Procedures
R. Elisabeth Maclary Elementary School Procedures
When your child is a student at R. Elisabeth Maclary Elementary School, it’s important to understand and have access to school procedures, rules, and important forms. To help students and parents get the most out of their experience at the school, we’ve made information on school procedures easily and conveniently available online.
Please visit the links to the left for all you need to know about health & medicine; emergency protocol; academics & homework; school meals, and more.
We welcome feedback -- please contact us if you have questions or comments on school procedures.
- Communication
- Emergency Forms
- Illness/Accident
- Immunization
- Student Medication
- Health Services
- Exclusion from School
- Homework
Communication
Contacting Your Child
In order to protect the integrity of the learning environment, we ask that you not go directly to your child's class to deliver a message. If it becomes necessary to deliver a message to you child during the school day, please call (302) 454-2142 or come by the school office. Please make arrangements for lunch, car pools, babysitting, etc., with your child BEFORE s/he leaves for school in the morning. In the event of an emergency or change of plans, the office staff will relay messages to your child's teacher. Please do not ask the office staff to contact your child or interrupt a class for messages that are not critical.
Forgotten Lunches/Homework
Lunches and homework brought to school by parents should be left at the school office and office staff will contact your child to get his/her lunch or homework. Please do NOT interrupt the smooth process of class to deliver a forgotten lunch or homework. Children will not be allowed to use the phone to ask parents to bring forgotten homework. Learning to take responsibility for getting homework to school is an important part of your child's growth. It is important for children to take personal responsibility and shoulder the consequences if need be.
Student Use of the Phone
The school phone is to be used for business and emergency purposes only. It is available for use only with permission of the teacher or office personnel. Students will not be allowed to use the phone for such reasons as asking permission to visit a friend, staying for a recreational program, etc. These arrangements should be made beforehand.
School-to-Home Communication
The staff of R. Elisabeth Maclary Elementary School is concerned that parents are well informed about school activities. All regularly scheduled events and holidays are in the Calendar section of the website. In addition, classroom teachers have regular communication, which comes home with the students. Please check your child's backpack for newsletters and other school communication on a regular basis.
Emergency Forms
Emergency forms will be sent home with each child as part of the school packet at the beginning of the school year. Please fill out this card and return it to school as soon as possible. During the school year, please send a note immediately if there are any changes to the emergency information ... address, phone numbers, and/or change of responsible contacts. Unfortunately, your child is the one who will suffer if injuries or illnesses occur and we are unable to reach anyone.
Illness/Accident
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ILLNESS/ACCIDENT
In case of an accident requiring the services of a doctor, we request that parents keep us informed of any changes of address or phone numbers. We will make every effort to contact a parent before the child is taken to a doctor. If it is necessary for a student to go home because of illness, contagious health problem, or injury, the parent or person listed on the emergency card (if the parent cannot be contacted) will be requested to pick the child up in the office. Please remember that we cannot keep a seriously ill child at school. In the event of a serious illness or accident, Maclary Elementary School personnel will:
As you can see, it is ESSENTIAL that contact numbers be CURRENT so parents or their designated substitute can be contacted immediately for decisions regarding illness or injury. If parents have special requests for the emergency plan for their child, they should contact the school nurse, Mrs. Metcalfe, at 302.454.2142, extension 101.
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Immunization
Current law requires all children to be immunized against diphtheria, whooping cough, red measles, tetanus and polio, mumps and German measles, prior to entering a classroom. State law also requires entering kindergarten students to have Hepatitis B vaccine. Children entering first grade must show evidence that they have received a complete health assessment within 18 months prior to entry or 90 days after entry to first grade. Pupils may be exempt from these rules for medical or religious reasons. In these cases, a physician's statement or a waiver is required.
Student Medication
Medical treatment is the responsibility of the parent and the family physician. Medications are rarely given at school. The parent is urged to work with the physician to plan a medication schedule for non-school hours. If it is an absolute necessity that medication be given at school:
- We MUST have a written statement from the doctor "detailing the method, amount, and time schedule by which medication is to be taken" (Education Code 49423)
- A signed release from the parents for the school to assist in administering medication.
- Medication must be in a pharmacy container, labeled with the student's name; the name of the medication; proper dosage and instructions; name of the prescribing physician; name of the pharmacy or manufacturer who dispensed the medication.
Forms are available in the school office. (This is also the policy for over the counter drugs, such as aspirin, eye drops, cough drops, etc.) These forms must be renewed each school year.
Health Services
Health services are under the supervision of a qualified school nurse. Vision screening, hearing tests, first aide, and health counseling are among the services. The school nurse is also available to discuss health problems of your child. Check with the school office for the school nurse's schedule and availability for emergency requests.
Exclusion from School
Homework
R. Elisabeth Maclary Elementary School has developed guidelines for a school-wide homework policy in order to clarify general expectations for students, parents, and teachers. Each teacher will develop a classroom homework policy based on the following guidelines in the fall.
Homework is an important part of each student's educational program. It provides a means of teaching necessary skills of independent study and learning outside the classroom. It helps to promote good study habits and encourages students to share classroom experiences with parents.
Other reasons for homework:
- To build interest in reading and learning.
- To increase learning.
- To establish self-discipline and independent study skills.
- To encourage parent awareness of student learning.
- To make up work due to an absence.
- To provide an opportunity to pursue special interest of ability areas.
- To complete work started in class.
- To expand and/or enrich regular class work.
For Students
It is important to develop good study habits at school and at home.
- Be sure you understand the assignment, and ask your teacher if you need help understanding the assignment.
- Set aside a regular time to do homework.
- Study in a quiet place.
- Complete your work and hand it in when it is due.
- Do your best on each assignment.
For Parents
Parents can support a child's interest in lifelong learning by providing an environment at home in which homework is a high priority:
- Provide a quiet, well-lighted place for the student to do homework.
- Help the student budget time so that a regular schedule for study is set up. Take an active interest in what the student is doing at school. Ask for an explanation of a particular assignment. Make constructive suggestions, but avoid severe criticism and undue pressure. A positive attitude by parents will encourage the student to do the best work possible.
- Encourage and guide your child with assigned homework. Under no circumstances should you actually do the work for your child.
- Regular school attendance is important for your child's continued academic growth.
- Consult your child's teacher as soon as problems arise.
- Let your child take full responsibility for doing his/her homework and getting it to school on time, including accepting the consequences of not getting it to school on time.
Reporting Student Progress: Home/school communication is extremely important, particularly in regard to student performance. We feel that the teacher and parent share joint responsibility for this communication.
The formal reporting procedure includes:
- Open House: This is an evening set aside for parents to familiarize themselves with their child's classroom and school. Classrooms are open to explain the curriculum that will be undertaken by the students during the school year. Grade level expectations, classroom expectations, classroom daily schedule, discipline and homework policies will be discussed.
- Conferences will be scheduled for all parents of each child. This is a very important opportunity for you to discuss your child's academic and social growth with the teacher. If the scheduled time is inconvenient for you, please contact the school to reschedule.
- A report card will be issued at the end of each school session. Conferences for selected students may be scheduled as necessary.
Informal reporting may take place any time. Please check with the teacher any time you have questions or concerns. It may save time if you call to make an appointment with the teacher ahead of time.
When bad weather or other factors cause us to change the normal schedule of the school day, the Christina School District uses the ParentLink notification system, news media, email notification, District website, State of Delaware School Closing Information website, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to inform parents and notify the public.
More information is available on School Closings and Announcements the District website.