Embedded Files
DAILY & WEEKLY ITEMS
Cell Phones: I understand that cell phones are an important tool in everyone's daily life. However, in the classroom, they become a major distraction. Students will place cell phones in a bin inside the classroom at the start of the day, and will not be given access to them until dismissal at 4:00 PM. If they are a car rider, they are not expected to have their phone out until they leave the classroom. If you need to get a message to your student during the day, please call the main office and have the message delivered that way. If I see a phone out when they are in class or before they are dismissed for the day, it will be taken to the front office and a parent or guardian needs to come inside with the child to pick it up.
Smart Watches: Smart watches are viewed as a safety feature for some families. Smartwatches are allowed at school only with appropriate use. No messages should be sent or received during school hours. For privacy reasons, no audio or visual monitoring through a smartwatch will be allowed. Failure to follow school guidelines on smart watches will result in student’s losing the privilege to carry or use this type of device.
ClassBank: Our classroom reward & accountability system promotes positive behaviors and financial independence as students learn to earn, save, and spend classroom dollars. Starting in September, students will have assigned classroom jobs for which they will earn a weekly paycheck. Similar to the real world, in addition to income, students will also have financial obligations in the form of rent (their desk), and utilities (computer and wi-fi). There will be opportunities to earn extra money in the form of bonuses for exceptional behavior and other good deeds; likewise, they may incur fines for failure to perform their classroom job, or behaviors that are out of line from the PLE Habits of Character. They will be responsible for balancing their account in order to have funds available to purchase items in the classroom store.
Lunch: During the 2025-26 school year, DCSD students have access to free breakfast/lunch. The Free & Reduced Lunch Program still applies to help families with all the other financial responsibilities related to school (field trips, school fees, etc) More info here.
Water Bottles: Hydration is important! Please make sure your child comes to school each day with a leak-proof water bottle, containing only water. Students are not permitted to have flavor additions, alternative water drinks (coconut water, etc) or soda/energy drinks in the classroom - all of these stain our classroom carpets (spills happen daily). Students will be given opportunities during the day to refill their water bottles.
Snacks: There will be a snack time daily in the morning. Please send a healthy snack to school with your student. We ask that no candy be sent to school for snack time. Due to the severe allergies in our classroom, make sure that snacks do not contain peanuts or tree nuts.
Backpacks & Supplies: Students are expected to carry a backpack to and from school each day. They should store their binder and pencil pouch in their backpack at the end of the day to take home. This ensures that homework and other necessary resources are readily available to complete their assignments. Other supplies (spiral notebooks, math workbook, computers, etc.) will remain in the classroom.
Folders: Each week, your child will bring home a folder provided by the school. It will contain flyers from school, PTO info, class information, graded work etc. Please go through this every week and send back the empty folder the following day.
We are a peanut, tree nut, pumpkin, and dairy aware classroom! Please help us protect our CREW; do not bring foods into the classroom which contain these allergens.
DISMISSAL
PLE will continue to use PikMyKid for dismissal.
If there is a one-time change to your child's normal schedule - please call the office before 3:30 PM so that they can let your child and I know ASAP.
If there is a permanent change, you can email myself and the office so we can update the records for end-of-day dismissal routines.
If dismissal is changed for weather, you will be notified through the various district communications and someone listed in your child's emergency contacts will be required to pick up and sign out your child in the classroom.
HOMEWORK
One of our goals in 6th grade is to prepare your child to enter middle & high school, where homework is a regular/nightly responsibility. Accordingly, your child will have daily homework this year to help them practice the various skills associated with homework: time management, prioritization, organization, independence and topic/lesson review.
