Student Handbook
Dear Students and Families,
Welcome to a new and exciting school year at New Hope Elementary! It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome both our returning families and those joining us for the first time. We are thrilled to begin another year filled with learning, growth, and community.
Our theme for the 2025–2026 school year is “Lead with Kindness, Serve with Purpose.” This theme reflects our commitment to building a school culture rooted in compassion, integrity, and a shared responsibility to help others. We believe that through kind leadership and purposeful service, our students will not only succeed academically but also grow into thoughtful, responsible citizens.
This handbook has been created to provide you with important information about our school policies, procedures, and expectations. We kindly ask that all families take the time to read through it carefully. It is essential that students and families understand and support the guidelines outlined within to ensure a safe and successful year for everyone.
If you have any questions or need clarification on anything in this handbook, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Open communication and strong partnerships between home and school are key to student success.
I am truly looking forward to a fantastic year ahead. Let’s work together to make this school year one of the best yet!
With appreciation,
Debra Simons
Principal, New Hope Elementary
New Hope Elementary School - Our Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Goal
Our Mission…
“At New Hope Elementary, all students will achieve their full potential in a safe environment that establishes rigor, motivates, and provides opportunities for students to be college- and career-ready!”
Our Vision…
New Hope Elementary School will promote and support student accountability and nurture collaboration of staff, parents, students, and community to develop our students’ future.
Our Beliefs…
- Every student can succeed.
- Commitment to a clear and focused vision will guide us to high performance.
- Effective teaching is essential for student achievement.
- School and classroom environment impacts achievement
- Parent and community involvement is essential.
Student and Family Handbook
- Academic Expectations for Students/Student Promotion and Accountability
- Attendance Expectations
- Awards and Recognition of Student Accomplishments
- PBIS Recognition
- Bus safety and discipline
- Calendar Information and Important Dates to Remember 2025-2026
- Child Nutrition and Cafeteria Procedures
- Custody and Legal Guardianship of Students
- Dismissal
- FERPA
- Field Trips
- Grading System for K-5
- Homework
- Inclement Weather Procedures
- Late Arrivals/Early Checkouts
- Medications Administered at School
- Morning Meeting
- Parent Engagement Policy
- Parent Visits to Classrooms
- Parties
- PTO
- Reassignment
- Student Use of Wireless Communication Devices
- Technology- Student Devices
- Threats
- Transportation: Arrival & Dismissal (Carpool information)
- Board Policies
Academic Expectations for Students/Student Promotion and Accountability
Kindergarten, First and Second Grade: Students are expected to meet the standards of the end-of-the-year K-2 Reading and Mathematics Assessments, receive favorable teacher grades, and attend school regularly. Please see additional standards noted in the chart below.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade: Students are expected to meet the standards of the end-of-the-year Reading and Mathematics Assessments, receive favorable teacher grades on report cards, and attend school regularly. Please see additional standards noted in the chart below.
All staff are required to follow regulations developed by administration and approved by the superintendent. The following has been issued by the superintendent for the implementation of Board Policy 3420, Student Promotion and Accountability.
Promotion Requirement Standards
Grades |
Attendance Expectations |
K-5 |
85 percent of days enrolled |
6-8 |
90 percent of days enrolled |
9-12 |
90 percent of days enrolled |
Grade |
K-2 Reading Assessment |
Math Proficiency |
Teacher Grades |
K |
420 |
80 percent |
Satisfactory |
1 |
441 |
80 percent |
Satisfactory |
2 |
439 |
80 percent |
Satisfactory |
Grade |
EOG Math |
EOG Reading |
Reading Assessment |
Lexile |
Teacher Grades |
3 |
Level III |
Level III |
445 |
725 |
60 or Above in Reading and Math |
Grade |
EOG Math |
EOG Reading |
EOG Science |
Teacher Grades |
4 |
Level III |
Level III |
60 or Above in Reading and Math |
|
5 |
Level III |
Level III |
Level III |
60 or Above in Reading, Math, and Science |
Attendance Expectations
Awards and Recognition of Student Accomplishments
It is important that we recognize the accomplishments of our students throughout the year. 5th grade students will receive awards during our EOY Award Celebrations at a specified location. K-4th grade teachers may have an EOY Awards Celebration in their classroom. Teachers may also choose to give additional awards, as appropriate, throughout the year.
Awards may include:
- Principal’s List: Students in grades 3-5 who make all A’s on their report card
- Grades 3-5 Honor Roll: Students in grades 3-5 who make all A’s and B’s on their report card
- K-2 Honor Roll: Students in grades K-2 who receive 80% M’s and S’s on their report card
- Perfect Attendance: Students who have not been tardy (including early check outs) and who do not have any absences (including excused and unexcused).
