Mission Statement
Learning for All-Whatever it takes

 
Medulla Elementary will prepare each child to meet life's challenges by providing the best possible learning environment with the most effective methods and resources to insure that each child will develop academically, socially and aesthetically.

SchoolZone ~ Enrollment ~ Forms ~ SchoolHours
Attendance ~ Dismissal  ~ EarlyDismissal ~ BusRiders
PhoneCalls ~ DressCode ~ SchoolDiscipline ~ Homework 
ReportCards ~ Conferences ~ Visitation ~ ParentCommunication 
Student Insurance ~ Medication ~ Clinic

School Zone
Please go to the school board website.  Look on home page (www.polk-fl.net) and find School Zones
 

Enrollment
You will need to bring the following items with you when you enroll you child.

1. Legal proof of age for students entering K-3 (a certified copy of birth certificate, baptismal certificate, passport, etc.)
2. For students in grades 4-12, a transcript of prior school records, showing the student's date of birth, is acceptable.
3. Current physical exam, dated within the last 12 months
4. Certificate of immunization (all shots including 2nd MMR)
5. Verification of address (utility bill, lease agreement, etc., or an approved transfer form if entering a school outside assigned zone).

Forms
Is is very important that the school have current information about your child.  Each child is required to have on file:
1.  Emergency Card (front and back signed) with current phone numbers
2.  Health records
3.  Information sheet
4.  Code of Conduct Signature Paper
5.  PE Permission Forms
6.  Language Survey
7.  Elementary Image and Technology Consent Form
8.  Form for Requesting Student Directory Information Not Be Released (pg  vii,  Code of Conduct).

Please send in any change of phone number or address so that the Emergency Card will be kept current.

School Hours
 Upon arrival at school the children are to sit in front of their classroom. Children will be allowed to enter the classroom beginning at 7:45 AM.  The first bell rings at 7:55 AM and instruction begins at 8:00 AM.  It is important that your child be present at the beginning of the instructional day.  Supervision is not provided before 7:30AM. If this conflicts with your family's schedule, please contact one of the surrounding day care facilities that will bring the children to school at the appropriate time. If  for some unexpected reason your child is late, please come in to the office with your child to obtain a tardy slip for entry in to the classroom.

Attendance
To insure the best possible education for your child, regular and on time attendance is expected. If your child is ill and it is necessary for him/her to be absent from school, please send a note to the teacher when he/she returns stating the reason for the absence.  If a note is not received, your child's absence must be reported to Bartow as unexcused.

Dismissal

CAR RIDERS
Dismissal is at 2:30 for all students.  Please enter the circular drive of the car pick up area at the far south entrance.  Please stay in your car  and move forward as directed by one of our personnel.  Please have your car pickup number tag hanging from the rear view mirror.  For the safety of our children, please do not release or pick up your child in any area other than the car rider area closest to the overhang at the rear of the school.. 

DAY CARE AND BUS RIDERS
Day care van riders and bus riders are picked up in the front of the school

RAINY DAY PLAN
Please share with the teacher in the "Rainy Day Plan" form on how your child is going to get home when it rains. This preplanning  helps to make this "unplanned emergency" less stressful for you and your child.

CHANGE IN DISMISSAL PLAN
If there is a change in how your child will go home on a particular day, please call the office by 2:00 pm so that we may notify your child in time. If you plan to come in and pick up your child, please park in a designated parking area and wait for them on the outside of their building.

Early Dismissal
All students must be checked out through the school office.  The office will page the student while the parent/guardian is signing out the student. The students will only be released to a parent or another authorized adult.  Adults will be asked for their identification before the student is released.

Bus Riders

1. Only students living in designated areas approved for school bus transportation shall ride school buses on regular school bus routes.

2. Ineligible riders are not permitted to ride the school bus to a baby-sitter, Girl or Boy Scout meeting, ball practice etc.

3. Bus Riders may not switch buses to ride home with a friend or attend special meetings. In the case of a Bona Fide emergency, such as a parent in the hospital or no one at home, the principal may approve a temporary switch provided the child brings a note from home detailing the emergency.  This temporary switch is subject to space on the bus.

4. If a rider is not to ride the bus home, he/she must bring a note from a parent indicating this; otherwise the child will be put on the bus.

5. For their safety, students are expected to follow the bus rules at all times.  Failure to behave could result in a traffic accident

 Continuous misbehavior on the bus results in the following procedures.

• 1st bus slip -Verbal reprimand by administrator.

• 2nd bus slip-Time-out or in school suspension or detention.

•  3rd bus slip- 3 to 10 day bus suspension.

When the child is suspended from the bus, the parents are responsible for getting the child to school.

Phone Calls
We will not interrupt class for phone calls unless it is an emergency.  Our secretaries will take a message and put it in the teachers box for them to check at their earliest convenience. 

Dress Code
Children must dress in uniform which includes tops, pants or skirts, and belts.  School shirt colors are white, navy blue, or maroon. Shirts must be tucked in while on campus. Please go to http://www.Polk-fl.net/information/uniforms.htm for further information.

