Limestone Central Student Handbook
Limestone Central Student Handbook
"The mission statement of Limestone Central Elementary School, in partnership with students, staff, family, business and community is to provide an effective educational program in a safe environment which prepares each student to be successful at his/her next academic level."
School Telephone
The school telephone number is 487-1249 and the fax number is 487-1251. These phone lines are for school business. Students will not be called from class for incoming calls except for emergencies. Students wishing to call home may use the office phone with permission.
7:15am – 7:50am Students arrive and report to specified areas
8:00am – 8:05am Morning announcements * Students arriving after 8:05am will be marked tardy
2:25pm Dismissal
Textbooks
The state of South Carolina furnishes textbooks to all students. It is the responsibility of the student to care for these books. If textbooks are damaged or lost, the student must pay for the books.
The food service staff at Limestone-Central Elementary provides nutritious, well-balanced meals each day. Students are encouraged to pay for their meals weekly. Notices will be sent home weekly with students who owe meal money. The Cherokee County School District policy states that no child is to continue eating after five (5) days of unpaid lunches. Applications for free or reduced meals are available in the office. Students are expected display proper behavior while eating in the cafeteria. This includes no loud talking and no horseplay. Meal prices are as follows:
|
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
|
Full Pay |
.80/day $4.00/week |
$1.30/day $6.50/week |
|
Reduced |
.30/day $1.50/week |
.40/day $2.00/week |
|
Adult |
$1.80/day |
$3.10/day
|
|
Milk |
.30/carton |
.30/carton
|
Parents and/or other visitors who have business at the school must check in at the office and have a “visitor” badge before proceeding into the building.
AlertNow
Limestone Central uses an automated calling system (AlertNow) to inform parents of upcoming events and other items of importance. This system is also used by the school district to contact parents in the event of school closings, delays, or emergency situations.
Student Progress
Student progress is evaluated and recorded on report cards, which are issued every nine weeks. Report cards must be signed by the parent or guardian and returned to the school. Other reports concerning individual student progress may also be issued including mid-term reports, teacher notes, etc. Parents are encouraged to initiate conferences at any time by writing or calling the teacher for an appointment. Teachers may also request that parents attend special conferences.
The Uniform Grading Scale is:
A = 93 – 100
B = 85 – 92
C = 77 – 84
D = 70 – 76
F = 0 - 69
Accidents
In the event of an accident, first aid will be administered by the school nurse or other authorized personnel. Parents will be notified by office personnel. If a parent cannot be contacted, the school will follow the directions on the enrollment and consent forms in an effort to secure emergency medical treatment if needed. No treatment other than first-aid will be administered by school personnel. Please keep the school informed with the most up-to-date information concerning:
1. Changes in name, phone numbers, home address, work phone number, and family doctor.
2. Names of alternate contacts in the event parents cannot be reached.
Sickness
Children with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher should remain at home. They should not return to school until they have a normal temperature for 24 hours without the help of medication. Children with vomiting or diarrhea should not return to school until they are free of symptoms for at least 24 hours. Children complaining, but showing no symptoms, should be sent to school. They will be sent home should they become ill during the day.
It is very important that students attend school every day. When absent, important schoolwork and assignments are missed. Students may be temporarily excused from school for personal illness, serious illness in the family, or a death in the family. The following regulations apply to student attendance:
Students are expected to be responsible and accountable for their actions and show respect toward each other and their teachers. Classroom teachers set certain expectations for their students. The teacher will impose consequences for students who choose not to follow school/class guidelines according to their classroom behavior plan. Severe discipline cases will be handled by the school administration and parents/guardians will be notified.
Consequences for office referrals include:
a) First referral – Conference and parent contact
b) Second referral – In-School Suspension (1 hour) and parent contact
c) Third referral – In-School Suspension (Half-day) and parent contact
d) Fourth referral – In-School Suspension (All-day) and parent contact
e) Fifth referral – Out-of-School Suspension and parent contact
Note: Major offenses such as fighting, harassment, disrespect to teachers may result in immediate out-of-school suspensions.
Students are expected to keep themselves well groomed and neatly dressed at all times. Parents have the right to determine how the student dresses, provided the attire is not destructive to school property, complies with requirements for health and safety, and does not interfere with the educational process. The following, while not an exhaustive list, are examples of inappropriate dress and will not be permitted in classes in Cherokee County Schools:
1. Tight fitting and/or revealing clothing such as that worn in aerobic workouts.
2. Tank tops.
3. Clothing that reveals the midriff or undergarments.
4. Clothing with obscene or suggestive language, or advertisements or symbols of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, violence, etc.
5. See through clothing.
6. Dark glasses.
7. Hats, bandanas, headbands, or any garment that covers the head.
8. Pants or shorts worn below the student’s natural waistline.
9. Pajamas, nightwear, or bedroom slippers.
10. Spikes or chains.
In the event of bad weather, please do not call the school. These lines must be kept open for emergencies. For special instructions concerning school closings, listen to any of the following stations: WAGI-FM, WSPA-TV, WYFF-TV, WLOS-TV, and EEAC.
It is the parents/guardians responsibility to see that their child has pencils, paper, notebooks, and other supplies suggested by the teacher. Rolling book bags are not permitted.
School Pictures
Individual school pictures will be made during the early part of the school year. Parents will receive additional information concerning packages and prices.
Special Services
Special services are available for students with special needs. Itinerant teachers provide help in the areas of speech therapy, visual and hearing impaired, emotionally handicapped, physically handicapped, learning disabled, educable mentally handicapped, and trainable mentally handicapped. Parents who have questions concerning these programs may call the school for additional information.
Emergency Drills
The purpose of fire and tornado drills is to teach students the proper procedure for advancing to areas of safety as quickly and safely as possible. Drills are held on a regular basis. Evacuation routes are posted in each room. During an emergency drill, students are to line up immediately inside the room and follow the described evacuation route. Talking is not permitted during emergency drills.
Gifted/Talented Academics
Students identified as academically gifted/talented in grades 3-5 are served through Project GOAL classes that meet one period a day. Students qualify for Project GOAL based on S. C. State Department of Education guidelines. Students may be nominated for Project GOAL by parents, teachers, or themselves. Qualification for the program is based on aptitude scores, achievement scores, and performance tasks.
Student Records
Annual Notice required by Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. They are:
(1) The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the District receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
(2) The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask Cherokee County School District to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed,
and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the District decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the District will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
(3) The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the District as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company
with whom the District has contracted to perform a special task (such as attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a person or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
The district may disclose without your consent information it has designated as “directory information”.
Directory information includes name, photograph, home address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degree and awards received and the most recent previous school attended and other similar information. Directory information may be released by the district in a variety of ways including print media and electronically to the district or school website. If you do not wish the above information to be disclosed as directory information about your child, you must inform the principal of your child’s school in writing within 15 days of receipt of this notice.
If you do not inform the principal that you object to the release of any or all information designated as “directory information”, we will be free to release or use directory information on your child as appropriate. Upon request, the District discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll and provides transcripts to schools of higher education.
(4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the District to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605