School Handbook
Our Mission
With God as our foundation, we educate and equip for service, for Christ, the mind, heart, and spirit of the 21st century learner.
This vision statement also serves as our mission statement as we strive daily to share our Christian faith and love toward one another through Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and lo, I AM with you always, to the end of the age.”
School Hours
School begins at 8:00 AM and dismisses at 3:00 PM for grades Kindergarten-Grade 8. STUDENTS MUST BE IN THEIR HOME ROOM BY 8:00 AM. It is the responsibility of the parent to see that their child is not tardy for class. Students who are not in the classroom at 8:00 AM are considered tardy and must go to the office and obtain an admit slip.
Upon arrival between 7:30 and 8:00, students should go directly to their homeroom.
Children will not be permitted to leave the school grounds without permission from the parent.
Drop-off / Pick-up Procedures
Drop-Off
When: 7:30-7:55am
Where: Back Parking Lot
All parents/guardians will enter through the paved alley alongside the playground. Stop at the stop sign and then parents will have 2 different options to drop off.
1. Drop and Go:
- Parents will turn right and follow the route along the Safety Zone (shown in yellow on map below)
- Children will exit the car themselves on the passenger side only and enter the Safety Zone area.
- Children in K, 1st, and 5th Grade will enter door #12 to the cafeteria and walk to their classroom from there (green line, see below).
- Students in all other grades will walk to the main entrance of the old building through the alley along the new gym (red line, see below).
- An administrator, teacher or 8th grade safety patrol member will be monitoring the alleyway and making sure students safely enter the doors of the old school building each morning.
- Parents will then exit the parking lot (white line, see below) making a right turn only onto 9th Street
2. Park and Walk:
- Parents will turn left into the parking lot and park in the indicated row (see map).
- Using caution, parents will walk their child to the safety zone or assigned door to drop off their child.
- Parents will then merge with the Drop and Go traffic and exit the parking lot (white line, see below) making a right turn only onto 9th Street.
Pick-Up
When: 2:45-3:00pm
Where: Back Parking Lot
- All parents/guardians will enter the back parking lot through the paved alley alongside the playground and park their car in any available spot.
- Each K-8 teacher will dismiss at 3pm and walk their class to the Safety Zone.
- Teachers will dismiss individual students once their parent/guardian comes to get their child from the Safety Zone.
- Alternatively, using caution, students in grades 5-8 may walk out to their parent/guardian’s car. 5th-8th grade teachers must be notified by the student that they are leaving.
- Two 8th grade crossing guards will be present in the parking lot to assist families.
- Parents will then exit the parking lot and make a right turn only onto 9th Street.
Special Instructions for Early Childhood
Drop Off
Nursery-Toddlers-2 Year Olds:
- Parents will follow Park and Walk (see K-8 procedures)
- AM staff will be stationed at Door 11 to do health screenings and then walk the child to their classroom.
3’s (McQuinn) – Parents will park on 8th street and walk their child to the Indigo Classroom exterior door. A health check will be performed before the parent leaves and the staff walks the child into the classroom.
PK (Kurtz/Caylor) – Parents will follow Park and Walk (see K-8 procedures) and meet staff at Door 12.
*After 8:00 am, please ring the buzzer at door 2 on 8th street. An aide will meet you at the door.
Pick Up
- For 12:30 pm pick-up, parents will be met at door indicated by their teacher (typically Cincinnati Street Door #3 or 8th Street Door #2).
- For pick-ups after 3:00 pm, unless otherwise indicated by the classroom lead teacher, parents will buzz at door 2 on 8th street and the teacher or aide will be notified. Parents will then walk to the designated pick up door.
Attendance
In order to receive the maximum benefits of a Christian education, regular school attendance is vital. Regular attendance develops dependability and responsibility in the student and significantly contributes to his or her academic achievement. We strongly encourage families not to schedule vacations or extended trips during the school year. These policies and procedures have been established to promote regular school attendance on the part of each student, provide the continuity necessary for students to be successful, and ensure that students receive the full educational experience at St. James.
Reporting Absences
Parents are required to call the school office if their child will be absent. Teachers will report all absences to the school office immediately after the school’s opening. Parents are to call the school office by 9:00 A.M. in the event of a child being absent from school. If the school has not been notified of the child’s absence, the secretary will contact the parent’s home/work to verify the child’s absence.
Regular attendance is essential if a student is to make use of the educational opportunities the school offers. A high level of attendance is a requirement for state accreditation. There are two categories of absences: Excused and Unexcused.
Excused absences include those for illness, doctor appointments, a death in the family, family emergency, extenuating circumstances, as agreed to by the teacher or principal prior to the absence.
Unexcused absences include those when the school is given no explanation for the absences or at the discretion of the principal.
- Missing work can only be made up at the discretion of the teacher.
**If a child does not return by 11:00 a.m. he/she may not participate in extracurricular activities that evening.
All other absences are considered unexcused. Unexcused absences of 10 or more days are determined to be truant. (Truancy means being absent from school with or without a parent or guardian’s knowledge.) Students with excessive absences (10 or more unexcused days) will be referred to Truant Mediation and counseled as to whether they continue their affiliation with St. James.
