Elementary Family Guide

The information on this page is intended to help guide elementary parents about general school procedures. For more specific information, please contact the main office of your child’s school.

Afterschool Care

Kid’s Time is an after-school child care program available at all Niskayuna elementary schools, which is managed by the Schenectady Jewish Community Center (JCC). For more information, please contact the JCC at (518) 377-8803.

Additionally, student transportation is provided to childcare locations within school district boundaries that are recognized as licensed daycare centers. If you have a question, please visit the Transportation page for more information or contact the Transportation Department at (518) 370-0160.

After School Enrichment Program at Birchwood

A.S.E.P. is Birchwood Elementary’s After School Enrichment Program, organized and run by the PTO. Two different sessions run during the school year – one in the fall and one in winter/spring. A.S.E.P. classes run from 2:15-3 p.m. The fee for A.S.E.P. classes varies depending on the class for which your child enrolls. A.S.E.P. catalogs come home with students before each session. The catalog has descriptions of all classes, days of the week the classes are offered and registration information/fees.

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Allergy Aware, Allergy Prepared

The Niskayuna Central School District has adopted an “Allergy Aware, Allergy Prepared” initiative to address a variety of severe allergies through district-wide staff training, symptom-awareness posters and recommendations for pre-packaged, nut-free snacks.

• Learn more about the “Allergy Aware, Allergy Prepared” initiative.

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Attendance

Students are expected to attend class daily as required by state law. Such attendance creates an environment that fosters subject competency, continuity of learning, and responsibility, which are all integral to the educational process. Active student participation is an integral part of the elementary curriculum. Students are required to attend classes every school day unless excused for a valid reason. Acceptable reasons are:

• Others as authorized by the principal
• Personal illness or injury
• Death or emergency illness in the immediate family
• Obligatory religious observance
• Required court appearance
• Medical and dental appointments
• School sponsored events
• College visits and interviews
• Career development or explorations programs approved by the principal
• Driver’s road test (not permit tests)
• Late arriving bus
• Impassable roads or weather making travel unsafe
• Music lessons

Although days missed for the above reasons are considered excused absences, students must realize that their schoolwork can suffer if they are out of class too often. Students are responsible for keeping informed of makeup work for class, whether the absence is excused or unexcused.

If a student is not in school, the parents will be notified. In the event that further action is warranted, the principal will speak to the parent directly.

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Birthdays

Birthdays are announced daily during the morning announcements. Students are asked to come to the main office to receive their birthday pencil. Summer birthdays are announced during the month of June.

Your child can bring in a special snack to share with the class on his/her birthday. Please check with your classroom teacher in case there are allergies or other food restrictions. Birthday celebrations typically happen during the classroom snack time and as such, we do not invite parents and family members to attend. We will bring the snack to the classroom for you; just drop it off in the Main Office.

We discourage birthday invitations being sent into school. The School Directory is available each fall through the PTO. The directory provides parents with the contact information for students. This should assist with setting up play dates and sending invitations from home.

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Buses, Bus Dismissal & Bus Passes

Parents are encouraged to read the rules for riding the bus on the Transportation page and discuss it with their children. It should be emphasized that riding the bus is a privilege, and that the privilege can be revoked if students do not follow the rules. If all the rules are followed, the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road. A bus pass must be used if a child is not going home on his/her regular bus or if he/she will not be getting off at their regular stop. Bus passes can be obtained from the main office of your child’s school.

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Drop Off and Pickup Procedures

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Homework Guidelines

Educating a child is a cooperative effort involving both home and school. Homework is an integral part of a student’s overall learning experience. In order to promote and enhance the effective use of homework as an extension of the learning experience beyond the classroom, the following guidelines and procedures have been developed. These guidelines and procedures detail the objectives of homework and the responsibilities of students, parents, and teachers in achieving those objectives.

Homework definition: Learning activities that reinforce topics, knowledge and skills taught in class.

Objectives

• Provide independent practice of learned concepts
• Develop lifelong learning skills
• Develop good study habits
• Promote student responsibility, self-discipline and time management skills

General Guidelines

• Kindergarten through Second Grade – up to 15 minutes daily
• Third through Fifth Grade – 15-30 minutes daily

Student Responsibility

• Work with their parent/guardian to establish a daily time and place for completion of their homework
• Complete their homework independently, but should ask their teachers and parent/guardian for assistance when necessary

Parent/Guardian Responsibility

• Work with their child to establish a daily time and place for completion of homework
• Monitor, but not do, their child’s homework
• Initiate communication with the teacher if concerns arise

Teacher Responsibility

• Share district homework guidelines with students and parents at the beginning of the school year
• Provide meaningful tasks that support instruction taught during class time
• Work with families if concerns arise

Importance of Reading

Beginning at the elementary level, we strive to engage, motivate and inspire a love of reading in children. Research suggests that encouraging a love of reading plays an important role in promoting learning both in childhood and as an adult. (Krashen, 2004) As such, we do not consider nightly reading homework. We recommend that families create daily routines that include time for both homework and reading. Over time, nightly reading should include a variety of texts and genres, as well as both independent reading and read-a-loud with family members. Our hope is that families set aside, on average, twenty minutes a night for reading.

