Parent/Student Handbook

ADMINISTRATOR’S WELCOME
The faculty, staff, and administration of Clifton Hills Elementary School welcome you, and look forward to working with you and your child this year. We have every reason to expect this 2022-23 school year to be our best yet. You can count on your child receiving a superior education at Clifton Hills.

The purpose of this planner is to help you be familiar with information pertaining to both Clifton Hills Elementary School’s and Hamilton County’s rules, policies, programs, and procedures.
We look forward to and encourage parental involvement. We extend an invitation to visit our school, attend our programs, and to become an active member in our PTO and volunteer program. Your support is essential in developing a productive educational partnership where your child is the primary beneficiary.

Please do not hesitate to call the school office at (423) 493-0357 at any time if you have questions and/or concerns.

~ Lindsay Starnes & Jessi Armstrong~


MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission at CHES is to provide a safe and welcoming community where all are respected, engaged, and challenged to meet high expectations.

SCHOOL SCHEDULE
The school day will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. If you bring your child to school, he/she should be in the classroom and ready for instruction by 8:00 a.m. Any student arriving at school between 7:30 a.m. and 7:50 a.m. will be required to go to the gym or to the cafeteria. Breakfast is served 7:30-7:50 daily (unless we are on a delayed schedule). Morning duty teachers arrive at 7:30 a.m. and students will NOT have access to the building prior to this time.

VISITORS
Anyone who is not an employee of Clifton Hills Elementary School must check in at the main office. Outer doors will be locked during daytime hours and visitors must use the buzzer at the main door to enter the building. Visitors are limited to 30 minute classroom observations in order to minimize classroom disruptions. Visitors are not allowed to go directly to the classrooms or any other part of the building without clearance from the office. Passes for visitors and volunteers are available for those wishing to eat lunch with their child. Please be sure to wear a badge at all times and be sure to sign in and out in the office.

TARDIES/EARLY DISMISSALS
Students are expected to be in their classes by 8:00 a.m. each morning. It takes approximately five minutes to go through the car rider line from the road to the building, so we are recommending that you arrive at school no later than 7:45 a.m. Safety first!! Students may not be dropped off on the street.
Any students picked up for early dismissal before 2:00 p.m. will need to be signed out in the office. To minimize disruptions, office personnel will call students to the office. Parents are required to show a picture ID when dismissing a child and are not permitted to go to the student’s classroom to pick up their child. Students WILL NOT be called from classes for dismissal after 2:00.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to be in attendance for all scheduled instructional days each year unless they are ill, have a legitimate family emergency, a death in the family, or a personal court appearance.
Students will be allowed only a total of three (3) parent notes per school year. (Doctors notes, death in the family, religious, court, school related activities are excused and are not included in the three days.)
Any child who is habitually and unlawfully absent from school must be reported to the appropriate judge having juvenile discretion in Hamilton County. The juvenile judge may also assess a fine of up to fifty dollars ($50) or five (5) hours of community service against the parent or legal guardian of a child in kindergarten through sixth grade if more than five (5) days of school are missed in any school year, unless the parent provides an adequate excuse to the court.

ALTERED SCHEDULES
Delayed or closed school schedules are announced by the Hamilton County School Board Office because of threatening or unsafe weather. A snow/delayed schedule means that school will open and buses will operate later than usual. Listen to your local radio or T.V. stations and for incoming calls and/or texts from the HCDE school messenger system.
In the event of a 1-hour delay students can be dropped off after 8:30 a.m. On a 2-hour delay students can be dropped off after 9:30 a.m. Teachers are not on duty until these times. Breakfast WILL NOT be served on delay schedule days.

Please discuss with your child in advance, and inform the school in writing, what he/she should do in the event of an early school closing. We do not have telephone facilities to handle large numbers of telephone phone calls in or out of the building during a small amount of time. Please do not call the school to ask if we are dismissing early as this news is announced by public news stations at or near the same time we receive notification.

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION
The designated area for student drop-off and pickup is located at the main entrance of the school building. If you bring your child to school in the mornings, please remember not to block the lanes of traffic in front of the school building. Pull over as close to the curb as possible for your child’s safety. Please be polite and observe all signs.

If you pick your child up in the afternoons as a walker, please remain outside the building until walkers are dismissed. Walkers will be sent outside before either car or bus riders. If your child is a car rider, pull your vehicle to the front of the car rider line and follow the directions of teachers on duty as they direct traffic. Appropriate car rider tags must be displayed in vehicle in order to pick up a student. If no tag, you must park in an appropriate space, come inside the office and show in order to receive a student. Afternoon dismissal from the building will begin at 2:55 P.M.

Parents are not allowed to park on surrounding streets to pick up students. If students get into a car, the parents must go through the car rider line and possess the appropriate car rider tag.

If a change of transportation is necessary, students must bring a note to the office the morning they are planning to leave school in the alternate mode of transportation.

