Safety
We have an excellent safety record at CME and feel that these precautions ensure our students' continued safety.
Arriving at School
Your child should not arrive at school before 7:40 a.m. because there is no supervision. When your child arrives at the school, he/she should enter the building through their assigned door and go directly to their classroom.
*We ring the first bell at 7:45 a.m. and the bell to begin classes at 7:50 a.m
Dismissal
We dismiss school at 2:50 p.m. Students are not allowed to play on the playground equipment during dismissal time from 2:50-3:05pm. Your child should leave the building and go straight home or follow your instructions. When you or your carpool partner pick up your child at school, you should arrive between 2:40 and 3:05 p.m. and meet your child at a designated area to alleviate the parking lot congestion. If you stagger your pickup time, it could help reduce the crowding in the parking lot. You are expected to follow the traffic guidelines that are sent home at the beginning of the school year. Please have your child picked up by 3:00pm. After 3:05pm, there is no adult supervision. If you are running late to pick up your child, please notify the school office. CME cannot assume responsibility for students in the building or on school grounds prior to 7:40am or after 3:05pm, unless they are directly supervised by a staff member.
Early Dismissal
If you need to pick up your child before the end of the school day, we ask that you write a note to his/her teacher indicating the time and reason for early dismissal. You must report to the school office to sign your child out.
Visiting the School
Parents are an important part of our school. However, due to the social distancing guidelines visitors will be extreming limited. If you would like to discuss a specific aspect of the school program, the principal or other staff members will be happy to meet with you virtually. However, classroom teachers are unable to discuss your child’s progress during instructional time. Please make a virtual appointment during non-instructional time should you want to confer with the teacher. WE ASK THAT ALL VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL CHECK IN AT THE OFFICE BEFORE GOING TO THE CLASSROOM AREA, WEAR A MASK AND A VISITOR BADGE AT ALL TIMES.
Parking Lot
Student safety is our primary concern. We ask that drivers do not talk on their cell phones while driving on school grounds. Drop off and pick up times are critical times for the safety of elementary school students. You are urged to be cooperative and alert to the rules and procedures.
1. Your child should enter your car from the curbside only, never from the driver's side.
2. The dismissal bell rings at 2:50 p.m. Please allow 5 to 10 minutes for your child to get to a pick-up area that you designate.
3. We would like to keep the driveway as clear as possible. If you anticipate a long wait, please find a parking space in the lot.
4. Please watch for and obey the signals of the crossing guards.
5. Please do not leave your car unattended.
6. Please instruct your child to use the marked crosswalks to cross the streets to our school. Please help us model and encourage this behavior when you drop your child off or when you walk your child to school. We realize it is not always the shortest route, but we believe it is the safest.
Bicycles and Scooters
Please review the following with your child:
1. Walk your bike or scooter on school grounds. Bikes or scooters are prohibited to be ridden on school grounds anywhere.
2. Wear an approved safety helmet.
3. Start early to arrive on time without rushing.
4. Ride on the right side of the street, close to the curb.
5. Keep both hands on the handlebars, except when signaling a turn or a stop.
6. Be especially observant when crossing intersections, entering a street, or leaving a driveway or parking space. Use the crosswalk in front of the school.
7. Never carry another rider.
8. Observe and obey all traffic lights, signs and directions.
9. Never hitch onto a moving vehicle.
10. Lock bikes and scooters when they are on school grounds.
11. Give pedestrians the right of way.
12. Do not touch other children's bikes or scooters.
13. Never leave your bike or scooter at school overnight.
14. If your bike or scooter is missing, report it to the school office.
15. Stay away from the bicycle racks at recess times.
16. Scooters are not permitted inside the school building.
Walking to School
Please review the following with your child:
1. Start early enough to arrive on time without rushing.
2. Walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing oncoming traffic.
3. Obey the crossing guard on duty.
4. Go directly to school and go home the same way.
5. Refuse to ride with a stranger or anyone else unless prior arrangements have been made with your parent. Report to the school office all cases of strangers attempting to give rides.
Fire Drills/Tornado Drills /Evacuations/Lock-Down Drills
Your child's teacher will instruct him in the quickest and safest way to empty the building in case of fire or other disasters through periodic drills. Fire drills, tornado drills, evacuations, and lockdown drills will be conducted throughout the school year. Please remind your student that the purpose of these drills is to ensure the safety of all students, staff and visitors, and appropriate behavior is expected at all times. To learn more about CME’s safety procedures, please visit our website under Emergency Information where you can read about our “Standard Response Protocol”.
Pets
We ask that parents leave dogs at home or keep them clear of school grounds. Some students are afraid, allergic or have had bad experiences with dogs.
Weather
Please make sure to check Colorado’s ever-changing forecast often to ensure that your child has just the right attire for the day. At CME, we try to go outside as much as possible for recess and P.E classes to ensure that students get fresh air and exercise. We will go outside when the temperature is above 20 degrees and, even at times when it is snowing. So please remind your child to layer up and be ready to enjoy our beautiful, yet sometimes cold, Colorado weather.
Health/Medications
Please refer to our District's Health Page found here: https://www.cmsd12.org/d12healthinfo.
Student Discipline
Students shall be expected to abide by the code of conduct adopted by the the Board and any other appropriate classroom rules of behavior established by the building principal and/or classroom teacher for the purpose of maintaining order and a favorable academic atmosphere. Any student who violates the code of conduct or other classroom rules may be subject to removal from class subject to BOE Policy: JKBA and/or face further disciplinary action. **Additional information may be found in BOE Policies: JK, JK-2 and JK-R. These policies and the student code of conduct are available at our district’s website at http://cme.cmsd12.org. It is important that parents review the district conduct and discipline code. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school administration.