Krashen, Stephen D. The Power of Reading: Insight from the Research. 2nd ed., Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2004.

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Lunch and Snack

In every grade there is time for snack. Please remember to pack your child a healthy snack each day. Water bottles are also encouraged, especially in the warm months.

All students have between a twenty to twenty-five minute lunch, along with a similar recess period. Children may buy lunch or bring one from home. To prepay for lunches, send in a check made payable to “[name of school] Cafeteria”. Put the check in an envelope labeled “lunch money” along with your child’s name on it. You can also prepay for lunches at LINQ Connect. Every child is assigned a code and one can simply key in the code to pay for lunch. If they forget their code, the cafeteria workers will look it up for them. Cash is also accepted for individual lunch purchases.

Children may also buy “snack/dessert” at lunch. The cafeteria carries a line of snacks that are available to purchase after all lunches are sold. Students need to eat their lunch before a snack can be bought. Parents can limit snacks purchases by various criteria, including: no snack ever, no charging a snack, no snack without cash, no snack “drink,” and limited days of the week on which snack may be purchased. Contact your school’s cafeteria manager for details on how to limit your child’s snacks.

For the most part, students sit with classmates by homerooms in the cafeteria. (Exceptions occur at the discretion of the cafeteria aides.)

Our school nurse works closely with classroom teachers and cafeteria supervisors with regard to students and snack. We are a 100% nut free building.

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Leaving School Grounds

During school hours, NO student is permitted to leave the school grounds unless checked out through the main office. If your child has to leave school during the regular school day, the following procedure MUST be followed:

• The parent / guardian must report to the main office and sign the child out of school.
• If the person picking up the child is a parent designee, they MUST have a note from the parent stating that the parent has given the authority to pick up the child.
• If the child is returning to school before the end of the day, the parent or designee MUST sign the student in at the main office. The student will then be given a pass to return to class.

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Medications

In order for a school nurse to administer medication during school hours, either prescription or over the counter, the following are required by the State of New York:

1. An order from a licensed prescriber including name of medication, dosage and time to be administered;
2. Parent/Guardian permission to administer the medication;
3. The parent/guardian must assume the responsibility to have the medication delivered directly to the school nurse in a properly labeled original container.

Visit the Health & Wellness page to view more information about medication in school or to retrieve contact information for a school nurse.

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Music Education

Chorus is part of the fourth and fifth-grade instructional music program. It occurs during the instructional day.

Orchestra is offered to fourth and fifth-grade students. Band is offered to fifth-grade students. Lessons occur during the instructional day. There are a few after school rehearsals throughout the year.

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Outdoor Recess

The recess program is a vital part of the school day. Children need a daily activity program to help them develop physically and socially while affording them a important energy release. Whenever possible, recess is held outside. There will be many days during the winter months that are cold, but not unbearable if children are dressed appropriately (i.e. boots, mittens, hats, etc.) Parents’ cooperation is requested to facilitate the outdoor recess program.

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Personal Items

Students should NOT bring toys, games, radios, skates, etc. to school. Schools assume no responsibility for lost or stolen personal property. Please label all clothing with your child’s name, as well as lunch boxes, purses, etc. Articles found in and around school grounds will be placed in each school’s lost and found. Please check this area on a regular basis for missing clothing items. Articles left on buses can be retrieved from the driver or at the Bus Garage at:

1301 Hillside Avenue
Niskayuna, NY

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Parking

For those parents wishing to bring and pick up their child by car we ask assistance in maintaining a safe parking lot. There is NO PARKING in front of the school as this is for the use of buses and emergency vehicles only. If you are dropping off a student, please use the parking lot next to the school and the leave the area immediately so that another car may drop off. At dismissal, please find a parking place and then walk to the main hallway in the school so you may meet you child.

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Visitors to Our Schools

Parents and other district residents are encouraged to visit the schools under the following conditions:

• All visitors must report to the school’s main office upon arrival, sign the visitor’s registration and obtain a visitor’s badge that must be worn throughout the visit and returned upon departure.
• Visitors attending school functions that are open to the public, such as PTO meetings, concerts, or public gatherings are not required to register.
• Parents or residents who wish to observe a classroom while school is in session are required to arrange such visits in advance with the principal and classroom teacher(s) so that class disruption is kept to a minimum.

Teachers are expected to not take class time to discuss individual matters with visitors.

Any unauthorized person on school property will be reported to the principal or designee. Unauthorized persons will be asked to leave. The police may be called if the situation warrants.

All visitors are expected to abide by the rules for Public Conduct on School Property.

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Walkers

Children who live in the neighborhood of Birchwood School, and who do not need to cross any major roadways, are permitted to walk to and from school. These students must have a note signed by a parent designating which days of the week are days for walking. Walkers are dismissed after the buses leave the property.

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