If an emergency occurs during the school day and a students’ transportation must be changed, parents must call and speak with the office staff BEFORE 2:00 in order to make certain changes are made correctly and safely.

BUS RULES
Rules are established to ensure the safety of all students riding buses in Hamilton County. It is a privilege to ride the school bus; all students are expected to obey their bus driver as well as bus safety rules. Any student formally reported for breaking the county bus rules may be suspended from the bus. Guidelines are to be followed by all students riding buses in Hamilton County:
Any behavior, which distracts the driver, is a serious hazard to the safe operation of the vehicle and as such, jeopardizes the safety of all passengers. Consequence of continued inappropriate behavior could result in bus riding privileges being denied.
In the event a student is suspended from the bus, parents will be expected to provide transportation to and from school on those days. In the event a knife or other weapon is involved, the county policy dealing with knives and weapons will be enforced. Serious misbehavior on the bus that may result in injury will be subject to immediate bus suspension.
Please note that operators of vehicles passing buses with flashing lights, on or off school grounds, will have their tag numbers reported to the State Police. There is a maximum fine of $200 for passing a parked bus with its lights flashing.

GRADES
The grading system adopted by the Hamilton County School Board is as follows:
KG through 2nd Grade
Students will receive a standards-based report card showing progress through the school year.

Grades 3-5
A-Excellent (90-100)
B-Good (80-89)
C-Average (70-79)
D-Below Average (60-69)
F-Unsatisfactory (0-59)
Students will receive a mid-term progress report in the middle of each marking period. Report cards will be sent home at the conclusion of each nine-weeks grading cycle. However, if a student owes fees to the school for overdue library books or for lost or damaged textbooks, reports cards will not be sent home until all fees are paid.

DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES
We have high expectations for our students. Each student is expected to follow the school rules and the rules of his or her own classroom. In some cases, misbehavior is severe enough to warrant disciplinary action involving the principal(s). Examples of more serious behavior include the following: possession of any drug, including tobacco; fighting, serious pushing, grabbing, or physical threats; defiant behavior or refusal to follow the directions of any school division employee; cursing or unacceptable language; lying or cheating; leaving class or school property without permission; failure to comply with a punishment.
Failure to follow with the rules and regulations of the school could result in any of the following disciplinary actions (according to the severity of the offense):

• Removal of privileges
• Student conference with administration
• Involvement of parents
• Corporal punishment (parent permission only)
• Appearance with county disciplinary committee
• Suspension (in-school or out-of-school)
• Expulsion

LOST OR STOLEN ITEMS

Valuables should NOT be brought to school. A lost and found department is maintained throughout the school year. However, clothing items not claimed at the close of the school year are donated to a local clothes closet. If a parent/guardian has a concern regarding lost items or articles of clothing they need to contact the school office for information.

CELL PHONE/ELECTRONIC DEVICES

If cell phones are brought to school by student, it must remain unseen and unheard in the backpack or in the possession of the teacher. Student assumes all responsibility if phone is brought to school. If for any reason distractions or disturbances are created by the cell phone it will be taken and parent must come to pick up from office.

CAFETERIA

Clifton Hills participates in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP). This means all students at a CHES have free access to breakfast and lunch at no cost to the student. At registration parents should complete a Household Survey form as a requirement for this program.
Breakfast will be served each school day (unless schools are on a delayed schedule) beginning at 7:30 and lasting until 7:50.
Although students are allowed to bring in packed lunches, we encourage participation in the school nutrition program. The school lunches are planned with nutrition in mind and are well-balanced. At no time are students to bring, or have brought in to them, fast-food lunches or soft drinks.

MEDICATION AND SCHOOL NURSE

No prescription medicines or medical treatment shall be given to the student by school personnel unless prescribed by a licensed physician, and then only when written permission is received from the parent/guardian with specific directions are furnished by the physician. All medications must be delivered to the school nurse by the parent/guardian. No type of medication (prescription or over-the-counter) is to be brought to school by a student.
If medications need to be administered while at school, the parent will be required to complete a medical form for medication distribution.
All forms are available in the clinic from the school nurse. Forms MUST be on file BEFORE medications will be given to students.
Please do not send your child to school if they have or have had any of the following health issues:

• diarrhea or vomiting overnight or once in the morning
• a fever of 100 degrees or above
• an undiagnosed rash
• itchy or red eyes or drainage of pus from the eyes not related to allergies
• an uncontrollable cough or is coughing up mucus
• untreated head lice or scabies

PARTIES & CELEBRATIONS

Clifton Hills, along with all other Hamilton County schools, limits parties to two per year. These will include a Winter Celebration (held prior to the break at the end of the first semester) and either a Valentine’s or Spring Celebration (held during the second semester). The school and your child’s teacher will let you know the dates of these events. Celebrations for student birthdays will only be held during the student’s scheduled lunch time in the cafeteria.