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Student Handbook

 

School Handbook

The ABC’s of Thomas Jefferson

Attendance - District Attendance Policy 5200 

Consistent attendance is essential to the learning process. Barring illness, please make every effort to attend school on a daily basis. Absences should be called in prior to 9:00AM. You can leave a voicemail at any time. The New Jersey Department of Education requires schools to monitor attendance and provide notice of potential cases of chronic absenteeism (missing 10% or more of the school year). You will receive notification each marking period if your child’s attendance meets this criteria.

 

Bathroom

With the exception of our preschool and kindergarten classrooms, there are no bathrooms in the classrooms for students. Students will be responsible for following the class procedures for visits to the bathroom. Appropriate behavior in the bathroom is expected for all students. Older students should be mindful of the example they set for their younger peers in these shared spaces. 

 

Behavior District Code of Conduct Policy 5600

The Golden Rule of “treating others the way you would like to be treated” applies in most cases. Students are expected to use kind words, keep their hands to themselves, and be respectful of others’ personal space and property. Self control and good judgment are character traits that all students develop and hone during the elementary years. Regular communication between home and school is an important part of that process. Your child’s teacher will reach out to you if there is an ongoing issue with behavior. Similarly, you are encouraged to reach out to your child’s teacher if you perceive an ongoing problem at school.

 

Birthdays

Every student has their birthday announced on the Morning Announcements on their special day. They also receive a card, pencil, and book as a gift. Students may bring something in to celebrate their birthday with their classmates, but nothing edible. Invitations to birthday parties can only be distributed in school if everyone in the class is included or if all the boys or girls are invited.

Communication

Parents can expect a response from an email within 1-2 school days, depending on the time the email is sent. Please understand that teachers have limited opportunities to read or write emails during the school day. Any matters that require immediate attention should be addressed to the main office via phone call. This includes any changes to dismissal procedures.

 

Conferences

The district provides designated time for elementary parent-teacher conferences in November. Parents can also request a phone conference or in-person conference with teachers throughout the year. Conferences must be scheduled in advance to guarantee everyone’s availability.

 

Conflicts

Social conflicts will occur from time to time with our students. Communication with the classroom teacher is the best place to start if this is the case. However, we also have a school counselor who can help facilitate resolutions. If the conflict escalates to a disciplinary matter, the principal may get involved to help develop pathways to a resolution. Please note that in these cases, the school will not be able to share specifics about how we are addressing discipline with students other than your own.

 

Dress Code

Students should be dressed appropriately for a school setting. This includes sufficient layers for cold weather. Please make sure your child has appropriate footwear for running. Students should not be wearing open-toed shoes, flip-flops, Crocs, or other footwear that is not properly secured to the foot. Students who are not wearing proper footwear may lose the opportunity to participate in physical education or recess activities.

 

Early Dismissals

If you need to take your child out of school prior to dismissal, please contact the main office in advance. This way we will have your child ready for dismissal.

Dropping Off Items

If you need to drop something off at school for your child, please place it in the drop off bin by the main entrance.

 

Electronics

Board Policy 2260- Affirmative Action Program for School and Classroom Practices

Board Policy 2361- Acceptable Use of Computer Network/Computers and Resources

The district does have software that monitors student activity for appropriate use. Personal electronics such as cell phones and smart watches are not permitted to be used during school hours. Those items should be turned off and stored in your child’s backpack until after dismissal.

 

Food

Thomas Jefferson is a nut-free school. In general, we ask students not to share food with others. Additionally, please refrain from sending in food from outside vendors for lunch (e.g., Dunkin Donuts, Chick Fila) as it violates our agreement with our lunch service provider. 

 

Hallways

Every effort should be made to walk in the hallways without disrupting classroom activities. In most cases students will be escorted by a staff member with their class when traveling in the halls.

 

Homework

Board Policy 2330- Homework

Homework is a regular practice in all grades, with the workload and expectations increasing each year. Your child’s teacher will establish homework guidelines and expectations at the beginning of the school year. Please help support your child in developing this practice. If you are having an ongoing issue with getting your child to complete his/her homework in a reasonable amount of time, please contact your child’s teacher for support.



