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Bus Procedures
The school bus is an extension of school, and riding the bus is a privilege. Parents and guardians of children who are eligible for bus transportation will be notified in August. A bus pass will be included. Children must show the bus driver the pass upon boarding the bus from the first day of school. Children are asked to be at their designated bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is due to arrive. When your child arrives at school, a school monitor will greet him/her. The teacher will be anticipating the arrival of the children. At the end of the day, bus children will be escorted to the appropriate bus by a school monitor. A note must be sent to school if your child will not take the bus home on any given day. If we do not receive a note, your child will take the bus. If you are late for your child’s pick up at the bus stop, please call the school at 390-3150. If you miss the bus, your child will be brought back to school. Your phone call is important to verify your child’s bus status.
Bus Behavior
On the bus, children must follow these rules:
Remain seated at all times
Follow bus driver’s directions
Speak quietly to others
Remain seated until the bus stops
Keep hands, feet, and objects to themselves
All children who ride the bus must follow the above rules. Bus drills are conducted three times during the school year. Children who compromise the safety of other riders by disobeying the rules will have his/her bus privileges suspended for a period of time in accordance with school conduct and discipline code. Bus drivers will fill out a discipline report for children who do not follow bus safety rules. If a child is suspended from the bus, it will be the responsibility of the parent to transport the child to and from school during the suspension.
Attendance
Regular attendance is expected and key to your child’s success. If your child is ill, please call the school nurse between 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM at 390-3155 to inform the school of the reason for the absence. The school needs to be informed of all communicable diseases such as: Chicken Pox, Head Lice, Strep Throat, Scarlet Fever, Fifth’s Disease, and Conjunctivitis. A child with a fever should stay home from school until 24 hours after the fever has subsided.
Return After Illness/Absence
If your child is absent, a written note must be submitted to the teacher on the next school day. Upon returning to school after an illness of a communicable disease, the child will be sent to the nurse before readmission to class. If your child had a communicable disease or had been absent for five days or more, a signed note from your physician must be submitted. Please place the doctor’s note or absence note in the communication folder.
Emergency Cards
Emergency contact cards will be sent home in August. Kindly return completed cards as soon as possible. If a child becomes ill at school, the nurse will call the parent. If the parent cannot be contacted, the emergency contact person will be called. The emergency contact must be someone other than the parent. This will ensure that someone will always be available to pick up your child in an emergency. Please notify the school throughout the year with any changes in phone numbers or contact persons.
Physical Examination
Physical examinations are required for all new students and those entering Grades K, 2, 4, 7 and 10. We recommend that students have an examination by their private physician. If this is not possible, the school physician will be available to examine your child. The school nurse keeps a cumulative medical history of each child from Kindergarten through High School. It is very important that you let the nurse know your child’s complete medical history (e.g., allergies, asthma, diabetes, and heart disease). Dental examinations are required upon admission.
Medication
Students who need to receive medication in school must submit the following to the Health Office:
A doctor’s note authorizing the school nurse to administer the medication including times, dosage, and the condition being treated.
Parents must sign the permission form authorizing the nurse to administer the prescribed medication to their child.
All medication must be in a labeled pharmacy bottle that includes the child’s name, proper dosage and time for administering the dosage. All medications and forms must be brought to the school by a parent or guardian. Medication cannot be sent to school with your child.
Immunization
All students must fulfill the State Immunization requirements. Students who have not received the required immunizations cannot start school in September. New York State Law requires that all children have the following immunizations in order to start school:
Diphtheria (DTP or DtaP)-- 5 doses or 4 doses if the fourth dose was received at 4 years of age or older.
Haemophilus influenza (Hib) -- N/A
Polio (IPV or OPV) -- 4 doses or 3 doses if the third dose was received at four years of age or older.
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) -- 2 doses
Hepatitis B -- 3 doses
Varicella -- 2 doses
School Support Services
School Psychologist
The school psychologist works together with administration, teachers, and parents to help each child make the transition from home to school a successful one. At times, the school psychologist work with individual children who are in need of additional support. They will contact parents and work with them to help the children. You are always free to contact the school psychologist if you have any concerns or are in need of their assistance.
Speech and Language Therapist
A speech therapist is available to provide services to children who have been diagnosed with impairments in communication. Children are evaluated and seen in small groups during the school day.