PBIS Recognition
New Hope Elementary School participates in the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system to support and guide students toward improved social and behavioral outcomes. NHES will recognize students for meeting or exceeding PBIS expectations while on campus and in the school building. PBIS recognitions may include:
- Weekly Armored Knights recognition for bus students and classroom students
- Knight of the Month who exhibit our specific character trait of the month
- Ongoing classroom recognition for students who contribute to positive classroom norms
- Recognition for students with exemplary behavior (no office behavioral referrals, including bus) and 6 or less tardies/absences per nine weeks.
Bus safety and discipline
All students assigned to a bus for transportation are informed and cautioned through class instruction, supervision and otherwise, of the responsibility of the individual passenger for conduct and safety. Parents should be notified when disciplinary action is needed. All school bus passengers are required to observe good conduct. When the bus driver or others report instances of misconduct on a school bus by a passenger, the school administration shall exercise the authority designated to him/her for an investigation and appropriate disciplinary procedure for any passenger. (G.S. 115-186(b) and Board of Education Policy # 5415.) A school administrator may suspend, at his/her discretion, passengers from riding on a school bus for:
● Fighting, smoking, using profanity, or refusing to obey instructions of school authorities or a school bus driver while riding on a school bus.
● Tampering with or doing damage to a bus.
● Leaving the bus when in route from home to school (or vice versa), unless authorized to do so by the principal or his/her designee
● Playing, throwing objects, or otherwise distracting the driver’s attention while the bus is in operation.
● Failing to observe established safety rules and regulations required by law or adopted by the Wilson County Board of Education.
Changes in the bus route or bus stop are not permitted unless they are due to a change of address. In order to change the route stop, the proof of address would be required and turned into the office. Notes asking for students to be dropped off at a friend’s house or other unauthorized stops are not accepted due to that stop not being the student’s permanent residence.
Riding to and from school is a privilege. Each rider must be a responsible passenger. In meeting the school bus, passengers should:
- Be on time.
- Stand on the side of the street or highway and in no way interfere with traffic
- Cross the road under the protection of the bus stop arm and hand signal from the driver.
- Wait for your turn in getting on the bus.
On the bus, passengers should:
● Quietly take your assigned seat and remain seated while the bus is moving.
● Keep the bus clean (no drinking, eating or gum).
● Keep the aisle clear and hands/arms inside the bus - not out the windows.
● Talk softly
● Sit facing forward with both feet on the floor, hands to yourself, and personal items in your book bag.
● Noise levels should be low so the driver can hear.
● (AM riders) When leaving the bus, stay on the sidewalk until you quietly enter the school.
● (PM riders) When waiting on the bus, quietly remain seated.
When appropriate, the following steps will be taken in dealing with bus offenses as reported by school bus drivers:
- 1st Offense: Parental notification and counsel with student; may receive up to 3 days off the bus.
- 2nd Offense: May receive up to 5 days off the bus.
- 3rd Offense: May receive up to 10 days off the bus.
- 4th Offense: May receive up to 10 days off the bus or may be suspended from the bus for the remainder of the school year.
Calendar Information and Important Dates to Remember 2025-2026
Calendar Info and Important Dates to Remember 2025-2026
Click HERE to view the WCS Student Calendar, Testing/Assessment Calendar, and other available WCS Calendars. These calendars are subject to change, so please visit often.
