Parent+Handbook

Parent Handbook 2011 - 2012 ** PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK **

Rose W. Clark, Principal

August 2011 Dear Charlestown Families, The faculty, staff, and administration of Charlestown Elementary School look forward to working with you and your children. With your help and support we are confident that we can provide an excellent educational program that will ensure the growth of all of our students. An important factor in the success of any program is communication. During the school year there will be many opportunities for communication between Charlestown and our families: CCPS/Charlestown websites at [|www.ccps.org], messages from School Messenger phone/e-mail program, monthly newsletters, special memos/flyers, the homework assignment notebooks in grades 2-5, parent conferences, the PTA, and special meetings, just to name a few. This handbook is provided to assist you in understanding the policies, procedures, and practices that guide the operation of our school. It is a supplement to the Cecil County Public Schools calendar that each student receives at the beginning of the school year. We hope that you will refer to this handbook often and find it to be a useful tool. As questions arise, if the answers cannot be found in this handbook or any of the other school communications, please feel free to contact us at (410-996-6240).

Sincerely,

Rose W. Clark

Rose W. Clark, Principal

October 14, 2011

Dear Charlestown Parents and Guardians,

Listed below are the different drills we work through with our students each year to help them be prepared in case of any emergency which may come our way. As you are aware we did experience a Code Yellow status yesterday. We appreciate your support of our Safe Schools initiatives and encourage you to call if you have any questions at any time. Thank you, Mrs. Rose W. Clark Fire Drills – We complete a minimum of ten (10) fire drills each year. All drills are timed. We will block doors from time-to-time to monitor how decisions are made for adjusting exit routes if necessary. During the colder months we will have announced drills so the children wear their coats outside during the drill. Civil Defense Drills – We complete a minimum of two (2) civil defense drills each year. Both drills are timed. The purpose of a civil defense drill is to provide maximum protection for students and employees in response to any weather-related emergency or major disaster. Bus Evacuation Drills – We complete three (3) bus evacuation drills each year. All drills are timed. Drills occur in September, October, and January. Students are taught to exit from the rear of the bus and from the front of the bus. Code Yellow Drill or Status – We complete a minimum of two (2) code yellow drills each year. We move to a code yellow status when an unusual or unsafe situation is occurring within the community or areas close to our school grounds. Instruction continues during code yellow; however, all classroom doors remain locked and students travel throughout the building with adult supervision. Code Red Drill or Status – We complete a minimum of two (2) code red drills each year. We move to a code red status when a serious situation and threat of safety exists within our school community, on our school grounds, or areas close to our school and community. Instruction stops completely, all adults and students are secured and silent, no movement occurs, a secure post monitors the situation and accounts for all students and staff members.