PARENT HANDBOOK

294 Washington Street Norwich, CT 06360 860.859.0407 stoneviewmontessori.com

Mission Statement Stoneview Childrens University celebrates the child. We share a commitment to assist each child with the development of tolerance and respect for people, and understanding of the cultural diversity of the world in which we live. We seek to foster within each child the tools required to become a competent citizen, a proponent of peace, and a responsible custodian of our natural environment.

Director Cynthia Fish

AMS Montessori Certified State Certified K-3 Sixth Year Degree in Professional Education Educational Consultant

M.A.T. Teaching

STONEVIEW CHILDRENS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL POLICIES The Montessori classroom is a warm, stimulating environment where children learn at their own pace in a non-competitive fashion. The results are a love of learning, a positive self-image and a sense of self-direction that form a strong foundation for future growth. Basic Montessori Curriculum areas are: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language and Mathematics activities, Geography, History, Cultural Studies, Science and Art supplement these areas. ADMISSION TO SCHOOL The following must be completed and returned to the school prior to your childs first day. Policies are subject to change at any time during the year. 1. Medical form 2. Emergency pick-up form 3. Enrollment Agreement The Stoneview Childrens University admits students of any color, f aith, tradition, nationality, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges of the programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to the children at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, faith, tradition, national or ethnic origin in administration of its education and admission policies and other school administered programs.

Stoneview Childrens University does not permit items that promote violence, including clothing, toys and action figures in the school. PROVISIONAL (TRIAL) PERIOD All students enrolling in the program for the first time are given a six-week trial period. The child may be removed from the program if SCU should decide during this period that the program is not meeting the child's needs. Tuition will be prorated for the time attended and any excess will be refunded. TERMINATION The school reserves the right to terminate the enrollment agreement at any time if the student's classroom teacher and the Administrator of the school determine that the student is or will be unable to thrive in the school's environment. The school anticipates that it would take this action only after attempting to resolve whatever problems exist. If the school terminates this enrollment agreement under these circumstances, tuition will be prorated. The parent may terminate this enrollment agreement by written notice to the school. When the agreement is terminated by the parent/guardian because of a student's protracted illness, or unexpected transfer, adjustment to fees must be requested in writing before the first (1st) of the month.

PROGRAM INFORMATION Stoneview Children's University offers full and part-time Montessori classes from 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. for children 2.9 months to 6 years. Elementary grades 1-3 are also offered. The student-teacher ratio is approximately 10:1 and the class has two certified Montessori teachers. Entrance to the school is in the rear of the building. A sign-in sheet will be provided and a teacher will be present to greet you and assist your child into the classroom. Stoneview Children's University offers Before and After School Programs to any child enrolled in the school's academic program at an additional fee. Before School Care is available to enrolled students between the hours of 7:00 - 8:20 a.m. at a cost of $5.00. Enrolled children may be dropped off any time after 7:00 and before 8:20 a.m. After School Care is available for enrolled students between the hours of 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. for an additional fee of $3.00 per hour. This program consists of free-choice activities. Children must be picked up no later than 5:00 p.m. or an additional late fee charge will apply. ARRIVAL It is important that children not be LATE in arriving for the 8:30 a.m. program. A late student not only misses out on learning time, but also finds it difficult to transition into circle. Late arrival delays group presentations and disrupts the flow of the morning once the children are settled. DISMISSAL