School Discipline
Discipline is a must at school if learning is to take place.  We believe that discipline is an ongoing process that helps students learn or be responsible and capable of making choices that are in the best interest of others as well as themselves.  Discipline is based on respect and responsibility. We believe that students need guidance, rules and consistency in enforcement of rules and that it is the joint responsibility of the parents/guardians and the teacher to praise and reinforce appropriate behavior.

These are our 4 school-wide STAR expectations that the teachers will be reinforcing throughout the year:

• Safe (not engaged in dangerous activities including fighting, using abusive language, or threatening  behavior)

• Tolerant and respectful (be kind to others)

• Active Learner (be ready to learn, follow directions, give your undivided attention to the speaker)

• Responsible (be on time, appropriately dressed, with homework and supplies.  Also, take care of personal and school property)

Fighting can include coming in physical contact with someone when you are angry or upset,  playfully and/or teasingly kicking, biting, slapping, choking, or pushing someone. 

Abusive language can include using curse words (written or verbal), using suggestive vulgar words or gestures, using "put down" words or phrases, or threatening to hurt someone. For further explanations, please see the Polk County School Code of Conduct.

Homework
Homework can be a reinforcement of the current material they are learning and can help develop good study habits.  The following is an average of time spent for each grade level:

Kindergarten-Time spent reading to your child, talking, and sharing his/her day
1st,2nd, 3rd- Up to 30 minutes a day
4th and 5th - 45 minutes to one hour.

If the homework seems to take your child longer, please check with his/her teacher.  You can help them develop good study habits by providing a quiet place, that is free of distractions, for them to do homework assignments.

Report Cards and Grading Policy
Report Cards for K-5 are sent home four times a year. District criteria used for grading is the following:

Kindergarten S Satisfactory N Needs Improvement Grades 1-2 A Outstanding B Above Average C Average D Below Average U Unsatisfactory Grades 3, 4, and 5 A 90-100 Outstanding B 80-90   Above Average C 70-80   Average D 60-70   Below Average U 0-59     Unsatisfactory

Conferences
We encourage you to discuss your child's progress with his/her teacher.  Please call the office to notify the teacher ahead of time to schedule a time convenient for a conference.  Teachers must schedule conferences (telephone and in person) during non-instructional time. 

If you receive information from your child that you do not understand, please do the following:

1. Contact the teacher first, if the problem involves classroom policies.  If you feel there is further need for exploring the matter, a conference may be scheduled to include the principal.

2. If a question arises from participation in a special class (PE, Music, SLD), please contact that teacher rather than the classroom teacher.

Visitation
Please notify the school at least 24 hours before visiting for observation in the classroom.  You must check in at the office before going to any part of the school. You will need your driver's license or Florida ID to check in.  We are committed to protecting our instructional time.  "Drop-In" visits disrupt instruction.  If you would like to have lunch with your child, please notify the lunchroom before 9:00AM.  We request that no fast food be brought in to school.

Parent Communication 
Communication between home and school is a vital way to support learning and monitor student progress.  Teachers communicate regularly.  The form of communication will vary according to the teacher.
Students at each grade level use agendas.  Students are taught to record homework assignments, projects, special events and needs such as lunch money. Please support the efforts to communicate with you by looking at the agenda daily.

Student Insurance
Student insurance is available at a nominal cost and is optional.  When a student who is insured under this plan is injured, he/she will be given a claim form from the office.  This form must be completed by his/her parent and presented to the doctor or hospital.  The school merely acts as medium in supplying the insurance and assumes no liability for the subsequent negotiations with the insurance company.  Remember that all accidents must be reported immediately to your teacher, and you must see a doctor within 72 hours of the accident.

Medication
We have  a number of children bringing medication to school to take during the day.  Often the appropriate dosage can be given without a dose being given at school.  Please check with your doctor when he/she gives a prescription to see if this is possible. 

The following must be followed for prescription and non prescription medication:

1. Medication may be administered for one day with a written note from the parent/guardian.  A physician or nurse must sign an official form (Authorization for Medication).  No medication will be administered without parental authorization and medical practioner's instructions.  A fax machine is available to expedite the completion of this form.

2. The Authorization of Medication should be renewed as follows:
   A. Prescription medication for chronic/long term conditions: at the beginning of each school year or anytime a medication and/or dosage change is required.
   B. Prescription medication for short term conditions: with each illness
   C. Non prescription (over the counter) medications: as recommended by the physician/nurse practitioner on the Authorization for Medical form.

3. All medication must be stored in a locked cabinet in the clinic.  This includes nonprescription medicine such as pain relievers and cough drops.  Exceptions for asthma inhalers may be made upon the physician's recommendation.
   

Clinic
First Aid is provided in the clinic, when necessary.  In the case of a sudden illness or accident, every effort will be made to contact the parent, doctor, or other person listed on the Emergency Card form.  It is very important that the Emergency Card form be returned on the first day of school and kept up to date.  If you should be called to get your child from school, please come for him/her in the office. Also, contact your child's doctor, and sign his/her emergency release form in order that they may receive immediate treatment; otherwise, a child with a broken arm must sit and wait until a parent is contacted.