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| | Tardy
& Attendance Policies
Tardy Policy
Attendance Policy
NEISD Attendance Policy Consequences
Flagrant Absences
Procedures For Reporting Absences
Other School Information
Enrollment Procedures
School Health Program
Vision & Hearing
Special Health Problems
Medication At School
Immunization
Money At School
Withdrawal From School
Reporting Student Progress
Counseling & Guidance
School Rules For Dress &
Grooming
Specific Rules
- NEISD Board Approved Policy 2003-2004
School Wide Discipline
School Parties
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TARDY & ATTENDANCE POLICIES
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Parents are asked to help students learn
to value education and to understand the importance of arriving to school
on time and being consistently in attendance for the entire school
day. The habits developed by children during their elementary years
will last a lifetime. For that reason, tardiness to class, tardiness
in picking up students after school (after 3:00), and excessive absences
will not be acceptable and serious consequences may result,
possibly to include parent and student attending Saturday School to
requiring parent court summons and/or fines if warranted.
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TARDY POLICY
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The teachers will document tardies in the classroom.
A tardy is recorded if a student is not in his/her classroom when the tardy
bell rings at 7:45 a.m. This means that you
will need to drop your child off no later than 7:35 a.m. in order for your
student to have sufficient time to walk to class. The tardies will
also be recorded on the nine week report cards.
When students accrue five
tardies the school administration will become
actively involved in the step process. Progressive action will be taken if tardies
continue. If tardies are due to parental neglect, the parent will be
referred for action in accordance with the state compulsory attendance
laws.
Tardies are cumulative throughout the school year and do not begin
anew with the beginning of the second semester. The only excused tardies
are those that have a doctor's note turned in to the data processor upon
arrival. A parent must come in to the office to sign their
child/children in. When making doctor appointments, please try to
schedule them as late in the afternoon as possible. It is important
that your child attend school for the full day. A parent excuse (ex.
oversleeping) does not excuse a child's tardiness, even with a note.
Bus transportation is provided to all students residing outside a two-mile
radius. In order to insure that your child will not be counted
tardy, it is strongly suggested that you make every possible effort to get
your child on the bus every morning. Numerous staff members are
on duty to supervise your child in our school cafeteria, and/or gym.
Students are dismissed at 7:35 a.m. in order to arrive to class on time;
therefore, the time spent in the cafeteria is not lengthy. Students
eating breakfast should arrive on campus no later than 7:15 a.m.
(exception: bus students).
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ATTENDANCE POLICY |
State law requires that students shall be in attendance a
minimum of 159 days of a school year to receive credit for the school
year, unless a student has an official doctor's note. If a student
is in attendance less than 159 days, the student will lose credit unless
unexcused absences are made up in an alternative educational manner such
as Saturday School. A fee is charged to attend Saturday School and a
parent must attend Saturday School with the child. You will be
notified by the assistant principal if your child needs to attend Saturday
School.
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NEISD ATTENDANCE POLICY CONSEQUENCES |
| According to NORTH EAST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
policy, any student arriving after 8:30 a.m. is counted absent for the
entire day, unless the child brings in proof that he/she has been to the
doctor that day and has an official doctor's note. A parent must
come into the office to sign the student in and turn the note into the
office. After all other full day absences, a doctor's note should be
sent to the child's teacher within a two-day period. A note from a
doctor is very important every time your child is absent.
9th Absence: District
issued letter is sent home.
16th Absence: District issued letter is sent home. A
visiting teacher is sent to the home and issues the final warning stating,
all future absences must be documented by a doctor's note.
18th Absence: Students and parent may have to attend Saturday
School to make up every day of school missed if the absences are not
excused by a doctor's note. A court citation may be issued if
absences persist without a doctor's note.
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FLAGRANT ABSENCES |
Flagrant absences, such as extended vacations, will not
be tolerated, especially during the months of August and June. These
absences may result in the withdrawal from the Castle Hills Year Round
Program for the following year.
Please be aware that the privilege given by NORTH EAST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
DISTRICT, to allow students outside the Castle Hills attendance area to
attend the school also means a commitment made by parents to get their
child to school on time and to make every effort to insure that the child
is in attendance unless he or she is ill. For parents residing in
the attendance area, a commitment to attend Castle Hills is considered a
commitment to abide by our Year Round Calendar. A copy of this
calendar is given to all parents at the end of the school year, during
registration, and at the beginning of each year. According to the
Texas Compulsory Attendance Laws a student must be in compliance unless
illness, family emergency, or religious holidays prevent attendance.
The NORTH EAST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT policy states after the
eighteenth day of absence your child is at risk of losing credit for the
year; therefore, Saturday School may be required if deemed necessary by
the school administration.
