Parent Handbook 2020 - 2021, Slides of Law

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Parent Handbook

4530 Lyndale Ave S.

Minneapolis, MN 55419

Phone (612) 877- 7400

Table of Contents

Emergency School Closings, Report Cards, Weekly Backpack Mail, Classroom

• Important Information.…………………………………...………..…...
• Introduction.…………………………….………………….…………... School Address, Telephone Numbers, Hours, School Mission and History
• COVID-19 Message………………………………………………….…
• COVID- 19 Health Procedures …………………...…………………….
• COVID- 19 Safety Measures in School…………..……………….…….
• COVID- 19 Disinfection and Cleaning Procedures…………………….
• COVID-19 Information…………………………………………………
• Attendance..………...………………………………….…………..…..
• Before School Program/ End of Day Pick-Up………………………...
• Bullying Prohibition Policy……………………………………………
• City Connects…………………………………………………..………1
• Communication Between Home and School…………………..………1
• Discipline Policies……...……………………………………………...1 Newsletters, Talking With Your Child’s Teacher
• Drug-Free Zone…..………………...………………………………….
• Emergency Procedures.…..……………….………………..……….…
• Expectations…...……………………………………………………….
• Family Involvement………………...………………………….……....2
• Family Support Services…….…………………………………….….. Conferences, Family Nights, Volunteering, Homework
• Food at School…………………………………………………………
• Health Services and Issues………...…………………………………..
• Items Which Are Not Allowed at School…………………..……….... Immunizations, Medications, Illness
• Keeping the School Informed ………………………………………...
• Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences…………………………………
• School Pledge…………………………………………………………
• Special Education………………………………………...…………...
• Technology……………………………………………………………
• Transportation Information…………………………………………...3
• Uniform Guidelines (Pre-K- 5 th) ………………………………..…… Getting your stop set up, Changing your stop, Temporary changes, Bus concerns, Safety
• Middle School Handbook…………………………………………….4

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the 2020 - 2021 school year at Stonebridge World School! We know

that parents/guardians are the key to a child’s educational success, and this parent

handbook is designed to keep you better informed about your child’s experience.

We encourage you to read this handbook with your child and keep it handy

throughout the school year. All students and parents are expected to be familiar with

and adhere to the policies in this handbook. Please do not hesitate to call the school,

however, if you have further questions.

COVID- 19 MESSAGE

Stonebridge World School will begin the 2020- 2021 school year using the

Distance Learning model with supports, which will continue through the first

quarter of the school year. The school will re-evaluate at the end of October 2020

to determine what changes we will need to make going forward. During distance

learning all students will have access to on-site support by Stonebridge staff, which

will include ESL, Special Education, Mental Health support as well as technology

and tutoring. Additionally, Stonebridge has revised the school calendar and will

now be starting school on the Tuesday after Labor Day September 8th, which will

give teachers more time for training ensuring rigor and equity for all of our

students. Please look for a call from your student’s teacher the week of August

24th and more information very soon on the school open house, which will allow

you to pick up a new iPad for your students. We know this has been a stressful

time for everyone and I want to let you know that the Stonebridge school planning

committee worked very hard this summer looking at the three models required by

Minnesota Department of Education. The committee brought a wide range of

expertise to the process examining best practices, health and safety protocols,

Covid trends, surveys from families and staff and what scenario other Metro

districts were using to start the school year in order to inform the decision that was

made. We will continue to keep you updated as we learn new information and

about any changes. Most importantly we look forward to serving you this year

bringing strong, rigorous instruction to all of our students as we strive to keep

everyone safe and well.

Thank you,

Barbara Novy

Executive Director

COVID- 19 SAFETY MEASURES IN SCHOOL

1. Hand sanitizer stations have been put in the entrance of every room.

2. Drinking fountains have been converted to contactless water bottle fill

stations. Students will be provided with a reusable water bottle.

3. Classrooms are set up for Hybrid social distancing. Tables have plastic

dividers between students.

4. Safe healthy habits and social distance signage have been placed throughout

the building.

5. Building entrance safety procedures are in place with hand sanitation,

required mask, and temperature check upon arrival.

