Every Wednesday throughout the school year students are released at 1:00 PM to allow for staff professional development activities. These activities include curriculum development, staff training, and program coordination. We also have caregiver conference days in October/November and March/April. These dates are listed on our school calendar in this handbook and our website.
In emergency situations where it is necessary for a child to leave school during the day, the classroom teacher will excuse the student from the room. A caregiver or an authorized adult must call for the child at the main office. If a child is to be picked up by someone other than the caregiver, please send a signed “school note” (the yellow pad) provided to all families/guardians at the beginning of the school year or call the main office (259-1212 X100) for last minute emergencies. We cannot release any child without clear, written direction from the caregivers. The school expects all after-school arrangements to be made before the school day and any change of dismissal to be made in writing.
Shutesbury Elementary School runs a daily program after school called THE MOOSE LODGE. Details can be found here. Mr. Carra will be creating units of various activities throughout the school year. If you experience financial hardship you can apply for a reduced rate by submitting a request to Mr. Carra. Registration and informational forms are available in the racks in the school’s foyer or you may email the director, Steven Carra, at carras@shutesburyschool.org.
No child may remain after school unless we have explicit written caregiver consent. Caregivers must arrange for transportation home if keeping the child after school is agreed upon. There is no playground supervision after school and the school is not responsible for anyone playing on school property when school is not in session.
Children should bring a “school note” (the yellow pad) or written permission by caregivers for:
an early dismissal- to be released only to identified authorized persons at the main office.
going home other than the usual manner.
going to extra curricular activities (school sponsored or otherwise).
excusing a child for absence from school for any reason.
tardiness.
going with someone other than the parent/guardian who will be temporarily responsible for the child.
for a change of residence necessitating leaving the school (time is needed to prepare transfer records and parents must sign a release of information forms before records can be forwarded to a new school).
for exceptions in riding the school bus (see bus regulations).
for going on field trips during class time (see field trips).
Students may only stay indoors at recess for medical situations in which a physician has made the specific, written request. The same is true for students to be excused from physical education classes (School Committee Policy: IHAE). We will accept faxes (413-259-1531) from the pediatrician’s office for these particular situations.
Generally, if conditions are deemed safe for our students and staff to get to school, we hold school. Once students have arrived at school, it is extremely rare that we would send them home early. If there were circumstances in which we anticipated extreme weather conditions at dismissal time, we would hold students at school until the danger has passed.
We use a temperature of 12°F (ambient or wind chill) as one determining factor as to whether we conduct recess outdoors. Children should come to school each day prepared to go outside for recess – this means hats, mittens, snow pants, and boots in the wintertime.
We ask that children come to school dressed appropriately for both the weather and in keeping with sensible standards for an educational building. It is very helpful if all clothing the children wear to school is marked on the inside tag or label with the child’s name.
Students are encouraged to wear sneakers to recess for maximum play opportunities. The wearing of sandals and other footwear that leave toes exposed are not recommended on the playground during recess for safety reasons.
A child’s dress is essentially the responsibility of the parent and child but messages and/or images on clothing, which are offensive to another child or adult at school, are considered inappropriate. Students may be asked to change or cover a particular garment that is considered offensive.
SES has some extra shoes and shirts for students forgetting or needing a change of clothing. Students and community members in the school and on school grounds and property must wear shirts and shoes at all times. If your family needs assistance with shoes or clothing please contact Nurse Katie at harringtonk@shutesburyschool.org.
On Monday, Thursday and Wednesday, students have physical education classes. Parents are asked to make sure that children wear or bring sneakers as well as comfortable, loose fitting clothing that allows for unrestricted movement on these days. Students are expected to participate in the physical education program unless there is a documented physical injury or ailment that precludes safe participation in the class. A note from the pediatrician or attending physician is required for a child to be excused from participating in this important part of their education. It is recommended that the note be specific rather than a general “No Physical Education” so that children may be included in an activity to the extent that is possible. For example, if the child has a swollen ankle s/he could still be included in some aspect of the class that will not aggravate the injury. If the note is a broad stroke mandate of “No Physical Education.” or “No Gym”, the child must not participate in any way.
Every year the school meets with representatives from the Shutesbury fire and police departments to review, refine, and update our emergency plans. This includes security, and parking procedures that may have an impact on the safety of the students. The School Safety Committee (consisting of the Fire Chief, Police Chief, Superintendent, Principal, Nurse, Head of Maintenance and volunteers) meets on a regular basis to review and, if necessary, improve our emergency procedures, and safety routines.
Fire, shelter-in-place, lockdown and school evacuation drills are held throughout the year. We practice 4 fire and 3 lockdown drills.These drills can and will be announced or unannounced. The school’s Safety Committee as well as the town and/or state safety officials make the decision for unannounced drills.
Emergency bus evacuation drills conducted by bus company employees, are held during the fall. The school makes every effort to assure students that these are practice situations. Caregivers should also speak with their children about the occurrence of these drills and let the school know if your child needs special preparation from school personnel because of their sensitivity to such situations.
