JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
In a joyful, nurturing
environment, with cooperation and assistance from supportive parents, the
faculty and staff at
Come along now and you will hear,
We will sing it loud and clear.
We are the greatest
in the
Listen to me, I am a good person.
I will act in such a way
That I will be proud of myself
And others will be proud of me too.
I come to school to learn.
I can learn and I will learn.
I will have a good (great) day!!!
JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
School Philosophy
At
Every effort is made to develop a positive
self-image, as well as self-respect, respect for others, and respect for home,
school, and community. We seek to
accomplish this by treating each student with dignity and by providing
opportunities for students and staff to interact in a positive manner.
At
JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2008-2009 EMPHASIS
During the 2008-2009 school year, Jefferson
Elementary School will continue as a pre-k
through third grade school. We
will continue to emphasize early childhood educational experiences and will
feature programs to meet the needs of the emergent learner. Our program of site-based management will
continue – with administration, faculty, staff, and parents working
cooperatively to meet the needs and challenges of the school. Through this site-based management program,
there will be a concentrated effort to involve all segments of the school
population in the planning, organization, implementation, and evaluation of
desired school goals and outcomes.
The
efficient and effective use of instructional time and resources to ensure the
achievement of maximized learning for all students will be a continuing
goal. Learning resources will continue
to be added and updated as needed.
Emphasis will be placed on maintaining
excellence in instruction and striving to attain goals set for the 2008-2009
school year. Programs such as Write From
the Beginning, Thinking Maps, Four Blocks, Accelerated Reader, Saxon Phonics,
Saxon Math, Dibels, and Accelerated Math at the first, second and third grade
levels will be used to maintain and strengthen our overall curriculum
program. We continue to be pleased with
our new reading textbook in K-3. Character Education will continue to be
stressed at the school-wide and classroom level. Risk Watch Safety Program and Take Ten will
be integrated into the regular
curriculum. We will continue to work
toward having Smart Boards to enhance instruction in all of our classrooms. Through the support of our parents, students,
and staff, we have been able to install Smart Boards in all 2nd and
3rd grade classrooms.
BASIC PRINCIPALS
Our goal is long-term behavior change, not quick fixes
Dealing with students’ behavior is part of our job
Rules must make sense to the children
Be a model of what you expect
Always treat students with dignity
Responsibility is more important than obedience
STOP doing ineffective things NOW
You can be fair without always having to treat everyone the same.
STAFF POLICY AND PROCEDURES
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Most announcements will be in the bulletin. The bulletin will be available on the
computer through First Class. From time
to time other announcements will be made over the intercom – usually at the
beginning of the school day or the last few minutes of school.
ARRIVAL
Teachers
and teacher assistants should be in their rooms preparing for students by
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
Teachers should do attendance
each morning by 9:00 a.m. All absences
and tardies must be coded Unexcused until you receive a note from the parent
indicating the reason for the absence.
The teacher will go back in to NCWISE and update all absences with the
correct code. (The only choices you should indicate for
tardies are excused and unexcused. No
other reasons should be chosen since this causes problems with NCWISE
reporting.)
BOMB THREATS
The following steps should be taken in the event of
a bomb threat:
1. The office staff should be familiar with receiving emergency type calls.
2. The principal
should be notified immediately in the event of a threat of this nature. The principal will notify the Police
Department and the Superintendent’s office.
3. An
announcement will be made to evacuate the buildings. The ENTIRE STAFF must vacate the building.
4. As students exit the classroom, teachers
should look for anything unusual in the rooms.
Students should move 300 feet away from the building.
5. The building will be searched.
6. Notification will be given when it is safe to
return to the building.
BREAKS (STUDENT)
Students should have a short break built into their daily schedules. It is appropriate and expected that these breaks will be available to ALL students grades Pre-K – 3. Using Take 10 is a great way to schedule breaks.
BUILDING
MAINTENANCE
An e-mail should be sent
to Mrs. McGill listing maintenance needs.
These will be addressed as quickly as possible.
It is imperative that
the principal be notified immediately if a certain area is not being maintained
in a satisfactory manner. Heating and
air conditioning units should not be used as storage. This practice is a fire code violation. Please make sure all cleaners and hand
sanitizers are locked and out of reach of children.
CAFETERIA
We encourage
participation in both the breakfast and lunch programs at
All visitors and staff
must proceed through the serving line.