 

Lost and Found

The lost and found bin is located near the main entrance. Periodically the school will lay out accumulated items in the main hallway in the hopes of returning them to their owners. Parents are encouraged to put their child’s name on items brought to school.

 

Lunch

The lunch period is 20 minutes long. School lunch must be ordered in advance online. If your child does not have lunch, we will contact you to bring something to school. We can’t guarantee that there will be extra food available from our lunch service. When packing a lunch, please understand that staff are unable to heat up food for students. Please refrain from sending your child to school with candy, soda, large packages to share with friends, and glass containers. 

 

Medication

Medication can only be administered at school if the required paperwork has been completed with the school nurse. See the health corner of the school website for more information.

 

Nurse

The nurse sees many patients throughout the day. She will contact you if there is an injury beyond a band-aid or ice pack. If your child is sick and needs to be picked up, please make every effort to do so in a timely manner. Please review the school exclusion guidelines in advance of bringing your child back to school after an illness.

 

Parking

There is no visitor parking on campus. Depending on the time of day, visitors can temporarily park near the preschool entrance for a quick pick up or drop off. If you are planning to come to school for an extended period of time, please make arrangements to park off campus. If someone requires handicap parking, please contact the school in advance and we will make arrangements to accommodate you.

 

Recess

Students have recess for 20 minutes everyday. Students are expected to play safely and use equipment the correct way. No one should be excluded from an activity. Discipline issues at recess will be addressed by the principal and communicated to parents. Students may bring their own recess equipment to school, but it is subject to approval from the principal. Students are responsible for their own items and must accept the risk that a personal item may be damaged or lost.

 

School Hours

K-5 students may access the campus starting at 8:15AM, but may not enter the building until 8:30AM. Students arriving after 8:45AM must report to the main office for a late pass. Students are dismissed at 3:00PM (Kindergarten dismisses at 2:50PM). Teachers may be available for meetings, conferences or extra-help until 3:25PM.

 

Vacation

If you choose to take your child out of school for an extended period of time for personal travel, teachers will provide some work in advance but will not be able to fully replicate missed work until the child returns. Please make every effort to limit your travel to the multiple breaks throughout the school year. 

 

Visitors

All visitors need to report to the main entrance and will not be allowed in the building without an appointment. If you are coming to school for a PTO event, please do not venture outside of your activity’s location and disrupt classes.

  

Water Bottles

Students are permitted to have water bottles in school. Any other beverage is not permitted. There are two filtered water fountains in the building that can also be used to refill water bottles. Students are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles that are clearly labeled with their name. Glass containers are not permitted.

Weather

Students will go outside for morning line-up and recess as long as the temperature is above 32 degrees and it is not raining.  

 

Elementary School Student Code of Conduct 

We believe that elementary school is a time to grow and learn from mistakes.  Therefore, we utilize a progressive discipline philosophy and also seek to make any required discipline focused on students’ learning from the experience. 

 

An essential aspect of our approach is to promote positive student development and reinforce expected behaviors.  Each elementary school implements a schoolwide positive behavioral support system. 

 

Our discipline standard requires that we address any action of which we are made aware by investigating and, if necessary, implementing discipline.  Our philosophy of progressive discipline focuses on teaching a student to behave properly.  

 

Consequences are logically applied and take into account the age of the child, the circumstances surrounding the incident, and the child’s previous record of behavior.  Possible consequences include:  

  • Discussion with student and/or parent 

  • Lunch/recess detention 

  • Alternate discipline  

  • Suspension/expulsion (suspension is quite rare and only employed if there is grossly dangerous or unsafe behavior or repeated acts of harassment, intimidation, bullying, theft or vandalism. 

 

We do not discriminate based on gender, age, religion, sexual orientation or any other protected class and our policies and practices are implemented without regard to membership in such groups.  We do not make public the disciplinary actions we impose on a student.  We respect the privacy of all students.

 

To access the Hawthorne Board of Education’s Student Code of Conduct Policy and Regulation (P/R 5600), please click here.