7:00am to 3:00pm
All visitors, volunteers are required to wear an ID. Badge. Library volunteers will wear a special Library badge.
All adults are required to enter and exit via the main entrance (closest to Call St.) Adults are not allowed to use any other entrance or exit. Adults are required to sign in at the office. Identification may be required and must be presented when asked.
After signing in, the visitor/volunteer will then be supplied with a badge. Upon leaving, the visitor/volunteer must return to the office, sign out, and return the badge.
Service personnel are also required to wear a badge unless they are wearing a uniform. The badge for service personnel will be clearly marked SERVICE.
All staff are required to direct all adults whom they observe without an ID. badge to return to the office.
Please note: On the first day of school parents may escort their child to the child's assigned classroom.
Teacher are responsible for the children in their classroom and are not allowed to leave the classroom unsupervised for even a brief conference with a parent. Parents will not be allowed to visit their child's classroom or confer with their child's teacher while school is in session, without permission from the Principal. Parent/teacher conferences are held during the school year, teachers are also available for a conference after school by appointment.
Parents who wish to have contact with their child during school hours must report to the Principal's office. Your child will be notified of your visit and advised to see you at the office.
If a child leaves home without his/her lunch, books, seasonal clothing, etc., parents are advised to drop off the necessary items at the Principal's office. Your child will be notified that the items are available for pickup.
A registered nurse is assigned full time to the Hajjar School and is available for students requiring medical attention. The nurse's telephone number is 436-9552.
Parents are notified immediately in the event of a serious illness or accident. Any care beyond first aid cannot be given by the school and is the responsibility of the parents.
A student who becomes ill in school will be dismissed to the parents of any person designated by the parent or guardian to assume this responsibility. Parents are required to provide transportation for the student if dismissal is necessary.
A state approved vision and hearing test as well as weighing and measuring are performed annually on each student. Fifth grade students also receive postural screening. The nurse will contact parents if there is a cause for concern.
A complete physical examination is required upon entering the Billerica school system and every three years thereafter. In May, second graders will receive correspondence from the nurse as a reminder that third graders will need a physical. This physical can be performed by the school doctor or your own physician. If exemption of immunization due to medical reasons is necessary, an annual statement from the family physician is essential. A statement from the church annually is necessary if the child is to be exempted for religious reasons. All health records are kept in strict confidence.
An Emergency Information Form for each student is on file with the school nurse. These forms are collected by the nurse every September. Parents should see that all information is accurate and updated as needed.
Any illness your child might have that could be transmitted to another student should be considered communicable. WHEN IN DOUBT, CALL YOUR DOCTOR. The child should remain at home until the condition is cleared up. These conditions might be demonstrated by: a fever, rash, skin infection, head lice, irritated/reddened eyes, pin worms, etc. Please report any case of chicken pox to the school nurse as this can be a serious problem for certain students with preexisting health problems. Contact the school nurse if you have any questions regarding the necessity for a doctor's note upon returning to school after an illness or if you have any questions regarding school policy and your child's health.
Head lice (pediculosis) can be transmitted in school as easily as a cold. The nurse does as many routine head checks as possible during the school year. The symptoms are itchy head and nits (little white eggs attached to hair that cannot be removed easily). The lice are rarely seen. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a remedy. Please notify the school nurse if your child is found to have this condition. Confidentiality will be maintained. The child's classmates will be examined to prevent a further outbreak. The nurse will check any child before he is allowed to reenter the classroom.
The Billerica School Department recognizes that parents have the primary responsibility for the health of their children. Parents should make every effort to give prescription and non-prescription medication at home. If this is not possible, then the school will administer the medication in accordance with the following policy.
Only a physician is legally authorized to prescribe medication (including non-prescription medication, i.e., aspirin, Tylenol, cold remedies, etc.) Parents should confer with the child's physician to arrange medication time intervals to avoid school hours whenever possible. When medication must absolutely be given during school hours, the following criteria must be met:
All requests to give prescription and non-prescription medication in school are to be referred to the school nurse.
Parents must provide all of the following:
1.Written directive from physician, including diagnosis, medication, dosage, time and possible side effects. If the student must keep the medication on his/her person, this must be authorized in writing by the physician.
2.A written note from the parent authorizing the nurse or designated person to administer the medication.
3.Medication in a container with the prescription labeled by the pharmacist with the student's name, date, medication dosage and the physician's name. (Pharmacists will provide additional containers for school use).
4.Medication should be delivered to the school by a parent or responsible adult.