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PROCEDURES FOR
REPORTING ABSENCES |
When your child is absent, you must call the school
office at 442-0600 by 8:30 a.m. to inform us of the absence. We will
attempt to call the home if ye do not get a call. Following an
absence, a note must be sent (within two days) with your child to the
teacher stating the reason for his/her absence. A doctor's note
should be sent each time the student sees the doctor. These notes
are filed in the office.
Students will be allowed reasonable time to make up work due to an
absence. If a student is out more than three (3) days die to
illness, parents may call the school office by 9:00 a.m. to request the
work missed. The teachers will make every effort to have make-up
work in the school office by the time school is out. Make-up work
will not be given in advance.
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OTHER SCHOOL
INFORMATION |
- School hours will be from 7:45 a.m. to 2:40
p.m. The first bell will ring at 7:35 a.m. The tardy bell
will ring at 7:45 a.m. In the afternoon, the first bell will
ring at 2:35 for kindergarten in order to begin loading our buses with
all bus students departing by 2:45 p.m. All students who are
being picked up by car, day care, and walkers will be walked to the
front of the building pick-up/drop-off area. Please enter the
parking lot by the front entrance. All students should be picked
up preferably by 2:50 p.m. and no later than 3:00 p.m. Parents
who are in cars will pick up (and drop off) only in the drive
through area. No students will be picked up in the bus
parking lanes. Hopefully we will have a constable to direct
traffic in the mornings and afternoons.
- Even after the buses get on a schedule, they will not
likely arrive at the same times. Students will be supervised in
the cafeteria or gym until the first bell rings at 7:35 a.m.
- If you must come to school and need to give your
child a message or a needed item you must come to the office.
At that time, we will call your child to the office if it is an item
needed immediately (ex: notebook, etc.) Other items will be
delivered to students at appropriate times during the day. H.
B. 72 states that classroom learning may not be disrupted.
- When you come to our school to check students in late, or take them
out early, it is necessary for you to come through the office to sign
the student in or out. If you know in advance your child will be
absent the next day, please call the office at 422-0600.
- Please feel welcome to come to our school to observe a
classroom. However, you must come to the office and receive a
visitor's pass. In order to limit interruptions,
observations must not exceed 20 minutes in length in one
classroom. It is advisable that you call before you come to
insure that the schedule for the day has not changed. Children
(younger brothers or sisters) may not be with the parent
in the classroom during an observation.
- Please do not drop your student before 7:00 a.m. No one is officially on duty until 7:00 a.m. Please
pick up your students before 3:00 p.m. No one is
officially on duty after 3:00 p.m.
- School lunches cost $1.75 daily. Milk and juice cost $.35 for
students who bring sack lunches. Water is $.50. Breakfast will be offered for
$.90 and will be offered until 7:45 a.m. In order to prepay your
child's lunches and breakfasts, you may put as much money as you want
into the cafeteria computer (by the week or month). Make checks
payable to: N.E.I.S.D. Food Services. The cafeteria
manager will assist you. Putting extra money into the computer
is an excellent idea even if it is not used daily by the
student. You can check how much is in your account by using the
Parent Portal on the N.E.I.S.D. web page. This allows your child
to have lunch even if they forget a sack lunch or lunch money.
If you choose to eat with your child, adult guest lunches cost
$2.75. Prices are subject to change.
- Please be sure your child's lunch box, school supplies,
jackets/coats, etc. are marked with his/her name. We always end
up with a huge lost and found at the end of the year full of unmarked
items. Please feel welcome to check our lost and found box in
the second gym before or after school any time during the school
year. Please ask for directions in the school office.
- Orientation nights have been scheduled. "An Overview of
the School Programs" will be presented. All special staff
will be present. These include Gifted/Talented, Resource, Music,
P.E., Spanish, Art, Library, and the Counselors.
- You will receive envelopes to join P.T.A. with other information the
first month of school. We hope you will become members of this
organization dedicated to enriching needs of children by providing
many special activities.
- The front left parking lot is to accommodate all of our teacher
parking needs. It is designated as a teacher parking lot. Please
do not park in this lot, even for a few minutes. The
drive through area (right parking lot) will be for parent drop
off/pickup only. Do not park in the drive through lane as
this is not a parking area. Staff members will be on
duty in the listed a.m. and p.m. times to supervise your children when
arriving and departing. The safety of all students is our
primary concern; therefore, if you are picking up your student, they
will not be released to run between lines of traffic. You will
be asked to drive up in the pick-up area. We encourage you to
take turns with the opposite traffic when entering the parking
lot. We want to thank you in advance for your support and
cooperation.
- It is essential that you pick up your child on time. Teachers
and staff members cannot be responsible for students after 3:00
p.m. Please call our school office early to alert us if you have
any problems concerning your child's daily pick up. If you find
you will be late, please contact an appropriate person on your
"emergency list" to pick up your child for you. Please
call and make us aware of this change.
