St. Nicholas Montessori School Auburn Washington

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO HELP YOUR CHILD

Our children succeed with structure in their lives. The following policies and procedures provide the structure that will assist in the development of self-discipline.

Monthly Events

Exact dates of school closures available in August

August:

Work Party to spread play-yard wood chips - An event for parents and children.
School Preparations. - No School due to Teacher In-Service. Please see published school calendar for exact dates.

September:

Labor Day - School Closed.
Open House/Parent Night - Mandatory meeting to go over basics, ask questions, find out more about classroom volunteer needs, etc.
Parenting Class Information Available - Classes vary from year to year.

October:

Autumn Fest - A social event for children, families, and staff to welcome the season.
Primary Parent Observations - Parents come to observe their child in class. Prerequisite for November conference.
Teacher In-Service - No School.
Montessori Material Presentation Night - Teachers present materials demonstrating use and purpose over three year continuums. Both Primary and Elementary materials are presented.

November:

Parent/Teacher Conferences - (Observations in October prerequisite)
Thanksgiving - School Closed

December:

Winter Break - School Closed. Please see published school calendar for exact dates.

January:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - School Closed

February:

Kindergarten in the Primary Class - An information night for parents of four year olds preparing for kindergarten.
Montessori Elementary Information Night - Elementary teachers and students demonstrate materials and talk about transition into the Montessori Elementary program.
President's Day - School Closed

March:

Registration month for returning students
Students as Teachers - The Elementary students demonstrate materials to parents.
Parent/teacher conferences
Teacher In-Service - No School

April:

Registration opens to waiting list and public
Spring Break - Childcare for 12 Month students

May:

Spring Fair - Carnival event for children, families, and staff.
Memorial Day - School Closed

June:

End of the Year Picnic
Memory Brick Planting
Good-bye Ceremony - This event is a special time for students and teachers alike to say good-bye and share memories with kindergarten, third year and sixth year graduating students.
School Preparations - No School due to teachers preparing classrooms. Please see published school calendar for exact dates.

SCHOOL DAY

St. Nicholas Montessori School is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Daily class schedules are posted in each class.

School starts promptly. Please respect your child by being on time. Your child may miss important presentations or lessons when arriving late. Many children feel uncomfortable coming into the classroom after activities have begun. If you arrive after the beginning of class time, please say your good-byes at the door allowing your child to enter quietly.

The school will release a child only to an authorized adult. Please inform the office in writing anytime an adult other than yourself will be picking up your child. Anyone new will be asked to show proper identification before child will be released.

Sign-in sheets are located in the child's classroom or in the extended care room depending on the time of day. Please sign-in your child by noting the time and signing using a full signature as required by law. Please repeat this process as you sign your child out.

All children must be picked up by 5:30 p.m. Any child picked up after 5:30 p.m. will be charged $1 per minute.

Safety Tips

Never leave children alone in a car.
Always turn off your engine and lock your car when parking.
Only adults may open the gate.
All children must have a proper seating arrangement in the vehicle according to state law.

If you need to stop in the office, speak to your child's teacher, drop your child off early, or pick your child up early, please park your car in a visitor's parking spot. PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK DRIVEWAY.

SHUTTLE

Arrival Shuttle

Enter the parking lot from the north driveway.
Pull forward to the far end of the parking lot (south).
Wait in the car with your child.
Say your good-byes in a confident, positive manner.
A St. Nicholas staff person will open the door and assist your child out of the car.
Exit through the south driveway.

Dismissal Shuttle

Enter the parking lot from the north driveway.
Pull forward to the far end of the parking lot (south).
Wait in your car.
A St. Nicholas staff person will walk your child to you car and assist them.
Exit through the south driveway.

EXTENDED CARE

Morning Extended Care

If you are using morning extended care, please park your car in a visitor's parking spot. You may then walk your child to the designated classroom. Do not forget to sign your child in on the sign-in sheet with a full signature.

Afternoon Extended Care

If you are using afternoon extended care, please park your car in a visitor's parking spot. You may then walk to the designated classroom to pick up your child. Do not forget to sign your child out on the sign-out sheet with a full signature.

SNOW CLOSURE or other weather emergencies.

Turn T.V. to KOMO channel 4, KING channel 5, & KIRO channel 7 for closure information.
Information will be placed on the voicemail of the Main Office phone - 253-839-7864.