English as a New Language (ENL)
The ENL teacher helps children whose first language is not English. The purpose is to provide additional support specifically geared toward language acquisition. The classroom teacher and the ENL teacher work together to strengthen the English skills of the children.
Reading Teacher
The reading teacher is available to provide support to those children who are struggling in acquiring the necessary skills to read. The classroom teacher and the reading teacher work together to strengthen the literacy skills your child needs to be successful. Your child will be assessed throughout the year, in order to track progress.
PTA
The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is a group of parents, teachers, and administrators working together to promote the welfare of all the children. The PTA sponsors such programs as PARP, Arts in Education, Book Fair and Mothers’ and Others’ Day Boutique along with other activities. Your participation is strongly encouraged. Your involvement is welcomed and needed.
Visitors' Policy
In order to provide a secure and safe school environment, all visitors must report to the main office. There, you will sign in and obtain a visitor’s name tag. Upon completion of visit, visitors must sign out and return name tag.
If you would like to meet with your child’s teacher, you must make an appointment with the teacher in advance so a mutually agreed upon time can be arranged.
If your child must leave early, parents must come to the main office where the child will be signed out. Children need to bring in a note if they will be picked up early. Parents are requested to make appointments after school hours. Removing your child from class during instructional time is disruptive for your child, as well as the other children in the class.
Parent-Teacher Communication
Extra Help - Extra Help at Chestnut Street is by appointment only. Extra help is held on Monday afternoon from 2:50-3:20 and Friday morning from 8:10-8:40. There is no bus service for extra help. Families must provide transportation to and from extra help. You will receive further information in September.
Parent-Teacher Conferences - Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held in the fall and spring. This is an opportunity for you to discuss your child’s progress with his/her teacher. Please sign up via TeacherReacher. Directions for TeacherReacher can be found here: Teacher Reacher - Parent Guide
Report Cards – Report cards will be distributed three times per year.
Communication Folders – Folders will be sent home daily. Please check folders for important notifications. Use this folder for all teacher and school correspondence, including absence notes and lunch money, daily.
Breakfast & Lunch
Chestnut Street serves both breakfast and lunch daily. At the beginning of each month, both breakfast and lunch calendars are sent home listing the meals for each day. For your convenience, you may set up an account on https://www.myschoolbucks.com in order to prepay for meals. You may also send a check payable to-WHUFSD Lunch Fund. Your child’s prepaid meal account will only be debited on days when he/she buys breakfast or lunch. When your child’s account is depleted, you will be notified so that you can replenish the account. You can also choose to pay for meals on a daily basis. When sending breakfast or lunch money, kindly place the money in a sealed envelope with your child’s name, class and either breakfast or lunch clearly printed on the front. This envelope is to be placed in your child’s communication folder. Reminder: Breakfast and lunch money must be sent in separate envelopes
Snack
Children have snack every day in the classroom. Please send in a healthy snack to school. This is separate from their lunch snack. The following are acceptable snacks: fruit, yogurt, cheese, crackers, pretzels, etc.
Kindergarten Readiness is...
A child who listens ...
to directions without interrupting
to stories and poems for five or ten minutes without restlessness
A child who hears ...
words that rhyme
words that begin with the same sounds or different sounds
A child who sees ...
likeness and differences in pictures and designs
letters and words that match
A child who understands ...
the relationship inherent in such words as up and down, top and bottom, little and big
the classifications of words that represent people, places, and things
A child who speaks and can ...
stay on the topic in class discussions
retell a story or poem in correct sequence
tell a story or relate an experience of her own
A child who thinks and can ...
give the main idea of a story
give unique ideas and important details
give reasons for his opinions
A child who adjusts ...
to changes in routine and to new situations without becoming fearful
to opposition or defeat without crying or sulking
to necessity of asking for help when needed
A child who ...
plays cooperatively with other children
shares, takes turns and assumes his share of group responsibility
can run, jump, skip, and bounce a ball with comparative dexterity
A child who ...
works without being easily distracted
follows directions
completes each task
takes pride in his/her work
Adapted from Howlett, M.P. (1970, February 18).
Teacher's edition: My Weekly Reader Surprise, Vol. 12, Issue 20.
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