- Students who have attended less than 90% of the school year (i.e./missed 18 or more school days) could face possible repetition of the same grade.
- Vacation trips are strongly discouraged while school is in session. If a trip must be taken, the principal and teacher must be notified in writing one week in advance. Upon the student’s return, it is the student’s responsibility to make up missed work. See homework policy concerning due dates of homework.
- A doctor’s note is required when students are absent from school for medical, vision, or dental appointments.
- Students who serve as pages in the State Legislature or as exhibitors to the State Fair will not be counted absent.
- Parents are asked to exercise care not to remove children from the classroom during the time of any state assessment or achievement tests as these are extremely difficult to reschedule.
- If homework is requested in the morning, it can be ready by the end of the day. Homework requested for a longer period of time must be given at least 48 hours to put together before absences start.
- Upon returning from an absence, the student will have an opportunity to complete the homework in a period of time equal to the number of days absent, unless other arrangements have been mutually agreed-upon by the student and the teacher.
- Discipline measures may be given for students whose work is not made up within the allotted time.
Excessive excused or unexcused absences, defined as 11 or more absences per semester, will result in a required conference with the parent, principal, and teacher. If needed, this matter may be brought before the School Board. Absences resulting from short-term suspensions or authorized absences, such as those approved for participation in athletics or other extracurricular or co-curricular events are not to be included when evaluating excessive absences.
Tardies
Arriving on time for the start of the school day is important to the child’s education, the continuity of the classroom operations, and the child’s feeling of self-esteem. Parents should make every effort to have their child arrive at school on time. A signed note from the doctor, or dentist confirming an appointment is necessary in order for the student to be counted as an excused tardy. A student is tardy if he or she is not in the classroom prepared for class or when the 8:00 bell rings. Teachers will keep a record of tardiness and enforce the after-school detention for excessive tardiness. Single cases of tardiness do not require specific action. Every tardy (excused/unexcused) must be recorded on the child’s report card.
- All tardy students need to check in with the office upon arrival. They will not be allowed into the classroom without an office pass.
- All tardies, unless presented with a medical note, will be unexcused. Students arriving after 11 AM will be counted as absent for a half day. Students leaving before 11 AM will also be counted absent for half a day.
- Any student who accumulates four unexcused tardies in a quarter will receive after-school detention.
- Kindergarten – 4th grade…………….30 minutes
- 5th – 8th grade…………………………..45 minutes
- After the eighth tardy in a quarter, a parent conference with the principal will be required.
- After the 10th tardy in a quarter, a one day in school suspension (ISS) as outlined under discipline policy will take place.
- Any tardies beyond 11 per quarter may be submitted to the School Board for further action.
Appearance Guidelines
Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten
Students may be dressed in neat and clean play clothes to allow for participation in developmentally appropriate activities (i.e. painting, play dough, outdoor play). For the students’ safety, jelly shoes, sandals without a heel strap, and cowboy boots are not appropriate. Sandals may be worn with a heel strap. Students in infant/toddler, preschool 2s, preschool 3s, and pre-kindergarten are allowed to wear denim.
Kindergarten – Eighth Grades – as of September 14
- Solid-colored, striped or plaid polo shirt, Oxford shirt (button-down), or dress – color of your choice. Dresses must have at least a cap sleeve. Tops must not be too revealing – (use the width of the student’s hand from the pit of the neck as a guideline, lower than the width of the student’s hand is too low).
- Solid-colored pants, shorts, skirts, joggers or jumpers – school uniform in style and khaki, navy, grey or black in color. Skirts may also be plaid. Solid-colored leggings or shorts are required under skirts and dresses. Skirts, dresses, jumpers and shorts need to be mid thigh or longer.
- Denim may be worn on Fridays with spirit-wear or polo shirt – color of your choice.
- Solid-colored sweaters or sweatshirts may be worn over polo shirts.
- Shoes must include heel or heel strap (no flip-flops / slippers / slides). K – 5 students should wear shoes that are suitable for playing.
- If a student does not follow the dress code, their parents will be contacted to bring the correct clothing items. Repeated offenses may be met with additional disciplinary action.
- All students will receive one free polo with the St James logo after registration from PTL.
All student dress should follow Christian modesty. If you have any questions, speak with a teacher or Principal before purchase or wearing to school.
Frequently asked questions:
- Do dresses have to be collared?
- No, dresses do not have to be collared.
- Are other patterns allowed for dresses?
- No, only solid, striped, or plaid.
Places to find these items:
Walmart, Kohls, JCPenney, Once Upon a Child
Kids School Uniforms | The Childrens Place | Free Shipping*
French Toast – Online Store | School Uniforms – French Toast
School Uniforms & School Clothes for Boys and Girls (cookieskids.com)
Closing and Delays
Cancellations: Early Childhood and Daycare will be closed when K-8 school is canceled
Two Hour Delays
• School will start at 10:00 am
• Childcare opens at 9:30 am
Please check the following stations for delays or cancellations:
St. James School Website
TV-18
106.7 WGLM
98.7 WASK
105.3 WKOA
www.WLFI.com
Please give yourself plenty of time in case of snow and ice. Do not drive in a hurry to beat the school bell when the roads are slick. Tardy slips will be waived on days when road conditions are perilous.