- If your child is changing plans for his/her usual "end of the
day" transportation procedure, please plan ahead and send or fax
a note or e-mail to your child's teacher and a copy to Mrs.
Luz Gonzales. The parent is responsible for sending
notes. Classroom teachers and administrators are not
permitted to change transportation procedures without a note or fax
signed by the parent or guardian for safety reasons. Notes
must also be approved by an administrator. All notes will be
logged in on a daily basis to keep track of students' transportation
changes and to insure their own safety. There are a number of
people who might answer the phone in the office; however, all
transportation issues will be referred to Mrs. Luz
Gonzales.
- Students may not change buses without a note from the parents
that is approved by the principal and the bus driver.
Please have your child bring these notes to Mrs. Luz Gonzales in the
office early in the school day. Students must be bus eligible to
ride the bus.
- Parent conferences will be held for all parents in September. If you need to discuss anything before this time, please
call and make an appointment with your child's teacher. Our
school counselor, Mrs. Kathy
Mullinax will be here daily. Our other counselor, Mrs.
Caryn Schmidt will be here 2.5 days each week. Please let us
know immediately if any problems arise for your child.
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KINS after school care will be available at Castle Hills daily in
the cafeteria from 2:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Additional questions
may be answered if you call 210-657-8864.
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ENROLLMENT
PROCEDURES
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When a parent enrolls kindergarten
through 5th grade students he/she will fill out enrollment cards.
These cards supply the school with necessary family and emergency
information. Evidence of required immunizations must also be
submitted. All students must also have a state birth certificate on
file in the office. Kindergarten students must be five years old on
or before September 1. First grade students must be six on or before
September 1. Parents are required to show proof of residence when
enrolling a student. There is also a space provided on the AGR card
for the student's Social Security number. We ask parents to please
provide a copy of the child's social security card and current proof of
residence when enrolling.
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SCHOOL
HEALTH PROGRAM
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| A registered nurse is assigned to supervise the school's
health services, to render first aid when needed, and to be the school's
contact with the medical community. We also have a clinic aide on
duty for the major part of each day. Students are dismissed from
school for health reasons through the principal's office only.
Incase of an accident or illness during the school day, only first aid
treatment can be administered at school. The family will be notified
promptly if the situation should require emergency medical
treatment. If the parent of the alternate adults listed on the
emergency card cannot be contacted, the family physician named on the card
will be contacted for instructions. If the physician cannot be
contacted, EMS will be called.
It is imperative that we have a means of contacting
parents in case an emergency situation arises. We ask that you give
us current telephone numbers at home and work, and that you supply the
names and phone numbers of two additional responsible adults who know the
child and who might help us locate you in the event we cannot contact
you. This information is recorded on the "Student Emergency
Card" and is kept in the office. Please notify the school
office immediately of any changes in phone numbers and address changes (a
new proof of residence is required when there is a change of
address.) If you move out of the school attendance area, please
request a continuing enrollment form in order to obtain approval to remain
for the rest of the school year.
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VISION
& HEARING
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All kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade
students new to the district will have their vision and hearing
checked. You will be notified if there are any suspected problems.
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SPECIAL
HEALTH PROBLEMS
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If your child has a special health
problem we require that you have your doctor fill out the "Special
Health Form" which states the diagnosis and medication to be given at
school and limitations placed on physical education activities. The
nurse will provide you with this form.
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MEDICATION AT SCHOOL
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All medications must be in
correct prescription bottles, not in an envelope or wrapped in a piece of
paper, etc. All medication must be taken to the clinic by the
parent. There will be no medication kept in the teachers' rooms, nor
may the child give himself/herself medication. Parents should
pick up medication when it is no longer needed, or at the end of the
school year. There will be no exceptions to these rules.
Prescription medications (those in the
pharmacy bottle ordered by the doctor) can be given with a note from the
parent. Nonprescription medications or "over the counter"
medications are not permitted to be given at school unless the parent
comes to administer it or it is accompanied with a doctor's note.
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IMMUNIZATION
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State law and NEISD policy requires medical validated records of
immunization to be on file for all students. Please take the School
Immunization Record to your doctor for completion. Be sure he/she
signs the card. If you have records from Public Health Clinics,
bring those to school for transfer to the school record. Any student
whose medical records are not complete within 30 days of entry will be
asked to remain home until these are complete. All immunizations
must have medical verification. If a person is medically exempt from
any immunization, we must have written verification from the physician.
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MONEY AT
SCHOOL
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If you give your young child money for milk, juice, breakfast, lunch,
etc., please put it in an envelope and write on the envelope your child's
name and purpose for which the money is sent.