District Progress Report and Report Card Schedule 2024-2025 (Subject to change. Please see the WCS calendar for updates.) |
|
Event |
Date |
1st 9 Week Grading Period |
|
Progress Reports |
September 22, 2025 |
Grading Period Ends |
October 16, 2025 |
Report Cards Go Home |
October 27, 2025 |
2nd 9 Week Grading Period |
|
Progress Reports |
November 18, 2025 |
Grading Period Ends |
December 19, 2025 |
Report Cards Go Home |
January 12, 2026 |
3rd 9 Week Grading Period |
|
Progress Reports |
February 9, 2026 |
Grading Period Ends |
March 12, 2026 |
Report Cards Go Home |
March 23, 2026 |
4th 9 Week Grading Period |
|
Progress Reports |
April 27, 2026 |
Grading Period Ends |
June 3, 2026 |
Report Cards go home |
June 22, 2026 |
Other important dates will be shared during the year. Please be on the lookout for information regarding the following events:
Aug 21st: Open House/Meet the Teacher (4:00-6:00 pm)
August 21-September 19th: Fall Fundraiser
August 25th: First Day for students
September 2nd-22nd: Beginning of Year mClass Assessment (K-3rd)
September 9th: Beginning of Grade (BOG) Reading assessment (3rd Grade)
September 15th-19th: STAR Math Assessment (1st-5th)
September 22nd: Picture Day for K-2
September 22nd: Progress Reports go home
September 23rd- Picture Day for 3rd-5th
September 25th- PTO meeting (5:45-6:15 pm)
September 25th: Curriculum Night (6:15-7:00 pm)
October 6th-10th: Fall Panorama SEL Survey Administration
October 15th: Read to Achieve Assessment
October 16th: End of the 1st 9 weeks
October 17th: Teacher Workday
October 20th: 3rd-5th Reading Benchmark
October 21st: 2nd-5th Math Benchmark
October 22nd: 5th Science Benchmark
October 27th: Report Card Pick Up (6:00-7:00 pm)
October 27th- 31st: Red Ribbon Week
November 4th: Teacher Workday
November 11th: Holiday
November 18th: Progress Reports go home
November 20th: Possible Chick-fil-a Spirit Night
November 26th: Teacher Workday
November 27-28th: Fall Break
December 1st-5th: K-5 STAR Math Assessment
December 8th-12th: Book Fair
December 11th: STEM night (6:00-7:30 pm)
December 10th, 12th: Bring Someone Grand
December 15th-19th: K-1 Math Assessment
December 17th: 2nd Grade Math Benchmark
December 19th: Early Release (1pm dismissal)
December 19th: End of 2nd 9 weeks
December 22nd-January 1st: Winter Break
January 2nd: Teacher Workday
January 5th: Teacher Workday
January 12th- February 2nd: Middle of Year mClass Assessment (K-3rd)
January 12th: 3rd-5th Reading Benchmark
January 12th: Report Cards Go Home
January 13th: 2nd-5th Math Benchmark
January 14th: 5th Grade Science Benchmark
January 19th: Holiday, no school
January 21st: Parent/Teacher Conference (3:30-5:30 pm)
January 29th: PTO meeting (6pm)
February 6th: STEM Competition
February 9th: Progress Reports
February 11th: Early Release (1pm)
February 23rd- February 27th: Panorama SEL Survey
March 2nd-6th: Read Across America Week
March 3rd: Battle of the Books
March 12th: End of the 3rd 9 weeks
March 13th: Teacher Workday
March 23rd: Report Cards Go Home
March 24th: 3rd-5th Reading Benchmark
March 25th: 3rd-5th Math Benchmark
March 26th: 5th Grade Science Benchmark
March 30th: K-2 Spring Pictures
March 31st: 3rd-5th Spring Pictures
April 3rd- 10th: Spring Break
April 14th-17th: K-5 STAR Math Assessment
April 24th- Spring Fling
April 27th: Progress Reports Go Home
April 29-May 19th: End of Year mClass Assessment
May 1st: Teacher Workday
May 5th: Celebrate National School Fitness Day
May 11th- 15th: K-1 Math Assessment
May 12th: 2nd Grade End of Year Math Assessment
May 20th: 3rd-5th Reading EOG
May 21st: 3rd-5th Math EOG
May 22nd: 5th Science EOG
May 25th: Holiday, no school
May 28th: Read to Achieve Assessment
May 28th, 29th, June 1st: EOG Retests
June 1st: 5th Grade Ceremony (5:30-6:30pm at Elm City Middle School)
June 3rd: Last Day of School, Early Release
Child Nutrition and Cafeteria Procedures
All students continue to be eligible for breakfast at no cost. Breakfast will continue to be served “grab & go” style and will be consumed in the classroom. At New Hope all students are covered under the CEP grant; therefore, lunch is provided free of charge to all students. Additional snacks, desserts, and drink items are available for purchase.
Please see the following expectations regarding food and drinks at New Hope:
- All food and drink items must be consumed at lunch and disposed of at the conclusion of the lunch period.
- Open containers of liquid are not permitted; a thermos or sealable bottle is ok, but not cans, as they can spill and cause a mess.
- Students may not sell or barter food items.
- Students may not use microwave ovens at school. Staff will not heat food for students in the microwave.
- At lunch, parents are invited to sit with their child only at the visitors’ table. Due to space limitations and safety concerns, please do not ask another student to sit with you and your child.
Custody and Legal Guardianship of Students
If a parent is in possession of a valid court order that limits or removes the rights of one parent regarding custody or other school-related matters, a copy of that order must be on file in the school office. New court orders should be shared with the school as soon as possible. Existing court orders should be provided at the beginning of each new school year, and also at any time changes are made to the order. If no valid court order is provided, it is assumed that both parents have equal rights. The school cannot “take the word” or verbal direction of one parent over another. We must have a valid order in our possession to proceed accordingly.
If applicable, parents must provide schools with specific parenting time schedules in order for our school to comply.
