Parent & Student Handbook

School hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.  Students should not arrive at school before 7:10 a.m. as supervision is not available before that time. Students are marked as tardy after 7:55 a.m. Students who do not ride buses MUST be picked up from the school by 3:15 p.m.  Teachers are not on duty after this time and the office staff cannot be held responsible for supervising children.  Parents who cannot arrive by that time will need to enroll their children in the After School Care Program or find alternative “after school” programs who provide transportation from Stonebridge Elementary School.

Absences and Tardiness

• In the event that a student is absent, a note must be brought from home with a valid explanation of the absence. (Please refer to the Baldwin County School System Truancy Policy for a more detailed explanation of the absentee policies.)  No absences will be excused without adequate written explanations.
• An absence may be excused for illness, legal quarantine, death in the immediate family, inclement weather that is dangerous to life or health, or emergency conditions determined by the principal or superintendent. In the event that your child misses school due to a doctor’s appointment, please obtain a doctor’s excuse to be submitted to the classroom teacher.
• A written excuse must be sent within three days after an absence.
• If you know in advance that your child will be absent for a reason other than those stated above, work with the teacher on assignment that will be missed. In order for these absences to be coded as Excused, PRIOR approval must be given in writing by the principal. 
• Make-up work will be given to your child upon his/her return; it cannot be prepared ahead of the absence. Make-up work should be turned in no later than three (3) days following the absence.
• School hours are from 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Students are considered tardy at 7:55 a.m. and should be in the classroom at that time. Students are required to come to the office for a late pass if they are tardy. 

Bus Conduct

• Students are expected to follow the same conduct rules on buses as in the classroom. The bus driver has the same authority on the bus as the teacher does in the classroom.  A student who is uncooperative on the bus will be referred to the office for disciplinary action and possible suspension from riding the bus.

Cafeteria Conduct

• While in the cafeteria students should wait quietly in lines, eat quietly, and use good manners. Before leaving, each student is responsible for picking up any trash from products he/she brought to the table.  Canned or bottled carbonated beverages and food from restaurants is not allowed in the cafeteria.

Disciplinary Procedures

• Stonebridge Elementary School holds a high standard of conduct for students. Each classroom teacher has designed his/her own classroom rules, which includes positive reinforcement as well as consequences for infractions.  In the event that a child does not appropriately correct his/her behavior with a teacher’s management system, the child will be referred to the principal’s office.
• In instances where misbehavior is severe, a student will be sent immediately to the principal’s office in lieu of consequences within the classroom setting.
• Bullying and verbally/emotionally aggressive behavior will not be tolerated in accordance with the school system policy. Children suspected of such behavior will be referred to school administrators.
• Fighting or acts of violence will not be tolerated. In most cases, such behavior will result in suspension.  Due to the variety of disciplinary infractions that can occur within an elementary school, each situation will be handled individually.  Appropriate consequences will be determined according to the severity of the infraction and developmental age of students.
• Cell phones and other electronic devices, including smart watches, are not permitted for elementary school students per Alabama law.
• The principal or designee may recommend intervention from the school counselor as a follow-up to a disciplinary referral.
• Confidentiality prohibits administrators and other school personnel from discuss disciplinary consequences with anyone other than a child’s parents, school system personnel, and the School Resource Officer.
• The principal will make every effort to call parents when students have been referred to the office for disciplinary reasons; however, please understand that this cannot be guaranteed.
• Confidentiality prohibits the school from sharing such information with individuals other than a child’s parents, school system personnel, or in extreme cases, law enforcement personnel.
• All Baldwin County Schools are drug free, tobacco free, and weapon free. Violators of these offenses will be suspended.

• Our cafeteria serves breakfast each morning, beginning at 7:10 and concluding at 7:40. Our cafeteria serves lunch each day beginning at 10:50 a.m. and concludes at 1:05 p.m.
• All students may receive a free breakfast and lunch each day. Ala carte items are available at an additional cost. Students must have money in hand or have funds in their cafeteria MySchoolBucks account in order to purchase additional items.        
• All water bottles must have a closable lid.
• Beverages in cans and glass bottles are not allowed.
• Food from restaurants and fast food chains should not be provided or delivered to students for lunch.
• Lunch visitors – Each part of our school day is an opportunity for students to learn. This includes lunch and snack times.  Our teachers use this time to model and set expectations for communicating with peers and displaying proper behavior and etiquette.  Daily visitors during lunch may interfere with this instruction and well as prevent students from engaging in social practice with peers.  This is why visitors for lunch will be limited to birthdays and special events only. Food from restaurants and fast food chains for students are not permitted. 