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WITHDRAWAL
FROM SCHOOL
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The school must be notified 24 hours prior to the day on which a
student withdraws. Both the office and the student's teacher should
be informed of the date and the reason for withdrawal. Final
withdrawal procedures must go through the office. The student will
be released only to the legal parent or guardian at the office.
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REPORTING
STUDENT PROGRESS
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Grades are reported every nine weeks. Teachers in grades K-1 use a
check list grading system. Grades 2-5 will report progress through
the use of a report card with numerical grades. Progress reports are
sent home at three (3) weeks if a student is not making adequate progress or is in
grades 2-5 and failing a core subject. Another progress report is
sent out at the end of the six weeks to every student. Report cards
go home on the Friday following the last week of the nine (9) weeks.
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COUNSELING
& GUIDANCE
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The school counselor works with students, teachers, parents and
community personnel in providing a developmental guidance program in the
school. They are available to individual students for counseling on
specific problems, groups of students, to parents/guardians for advice,
and do classroom group guidance lessons.
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SCHOOL
RULES FOR DRESS & GROOMING
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Philosophy and general
statement to parents:
It is our professional belief that school performance and future
success are enhanced by appropriate dress and grooming.
Parents/guardians are strongly urged to work closely with the school to
insure their child's adherence to high standards of dress and grooming
expected in the North East Independent School District. Parents are
strongly urged to enforce moderate hairstyles and high standards of dress
for their students. Parents will be serving the welfare of our
students and helping us as educators by emphasizing standards of neatness,
cleanliness, safety, and decency in grooming.
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SPECIFIC
RULES - NEISD BOARD APPROVED POLICY 2003-2004
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All students are expected to adhere
to these rules! The following specific
rules are to be followed by North East Independent School District students:
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Halter tops, exposed midriffs,
strapless tops or exposed back, see-through blouses, tank shirts and
excessively worn jeans are not permitted. Clothing with
inappropriate advertising or statements that are offensive of inflammatory
(alcoholic beverage, sex, tobacco, drugs, gangs, satanic, wrestling, etc.)
are also prohibited.
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Clothing not specifically
designed to be worn in public cannot be considered appropriate school
attire.
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Appropriate foot wear is
required. Footwear that has toes reinforced with steel, hard
plastic, or similar materials is specifically prohibited. Footwear
that includes rollers on the bottom of the shoe are prohibited.
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Shorts, skorts, culottes and
split skirts will be permitted provided they are neatly hemmed,
conservative and modest in length and appearance - mid-thigh.
Specifically prohibited are cutoffs, frayed hem shorts, bicycle shorts,
gym shorts, wind shorts, form fitting, skin-tight shorts or pants of lycra,
spandex, or other similar material.
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Dresses and skirts shall be
modest in length and appearance.
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Shorts, dresses, culottes,
skorts and skirts shall not be shorter than mid-thigh.
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Body piercing ornaments shall
only be worn on the ear lobes.
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Parents/guardians are
encouraged to enforce moderate hair styles.
A review of dress and grooming policies
will be made periodically and changes will be made as needed.
While it is inevitable there will be
differences of opinions as to the appropriateness of dress and grooming,
the final determination will be in judgment of the building principal.
The student who does not comply with this code will be removed from the
regular school setting until the student complies with this code.
Parents may be contacted to bring the appropriate clothing to school.
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SCHOOL-WIDE
DISCIPLINE
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Good citizenship which promotes a positive learning environment is
expected from Castle Hills students at school and to and from
school. Respect for self and others is of utmost importance.
Students should treat others in the manner they want to be
treated.
We have incorporated a school-wide discipline plan with uniform school rules and consistent procedures on each grade level. We expect
students will not act in a way which will: (1) be disrespectful, (2) hurt
themselves or others verbally or physically, (3) damage or destroy
property, or (4) disturb the classroom learning atmosphere. Students
are encouraged to show PRIDE in themselves, the school, and in their
work. Individual student conduct is recorded daily in a special
conduct folder. Parents are sent a copy of the school discipline
plan each fall.
If a student gets out of control in such a way that he/she does not meet
these expectations, it becomes important for the home and the school to
work cooperatively to help the student develop self-discipline
skills. If your child has a problem with behavior, you will be
notified by phone or by a "Discipline Report" signed by an
administrator. A student may be suspended if deemed necessary or
sent home from one to three days. In-school suspension for one to
three days is also a part of the discipline plan as is referral to the
Elementary Reassignment Center for one to three days when a student
exhibits persistent behavior or behavior that violates North East
policies.
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SCHOOL
PARTIES
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According to the North East Independent School District guidelines, two
classroom parties are held each year, one during the winter season, and
one at the end of the year. Room mothers will contact you if they
need help with these parties.
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