General School Procedures

Monthly School Calendar
 A monthly school calendar will be distributed to each student at the start of each month.  The calendar will contain important information regarding school activities and days of non-attendance as well as the monthly character message.  Please keep it handy for easy reference.

Office Business
The Main Office is open for school business between the hours of 8:15AM - 3:00PM.  Visitor entry is through the main entrance.  All parent concerns will be addressed via the Parent Coordinator located in Room 109 after signing in with School Safety Agent.

Official School Hours
School hours are 8:00am to 2:20pm except for students identified as needing additional instructional support.  Those students will be dismissed as follows:

Tuesday and Wednesday-3:10pm
Monday, Thursday and Friday-2:20pm

Breakfast is served beginning at 7:30am and ends at 8:00am.

Visiting procedures
All visitors entering the main building must sign-in at the safety agent’s desk first.  All visitors to the ECC or TCU’s must sign in at the safety agent’s desk in the ECC.  Proper picture identification must be shown.  You will receive a pass to the Office only. The Office staff will then issue you a color coded pass which will allow you access to one particular destination.  At the completion of your visit, you are asked to return the pass to the office and exit through the main entrance.  If you wish to meet with a guidance counselor or administrator, please call the office to request an appointment prior to visiting.  If you would like to speak to your child’s teacher, send a note in with your child containing a telephone number where you can be reached during the day.

Early Pick-Up
Please make every effort to leave your child in school for the entire day.  All appointments need to be arranged after school hours.  Early pick-ups disrupt the instructional program for all students in the class.  In an emergency situation parents must sign the child out in the school.

Student Arrivals / Main Building
*The following schedule applies only to classes located in the Main Building.
For classes located in the TCU’s and the Early Childhood Center please refer to the Early Childhood Center Addendum below.

Outdoor Line Up (main building classes)

Kindergarten – First -Enter through Blue Book Courtyard into Cafeteria 125.
Second: Line up in blue book courtyardThree – Eight- Students enter through school yard Beach

Indoor Line-Up Grades (main building classes)
All students enter through Blue Book to assigned areas:
Kindergarten, One, Two -- Cafeteria 125.
Three, Four, Five -- Auditorium
Six, Seven Eight -- Directly to Classroom
*No visitors are permitted into line up areas.

 

Students Dismissals (main building classes)

Kindergarten through Four -- Blue Book Courtyard
Five, Six -- Beach Entrance
Seven, Eight -- Main Entrance

 Blue Emergency Card
This card must be completed for all students.  In addition, please indicate on the back of the card any person that you might send to pick up your child in the event that something prevents you from coming to the school at dismissal time.  Also, please indicate the name of any person to whom your child should not be released.  Students will only be released to adults listed on the blue card.  Include any and all copies of court papers, restraining orders and orders of protection.  Changes to information on the blue emergency card must be reported immediately.

 Immunizations
All students must be immunized in order to attend school.  Failure to comply completely with all Department of Health regulations will result in your child’s exclusion from school.

Dental Notes
All children are required to go to the dentist each year.  Dental notes signed by the dentist are to be returned to the teacher as soon as possible.

Medication
Medication of any kind, including Tylenol, may not be brought to school by a student.  If it is necessary for a child to receive medication in school,,  the parent/guardian and the student’s physician must complete and sign the Authorization to Administer Oral Medication.  All medication must be hand delivered to the school nurse by the parent/guardian in the original container received from the pharmacist.

Attendance
All students must have 90% attendance in order to be promoted to the next grade.  Coming to school everyday is crucial to student success.  When a student misses school regardless of the reason, important pieces of the educational process can be lost.

Absences
When the student is absent from school, the student’s parent must provide the teacher with a note explaining the absence.  Students are responsible for all missed assignments.

 Lateness
Students must arrive on time.  Students who are chronically late risk being held over.  Chronic lateness has an adverse effect on student learning due to loss of instructional time.  Students arriving late must obtain a late pass.

 Meal application forms
The completion and timely return of all meal application forms determines your child’s meal eligibility and also determines school funding for the following school year.  These forms are very important.  Please return them promptly.