• All visitors must report to the front entrance of the school.
• Visitors are asked to ring the office using the buzzer system next to the door. A driver’s license must be presented prior to entrance into the school. 
• A visitor tag must be worn throughout the time a visitor is on campus.
• Classroom visitors are allowed at appropriate times, but instructional time may not be interrupted. Office personnel will handle delivered lunches, books, and other items.  Deliveries of flowers, balloons, or other gifts may not be delivered to students in classrooms. 
• Classes cannot be interrupted for conferences between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. except during the teacher’s planning period. Conferences should be scheduled in advance. 

• Field trips are considered to be an extension of classroom learning. Advance notification will be given with the date of the trip, cost of the trip, and the deadline for payment.  Generally, the deadline will be several weeks before the actual trip.  A permission slip signed by the parent/guardian is required for all field trips.  Once bus arrangements and reservations have been made, refunds cannot be given.  The administrators and teachers will also set a behavior standard for attendance.  Students who receive repeated disciplinary action may be barred from participating in that activity.  Field trips may be forfeited in these cases.  Siblings may not accompany chaperones on field trips. No child may participate in a field trip that is not a Stonebridge Elementary student.  This includes babies, younger siblings, or children from other schools.
• Teachers select chaperones on a lottery basis, a first come/first serve, or a rotation basis in order to be fair to all parents, grandparents, and guardians.
• Chaperones are required to complete a volunteer background clearance. Directions can be found on the Secure Volunteer Website. 

Parent-teacher conferences are important in improving learning. Appointments for conferences are made to coincide with the teacher’s planning period or before or after school.  Parents may call the school secretary at 251-625-3280 for assistance in scheduling a conference, or parents may email the teacher directly for scheduling and communication.  Zoom conferences may also be arranged for parent convenience.

The decision to promote a student is a professional one based on the student’s performance during the school year. This professional responsibility belongs to the teacher and principal, with input from other adults who play a significant role in the academic/social development of the child.  Parent-Teacher conferences are highly recommended.  Students must meet criteria established for each grade level to be considered for promotion.  Parents have access to student grades through Power School, mid-quarter reports, and quarterly report cards.

• Two parties per year will be held in classrooms – a Christmas party and an End of the Year party. Non-school aged children should not attend school parties and special events during the school day as the events are intended to be a special time for the classroom children.  While we understand that it can be difficult to make babysitting arrangements for pre-school aged children, Stonebridge Elementary School strives to make the students in the classroom the main priority. 
• Invitations to private parties may be delivered to other child in the classroom provided every child in the classroom receives an invitation. Boys inviting all boys or girls inviting all girls is also allowed; however once one member of the opposite gender receives an invitation, all students of that gender must receive an invitation. Stonebridge Elementary must ensure that it does not provide a vehicle for contributing to social/emotional issues or discrimination for students.

Student Birthdays/ Birthday Celebrations

State nutritional and health regulations stipulate no outside food may be brought to school.   This means cupcakes, cookies, candy, and other food items may not be brought in for children’s birthdays.  We understand that children’s birthdays are very special.  We have developed two birthday options that you may choose from to celebrate your child's birthday.  These options were developed so your child's birthday can still be a special time at school!

Ice Cream Birthday

If you would like to provide your child’s class with a special snack on the date of your child’s birthday, you may purchase a special ice cream snack for the class from our snack bar at $1.00 per student.  (Ice cream meets state nutritional guidelines.). If you are interested, please come into the office to complete your order and pay for the special class ice cream snack at least one week in advance so that we can be sure to have enough ice cream in stock. Money will not be accepted in the classroom for this birthday snack offer, but through the office or on myschoolbucks.com.