2023-24 HANDBOOK
*IMPORTANT REMINDERS*
Please make sure you are signed up to receive our parent messenger notices.
Infinite Campus Messenger (contact Marisa Chester in the front office for more information)
Remind school-wide text alerts: text @hc-mves to 81010
To keep up with the latest news and photos of your favorite Jr. Trojans, check out our website https://mves.hallco.org/web/ and follow us on Twitter!
Please review your child's Tuesday folder each week.
Your child's teacher will schedule at least one parent-teacher conference during the school year. Additional conferences may be scheduled by request.
Homework: Students should read for at least 20 minutes each day. Grade levels will provide other recommended homework.
Please label student coats, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc. Unclaimed items in the Lost and Found will be donated to charity twice a year.
Frequent Contact Information
MVES
770-983-1759
YMCA
770-297-9622
HALL COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
770-534-1080
Jennifer Westbrook
Principal
Mary Katherine Walker
Assistant Principal
Missy Odom
Bookkeeper (Front Office, Payment Inquiries)
Marisa Chester
Data Clerk (Registration, Infinite Campus Updates)
Bethany Nix
Counselor (Counseling Needs, Legal Updates)
Devra Wood
School Nurse
INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS
7:50-2:20
Exterior doors will remain locked during the school day.
Breakfast and Morning Car Riders begin at 7:10 am
Morning Car Riders end at 7:45 am
Afternoon Car Riders begin at 2:20 pm
Afternoon Car Riders end at 2:45 pm
Please see additional Car Rider information below.
Please be advised that there should be no parking in the bus lanes at any time during the school day. We have buses that bring students throughout the day; please do not park anywhere along the front drive/bus lane/curb. Additional parking is available in the lower lot.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
STUDENT FORMS
Parents should complete all HCSD forms for technology, census, etc. through the Parent Portal IC account. Other important online forms can be found on the 7/27/23 weekly newsletter.
Elementary Forms available in Parent Portal beginning 7/28/23:
Student Device Acceptable Use and Checkout Agreement (Grades K, 6, 9 and any new enrollment that did not attended Hall Co schools in the 22-23SY)
Book Notification Form
Compulsory Education Notification
Excused/Unexcused Absences Notification – this is a document only, no eSignature is needed
Sick Symptoms Notification to Parents – this is a document only, no eSignature is needed
Elementary Program Acknowledgement
This form includes the following:
Safer, Smarter Kids
Student Risk Screening Scale
GA Department of Education Student Health Survey
Elementary Student Release Signature Page
Kindergarten and School Attendance Notice (Kindergarten only) – this is a document only, no eSignature is needed
MEAL PRICES
STUDENT MEAL PRICES ARE LISTED BELOW. OPTIONAL ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADDITIONAL PURCHASE.
PLEASE PAY FOR MEALS ON A MONTHLY BASIS (CASH, CHECK, MYPAYMENTSPLUS.COM). SIBLING PAYMENTS SHOULD BE KEPT SEPARATE.
STUDENTS MAY BRING A LUNCH FROM HOME AND PURCHASE MILK FOR $.50.
CHARGE LIMIT FOR MEAL ITEMS IS $10 ACCORDING TO THE HCSD PROCEDURE.
PLEASE DO NOT BRING LUNCH IN RESTAURANT PACKAGING.
Getting Started with MyPaymentsPlus
Any request for special diet food items will need to be made with a physician notice through the school nurse.
Ice Cream may be purchased on the day designated by the teacher for $1.00.
SY24 Free & Reduced Price Online Application
The free and reduced-priced application is now available at http://schoolmeals.hallco.org/
For the 2023-2024 school year, you may be eligible to receive free or reduced price meals if you receive Medicaid.
In addition, during 2023-2024 School Year, households will not be required to pay the reduced price $0.30 for breakfast and the $0.40 for lunch due to Georgia Department of Education funding that will be used to cover these costs.
CHECK-OUTS
Check-outs are not allowed after 1:45 p.m.
Please ring the outside doorbell and have photo ID ready to show the camera for student check-out.
If you need to check out your child from school (we ask that you limit check-outs as much as possible), please notify the child's teacher and the front office staff in advance from a parent/guardian email address and call 770-983-1759 to confirm:
AND
Parents/guardians will be issued car rider clings at Open House (with ID). Additional clings may be requested through the front office by a parent/guardian with a photo ID.
To pick up a student in the car rider line, you must have the current year car rider cling.
ATTENDANCE
To be counted on-time present, students must be in their classroom by 7:50 am.
For absences, a written excuse or email should be sent from the parent/guardian to the teacher.