6. Designated space for students with temperatures waiting to be picked-up.

7. Individual school supply sets for home and school.

8. Building cleaning and disinfecting plan in place.

9. Additional space in the building renovated to provide social distancing.

10. Food service planned in for all 3 scenarios with food being delivered on

Wednesdays for Distance Learning and Hybrid.

11. Smart TV’s purchased and placed in classrooms for live teacher instruction

daily.

12. Ipad devices purchased for all students throughout school year.

13. Planning for Support Services provided Special Ed, ESL, mental health and

additional academic support.

COVID- 19 DISINFECTION AND CLEANING PROCEDURES

Increased Daily Disinfecting

Custodial staff prioritize high-touch areas such as door handles, switches,

hand railings, desks and bathrooms. Bleach wipes and disinfectant sprays

are available for staff use on-site.

Building Impacted Area Disinfection with a Suspected COVID- 19 Case

The impacted areas are disinfected with priority given to bathrooms,

hallways, drinking fountains, cafeterias, kitchens and health offices.

High-touch areas are also prioritized. Cafeteria disinfection will occur daily

and in between groups of students using food service areas, as well as

kitchens throughout the day

Immediate Area Disinfection and Cleaning with a Positive COVID-19 Case

The affected areas are closed off and a rapid response cleaning team

thoroughly disinfects the entire area and any other common spaces the

individual may have occupied. Staff use germicidal bleach, halt,

disinfectant sprays, nitrile gloves, hand soap, electrostatic backpack

sprayer, and one gallon sprayers to disinfect large areas quickly.

Potential Full Building Closure with Multiple Positive COVID-19 Cases and

Potential Building-Wide Exposure

Custodial staff will thoroughly disinfect the entire building in accordance with

cleaning and disinfecting standards and in consultation with the Minnesota

Department of Health.

ATTENDANCE

Minnesota Law requires that every student age five (kindergarten) through age 16 attend school, and Stonebridge World School recognizes that daily attendance is CRITICAL to academic achievement. If your child will not be coming to school, you must call our 24 Hour Attendance Line at (612) 877-7498 to report your child’s absence. Tardiness Buses arrive at 8:50 and school starts promptly at 9:00 AM. Students who arrive after 9:00 will be considered tardy. Breakfast will not be served past 9:00 so that classes may begin their Morning Meetings at 9:15. The only exception is if a bus arrives late we will then make accommodations for breakfast. If a student does arrive late to school, he or she must go to the office and get a pass. Three tardies count as one unexcused absence. Excused Absences Illness: Please call the school each day that your child is ill or send a note upon their return. After three missed days, the school will require a doctor’s note as verification of illness. Religious observance or recognized cultural observance when school has been notified in advance Funeral or family emergency for three days, or as arranged. Family Activity: A student may be gone up to 10 school days from school for a pre-approved family activity. To get pre-approval from the school, you must do the following: ● At least 10 days before leaving, parents need to send a note in regards to the activity or leave. ● Make sure that your student will not be gone for important tests like the MCA or MAP. Doctor, Dentist, or other professional appointments when the Stonebridge office has been notified and verification provided. Suspension: If a student is suspended from school, he or she will be excused, but will be required to make up any missing work. Suspended student needs to return with a parent/or legal guardian. Unexcused Absences Any other absence will be considered unexcused. This includes, but is not limited to, missing the bus, errands with parents, and not having a uniform ready for school. If your child has had three unexcused absences, school staff will meet with you to develop a plan to improve attendance and/or identify any barriers to attending school. The school is required by law to make a report to Hennepin County Child Protection for educational neglect for children who have eight unexcused absences or excessive tardies and/or excused absences in a school year.

BEFORE SCHOOL PROGRAM

Only available with Hybrid and Full Opening of school

Stonebridge World School’s Before School Program opens at 7:15 AM

• Families must submit an application.
• Limited to 20 students, if space is full applicates will be put on a waiting list.
• If students misses 3 days in a row for unexcused reasons they will be dropped from the program.
• Parents must walk students to the entrance where the students’ temps will be taken and signed in.
• If their temperature is (100.4 or higher) they cannot enter the building.

