain in vehicles until this time.

9:05...Student day begins

3:35...Student day ends

Every student will be issued a district-owned Chromebook for use during the school year.

The device must come to school every day, charged sufficiently to be used during the school day.

Excessive damage to the device may result in a fee. Loss of the device will result in the assessment of a fee to cover the cost of the device.

Students/parents can request technical assistance with school owned devices by emailing st_studenthelp@smfcsd.org or by reporting the issue to the classroom teacher.

Field trips will be organized by grade levels and parents will be provided detailed information when available. It is mandatory that the annual forms and consent process has been completed. Failure to complete this process will unfortunately result in your child’s ineligibility to attend.

The number of chaperones will be based on information provided by the field trip destination.

Classroom teachers will utilize a selection process if we have more volunteers than needed. The

duties of a chaperone begin at the school and include riding the bus to and from the field trip site.

Chaperones may not drive their private vehicle to/from a field trip. All chaperones MUST be

fingerprinted and cleared by Central Office and are subject to the fingerprinting deadline

referenced in the section regarding Volunteers found later in this document.

Every student will use their district Chromebook to access the Google Classroom set up by their teacher.

The Echo Hills clinic is staffed daily from 9:05 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. each day. If you have a concern about your child’s health, please call the clinic at (330) 689-5456.

If a child becomes ill or injured during the school day, a parent or other emergency contact will be notified. Clinic personnel will determine whether a child is permitted to remain in school.

In order to dispense prescription medication to students, the following guidelines MUST be followed:

• A medication form must be obtained from the school office, completed, and returned to school. The form is also available online on the district’s parent page. This form includes the type of medication to be taken, the prescribed dosage, and the signature of the physician.

• The medication must be brought to school in the ORIGINAL container.

The container must have the prescription label attached.

• The medication is stored in a locked cabinet in the health clinic and will be dispensed by the nurse

• If the type of medication or dosage is changed, a revised form must be completed and resubmitted.

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In order to dispense non-prescription/OTC medication such as Tylenol, cold medication, or other over-the-counter medications, a Non-Prescription Medication form must be filled out and signed by the parent and brought to the school office. All non-prescription medications will be dispensed by the medical assistant. Note that cough drops and sunscreen are handled using the same over-the-counter procedure.

Our school district takes student online safety seriously. We use filtering and monitoring software on all school owned devices and accounts as one tool to help keep kids safe.

This software works in the background and sends a report to school officials anytime potentially unsafe activity is detected. School administrators receive a report and evaluate the situation determine whether further action is necessary.

These efforts are not intended to be intrusive, but rather in an effort to make student device and account usage as safe and productive as possible. If you have any questions or concerns about this please contact the school principal.

The use of facial masks by students and staff is optional. District administrators collaborate regularly with health professionals to monitor health conditions in the community. This and all aspects of our health and safety plans are subject to change based on conditions in the community.

Students should dress appropriately for outdoor recess. Students will go outside for recess unless the wind chill drops below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or unless it is raining or there is thunder in the area.

The safety of our students and staff is a paramount concern. We invest a great deal of time and resources into ensuring that our school is a safe and healthy place.

Periodically we conduct safety drills to make sure that all students and staff are familiar with our safety plan.

Community members who have a concern about school safety are invited to contact the school principal at 330-689-5450.

You can also report a safety concern directly to the Stow Police Department (330-689-5700 for non emergencies; 911 for emergencies).

Finally, we offer a tip line that accepts reports of safety concerns. If desired, this can be done anonymously. A concerned party may call or text 1-844-SAFEROH (1-844-723-3764).

The district communicates with the community in a variety of ways. We will disseminate any information about school or district operations (including weather related school delays and closures, adjustments to our operational plan, etc.) via phone blast and internet.

If you miss a call from the school please check your voicemail prior to calling the school’s main number.

Echo Hills Elementary School follows the PAWS Positive Behavior program. PAWS stands for: Prepared for Success, Act Responsibly, Work Hard, and Stay Safe. Students can earn PAWS reward tickets by displaying PAWS behavior. Students who make inappropriate choices will receive consequences that follow a progressive discipline model.

All students at Echo Hills Elementary School are subject to the Stow-Munroe Falls Schools Student Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct can be found online at (updated Feb 2022):

https://www.smfschools.org/userfiles/4/my%20files/k-4%20student%20code%20of%20conduct.pdf?id=1470

Students who violate the code of conduct may receive any of the following consequences or combination of consequences. These expectations apply to all school environments including the bus.