In order to be counted present, students must check in to school before 11:00 a.m.
Parent notes for excused absences will be accepted within 5 days of the student's return to school.
Frequent absences may require additional documentation to validate an absence as excused.
Excused absences include the following:
Illnesses
Family emergencies
Doctor and dentist appointments
Authorized school activities
Special and religious holidays
Conditions rendering school attendance impossible or hazardous
Attendance at a military event involving a parent
Court order or an order by a governmental agency
ACCIDENTS
First aid will be administered and an accident report documented. In the events parents cannot be located, and the accidents consitutes an emergency, the child will be taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center by ambulance.
CAR RIDERS
MORNING:
Following the first day of school, all students arriving by car should come through the car rider line off Odum Smallwood Road. The front and front lower parking lots should only be used by buses and staff during arrival and dismissal times.
The car rider line will begin at 7:10 am and close at 7:45 am. The school day begins at 7:50 am. Students should be in the classroom by 7:50 am in order to not be counted tardy. Instructional activities and morning announcements begin before 7:50 each day.
Due to heavy car rider traffic in the mornings, parents are strongly encouraged to arrive prior to 7:30 am to avoid long waits and the possibility of students being tardy.
Parents arriving after 7:45 am should park in the lower front parking lot and escort their child to the front entrance for a tardy slip (front parking lot opens after 7:50 am).
AFTERNOON:
We will begin dismissing the afternoon car rider line at 2:20. The afternoon line closes at 2:45. To pick up a student in the car rider line, you must have the student's current year car rider cling.
Parents who are unable to pick up by 2:45 or meet their child at the bus stop should register for their child to attend the YMCA after school program. https://www.gamountainsymca.org/locations/jawalters/programs/hall-county-afterschool/
DRESS CODE
Tennis shoes should be worn for PE.
Halter-tops, midriff tops or spaghetti straps should not be worn.
Hats should not be worn except for special hat days.
Shoes with wheels are not allowed.
Clothing (including face coverings) with inappropriate sayings/images will not be allowed.
Shorts/skirts should be appropriate length (below fingertips with arms hanging by sides).
Undergarments should never be exposed.
Administration reserves the right to use discretion for appropriate dress and appearance. If a student comes to school in clothing, accessories or with a hair style/color (unnatural color) which creates disruption in the learning environment or is in violation of any of the above stated rules, he/she will be asked to call his/her parents to bring something more acceptable. If the parents cannot be reached, the child will change (if clinic clothing is available) or remain in the front office.
FRIDAYS ARE MVES SCHOOL SPIRIT DAYS!
WEAR YOUR MVES/NORTH HALL SCHOOL COLORS!
Frequently Asked Questions about Birthdays:
If you would like your child's class to celebrate his/her birthday at school, please communicate in advance with the teacher. Buying the class ice cream or sending in store-bought birthday treats (ex. cupcakes, donuts) can be planned ahead with the teacher. The teacher will distribute the treats at the appropriate time. We are unable to distribute invitations at school.
VISITORS & VOLUNTEERS:
Hall County Schools and MVES encourage family involvement in our schools. Parents will be invited to participate in special school and PTO events during and after school.
School visitors must have ID and be listed on the student's Infinite Campus approved contacts.
Visitors should not take/post pictures of other students.
A schedule for lunch visits will be available after Labor Day. Visitor seating will be scheduled on a limited basis due to space.
no outside food will be permitted
only 2 guests per student (unable to bring siblings from another grade)
must have ID and be listed on IC approved contacts
sit with their student at visitor tables
School and field trip volunteers must complete the HCSD application with volunteer modules through Checkmate. The application will be available online after September 11th and at the front office between 8:30-1:00 and 3:00-3:30. *Beginning 2023-24, volunteer applications will be valid for 2 school years.
Following the first day of school, students arriving by car should come through the car rider line off Odum Smallwood Road. The front and front lower parking lots should only be used by buses and staff during arrival and dismissal times.
If you need to check out your child from school (we ask that you limit check-outs as much as possible), please notify the child's teacher and the front office staff in advance from a parent/guardian email address and call 770-983-1759 to confirm:
AND
2023-24 Parent Conferences
During the 2023-24 school year, teachers will be available to meet with parents in person or via Zoom video conference. Conferences will be arranged in advance. Teachers will schedule at least one parent-teacher conference during the school year.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Listed below are the curriculum materials currently being used at MVES to teach the Georgia Standards of Excellence. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or administration.