END OF DAY PICK-UP

If you are planning on picking up your student(s) from school the office must be notified by 2:30 PM. The person picking up the student(s) must be authorized and have a pick-up pass from the office. If you do not have a pick-up pass allow time to set this up ahead of time. The authorized person with their pick-up pass will drive up to Door 5 where a staff member will walkie for your student(s).

CITY CONNECTS

Student Support Program To support learning at Stonebridge World School, we have developed a comprehensive student support system to ensure that each and every student receives the supports, services, and resources she needs to be academically successful and healthy. Our school’s student support program is facilitated by City Connects, a partnership among schools, Boston College, and community agencies. Our student support process is coordinated by a full-time City Connects Coordinator (SSC). Ashley Yaritz is a licensed Masters Level Social Worker and is housed in our school. She can be reached by phone at 612- 877 - 7400 or email at [email protected]. The purpose of our student support process is to ensure that each student has the supports s/he needs to successfully engage in classroom instruction. To do this, we assess the strengths and needs of each child in the school and connect him/her to a tailored set of support services. Please note that the student support process and the special education referral process are distinct and different. Each year, the City Connects Coordinator partners with classroom teachers to review every student in the classroom to discuss student strengths and needs. As a result of this process, tailored supports may be recommended for each child. The City Connects Coordinator and/or a school staff member will collaborate with the family to explain the recommended supports and secure services from within the school and/or from community partners. Another aspect of the student support process for some students involves convening a larger Student Support Team that may include the school administrator, school nurse, teacher, school psychologist, after-school provider, and/or other support personnel. This meeting is facilitated by the City Connects Coordinator. The purpose of this team is to discuss students in greater depth and develop a detailed student support plan that will be monitored over the course of the year. You will be contacted by the City Connects Coordinator to discuss the plan and action steps to move forward. The supports and resources of the student support process are available to you as the parent/caregiver. If you would like to initiate services for your child or have any questions, please contact Ashley Yaritz.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL

Emergency School Closings

Stonebridge closing school announcements will be made on the following television stations: WCCO-4 (wcco.com), KARE-11 (kare11.com), KMSP-9 (kmsp.com) and KSTP-5 (kstp.com) starting at 5:30 a.m. Cold Day: Stonebridge will likely cancel school if the wind chill forecast for 6:30a.m. the following day is - 35degrees or colder, with winds of at least 5 to 10 miles per hour Snow Day: Stonebridge will cancel classes if road conditions are such that travel becomes too hazardous for buses and cars. Wait time at bus stops is taken into consideration. This may happen if it snows 6 inches or more in 12 hours, or 8 inches or more in 24 hours. Every winter storm is different, so it is possible that school will still be held even if snowfall reaches these limits.

Weekly Backpack Mail

Only available with Hybrid and Full Opening of school Every Friday, your child will bring home a folder of information to be shared with parents and guardians. Information may include announcements of upcoming events, your child’s classroom newsletter, or other information that is distributed school-wide. Backpack mail is a very important source of information for parents – please ask your child for his or her folder every Friday, and let the teacher know if your child comes home empty-handed. Also, please return the folder to school each Monday! It is very important that your child bring a backpack to school each day to be able to transport homework and communication from the school. If your child does not have a backpack, Stonebridge will make one available (while supplies last).

Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences and Report Cards

Stonebridge issues report cards four times a year. Parent-Teacher-Student conferences are held two times a year, the fall and winter quarters. Watch for a schedule of upcoming dates. Conferences are very important to attend. These conferences, along with report cards, give parents quarterly update on student progress.

Classroom Newsletters

Your child will receive a weekly classroom newsletter. The class newsletter is an excellent place to learn about what your child’s class has been working on as well as information about upcoming events and activities.

Home Calls

Students will not be excused from their class to call parents/guardians during the day unless there is a notified emergency through the school office.

Social Media

Students are not allowed to access social media in school such as Facebook, Snapchat, Tik Tok, or Instagram. According to Facebook and other social media sources students must be at least 13 years of age before being able to set up a Facebook account. Please be aware if your child has inappropriately set up any such social media accounts. Social Media bullying and/or harassment that becomes an issue at school between students will be regarded in the same way as any other school bullying and/or harassment issue.

