823 Philpot Road

Locust Hill, VA 23092

(804) 758-2496, (804) 758-2369 (fax)

http://mes.mcps.k12.va.us/

Danielle Daniel, Principal

Katherine Lewis, Assistant Principal

Office Hours: 7:45-4:00

School Hours: 8:15-3:15

MISSION STATEMENT

Middlesex Elementary School’s faculty and staff, in collaboration with parents and the community, are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment in which each student may achieve his/her full potential and develop into a productive, responsible citizen in an ever-changing global society.

COLT CREED:

COLTS are Caring, On-Task, Learning, Trustworthy, and Safe.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

At Middlesex Elementary School we value our parents as partners. We believe in building strong relationships between school and families to ensure success of all students. As a parent, you can help your child feel more successful by sending your child/children to school on time with the necessary materials for the school day, i.e.: paper, pencils, homework, bus notes, and signed school forms. All students will be provided with a communication folder for the 2022-2023 school year. You will want to check this folder daily as it will contain notes, papers, and school notices. Responding promptly assists with maintaining clear and collaborative communication.

Through inquiry and investigation, we believe in building critical thinkers who utilize problem solving and collaboration. We encourage students to be open-minded and demonstrate respect while collaborating. We invite families to be actively involved in the learning process. Reading is an excellent way to help your child achieve academic success; we encourage families to read with their children or have children read to them daily. Another powerful tool in defining student success is parent-teacher communication. We ask that parents notify school staff of any concerns, strategies, or experiences that may impact student success. If parents are unable to attend a scheduled conference, please notify the office or teacher at least 1 day before the scheduled time.

We encourage families to praise students for academic growth/success and work with students on areas of weakness. We look forward to celebrating students’ accomplishments throughout the year with families!

ATTENDANCE

Student attendance is critical in supporting academic and social development. We understand that illnesses and emergencies arrive, and ask parents to send a note to school if your child is tardy or absent, or physically unable to participate in physical education activities on any given day or week.

Students must be present half of the instructional day to be counted present (11:45 a.m.). Unexcused or excessive absences exceeding 5 days or more may result in the development of an attendance plan during a scheduled attendance conference with school administration and truancy officer.

STANDARDS-BASED GRADING

What is standards-based grading? Standards-based grading is academic reporting based on students demonstrating understanding or mastery of learned skills. Standards-based grading allows opportunities for continued learning of skills and provides families with specific feedback in regards to student progress.

This data will not only provide parents with specific feedback about student learning, but it will also allow teachers, specialists and administration to plan for meaningful instruction that is aligned to students’ current academic needs and vertical progression. Throughout the year, student progress and achievement will be measured through formative and summative assessments, including rubrics and reported using the following scale:

M – Mastery (94-100% accuracy)

S – Satisfactory (80-93% accuracy)

P – Progressing (70-79% accuracy)

LU – Limited Understanding (70% accuracy or below)

Students' progress can be accessed through PowerSchool. A numerical grade will not be recorded for students as it is for traditional grading. Our hope is that standards-based grading and reporting will provide you with more specific feedback in regards to student understanding and progression of learning as it aligns to the Virginia Standards of Learning. If you have any questions about student progress, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or school administration.

MORNING ARRIVAL PROCEDURE

• Students should NOT arrive or be dropped off before 7:45 a.m. There is no adult on duty before 7:45 and students must be supervised. Front doors will not be unlocked until 7:45 a.m.

• Cars arriving to drop students off must enter the loop and stay to the left of the cones.

• Children must never be left on the sidewalk in front of the school unsupervised. If no adult is on duty, you must remain with your child.

• When your child or children exit from your vehicle, please make sure they exit from the right side of your car to ensure their safety.

• Additional staff will be on duty this year, so that students may be dropped off anywhere along the sidewalk in the front loop. Please assist us in making drop offs safe and efficient.

• Students arriving after 8:15 a.m. must be escorted to the main office for morning check-in. Students arriving after 8:15 a.m. will receive a tardy pass.

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL PROCEDURE

To maximize instructional time, we ask that families do not pick up students prior to dismissal time. Scheduling health appointments outside of the school day, whenever possible, helps to support student achievement. Calling into a classroom to dismiss a child earlier than 3:15 disrupts classroom instruction and learning environment, therefore dismissal between 2:45pm - 3:15pm will be limited to emergency situations.

If an appointment must be scheduled during the school day, send a note in the morning on that day indicating the time and reason you will be picking up your child. You will need to come to the office and sign out your student. If you plan to have someone other than a parent/legal guardian pick up your child, we will need advance notice and positive identification of the individual. To ensure student safety, under no circumstances will a child be dismissed to someone without proof of identification when MES staff does not recognize the individual.