• Teacher/classroom consequence

• Loss of privileges

• Inside recess

• Office referral

• Parent contact

• Suspension

• Expulsion

Students are expected to dress in a manner appropriate for school. Cleanliness, neatness of hair

and clothing, comfort, and safety are essential considerations. Clothing should be clean, properly

fitted, and in good taste. The following items are NOT permitted:

• Mesh or see-through garments

• Bare midriffs/low-cut tops

• Clothing that advertises alcoholic beverages/cigarettes/drugs

• Clothing that displays inappropriate language

Additionally, students must abide by the following guidelines:

• Shorts should be finger-tip length

• Jackets, coats and hats may not be worn in the classroom

• Students should not wear flip-flops and other toeless footwear—this is for safety reasons.

• Students should not use face paint unless given special permission by the Principal for school spirit days.

You will be asked to provide your child’s teacher information about your child’s transportation arrangements at the beginning of the year.

• Consistency in your child’s transportation is imperative. This alleviates anxiousness for the child, unnecessary confusion, and provides a safe and orderly dismissal routine.

• Parents/guardians must provide prior written notice if there is to be a change in transportation.

• If no notification is received your child will follow his/her regular mode of transportation.

• If an emergency situation arises please call the office as early as possible. DO NOT EMAIL, you must call.

Students who are transported to and from school by district transportation may only ride their assigned bus.

Our school district uses the Traversa 360 app. This tool will allow parents the ability to see their child's school bus assignment, check assigned pick-up and drop off times, and monitor delays in the bus schedule.

• Echo Hills and the Stow Munroe Falls City Schools intends to welcome back volunteers to our schools as health conditions permit this year. We reserve the right to adjust our volunteer plans as health conditions in the community evolve.

• All volunteers for all activities must be fingerprinted. This includes but is not limited to field trips, classroom volunteers, and PTA events

• Fingerprinting is available at no charge by contacting Lucy Casto at the Board Office at (330) 689-5445. For your convenience, we also schedule opportunities for fingerprinting at the school building.

• Fingerprinting and background checks are good for one calendar year.

• Individuals who wish to volunteer at any point during the school year must complete a new fingerprint check by October 17, 2022. Failure to adhere to this deadline will result in ineligibility for volunteering opportunities. (Exceptions will be made in instances when a family moves into the district mid-year).

• Upon arrival, volunteers must report to the office, sign in and obtain a volunteer badge before beginning their work.

Student and Staff safety is our paramount concern. The following procedures are used when adults visit our school:

• Ring the buzzer outside the main entrance and request entrance

• Check in with a staff member upon entering the secure vestibule.

• Visitors who request entry beyond the secured vestibule must present a government-issued identification card. This card will be scanned through the Raptor Visitor Management System. Prospective visitors are screened against multiple registries to ensure that prohibited persons do not enter the building.

• Once the visitor is cleared by Raptor an identification sticker will be issued. The visitor must wear this sticker visibly at all times during the visit.

• Visitors will also be required to comply with any health department order that is in effect.

AT NO TIME should parents or other family members enter the building and proceed through the hallways without following the above procedures.

Classroom Visitations:

In accordance with Board of Education Policy 9150, classroom visitations are subject to the following procedures:

• Parents, other than those who have been asked by a teacher to be in the classroom, who wish to observe learning activities taking place in their child's classroom are to confer, in advance, with the principal and the teacher and state the purpose of the visitation.
• Visitations will not be allowed during examinations and independent study periods.
• A visitation should be no longer than 30 minutes or one class period whichever is
• longer.
• The number of visitors at any one (1) time should not exceed two parents.
• The frequency of visits for any student's parents should be no more than one visit per month.
• Parents are to be silent observers and are not to create any type of disturbance or disruption to the learning process.
• Copies of instructional materials being used by the students or teacher may be requested of the teacher but not always be immediately available during the visitation.
• Any comments made by individual students are to be maintained in confidence by the visitor to the activity.
• Use of audio or visual equipment to record classroom activities must be approved by the principal and the teacher. No visitor shall be allowed to videotape students in the classroom as it violates the privacy rights of students unrelated to the visitor.
• If a visitor wishes to tape record a conversation or meeting with a teacher or the principal, s/he should request permission from the teacher or principal.
• Any comments or concerns are to be discussed with the teacher before or after the school day when students are not present.
• Visitors are encouraged to meet with the principal and teacher during non-instructional hours to discuss the observation and to obtain answers to their questions. If a parent has a concern about what may be transpiring in his/her child's classroom, s/he should discuss the concern first with the teacher and, if the concern is not satisfied, make arrangements to discuss the matter with the principal.