May 27th- Last Day for Child Development

May 30th- No School/ Memorial Day

June 2nd-2 1/2 Hour Early Dismissal for Students (12:30pm)

June 3rd- Last Day of School/ 2 1/2 Hour Early Dismissal for Students (12:30pm)

School Policy

St.James Elementary School has two classroom parties/celebrations during the school year: before winter break and the end of the year.

We do not have classroom celebrations on Valentine's Day, Halloween or any other Holidays.

We cannot allow celebration cakes, cupcakes, flowers, etc. for individual or group rewards or celebrations.

Students may bring valentines on February 14 to exchange with classmates but may not bring candy, cookies, cupcakes, treat bags, etc. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

No costumes or treat bags are allowed at school on October 30 or 31. Thank you for your cooperation.

How quickly your child exits the car impacts those behind you, so we appreciate how considerate you can be to all of our SJE families. We want everyone to get in the building before the 7:40am tardy bell rings, we want our parents to get to work on time or deliver additional children to other schools on time, and we want our teachers on duty in the building at 7:40am to begin instruction.
We will continue to monitor the morning drop off situation for the safety of our children. We know that all of you echo our passion for ensuring our children’s safe and timely arrival to school. Please remember that our new morning car rider procedures require that all children will be dropped off in the car line. Please enter the car line beside the middle school and follow the SJE lane to our drop off location. When you pull all the way to the first available spot and stop, your child should be ready to exit the car (make sure book bags are ready, jackets are on, and you have said your good-byes before you stop your car). Being ready and exiting the car in a quick manner can be helpful to those behind you in line. Teachers and staff on duty will not be opening the car doors. If you need to help your child exit the car and this requires you to exit your car as well, please pull all the way forward past the first drop off stop and pull to the side area to assist your child. Pulling all the way forward and to the side allows the parents behind you to continue the line moving. We want to be considerate to all students and parents with regards to arriving to school in a timely manner.

Again, the line will begin receiving students at 6:45am. Although the tardy bell rings at 7:40am, we encourage you to drop off your child as soon as possible. All children are provided breakfast in the morning. We want the children to have the opportunity to get settled in the classroom and begin instruction by 7:40am. Students who are not in the building at 7:40am will be marked tardy. All students should be dropped off using the car line procedures described below:

AM Car Rider Procedures
• Staff report to duty at 6:45 a.m. You can begin dropping children off at this time (6:45 am). Teachers will line the sidewalks while others are strategically located throughout the building to keep our children safe.
• Please pull all the way forward to the first adult on duty. We encourage you to pull as far forward as possible in order to get as much traffic off the road as possible.
• The teacher on duty will monitor the children as they exit the car and walk down the sidewalk into the school. **Not everyone will get the drop off spot closest to the door, but all children will be safely monitored into the building. By each child exiting the car during each round, the flow of traffic is uninterrupted and can move at a faster pace.
• Once your child has exited the car, continue with the flow of traffic. Please do not get out of your car. **Please pull off to the side only if your child cannot exit the car without your assistance. Because of COVID, we will not be opening car doors.
• Please have your child exit the car from the right side. Children walking in front of, behind, and in between cars is a serious safety concern.
• All car riders must utilize the drop off loop. Parents are not permitted to exit the car or to walk students to the door.

**Remember, all visitors MUST report to the front of the office to enter the building. No one will be permitted into the building from any side entrances. Thank you for helping us keep your children safe. We look forward to a continued happy, safe, and successful school year!!

**Remember, the tardy bell rings at 7:40am. If your child is not in the building at 7:40am, he/she will be marked tardy. Your child can be marked tardy even if you drive through the gate after the bell has rung. Instruction begins at 7:40am, please be on time.

Excused Absences An absence is considered excused if a valid medical doctor's written note (with the date & time the student was seen) is provided within 3 school days after the absence. Online Medical visits with medical notes and/or screenshots that contain the student's name, date of birth, and results of the online visit (prescription, number of days out before the student's return to school, etc.) An absence for bereavement, due to a death in the student's immediate family, may be excused if an obituary or program of service verifying the death is provided to the attendance clerk within 3 school days after the student returns to school. An absence for a nationally recognized religious holiday of the student's faith may be excused if a request is made in writing to the principal and written approval is received prior to the absence. A parent may request approval of an absence for hardship, in writing, utilizing the Request for Approval form. This form may be obtained from the school's attendance office. The form must be completed and submitted prior to the absence (if the parent has prior knowledge), or within 3 days following the absence.

· If my child is absent from school, I will notify the attendance office by email and by providing a medical documentation upon his/her return. Nkearney@horrycountyschools.net

· Continued unlawful absences, tardies, or early sign-outs after the Attendance Intervention Plan (AIP) is in place will result in referral to the district attendance office for review and possible referral to family court for truancy.

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