STUDENT HANDBOOK

(Procedures Subject To Change)

QUICK LINKS

Creekside Mission Statement

Creekside Elementary will produce students who have developed a firm educational foundation which will enable them to succeed at higher level academics and enhance their self-worth and dignity. This will be accomplished by providing a nurturing environment conducive to learning, a richly diverse and well balanced curriculum, and opportunities to utilize higher level thinking skills which will be guided by highly qualified and dedicated teachers.

Motto

Be Eager And Ready and you Can sUcceed Beyond your DreamS. (BEARCUBS)

Mascot

Bear Cub

School Colors

Blue and Green

Creekside Elementary Daily Schedule for 2005-2006

 

 

Grades K - 5

 

 

8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

 

Grade

Lunch

Recess

Conference

K

10:30-11:00

11:00-11:30

1:00-1:45

1st

11:00-11:30

11:30-12:00

1:50-2:35

2ND

11:30-12:00

12:00-12:30

9:05-9:50

3RD

12:00-12:30

12:30-1:00

10:00-10:45

4TH

12:30-1:00

1:00-1:30

8:15-9:00

5TH

1:00-1:30

1:30-2:00

10:55-11:40

 

Absences

Parents should report a child’s absence by calling the school office by 10:00 a.m.  Also, a note will be needed upon his/her return to school.  The note should include a brief reason for the absence, the date(s) the child was absent and the signature of the parent or guardian.

 

An excused absence is one which results from personal illness, sickness or death in the family, quarantine, or weather or road conditions making transportation dangerous.  There may be other circumstances which will result in an excused absence with PRIOR APPROVAL from the principal (i.e. absence for the purpose of observing religious holidays when it is a tenet of their faith).  All other absences will be unexcused.

Arrival and Dismissal

Students should plan to arrive between 7:50 and 7:55 a.m.  The tardy bell rings at 8:00 a.m.  Students arriving before 7:50 a.m. may wait in the cafeteria (grades 2), Music Room (grades K&1) or the gym (grades 3-5) where they will be supervised by Creekside staff.  Please note that we do not have supervision available before 7:30 a.m.  The breakfast doors open at 7:30 a.m. each morning.


Students should plan to leave the school building and grounds promptly at dismissal time (3:00 p.m.) unless prior arrangements have been made between the teacher and parent (i.e. tutoring).  Parents and students should communicate transportation arrangements PRIOR to coming to school.  Messages may be left in the office regarding arrangements on an emergency basis only.  Students worry unnecessarily when transportation plans are uncertain.  Also, we want to try to reduce messages to classes to the bare minimum to ensure optimum instructional time.

Attendance

Students must attend school regularly and be on time to benefit from the instructional program. Punctuality and self-discipline are life skills in which students are in the process of developing.  Good attendance is correlated with successful, confident students which results in high student achievement.

 

The state law requires students to be in attendance at least 90% of the school year in order to receive credit.  A campus attendance committee will review absences in excess of 10 days.  School employees must investigate and report violations of the State Compulsory Attendance Law.

Early Dismissal for Appointments

Parents may come to the office to sign their child out for an appointment.  Please allow time in your schedule for a staff member to call your child from class.  A medical “verification of appointment” form is required if the student is out of school for medical treatment during the school day and does not want to be counted tardy or absent.

 

The teachers at Creekside are committed to making your child’s learning experiences as valuable as possible.  In order to receive maximum benefits from instruction, your child needs to attend school except in cases of illness or emergency.

Emergency School Closing

The decision to close schools based on inclement weather will be made by 6:30 a.m.  This will be reported on these television channels:

     4 (Fox)        5 (KXAS)            8 (WFAA)                   11 (KTVT)

Radio Stations:

     WBAP (820 AM)            KARLD (1080 AM)      KOAI (107.5 FM)

     KLIF (570 AM)                KVIL (103.7 FM)        KPLX (99.5 FM)

Health Safety

Students will be given temporary care in the case of illness or injury during school hours.  If your child has a medical problem, please make sure the school is informed.  It is important the correct telephone numbers (home, work and emergency contact) are on file in the Office and Health Room.  The nurse will be at Creekside from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

 

Attendance is not permitted and/or students will be sent home for the following reasons:

v     temperature of 100 degrees or above

v     undetermined rash over any part of body pain and/or swelling at angle of jaw

v     scaly patches on scalp which may indicate ringworm live lice on hair or white nits ½" from scalp nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

v     red, draining eyes

v     intense itching with sign or symptoms of secondary infection

v     open draining lesions

v     signs of jaundice

v     communicable diseases listed by Texas State Dept. of Health

v     excessive coughing

The above reasons will insure the protection of all students.

 

There will be no prescription drugs given to students unless we have written authorization from the parent and the medicine is in the original bottle with instructions on the bottle.  These medications will be stored in and dispensed from the health room for one week.  A doctor's authorization form must be completed for additional dosage and timeline guidance.