5.Notification of changes or discontinuation. Long-term medication must be renewed (as above) at the beginning of each school year.
See nurse for specific requirements as per Chapter 71, Section 54B, Laws of the Commonwealth.
Adopted: February 27, 1989
Notes from parents or guardians are required if a student is absent or tardy. After a student is absent three consecutive days, the school will call home. Parents should schedule family vacations during school vacation time. School work missed, when first presented, is not easily made up. Please make every effort to schedule doctor's appointments after school hours. Parents may request work for students who are absent by calling the school office.
1.I will treat everyone with courtesy and respect.
2.I will treat personal and school property with respect.
3.I will create and maintain a positive and safe environment.
4.I will come to school prepared for learning.
5.I will act responsibly and accept consequences for my actions.
6.I will help everyone in this school feel capable, connected and contributing.
It is each student's responsibility to contribute to a positive school community. Therefore, we expect each student to exhibit behavior that will not disrupt classroom activities or interfere with a person's right to an education.
Homework is an excellent way for students to apply, review and practice skills learned in class. One of the purposes of homework assignments is to promote mastery of the curriculum objectives at the student's grade level. Therefore, all students are expected to complete homework assignments.
Students will be told precisely what they need to do to be successful with a homework assignment. Homework assignments will not include new material, but will be reserved for materials that have been covered in class. Homework will be checked and factored into the calculation of the student's grade.
Homework will usually be assigned Monday through Thursday, except during holiday and vacation periods. Allowing for flexibility, assignments for grades 1 - 3 will be approximately 15 - 30 minutes per day, while those in grades 4 - 5 will be approximately 30 - 45 minutes per day.
Parents are encouraged to create a supportive and positive attitude toward homework by checking its completion, providing a quiet atmosphere for study and communicating to the teacher any problems, concerns or questions.
There are four (4) individual report cards: Kindergarten, Grade 1; Grades 2 and 3; and Grades 4 and 5. These cards were developed to reflect the differences in the curriculum being taught at the various grade levels.
Report cards will be issued three (3) times a year for kindergarten. Report cards will be issued four (4) times a year in each grade level (1 - 5) and should be signed and returned for the first three terms. Progress reports will precede each report card at approximately the mid-point of each term. Progress reports will be issued to all students in grades one to five.
Conduct and effort are marked using the letter grade from the grading system which reflects the student's progress at the time of the report.
Retention is recommended when it appears that a student would benefit from the
opportunity to overcome apparent deficits in the areas of social maturity and/or
educational readiness. The intent of retention is to relieve current frustration levels and also to minimize potential long-term adjustment problems.
Retention in a grade provides opportunities for a student to achieve greater success at a given level as well as a greater mastery in the basic skill areas. Some general guidelines which are considered when evaluating students for promotion include:
1. A student's unacceptable achievement in basic skill subject areas.
2. A student's maturity level at a given stage in development, with an emphasis on this at the Kindergarten and Grade One level.
3. A student's excessive absences which hinder academic and/or social progress.
Any child who receives a grade of "F" for two marking terms in the major subjects - reading, math and language - will be considered for retention.
When the second term report card has been issued, a letter from the Principal will be sent to the parents informing them of the possibility of their child being retained in the present grade.
The child's progress will be monitored and a final recommendation will be made by the teacher to the Principal a month after the third term report card. Although teachers may recommend retention, all retentions (as well as promotions) shall be assigned by the Principal. When the decision has been made, the Principal will send a letter to the parents informing them that their child will not be promoted to the next grade.
Parents are invited to discuss placement concerns before classes are formed for the next school year. No changes in placement will be made in September.
Parents wanting a specific class placement are welcome to make a request in writing to the Principal. Parents may request that a child be placed in a particular classroom environment (e.g., highly structured teacher, etc.); or not with a particular teacher.
A written request, or lack of such a request, will have no effect on the care given to each child's placement.
Parents are cautioned not to request placement or non-placement based on what they may have heard about a teacher from other parents. Just as each child is unique, so is each teacher. An experience that other parents may have had with their children may be totally different from what your children could have with the same teacher.
Requests for a child not to be placed with another student, for whatever reason, should be noted in writing to the principal. Parents should be aware that other considerations may prevent the honoring of such requests.
Consideration of all educational factors, academic and social, are the primary elements in placement decisions. The final decision on all placements rests with the Principal after due consideration of staff recommendations and parent requests.
All parent requests will be strongly considered, but there will be no individual responses. Please do not ask to be called if your request is not honored.