The Lost and Found area is located in the hallway by the gym door at the east end of the building, by the kitchen. In the cubbies along the wall, we display the items that have been collected and the children are encouraged to claim their clothing and assorted items. Please label all items that your child may bring to school with their name (coats, hats, gloves, boots, lunch boxes, etc.) for easy identification.
Breakfast and Lunch menus go home weekly with the edition of the Roadtown News.
Students are served breakfast at 8:15 AM in the cafeteria
Lunch is served from 12 - 12:30 for P-3 students M,T,Th,F and 11:45-12:15 on Wednesdays. Lunch for Grades 4-6 is served 12:30-1:00 M,T,Th,F and 12:15-12:45 on Wednesdays.
The school serves nutritious hot lunches as well as an alternative lunch every day. All students may have free breakfast and/or lunch due to the permanent universal free meals program in Massachusetts.
Questions regarding food service can be directed to the school's food service director.
Caregivers are asked to provide their children with healthy, nutritious snacks such as fruit,granola bars, carrot or celery sticks or cheese and crackers. Please do not send students to school with candy. Sharing of snacks or lunches among children is not permitted due to the safety concern for children with known and unknown food allergies who could suffer serious, negative reactions to some foods.
Shutesbury is nut sensitive school due to allergies. We do no encourage peanuts or nuts in lunches or snacks.
From time to time, we receive requests to allow other visitors who may be pre-school age children, cousins, or friends from out of town to spend a day or even a week with us. Because this creates a tremendous responsibility and liability for the elementary staff members and the administration, we typically do not grant such requests.
The use of pets and animals at school can be a valuable educational experience. Allergy or health concerns however, are also a high priority as they may impact on the learning environment. For this reason, permission must be secured from the classroom teacher, principal, and all caregivers of students in the class before a pet is brought to school. A caregiver must accompany students who bring pets and animals to school. Pets must be on a leash or confined during the visit. Pets are not allowed on buses. The principal may decide that the pet can only be shared outside. A permission slip may be used to obtain caregiver permission for a child to visit with a pet.
This does not preclude however, the use of service animals in school as defined under School Committee policy IMG.
We hold assembly for all students in pre-school through grade 6 on ( about) the every third Thursday afternoons at 2:15 PM. Families are always welcome to attend.. At assembly, we sing together as well as provide time for classes to perform plays, or present their latest projects and investigations to the school community. These presentations are a glimpse into our curriculum and instruction, and give students an opportunity to present in front of large groups. We also have hosted visiting artists and honored staff and students. Students who wish to perform at assembly must have performance and music cleared by the Principal at least 1 week in advance.
When children bring money to school we ask that caregivers place the money in an envelope, include a note inside stating the reason for the money being sent, and include both the child’s name and teacher’s name on the envelope. We ask that children not bring large amounts of money or other valuable objects to school.
We do not allow electronic equipment without specific permission (please refer to School Committee policy JICJ for details of restrictions of electronic signaling devices such as cell phones, smart phones or pagers). We cannot assume responsibility for any damage or loss that may occur. Electronic equipment and other objects identified by the principal as inappropriate for school grounds will be confiscated and brought to the principal’s office where parents may pick them up.
Students are asked to not bring in valuable toys, playing cards or jewelry to school. The school is not responsible for the loss of any of these items.
SES recognizes the importance of caregiver involvement in every child's education and encourage caregivers to assist us in fostering positive home, school and community relationships. Caregivers are encouraged to visit our school frequently and actively participate in the education of their child. We also place the highest value on a safe and secure learning environment for all learners. To support these goals, we have instituted these procedures so that there is one clear set of safety standards for all visitors. These steps are meant to provide consistent and respectful procedures in order to make our school safer for the children and adults who use our building.
All visitors shall ring the buzzer at the main entrance to be admitted into the building. This policy is in place to ensure safety for everyone at SES.
All visitors shall report to the main office to sign in/out (see Visitor’s Log) and wear a VISITOR badge, so that all staff will be aware that they have checked in at the office. Please return the badge upon exiting.
All visitors that will have direct contact with students must have a cleared CORI on file with the school.
If caregivers need to deliver lunch, homework, or some other item a student needs, please drop it by the office. The office will make arrangements to get the item(s) to the student.
If a caregiver wishes to visit his/her child's classroom to volunteer, arrangements should be made through the teacher who will indicate the best time for such activities and any required training. Contact with staff can be made via our email or voice message system.
Caregivers are welcome to visit their child's classroom to view a lesson. Please make arrangements with the teacher and principal at least 4 days prior to the visit.
In the event of an emergency that requires caregivers having immediate contact with their child, caregivers may either call or go to the office to explain the circumstance of the emergency and request that their child be called to the office to meet with them and/or talk with them on the phone.
Community and caregiver groups, as well as school personnel wishing to raise funds for school programs are asked to consult with the principal. School personnel are allowed to run small-scale-in-school fund-raising projects to support class activities, although the long-term vision is for there to be larger all-school fund raising activities that provides opportunities for all classes to take part in additional programs.