Breakfast and Lunch Fees
The return Meal Applications determine the breakfast and lunch cost for each child.  The fees are as follows: Free, Reduced($.50 per day, $5.00 for 10 days) and Full($1.50 per day, $15.00 for 10 days).  Money will be collected on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month.

 Report Cards
Report cards are distributed at the end each marking period.  Please check the monthly school calendar for distribution and parent/teacher conference dates for specific grades.  School staff members are always available to meet with you to discuss your child’s grade.

 Library Books
Lost books must be paid for.  Any child who does not return a library book will not receive a final report card in June.

Storm Day Procedures
Please be advised that the Chancellor will make the decision to close or delay the opening of schools during stormy weather.  The citywide decision will be made as early as possible prior to 6:00 AM on the affected day.  Parents are advised to listen to information broadcast by news radio stations, such as WINS(1010AM) and WCBS(880 AM).

 Please note the following:
In case of a delayed school opening, the Chancellor will announce a two hour opening delay citywide.

  • PS/MS43 will open at 10:00 AM.
  • All special morning programs and afternoon school programs at PS/MS 43 will be canceled.
  • All field trips will be canceled..

 Volunteers
Parent volunteers (Learning Leaders) are always welcome at PS/MS 43.  All Learning Leaders must complete the Learning Leader Certification Program.  Anyone who wishes to volunteer his/her time helping in the school should speak with our school based Parent Coordinator for information on registering for the program.

 Transferring
Please provide the attendance coordinator & pupil accounting secretary with proper documentation of your new address, telephone number and child’s new school information and your child’s last day of attendance. Notification must occur at least two days prior to your child’s last day of attendance.

 Parent/Caregiver Involvement
All Parents/Caregivers are encouraged to become active members of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).  Meetings are held monthly at 7:00 PM.  Prior to each PTA meeting the Assistant Principals will meet with a specific grade at 6:00 PM to discuss issues regarding students in that grade.  It is important for parents/caregivers to attend these meetings.  Check the monthly calendar and the homework agenda for the schedule of meetings.

 In addition, our school based Parent Coordinator will provide workshops regarding educational, nutritional and social concerns.  Teachers will schedule workshops designed to enhance and enrich academic achievement by developing a strong Home-School collaboration.  Please check the monthly calendar for these events.

 

Early Childhood Center Addendum

 

Outdoor Line Up

 

PRE K

Pre K arrival time is 8:00 am.  Parents Guardians are to escort their child to the assigned back door:  Class 102 back door A and classes 104 and 204 at back door B.  Pre K teachers will meet their students, line their students up and bring them to their classroom.  Parents\Guardians are to remain with their children until the teachers arrive

 

KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE

Breakfast will be served in the multi purpose room between 7:20 am and 7:50 am for students in Kindergarten and First grade.  After eating breakfast the students will then go out to the school yard.  All other students will arrive to the school yard.  Teachers will pick up their students promptly at 8:00 am in the schoolyard.  Teachers and students will be greeted and directed to leave the school yard.  Teachers will cross classes across Marvin Street into the TCU courtyard.

Indoor Line Up

 

Pre-K through First Grade

In the event of inclement weather, Pre K students will line up in the hallway outside the classroom, all kindergarten and first grade students will remain in the multi purpose room and be picked up by their teachers promptly at 8:00 am

 

Lunch

Students in the TCU and ECC will eat lunch in the multi-purpose room of the ECC.  Students will have recess daily weather permitting.

 

Dismissal

Pre-K and Kindergarten students will be dismissed in the school yard in their designated areas.  First grade students will be dismissed in the TCU courtyard in front of their classrooms.  Parents are not to go directly to their child’s classroom to pick up their child.

 

ECC Visitor’s Procedures

The Early Childhood Center’s office is open for business between the hours of 8:15 am and 3:00 pm.  Visitor’s entry is through the main entrance and proper picture identification must be shown to school safety. You will then receive a pass to the office only.  The office staff will assist you with your concerns.

 

Early Pick up

Parents of ECC and TCU’s must come to the ECC office with proper identification in order to sign their child out.  After the child has been signed out, the child will be escorted to the office to meet the parent.  Parents are not to go directly to the TCUs to pick up their children.