Immunization Requirements

Texas law requires immunizations for all persons enrolled in public school.  ALL IMMUNIZATIONS SHOULD BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO ENROLLMENT.  If this is not possible, children are allowed to enter provided at least one immunization in the series has been initiated and all are completed as soon as feasible.  A doctor’s statement or health department verification regarding proof of immunization from the following diseases is needed for all students.

 

v     Measles/Mumps/Rubella #1_________ (on or after 1st birthday)

v     Measles Booster #2____________

v     Polio #1________#2________#3________#4_________(after age 4).

v     Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus – #1______#2______#3______#4______#5_______ (after age 4)

v     Diphtheria/Tetanus - 10 yr. Booster - ___________

v     Hib________ (one dose at or after 15 months)

v     Tuberculosis Test – if enrolling from a foreign country: Date given ____Date read____Result___

v     Hepatitis B – #1________#2________#3_________

v     Hepatitis A – #1____________ #2____________ (on or after 2nd birthday)

v     Varicella (Chicken Pox) –History of Disease Month_________Year________

v     Varicella (Chicken Pox) –Vaccination #1 _______(if no history of disease) (after 1st birthday)

v     Varicella (Chicken Pox) –Vaccination #2 _______(if 1st vaccination on/after 13th birthday)

v     Penumococcal (Prevnar) #1________(one dose after 2 years of age)

 

NOTE:  The physician’s name in printed form, phone number and physician’s signature must accompany the immunization record.  Information concerning exemptions with immunization requirements for medical or religious conflicts should be directed to the principal’s office.

Tardies

If a student arrives in class after 8:00 a.m. he/she will need to go to the office to receive a Tardy Slip for admission into class.  Excessive tardies will result in intervention from Denton County Judge, Becky Kerbow.

Visitors to the Building

The safety of your child is of utmost importance to the staff at Creekside.  Upon entering the building, please sign in at the office and take a visitor’s pass.  You will be asked to return to the office if you are not wearing the visitor’s badge.

Withdrawal from School

Parent should notify the school office at least two days in advance of the intent to withdrawal their child from school.  This will provide time for the necessary dismissal forms to be completed.

Bicycle Safety

Students may ride bicycles to school; however, the school will not accept responsibility for the safety of the bicycles.  Locks are recommended.  When on school grounds students should dismount their bikes and walk them before and after school.  Motorized bikes, skateboards and rollerblades are not permitted.

Cafeteria

Students may bring their lunch from home or purchase a tray from the cafeteria.  A menu will be sent home monthly.  Weekly school lunch menus are published in the local newspapers and daily menus are shared during morning announcements.  A free or reduced-price lunch and breakfast program is available to students who qualify.  Applications are available in the school office after the initial distribution of forms.

 

Parents may join their children for lunch, but we do need advance notice to prepare food to accommodate guests.  Please let your child’s teacher know or call the office to reserve your lunch.  Funds are not available for loaning lunch money.  Students will be allowed to phone home to notify parents.  If a student is unable to reach their parents, a substitute lunch will be provided.

     $1.95 – Lunch for students             $2.70 – Lunch for visiting adults

     $1.00 – Breakfast for students        $1.25 – Breakfast for visiting adults

Classroom Parties

There will be three classroom parties:  Winter Holidays, Valentine’s Day and End of the Year.  Classroom parties are under the direction of the teacher and hosted by P.T.A. room mothers.  There will be no in-class birthday parties at any grade level.  Children are not to bring invitations for a private party to school.  Those children who do not receive invitations do not understand why they are not included.  Your child may bring individually wrapped take-home treats for every child in the class or give treats during lunch.

Discipline

A school-wide discipline program has been developed for Creekside and will be explained in detail at grade level orientation meetings.  More information will also be provided to you in writing.  Our goal has been to design a program which promotes students as responsible decision makers while making a simple and consistent program for your family to support and implement from year to year as you go through Creekside.

Elementary Guidance Counseling

The Lewisville Independent School District’s guidance curriculum component provides a means for helping students learn skills that the State Board of Education has identified as priority needs of students.  Through the guidance curriculum activities, students develop self-esteem, motivation to achieve, decision-making, goal setting, planning skills, problem-solving skills, interpersonal effectiveness, communication skills and responsible behavior.  These activities are taught through classroom presentations, small group interactions and individually.  The counselor as a member of the instructional team is a vital resource to students, teachers, administrators and parents in helping to build the skills needed to meet the dynamic forces of our society.  The Lewisville Comprehensive Guidance Program is an integral part of each school’s total educational program.  The basic goal of school guidance is to enhance the student’s educational development.