DISCIPLINE POLICIES

DISCIPLINE- STANDARDS OF STUDENT BEHAVIOR

When students are disruptive or act inappropriately, school staff and administrators are expected to respond to this behavior logically, appropriately and consistently. Events are assigned to one or more levels of interventions or disciplinary resolutions. The discipline guidelines divide inappropriate and disruptive behaviors into four levels of events. Disciplinary policies shall be enforced within the general guidelines as set forth in the Events Levels1-4 and the Events and Potential Interventions Matrix. These guidelines describe the various administrative actions that may be taken for infractions of the law and the school district’s standards of behavior. The format of this section begins with the MINIMUM disciplinary resolutions and potential interventions for each event. The MAXIMUM administrative actions are expulsion and exclusion. There shall be a logical relationship between the severity and frequency of the offense and the age of the offender and the administrative action.

EVENTS – LEVELS 1- 4

Behavior events are classified in four levels. A Level 1 event is the least severe with intervention by the teacher in the classroom. A Level 4 event is the most severe and requires the director to make a recommendation for expulsion. Each level provides recommendations for possible interventions based on the event and who is responsible for intervention ATTACHMENT TO 5 10 Behavior Management Plan (the entire Plan is available through the school office or located on the website)

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

In the event of a building or community emergency, Stonebridge World School has devised an Emergency Management Plan that is available to staff to respond to a range of emergency situations.

Community Emergency

If, for some reason such as terrorist attack, hostage situation, severe weather or other safety emergency, our Emergency Management Team will decide if we can safely remain on site or if we need to evacuate our building. If it is determined that we will remain on site, we will follow these steps:

1. Inform Community Emergency Response Services (911) of our situation.
2. Lock down building and classrooms.
3. Staff will remain with students until either our building is deemed safe and the “All Clear” signal has been given by Emergency Response Personnel, or it is determined that we must evacuate the school.

Evacuation

If, due to emergency, our building needs to be evacuated, Stonebridge World School will follow these steps:

1. Inform Community Emergency Response Services (911) of our evacuation plans and alternate location.
2. Evacuation plans for our staff and students will be listed with the 5th Precinct: Please call Minneapolis Police 5th^ Precinct 3101 Nicollet Ave South MPLS, MN 55408 612 - 673 - 5705
3. We will remain at the evacuation location until either our building has been deemed safe to return to, until all children have been picked up, or until the alternate site is considered unsafe.
4. Parents will be able to pick up their children at this location, or we will inform the 5th Precinct of our alternate location.

EXPECTATIONS

Stonebridge World School shares its expectations so that all can be aware of what they are asked to do to support our school community. The purpose of these expectations is to encourage all stakeholders to contribute to students’ academic achievement and to support a school environment where students and staff are responsible and respectful. We believe that all students, family, staff and community members share the responsibility to ensure that all members of our school community are safe, able to learn, and treated with respect, dignity, and kindness. Students at Stonebridge World School are expected to:

• Come to school every day, on time and ready to learn.
• Wear a clean uniform to school.
• Take responsibility for their behavior.
• Work to achieve at high levels.
• Treat themselves and others with respect.
• Help others understand their culture and learn about the cultures of others.
• Follow directions and meet expectations of school staff.
• Do assigned homework.
• Talk to their families about what is happening in school. Parents at Stonebridge World School are expected to:
• Get children to school every day, on time, rested and ready to learn.
• Ensure students are dressed in a clean and fresh uniform.
• Remind students of appropriate school behavior and their jobs at school.
• Treat themselves and others with respect.
• Assist students with homework.
• Communicate with their child’s teacher.
• Talk to children about what is happening at school.
• Ensure that the school has current addresses and phone numbers.
• Attend scheduled meetings. Teachers and Staff at Stonebridge World School are expected to:
• Be prepared each day to help students learn and achieve at high levels.
• Use appropriate discipline strategies and work to keep all students safe.
• Establish clear, reachable expectations for students in the classroom.
• Engage students in a fun, challenging, and active learning environment.
• Treat themselves and others with respect.
• Assign appropriate homework.
• Communicate with parents on a regular basis. All stakeholders sign the Stonebridge World School Commitment to Excellence Pledge, which incorporates all of these ideas.