Dismissal time is at 3:00. Please be respectful of the pick-up time. Children will be dismissed one at a time to their parent or guardian. For the safety of the children, we ask that all children remain with their parent/guardian and not use the hall for a playground area. The 3:00 dismissal time will be strictly adhered to. A ten-minute grace period will be provided. After that time a $5.00 late fee will be applied for every five minutes your child remains beyond your contracted pick-up time. Please be sure to sign your child in and out daily. SIGN IN/OUT An attendance sheet is located at the entrance to the classroom. It is important that parents sign children in at arrival time and out at dismissal. Children may not sign themselves in/out. TRANSPORTATION Transportation is the responsibility of parents. You will be given a class list to aid you in setting up car pools. Please do not send someone to pick up your child who is unknown to the teacher and for whom you have not sent prior authorization. If someone other than the parent or the authorized pickup person listed on the enrollment form is to pick up your child on a given day, the school will need a written, dated and signed note from you stating who this individual is. If teachers have not previously met this individual, he/she will be required to present photo identification before the child will be released to him/her. When you bring your children to school, please be sure that they have entered the classroom before you leave. UPDATING INFORMATION Please inform the school if there is any change in the following information: names, address, phone number, emergency contacts or medical concerns. It is important to give the school notice of family events that may affect your child's behavior such as marriage, divorce, a new baby, a death or illness of a relative or a close friend. PARENT INVOLVEMENT/VISITATION Parents are welcome to participate in many aspects of the school program. Ideas and suggestions will be considered and incorporated if judged feasible to do so. Parents will be invited to visit at a scheduled time. Informal parent/teacher conferences will be scheduled and parents will be encouraged to come. Special time will be allotted for parents to share their concerns/views regarding the planning and carrying out of a suitable and consistent program for the care of each individual child. The staff will take the initiative in communications to make the parents feel secure, worthwhile, and welcomed. The staff will evaluate and record the progress of each individual child and share this information with the parents. FIELD TRIPS Field trips are taken during the school year. On these trips, the children will travel in personal cars and each child will be required to wear a seat belt. You will be notified of upcoming trips and any fees, special food, clothing or equipment needed for the trip. Please send in a car seat if one is required for your child's age or weight.

PERSONAL BELONGINGS Toys, which can be a source of conflict, should remain at home as should pocket knives. Special items that relate to schoolwork may be brought in to share with the class. If you are in doubt, please ask a teacher in advance. Please leave all toys, jewelry, costumes, money, candy, make-up or anything else distracting at home. Our Montessori classroom is filled with exciting things with which your child may work. Things from home are distracting to other children and are very easily lost. Sometimes our materials end up in your child's pockets. Small items may find their way into your home. Please do not throw them away. Bring them back to school so we may reunite them with the work material to which they belong.

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATIONS The Stoneview Children's University is authorized to administer medication. The medication will be stored in a locked medicine cabinet or refrigerated if need be and will be returned to the parent when no longer needed. The date and time of administration of any medication, the person administering it and the quantity will be recorded on the child's health record. The school will store and administer prescribed inhalers and epipens, non-prescription topical medication and EMERGENCY oral medications (i.e. Benadryl) only with parent's consent. An authorization form, which must be signed by doctor and parent, is available at the school.

PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES Non-prescription medication will be allowed to be stored in the locked containers with signed permission by the parent. Topical medications must be stored "inaccessible" in the original container and be labeled with the child's name and directions for administering. Parents will be notified when/if a child has been administered any mediation. Staff members are trained in the administration of medication by our physician consultant. This training is renewed every three years. At no time is an untrained staff member allowed to administer medication. ILLNESS-ACCIDENTS In case of an accident or sudden illness at school, you will be called as soon as first aid has been given. If you cannot be reached, the emergency number you indicate will be called. To ensure the best care for your children, parents need to sign a Permission-ToTreat form to allow administration of First Aid/CPR to their child and transportation by ambulance to the nearest emergency facility as seen fit by the emergency personnel. SNACKS Parents are required to provide healthy snacks and lunches for their children. We ask that you send items containing very little or no sugar. Occasionally, families will be asked to donate 100% juice to the classroom. The snack table is open to two children at a time and we always have water available for drinking.