See our policy section of this handbook for guidelines for fund raising at Shutesbury Elementary School.
Over the years the school has developed a policy for out-of-school birthday or other parties. The policy was designed to promote social equity within the classroom, and to minimize disruption to the school day. Invitations to a party may be distributed at school if the entire class is invited; otherwise they must be delivered outside of school. Transportation to an after school event or party should occur after school hours.
Any in-school celebrations that occur during the year are also governed by school policy. Celebrations are always secular and inclusive. Please contact the classroom teacher beforehand and be alert to the dietary needs and/or requirements of the students. If you have special concerns, please contact the school.
The School Committee, through its professional staff, has identified appropriate materials to achieve its educational objectives at each grade level. Shutesbury Elementary School provides these materials. Since the books and supplies are provided at public expense, it is expected that the children will be responsible for replacement of any materials that are lost or damaged beyond the reasonable ability to use the book or material during another school year.
Reimbursement is also expected in the event of damage to buildings, furniture, or equipment caused by misconduct or an act, which a child would reasonably be expected to avoid.
Individual student photos will be taken in the fall. Caregivers have a variety of options of the size of the packages they may wish to purchase. A complimentary class photo is provided to each student. Information will go home to families when appropriate.
The Shutesbury Elementary School encourages field trips that are considered to be of significant educational value, and also permits field trips, which are of recreational value and are judged to be worthwhile by the staff. The school may ask families to pay or contribute towards a field trip. Funds for field trips also come from outside sources (grants) and are allocated at the discretion of the principal. The principal also has access to funds for those students who do not have the financial resources to pay for the field trip. No child will be restricted from attending a field trip because of an inability to pay any expected fee. The principal approves field trips proposed by the teacher, after reviewing the budget and the documentation provided by the teacher regarding the purpose and intent of the trip.
Each child participating in a field trip must have caregiver permission prior to leaving the school grounds. No child will be allowed to leave on a field trip without written permission from a caregiver. Bus transportation is always provided and is the only approved mode of transportation for field trips; all SES students must follow the rules established for proper school bus behavior. Field trips offer a wonderful opportunity for students to broaden the range of their learning experiences, and a chance to directly observe or experience the world outside of the classroom.
School is designed to benefit children by building a school and classroom community that is constant and consistent. Where possible, family travel should take place during school vacation periods, so students do not miss lessons or experiences that create the foundation for future learning. Our school recognizes the educational and personal value of family travel. Here are school-wide expectations that teachers share about family travel and schoolwork.
Students may request the loan of textbooks/workbooks or other school materials.
Special assignments for the child to do while away are voluntary on the part of the child and the child’s family.
Teachers are not expected to assume any obligation to grade any assignments completed by the child during their absence
Upon return, the children may be expected to make up missed work.
School days spent traveling with families are not considered as excused absences. (School Committee Policy: JH)
We discourage children from using the school phones for personal reasons. Arrangements for children to visit another child’s house should be made in advance of the school day.
Phone calls from students to caregivers or from parents directly to students are reserved for emergencies only and must be approved by the classroom teacher, school secretary and/or Principal.
In 2017 the SES School Council developed a guideline for homework after consulting with the school Community. The work was informed through surveys of staff, parents, and students, discussions with classroom teachers at various grade levels, and research on best practices in the assignment of homework.
SES Homework Philosophy
Shutesbury Elementary School’s Homework Philosophy supports the overarching school goals of nurturing each student's curiosity, growth, and development, and fostering a lifelong love of learning. The community believes that homework should not add stress to family life nor deter a student from extra curricula activities.
Goals for Homework:
• To reinforce classroom instruction.
• To develop good work habits, responsibility, self-direction, and organizational skills.
• To extend and enrich curricula.
• To assess and develop independent work.
• To provide parents with an opportunity to become informed about and involved in their child's learning.
Major Considerations:
• When designing homework, teachers will recognize that some Shutesbury households do not have Internet access.
• Homework should not prevent students from participating in after school activities, such as sports, music lessons or clubs of any kind.
• There is no school-based consequence for not doing homework.
• Families are invited to work collaboratively with teachers to adjust homework demands as necessary.
Grade Level Expectations:
The time allotted for homework will increase gradually from grade to grade, beginning at grade 3. The time limits are guidelines that should remain flexible. Individual differences among children will be taken into consideration by parents and teachers.
PK-2nd Grade:
Homework will not be assigned in kindergarten through second grade.
3rd - 4th Grade:
Students in the 3rd and 4th grades may have homework. Homework will be used as an opportunity to focus on specific skill development. Homework will be based on student needs and be age/developmentally appropriate.
5th - 6th Grade:
Students in 5th and 6th grades will have some homework most school days. The purpose of the homework is not only skill development, but:
• To encourage students to develop the confidence and self-discipline to work on their own.
• To consolidate and reinforce organizational skills, comprehension and understanding.
• To extend school learning, for example through additional reading.
• To enable students to devote time to particular demands such as project work.
• To prepare students for the demands of middle school.