OFFICE NOTIFICATION

Notify the school office for the following reasons:

Your child will be out of school
Your child is to leave with someone unknown to his teacher and/or not on your child's emergency contact sheet.
Your child has contracted a contagious disease*.

ILLNESS

Keep your child home if the these symptoms are present: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, unexplained rashes, bad congestion or a runny nose, listlessness, weeping eyes or just not feeling well. A child showing symptoms of illness will be isolated and you will be contacted to pick up your child.

Children may not return to school until temperature is normal for 24 hours, per King County Health Department Regulations.

Please notify the school when your child contracts a contagious disease* (mumps, chicken pox, measles, head lice, impetigo, pink eye, etc.) so that other parents can be notified. *We must report contagious diseases to King County Health Department.

MEDICATION

Any medication; oral or topical, prescription or non-prescription to be given to a child while at school must be authorized by signing a Authorization Medication Form. All medication will be given to your child's teacher. All medication will be stored in a locked box and refrigerated, as needed.

Any medications brought by parents for their children must include:

Original container

Child's name

Date (if prescription medicine)

Directions to administer the medication

Name of physician prescribing medication

MEDICAL EMERGENCY

If a child should require emergency treatment, child will be attended to first (staff are trained in first aid and CPR), call to hospital or 911 will be made, and then parents will be contacted. If parents cannot be reached, staff will call emergency contacts. Please see Health Care Policy for further information.

CELEBRATIONS

If you are planning a party in recognition of your child's birthday, please use the School Directory to mail the invitations.

NUTRITION

Good nutrition is encouraged. A selection of fruits or vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates are recommended for snacks and lunches.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for your child. Food consumed at breakfast greatly affects your child's ability to focus and fully participate in the activities of the day. A nutritious, protein filled breakfast might include eggs, meats, whole wheat bread, peanut butter, cheese or whole grain cereal. Breakfast is the fuel that propels learning in the morning.

Snacks are provided by parent volunteers or by the school. We encourage the consumption of water at snack time and throughout the day. Each class sends home a monthly snack calendar with snack suggestions and your child's scheduled snack day. DO NOT SEND CANDY. LIMIT SWEETS TO BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS.

LUNCHES

A protein filled lunch with whole grain breads and fruits or vegetables will supply the needed energy to fuel your child for the rest of the day. PLEASE DO NOT SEND POP. LIMIT SWEET DESSERTS. Please provide an ice pack to avoid food spoilage. Uneaten food will be sent home, enabling you to see what foods and amounts your child is consuming. Teachers will share any changes in eating habits and are good resources for lunch ideas!

DRESS CODE

All clothing must be child manageable, respecting the child's quest for independence.
We discourage sensation motifs on children's clothing. Character/cartoon images can create a distraction, putting the focus on attire rather than people.
Weather appropriate outer-wear. All children go outdoors in inclement weather. Slip-on rubber boots are an excellent choice for most of the school year.
No tie shoes please, until your child can independently manage to tie his own shoes.
Indoor shoes; canvas (for washability) rubber soled (for safety). (Aqua socks work well)
Label all clothing with child's name, including outerwear, footwear, and extra clothing.
No umbrellas.

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

All children have the right to be safe.

St. Nicholas Montessori School is dedicated to teaching peace and nonviolence. We use a litany that states, "This is a place of peace. A place everyone can feel safe. A place of no-violence and no weapons." We utilize verbal conflict resolution, working from a standpoint of respect; for ourselves, of others, and for the environment.

All children have the right to work undisturbed.

Montessori teachers are trained to guide the child towards independence. The class environment is carefully arranged to promote independent work. A climate of respecting another person's right to concentrate indicates redirecting the disturbing child gently toward his or her own work choices. "Watchers" may silently stand observing. Social interaction is encouraged and involves children who are mutually interacting.

DISCIPLINE

Positive discipline and redirection are the techniques used by the St. Nicholas Staff. Most situations are resolved with no further action.

When a continuing disharmonious behavioral situation needs further action the following steps will be taken:

The director will be called in to observe and give guidance for resolution of disharmonious behavioral situations. The parents will be notified and asked to work as a team with the teacher and director to assist the child.
Continuing disharmonious behavior may result in the director asking the parent to temporarily remove the child while the parents, teacher, and director discuss a course of action that will aid the child in functioning peacefully and cooperatively.
Unresolved behavior challenges may necessitate outside professional evaluation. Unresolved behavior challenges may necessitate outside professional evaluation.
If no resolution is reached, the director may request the child's withdrawal from school.