LUNCHES Please send nutritious lunches. Do not send candy or soda in your child's lunch. Candy and gum are not allowed in school. Sharing of lunches will not be allowed and uneaten food will be sent home with your child. Please send lunches that do not need refrigeration or heating. We do not have the resources for this. State law requires an icepack in each lunchbox. Please notify the staff of any food allergies - NOT DISLIKES. Clothing Clothing should be comfortable, and appropriate for the weather. We consider our classroom workshops for children. Please be aware that craft materials including paint will be available to the children at all times. Although the children wear aprons, accidents are inevitable. Children need a complete change of clothes to keep at school. The child's change of clothes will be kept in a labeled box in the classroom. When an article from the box is used, the soiled clothing will be placed in a plastic bag and sent home. It is the parent's responsibility to replace the soiled articles the very next day. If necessary, we will call the parent to bring clothes to the school. The children will spend some time out of doors every day that is not extremely wet. During snow and mud season, extra shoes or slippers are a must and may be left in cubbies for convenience. All clothing to be left at school should be indelibly marked with your child's name. Muddy floors are no fun for the children to work on, and cold wet feet are uncomfortable. Please make sure that you send in proper wear for the winter season, Children need snow pants, hats, mittens and boots. Children do not have the option of staying inside so they must be dressed appropriately. One of the major aims of our program is to encourage independence in children. One step towards independence is the achievement of dressing and undressing oneself. Please have your child dress in clothes which he/she can manipulate him/herself. INDOOR FOOTWEAR All children must bring slippers or indoor shoes to be worn while in the classroom. This footwear will stay at school. Since the floors are used as workspaces, we want them to be as clean as possible. If slippers are selected, the child must be able to easily put them on. Examples of appropriate slippers are ballet slippers, moccasins, or grip socks. BIRTHDAYS As special treat, we would enjoy celebrating your child's birthday with a special snack from home. Your child will celebrate his or her birthday by doing the "Birthday Walk". The purposes of this event are to allow children to better understand why they have turned a year older, to recognize how they have grown and changed and to allow their friends to join in this celebration. The birthday walk consists of the birthday child walking in a circle around a yellow symbol that represents the sun. To introduce the concept of time and heritage, parents are asked to make a "time line" poster using one photo from each year of the child's life with a short sentence explaining each photo. With this, children begin to develop a sense of personal history and perceive their place in a bigger picture. Parents are welcome to come to school for the birthday walk to narrate the child's time line. If you are planning a birthday party, please mail your invitations to

the students. By passing out invitations to a select few at school, we have to deal with hurt feelings and numerous questions. Please be respectful of this. We will provide you with a class list. Please be aware, that we strongly encourage birthday treats to be of low sugar content. We will not accept cupcakes with artificial and dyed frosting. Please check with your classroom teacher to see what is acceptable. REST/QUIET TIME Parents are required to send a favorite blanket to the school in the event that the child tires and desires a nap. Rest/Quiet time is scheduled between 12:30 and 1:30. Blankets will be sent home Fridays to be laundered and returned the next Monday. Please remember to label all personal items. Please do not send sleeping bags or bulky items, as our storage space is limited. COMMUNICATIONS Mailboxes are provided for each family and staff member and are located in the front entry. The school will place important information regarding schedules, school happenings, etc. in these boxes. Parents may use them to drop a note to the Director or administrative staff. Please check your boxes daily. Mailboxes are for school matters only.

STUDENT FILES Children's files are confidential and are kept in a locked file cabinet in the office. If you would like to review your child's file at any time, ask the Director to do so. Please review your child's file before sending it out to another school program. You have the right to pass along whatever papers you feel are relevant. SCHOOL CANCELLATION We generally follow Norwich Public School closings, however occasionally we will make our own call in bad weather. Closings are announced on WFSB Channel 3 TV and WICH 1310 AM radio. If you do not feel comfortable driving in snow/ice, etc. you may keep your child home or pick your child up early. If we close early, we will contact you using the phone numbers on file. We try to notify all parents one hour prior to an early closing. A phone tree will be given out to help speed notice of cancellation. It is important that you call the next person on the list as soon as you are called. If you cannot reach that person (i.e. get an answering machine), call the person that is after the one you cannot reach also. ABSENCE If your child is unable to attend school, please notify the school. It is particularly important that you inform the school if your child has a contagious or serious illness. Children are not to be brought to the school with FEVERS, SNEEZING, COUGHING, DIARRHEA, VOMITING, or any contagious disease (e.g. chicken pox, pink-eye, etc.). You will be called to take your child home if he/she is not well. If your child has a

medical problem that requires special consideration (i.e. not going outdoors), please send in a written note to the teacher explaining your child's needs. If the teacher cannot accommodate the special need, the parent will be asked to keep the child home until he/she can resume a normal program. PHONE CALLS The school number is (860) 859-0407. Please call if you plan to arrive early to pick your child up. For after-hours information or concerns, the Director can be reached at (860) 334-7194 or at cteacher294@yahoo.com IN CLOSING We look forward to working with you at the Stoneview Children's University. If you have any questions or concerns that have not been addressed in this handbook, please feel free to contact the school administrator at your convenience. We look forward to getting to know you and having you join our community of families.