If it becomes necessary to pick up your child during the school day, please call the main office at 804-758-2496 as soon as possible. The parent must come in and sign their child out and then the student will be called to come to the office for dismissal.

During the 2022-2023 school year we are unable to make any changes to your child's bus transportation.

CAR RIDER POLICY

Parents of students that will be permanent riders must fill out a Car Rider Application online. Each family is given a number that is exclusively theirs throughout the school year. Permanent car riders are to be picked up on in the front loop under the supervision of a staff member. The pick-up line starts at the satellite parking lot. Car rider dismissal will begin around 3:10pm. The car rider lane will be available beginning at 3pm. Car riders should be picked up between 3:10pm - 3:30pm. Please do not block the staff parking area at any time. Car-riders will not be dismissed from the office area which helps reduce congestion and confusion at dismissal time.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to call our office for clarification. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep your child safe!

PARKING

Neither parents nor teachers are allowed to park along the bus loop. If you drop your child off, please use the parent drop-off area in front of the main office. Buses unload from 7:45-8:15 and load from 3:15-3:45. “No Parking”, “Fire Lane”, “Handicapped Parking”, and specific staff spaces are posted where needed. No students are to be dropped off in the front parking lot; students must be escorted to the front lobby. Please ONLY park in designated parking spaces.

VISITING MIDDLESEX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

All visitors are required to report to the main office, present photo identification and sign in using the kiosk before visiting the school. Visitors will be provided with a badge which must remain visible at all times. Before leaving the school, they will return to the kiosk to sign out. To ensure student safety, guests are expected to follow these procedures during each visit. If a staff member does not see a visible pass, expect them to inquire and ask to see one. This is for the safety of our students and staff.

EMERGENCY CARDS

It is very important that the school has an accurate and complete emergency card for each student. Our office needs a reliable secondary phone number in case the school cannot reach the primary contact. Please notify the school of any changes in your address or telephone number as they occur. Put your 911 address on the emergency card. If there is no change to your current address or contact phone numbers, let us know that as well.

FIELD TRIPS & FUNDRAISERS

Communication folders and weekly newsletters will be used to relay information regarding upcoming field trips, fundraisers, and school events. All field trip, fundraiser, and event monies must be submitted by 11:00 a.m. on the designated due dates. In order to plan successfully for student experiences, money and permission slips must be submitted by the designated due date.

DISCIPLINE

The promotion of students’ social and emotional skills plays a critical role in improving their academic performance; therefore, our role will be to implement discipline that allows for reflection and is restorative in practice. Social and emotional learning is the process through which children learn to recognize and manage emotions that allows them to make good decisions and to behave ethically and responsibly.

At Middlesex Elementary School we expect our students to model behavior according to the ”Colt Creed”. As Colts, students promise to be:

Caring

On task

Learning

Trustworthy

Safe

Disciplinary incidents will be written as a “Conduct Report” and sent home for parents to review, discuss, sign, and return. A staff member will call and inform you to expect the Conduct Report. The third Conduct Report may result in a formal Office Referral being written with more severe consequences (in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, etc.) which becomes part of your child’s permanent record. Severe disciplinary incidents will result in an immediate formal “Office Referral”. Consequences will be issued according to MCPS’ Policy as outlined in the Family Handbook. It is imperative that you discuss with your child the importance of good behavior, respect, and cooperation.

Parents have the right to expect that their student’s school does everything possible to ensure a safe learning environment. In an effort to maintain a safe school climate in which students are free from the threat of violence, we have a “no tolerance for violence” rule which means that no student will be allowed to resort to fighting for any reason on the way to school, while at school, on the way home from school, or at any school event. Any student who engages in fighting will immediately be suspended from school/bus. This will be discussed with all students the first week of school to ensure that all students are properly informed of this rule. Students must realize that it is the staff’s responsibility, not the student’s responsibility, to discipline a student who displays aggression. It is their responsibility, though, to find a nonviolent way to react to physical aggression: blocking the student who hits, moving away from the student, and letting a staff member know that the incident occurred. Staff will be discussing nonviolent measures that students can take to deal with undesired or aggressive behaviors from their peers. This rule is crucial in our efforts to maintain a nonviolent school climate. We believe it is necessary to establish a safe learning environment to support student growth.

If, at any time, you have any questions regarding our school-wide discipline policy please feel free to call Mrs. Danielle Daniel, Principal, or Mrs. Katherine Lewis, Assistant Principal, for clarification at 758-2496.