Parent Handbook

Attendance Policy
Parents are to call the attendance line before the start of the school day, to notify the school if their child will be absent or late. The phone number is (720) 561-5408.

Good school attendance greatly increases each child’s ability to be successful in school. Students are expected and required by Colorado State Law to attend school every day that school is in session, except on those occasions when the school has been notified that a child is ill, there is a family emergency, or when the child’s absence has been pre-arranged with the school office.  The office has special forms for pre-arranged absences or download below.

Prearrangedabsenceform.pdf

FormaDeAusenciaAnticipada.pdf

Early student pick up during the school day is discouraged.  We ask that parents schedule as many appointments as possible outside of school hours.  If it is necessary for a parent to pick up a child during the school day, they are to come to the office and sign our check-out form.  The secretary will call the child to the office or give the parent a release slip for the teacher so that the teacher knows that the child has been properly checked out.

Field Trips and Elementary “Going Out” Program
Children from kindergarten through 5th grade participate in field trips at Community Montessori.  Permission slips are sent home prior to each field trip which parents and/or guardians must sign in order for the student to attend the event.  Field trips are scheduled to enhance or provide a key piece of the curriculum.

In the elementary classes a core piece of the Montessori curriculum is “going out” into the community to learn about local resources and research beyond the walls of the classroom.  The “going out” program can be a small group of children, rather than the entire class, who is working together on a specific project and need to go out to gather more information.  Typically, the elementary students take progressively more and more responsibility for their excursions, such as finding the resources and planning the details of the trip.

Parents who wish to volunteer as drivers on field trips and “going out” excursions are always welcome.  Car seats are required by law dependent on height and weight of children being transported.  Drivers must complete the necessary forms in the office two weeks prior to the day of the trip. BVSD requires a volunteer background check in the amount of $22.50, proof of insurance, and a copy of the driver’s license before a student may be placed in their vehicle.

Gifting Policy at Community Montessori
Any gifting should be voluntary and sensitive to the variety of philosophical and financial needs within the community. Guidelines follow:
Individual gifts:
If gifts are offered, token gifts from the children are preferred.
When gifts are brought to school, it is suggested that they not be opened in front of other children so as to protect their feelings if gift giving is not part of the family culture or finances. Thank you notes can be sent at a later date.
Group Gifts:
There is not an expectation for any parent to organize a group gift at any time of the year. Gift organization is not considered part of the room parent responsibilities at Community Montessori. If some families decide to go together on a gift, contribution should be voluntary, sensitive and the process should be fully coordinated by parents without the assistance of school personnel. See BVSD Gifting Policy(Word document) on gift limits and guidelines.

Late Pick-up
Please be prompt in picking up your child after school at 11:30 or 2:30. Parents/guardians sign primary children out. Children are to be picked up within 5 minutes of dismissal. If they are not picked up by that time, the children are escorted to the main office. The parent must notify the school in advance if somone else, not on the release list, is picking up a primary child. If a parent/guardian cannot be reached, we will call the emergency contacts. In the event that we cannot contact anyone to pick up your child by 4 p.m., we will contact the police for assistance.

  Registered after school child care (K-5) is available for a fee through SAC (720 561 3760). CM  staff is not available to supervise children who are not enrolled in these programs.

Lost and Found
If your child loses any personal items, please check the lost and found in the west entryway several times during the year. More valuable items may be in the office. Items remaining at the school  will be given to a charitable organization. Each child has a space for their personal belongings. We ask that all personal items are clearly labeled with the child's name. We ask that your children do not bring toys, money or medicine from home. Everything that was brought in on a given day should go home the same day.

Lunch Program
Hot lunch, milk, orange juice, water and Harvest Bar are available for a fee on a daily basis. CM features a Harvest Bar, which is a kid-sized self-serve bar that features fruits and vegetables. Check out the BVSD Nutrition Program for details and prices.
Community Montessori participates in the free and reduced price lunch program.  If you would like information on this program please contact Nutrition Services at 720 561 5042

The Garden To Table Program is aimed at enriching school education and inspiring students to adopt healthy sustainable lifestyles. The program allows teachers to integrate lessons with the curriculum and provide students with hands-on learning opportunities to connect to the food they put in their bodies and the environment that supports its growth. The four components to the program are: organic vegetable gardens, wellness promotion, healthy school food and environmental sustainability.

Recycling-Green Star Program
CM, in partnership with Eco-Cycle, participates in an innovative program aimed at significantly reducing the amount of waste. Bins have been set up throughout the building for discarding materials. This effort includes recycling and compost procedures. Education with students and staff is ongoing.

Registration and Open Enrollment
Application to Community Montessori of Boulder Valley is open to all families living within the BVSD. Families from outside the BVSD boundaries may apply, but are placed in the lottery after BVSD students.  Admission to Community Montessori is determined by the BVSD lottery system.  The Open Enrollment period is in late November to mid-January of each year. Parents may apply during the open enrollment period .(If new to BVSD, home-schooled or from a private school) throughout the year.  Families may apply to as many schools as they wish, but may accept a placement in only one school per child.  The school where placement is accepted becomes the home school.

School Supply Lists
Supply lists will be sent home in August. Please pay close attention as we are working with Eco-Cycle to purchase school supplies that are Earth-friendly.  If financial assistance is needed to help with school supplies, please contact the school office. The Crayons to Calculators Program assists families in need of backpacks and school supplies.
Please contact the office.

Sibling visits
In order to maintain the integrity of instruction in all of our learning environments, and to ensure equity for all children, the CM teachers respectfully request that children not be pulled out of their classrooms to join in sibling classroom activities. This can take the focus away from a particular classroom’s work and celebration, can pose a crowding/supervision issue, and can cause missed lessons/work for the sibling. Creating this “parents only” policy will lessen disruptions and will keep the focus on your child and his or her classroom activities. School birthday ceremonies are for the child’s class to honor his or her birthday, while curriculum festivities serve to share with parents the learning a certain class has done in a particular subject area.

This policy includes birthday ceremonies, curriculum celebrations, literacy events, etc. The exception to this policy is the continuation ceremony. If you choose to have siblings attend, please pick child up at classroom and escort back to classroom when the event is over.

Tardiness
Tardiness to school is unacceptable.  The school day begins at 8:00 and we expect that all students are in their assigned classrooms by that time.  If a student arrives after the start of the school day, the student must go to the office for a blue late slip. If tardiness becomes a habit, the principal will become involved.  Excessive tardiness will result in a mandatory parent conference and possible make-up time after school.

Use of School Facility by Special Groups
Use of the school facility by special groups, classes, and meetings (e.g., Brownies, Scouts, Spanish etc.) must be arranged through Community Schools (720 561 3760) and cleared through the school office.

Any groups using school space are expected to provide all their own supplies.  Classroom materials are not to be disturbed from the shelves and animals are not to be petted or removed from their habitat. Classrooms and shared spaces are to be left clean and arranged in the same conditions as they were found.

Wellness Policy
The Boulder Valley School District will support and promote proper dietary habits contributing to students’ health status and academic performance.
All foods and beverages provided by the school district during the school day shall support a school environment that encourages and models nutritious eating habits.

Please check with your classroom teacher regarding class snacks. Students in the class may have life-threatening allergies and dietary restrictions.

Withdrawing a Student
1. Notify the office.  You must sign a BVSD Notification of Withdrawal form.
2. Check with librarian to make sure that the child has returned all library books. 
3. Check with Nutrition Services (720 561 5042) to make sure your child is current with lunch money or if you 
   need a refund of lunch money.
4. Check with the  office if you have a primary tuition contract.