Elementary Reteach/Retest Policy

v     Should a student fail to master a Texas Essential Knowledge and Skill, the TEKS will be retaught.  After reteaching, mastery of the TEKS will be retested.

v     Documentation of TEKS assessment is kept in the grade book.  If a student fails a TEKS assignment, the grade will be recorded above the slash mark.

v     If the student demonstrates mastery after a reteach, retest, a grade of 70 is recorded below the slash mark.

v     If the student does not demonstrate mastery after reteach/retest, the failing grade is recorded below the slash mark.

v     The highest grade recorded in either circumstance above will be used in calculating the six weeks grade.

Emergency Drills

We have regularly scheduled emergency drills.  Should a school visitor enter the building during a drill or emergency situation, that person is expected to follow school personnel’s safety instructions.

Grading and Reporting

Report cards are issued at the end of the six-week grading periods.  A progress report will be sent at the midpoint of each grading period.  We encourage parent/teacher conferences to discuss student progress.

 

Telephone calls to teachers will be returned after school or at another convenient time during the day.  Teachers will not be asked to interrupt their classroom instructional time to accept phone calls.

Lost and Found

Children should be encouraged to be responsible for articles of clothing and personal belongings.  Please place name tags on all articles of clothing and supplies.  We have a lost and found area designated.  We request that toys, electronic games and trinkets remain at home.  We are not responsible for lost items.

Pesticide Treatments

The LISD is required by the Texas Structural Pest Control Board and the Texas Department of Health to notify you of the following:
1.  An Ahera Management plan with re-inspection documentation is available for inspection during normal business hours.  The master plan is available for inspection at the District Administration Building.”

2.  Pesticides are periodically applied at this facility.  Information on the times and types of applications is available upon request.

School Bus Safety Rules

Transportation services are offered to those students living two or more miles from the school to which they are zoned.  Our buses are operated by Durham Transportation; they can be reached at (972)221-4557. The following school bus safety rules are designed to protect student passengers and to enable the bus driver to operate the vehicle safely.  STUDENTS WHOSE ACTIONS THREATEN THE SAFETY OF OTHERS ON THE BUS MAY LOSE THEIR PRIVILEGE TO RIDE THE BUS.

 

The following rules are posted on each bus:

v     Observe classroom conduct.

v     Do not damage bus or equipment.

v     Remain seated facing the front of the bus.

v     Keep aisle clear of arms, legs and carry-on items.

v     Keep arms, head, hands and feet inside the bus.

v     Get driver's permission to open or close the windows.

v     Keep food and drinks in your backpack or lunch bags.

v     Do not throw anything while on the bus.

v     Avoid distracting the driver.

v     Keep hands and feet to yourself.

v     Talk quietly

v     Do not use radios or other audio equipment.

 

The bus driver will file a formal written report with the principal when there is a problem on the bus.  Recurring problems may result in the student being placed on probation or suspended from bus transportation for a designated period of time.  Parents will assume responsibility for transporting a student on bus suspension.

School Dress

Students and parents may determine the student’s personal dress and grooming standards providing that the student’s dress and grooming:  does not lead school officials to believe that such dress or grooming will disrupt, interfere with or distract from school activities does not create a health hazard or other safety hazard to the student’s safety or to the safety of others and does not advertise drug or alcohol items or promote gang activity.  Hats may NOT be worn in school.

School Telephone

The use of the school telephone by students is reserved for emergencies only.  Please help us with this by making arrangements with your child for rainy days, etc. to be made outside of the school day.

Standardized Testing

Students will take the state-mandated Texas Assessment of Knowledge Skills (TAKS).  The TAKS is given at the third, fourth and fifth grade at the elementary level.  Texas state law mandates that students must pass the mathematics, language arts and writing sections of TAKS by the end of their 12th grade year in order to receive diplomas.  Our plan to assist students in preparing for TAKS involves everyone.  Test results are maintained in the individual student records and are accessible only to the student, his/her parent or guardian and authorized school personnel.

Statement of Assurance

In keeping with the guidelines of Title VI, Section 601, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX, Section 901, Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Lewisville ISD assures that no person in this district shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sec or handicap be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity.

 

Dr. Linda Haynes has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title IX.  Jo Haney has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Student School Records

A student’s school records are confidential and protected from unauthorized inspection or use.  A cumulative record is maintained for each student from the time the student enters the district until the student withdraws or graduates.  This record moves with the student from school to school.

 

By law, both parents, whether married, separated or divorced have access to the records of a student who is under 18, or a dependent for tax purposes.  A parent whose rights have been legally terminated will be denied access to the records if the school is given a copy of the court order terminating these rights.  The principal is the custodian of all records.  Records may be reviewed during regular school hours.  The records custodian or designee will be happy to review these records with parents.

Textbooks

Textbooks used by the school are furnished by the State of Texas.  These books are issued to teachers and students and should be kept covered and accounted for at all times.  Students will be responsible for lost or damaged books that have been issued to them.  Payment for lost or damaged textbooks may be made in the office.