Health regulations require that only cafeteria staff remain behind the
serving line.
It is vital that each
class arrives and leaves the cafeteria on schedule. Classes should be ready to leave the
cafeteria 20 minutes after sitting down to eat.
Teachers and teacher assistants should always sit with the students and
monitor behavior. Each teacher is
responsible for leaving tables, chairs, and floor clean for the next class. SCHOOL LUNCH AND BREAKFAST MENUS ARE POSTED ON THE
CLEVELAND COUNTY SCHOOLS WEBSITE MONTHLY.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
Students are not permitted to eat, drink, or chew gum during the school day. It is therefore appropriate that teachers adhere to the same rules and expectations. Eating, drinking, or chewing gum should be limited to planning times when students are in another location other than the classroom.
COUNSELING
SERVICES
The school counselor
provides developmental, preventive, and remedial services for all
Referrals to the counselor should be made in writing
with a brief description of the problem.
CRITICAL INCIDENT
RESPONSE (CODE RED)
Plans for and facilitation of
our Critical Incident Response Plan will be consistent with the training
previously received. Several practices
will be conducted throughout the year at random times. A review will be presented in a staff meeting
early in the school year. All required readiness materials (red and green
cards, lockdown checklist, student roll, window black paper) should be handy
from school day one. New personnel
should ask a member at their grade level about these items. Practices will not be forewarned.
CUMULATIVE FOLDERS
Cumulative folders are
maintained in accordance with state regulations. These folders serve as a record for each
student’s school performance as well as verification for compliance with
immunization and attendance laws. These
records are filed in alphabetical order in the office. Cumulative folders are not to be left in the
classroom overnight and are not to be taken from the school.
Cumulative folders must
be carefully maintained by the homeroom teacher. Each student’s folder should be checked at
the beginning and end of each school year and care should be taken to ensure
that immunization compliance and age requirements are met. If a teacher becomes aware of a questionable
situation, please advise the office.
DISCIPLINE
Learning cannot take
place in the absence of order and self-discipline. Each classroom should follow the rules for
expected conduct - along with appropriate consequences explained in the PBS
program. Rules should be taught and
modeled. At all times the teacher should
identify, acknowledge, and promote positive behavior. Infractions should be dealt with firmly,
fairly, and consistently. Rules should
be retaught when necessary. An entire
class should not be punished for inappropriate behavior from one or two
students.
It is recommended that
early parental contact be made when there is a developing discipline
problem. The parent is an invaluable
ally when the teacher develops positive rapport early in the school year. It is strongly suggested that an alliance be
established with the parents of each student.
Parental contact is a continuing school goal. Again, please make every effort to contact
parents regarding student behavior and successes.
It is expected that
teachers will take the necessary steps to ensure good discipline in the
classroom. It is also expected that
teachers will work together to ensure good school-wide discipline. The principal/assistant principal will serve
in advisory and supportive roles. When,
as a result of misbehavior that cannot be handled in the classroom, it becomes
necessary to refer a student to the office, a Disciplinary Referral Form is
required. Students will not be seen
unless they have the appropriate referral form.
On this form the teacher should explain the nature of the infraction and
also identify all of the prior strategies employed to gain student
compliance. This information will aid
the principal/assistant principal in working with the student. The teacher will be informed of the action
taken. This action will be determined by
the severity and consistency of the student’s misconduct.
We encourage our
children to develop good work and study habits.
Our activities are developmentally appropriate for each student. Learning to listen and follow directions is
basic to our educational program. Each
child is expected to progressively develop skills in these areas. Our goal is to help each
child develop
self-discipline. Self-discipline
includes self-control. We cannot teach a
child who is misbehaving and inattentive.
Such behavior affects our efforts with classmates as well. Your support is vital. We will advise you of any problems and your
cooperation will be expected and appreciated.
Students will pull a
SCORE stick when they do not follow one of the SCORE expectations. They may also earn positive SCORE
sticks. Parents should be informed daily
of each student’s pulled or earned SCORE sticks. Students will begin each school day with a
fresh start. Students will receive
Reward PE time by demonstrating SCORE behavior, completing all home and class
assignments and not pulling more than the grade level requirement each
month. Students who have not earned
Also, individual students
or the class as a whole may earn positive “bees” for the entire class. Classroom rewards will be given to the class
in each grade level earning the most positive “bees” each month.