The Fountas and Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study System
Studies Weekly (Science and Social Studies)
A variety of online resources via Launchpoint
The HCSD will continue its practice of providing an alternative reading assignment at parent/guardian request.
RECESS
It is the goal of the HCSD to provide students with daily recess (unstructured break). Recess can be withheld from students for disciplinary and/or academic reasons.
MVES & HCSD HEALTH & SAFETY:
Please contact Nurse Devra Wood regarding any student medical concerns or medications. Children should not deliver medications or have medications in their book bags.
Parents should screen children for sick symptoms before going to school.
Parents are responsible for maintaining adequate immunization records.
Parents should immediately report the health status of their child to the school nurse if a physician diagnoses a communicable disease.
Students and adults should stay home when sick.
Parents of sick children will be contacted by the school to discuss next steps. It is important that parents and emergency contacts are updated and available to respond to the school.
ASBESTOS MANGEMENT PLAN NOTIFICATION
In accordance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, the HCSD AHERA Management Plan is available for public inspection upon request at the Facilities Department. Anyone interested in reviewing the plan should call the Facilities Department at 770-534-1291 and ask for Pam Cravero.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA affords parents and eligible students (over 18 years of age or attending a postsecondary institution) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:
(1)The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the school receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the principal [or appropriate official] a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect. The principal or designee will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
(2)The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA. To request amendment of a student record, parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal a written request, specifying the part of the record they want changed and why it is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights. If the school decides not to amend the record, it will notify the parents or eligible students of the decision and inform them of their right to a hearing. Additional information regarding the hearing procedure will be provided with the notification of the right to a hearing.
(3) The right to provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that disclosure without prior written consent is authorized by FERPA and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. § 99.31.
One exception that permits disclosure without consent is to school officials with legitimate educational interest. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. A school official is a person employed by the school district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including school nurses and school resource officers); a member of the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a specific task (such as attorney, auditor, medical consultant, therapist, or online educational services provider); a contractor, consultant, volunteer, or other party to whom the school district has outsourced services, such as electronic data storage; or a parent or student serving on an official committee (such as a disciplinary or grievance committee) or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. The district allows school officials to access only student records in which they have a legitimate educational interest. School officials remain under the district’s control with regard to the use and maintenance of PII, which may be used only for the purpose for which disclosure was made, and cannot be released to other parties without authorization. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes of the student’s enrollment or transfer.
(4) FERPA requires the school district, with certain exceptions, to obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the student’s education records. However, the district may disclose appropriate designated “directory information” without written consent, unless the parent or eligible student has advised the district to the contrary in accordance with district procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the school to include this type of information from the student’s education records in certain school publications, such as the annual yearbook, graduation or sports activity programs, honor roll or other recognition lists, or on websites or social media sites affiliated with the school or school district. The School District has designated the following information as directory information: (a) Student’s name, address and telephone number; (b) Student’s date and place of birth; (c) Student’s e-mail address; (d) Student’s participation in official school activities and sports; (e) Weight and height of members of an athletic team; (f)Dates of attendance at schools within the district; (g) Honors and awards received during the time enrolled in district schools; (h) Photograph; and (i)Grade level. Unless you, as a parent/guardian or eligible student, request otherwise, this information may be disclosed to the public upon request. In addition, two federal laws require school districts receiving federal financial assistance to provide military recruiters, upon request, with students’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers unless parents have advised the school district that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent. You have the right to refuse to allow all or any part of the above information to be designated as directory information and to refuse to allow it to be disclosed to the public upon request without your prior written consent. If you wish to exercise this right, you must notify the principal of the school at which the student is enrolled annually in writing by September 30th or within 10 school days of an enrollment after the start of the student school year.
(5) You are also notified that from time to time students may be photographed, videoed, or interviewed by the news media at school or at some school activity or event. The principal will take reasonable steps to control access to students by the media or other individuals not affiliated with the school or district. However, your submission of a written objection does not constitute a guarantee that your student will not be photographed, videoed, or interviewed, or that such information will not be posted on websites or social media sites not affiliated with the school or district or in circumstances which are not within the knowledge or control of the principal.
(6)You have the right to file with the U. S. Department of Education a complaint concerning alleged failures by the school district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is: Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202. (7) The Georgia Student Data Privacy, Accessibility, and Transparency Act affords parents and eligible students the right to file a complaint with the school district regarding a possible violation of rights under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-667 or under other federal or state student data privacy and security laws. Such complaints may be filed with: Hall County School District, 711 Green Street Gainesville, Ga. 30501 Attn: Anthony Swaim
HCSD CODE OF CONDUCT: https://www.hallco.org/web/code-of-conduct/