Clever Access from home (Access point for i-Ready, Khan Academy, and many other school applications)
Username: Last name(first initial)(middle initial) @s.dcsdk12.org
Occasionally there is a number after the middle initial
Example: stairscd@s.dcsdk12.org or stairscd1@s.dcsdk12.org
Password: Dcsd(6 digit lunch number)
Example: Dcsd234432
ABSENCES
If your child will be absent for more than 3 days, please notify us as soon as possible, as well as the office. Because most schoolwork requires teacher instruction, there are some lessons and activities that cannot be made up or given in advance of the absence. We recommend the student read their independent novels while they are absent, and work on building math fluency (multiplication facts 0-12, compute with fractions and decimals quickly and accurately).
BIRTHDAYS
We love celebrating birthdays in class! Unless your student declines, we will automatically recognize your student's birthday on or around their special day. If you would like to send something special, I ask that you communicate with me, in advance, what you would like to do. Please know that we cannot have any peanuts, tree nuts in our classroom as we have severe allergies to these foods in our CREW!
PLAGIARISM
All work submitted must be original and created by the individual submitting it. Plagiarism—including copying text, ideas, or work from others without proper credit—is strictly prohibited. The use of AI tools (such as ChatGPT or others) must be disclosed and appropriately cited if they contribute to the final product. Any instances of plagiarism or undisclosed AI-generated content may result in removal of the content and further action as appropriate. We are committed to fostering a culture of integrity and respect for intellectual property.
LATE WORK POLICY
Students are responsible for knowing what assignments are due, and when. Late work will be accepted with the following conditions:
Late work should be turned in as soon as possible following the due date, with an "Assignment Accountability" form
All assignments and homework for a unit must be turned in before that unit's final test
A percentage of the score may be deducted per day late, except for excused absences.
Excessive missing assignments may result in additional consequences..
TOYS & FIDGETS
Toys are not allowed at school. They get lost, stolen, and/or broken and many times they contain gooey substances that stain classroom carpets and furniture. If your child brings a toy, I will ask them to put it in their backpack and not bring them back. This includes pop-its, squish balls, slime/putty, stuffed animals, etc. If toys continue to come in to the classroom, they will be confiscated and a parent/guardian will have to claim them from the school office.
When utilized correctly, fidgets can be a great tool to promote focus; however, they have become a major distraction to learning over the past few years. Students often use them as toys, which is not the intended purpose of the device. Therefore, fidgets will not be allowed in the classroom. Our administration supports us in this policy. Unless your child has a legal document such as an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 that directly specifies the use of a fidget as a modification to support academic achievement, fidgets will not be allowed and are expected to stay home.
LIGHTNING DISMISSAL PROCESS
If a lightning dismissal is called, the following will occur:
You will be notified via email, text, and phone. YELLOW FLAGS will also be visible in the pick up lane (if it is safe for staff to put them out)
BASE
Students that go to BASE (Before and after school care) will be dismissed as noted below:
North - Band Room
South - Cafeteria
BUSES
We will coordinate with DCSD Transportation on when it is safe for bus students to be dismissed.
Should the delay be longer than 30 minutes families are encouraged to arrange to pick up their students at the school.
CAR LINE AND WALKERS
If your child walks home or you pick up your child, please use PikMyKid to announce that you are at the school.
You may park in the North parking lot and South parking lot.
You must come via the main doors/office to pick up your child from their classroom. Students will only be released directly to their parent/guardian/designee to be escorted to your vehicle.
Please ensure you have the PikMyKid App open and on your home page showing your students. If you do not have the app you will be required to show your ID at the office before releasing your students.
If you have children in both campuses, you will need to come to both buildings to pick them up. We will not release one child to walk to the other building.
You may also use the pick up lane, following the regular traffic pattern alternating lanes.
Do not exit your car until you are at one of our stations at the front of the line.
Depending on the severity of the weather, we may or may not have school personnel directing traffic.
PLEASE NOTE: Once lightning has cleared the area, we will release students to walk home or be picked up as normal.
We will call a lightning dismissal as soon as we know that lightning is in the area and close enough that it is unsafe. As soon as lightning dismissal is called, you can come to school to begin to get your students. If you arrive before 3:55, you will need to come to the front office to check your child out of class.
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