We strongly encourage parents with court orders to meet with the teacher and principal to discuss and review.
Dismissal
Change of Transportation: All changes in transportation must be provided in writing. A note should be sent to the homeroom teacher no later than the morning of the change in transportation.
2:30 Rule: Students shall not be checked out after 2:30 pm. At the end of the day, an elementary school becomes a very busy place. Cars are lining up, buses are preparing to leave, and teachers are finishing the instructional day with students. We respectfully ask if you need to pick your child up early from school that you do so before 2:30 pm.
If you must pick up your child from school for any reason during the regular school day, please enter through the front door of the school and ask for your child before 2:30pm. The secretary will call for your child when you arrive on campus and you will sign him/her out at the front desk. There will be no early check outs between 2:30-3:00 pm due to the high volume of traffic in the office and the continuous interruption to classrooms and instructional time.
In order to make traffic flow smoothly and protect students, parents should remain in their cars and follow the traffic flow into the school grounds each morning and afternoon to drop off and pick up their children. In the AM carpool line, there will be 2 lanes of traffic from the main entrance. In the afternoon, there will be three lanes and students are walked to their cars by a staff member. Parents MAY NOT park in an adjacent lot or across the street and walk over to pick up their child as this creates a hazardous and dangerous situation.
It is important that parents pick up children on time at the end of each school day. Parents who are late in picking up students from school must come into the office to sign out their child. Students should not remain on campus after carpool unless participating in a school-sponsored activity. Persistent tardiness in picking up your child at carpool will necessitate a meeting the the principal and/or social worker, with appropriate follow-up actions. Parents who are consistently unable to pick their child up in a timely manner should consider another form of transportation or after-school childcare options.
FERPA
Wilson County Schools’ Policy 4700 and Administrative Regulation 4700-R outline the right for parents and guardians to opt-out of sharing directory information. More information about your FERPA rights may be viewed HERE.
Schools use directory information to publish items such as yearbooks, honor roll, newsletters, and graduation announcements. This also includes information about opportunities for scholarship programs and colleges to be sent to you. A school may disclose directory information to third parties for non-commercial use only.
Schools will never sell information to third parties for commercial purposes. Directory information will only be used for official purposes and to colleges and universities if you so choose.
Field Trips
When appropriate, educators may utilize field trips to enrich and extend instruction. Any parent who wishes to attend or chaperone a field trip must be approved through the district volunteer tracking system which requires a clear background check. Sign up by visiting www.wilsonschoolsnc.net and enter volunteer in the search bar! The volunteer application should be completed at least one month prior to the field trip. Pending applications and expired approvals will not be honored.
We encourage parents to consider volunteering as a chaperone when appropriate. Per administrative discretion, approved chaperones may be assigned a small group of students to supervise during the trip. Field trips are considered an extension of the school day; therefore, applicable policies, rules, and procedures apply for the duration of the field trip. Please see Wilson County Schools Board Policy and Regulation 3320 School Trips for more information.
Approved volunteers who do not serve as chaperones may not be able to participate in the field trip activities due to venue limitations. If tickets must be pre-purchased for a trip, the school will secure only tickets for those adults volunteering as chaperones. Older or younger children/siblings/cousins, etc. who are not a member of the class are not permitted to attend field trips.
In order to ensure the safety of all, we adhere to the following guidelines:
- Because field trips are school/classroom events, and not designed to be individual parent/student/family events, we ask that all parents who wish to attend/participate sign up with your child’s teacher to serve as a chaperone for this event. You will be assigned a small group of students to supervise. Parents who are not utilized as chaperones for this trip should not expect to “join in'' with the class at the venue and will not be able to participate with the school or class group.
- Older or younger children/siblings/cousins, etc. who are not a member of the class are not permitted to attend field trips.
- Due to state and/or district policies, parent volunteers cannot ride our buses, so therefore must meet us at the venue. Feel free to follow our buses to the event if you prefer!
- Chaperones who wish to do so may check out their own personal child(ren) at the conclusion of the trip. Please note that this early checkout will be coded as a “tardy” for the day. See your child’s teacher for the sign-out sheet. All other students will return to school at the end of the trip via school bus.
- When paying for field trips, please send cash only in the correct amount, as teachers are unable to provide change for students
- If tickets must be pre-purchased for a trip, NHES will purchase only for those adults attending as chaperones.
- Please understand that these guidelines are enacted for the safety of all students. If you have any questions regarding this trip, please contact your child’s teacher.
Process for Alternative Transportation Request
If students ride home from a field trip with their parents/guardians, the school should keep a written record of the parent’s signature (form or roster). This record should be kept on file (hard copy or electronic) for at least one year from the field trip. Depending on the end time of the field trip, students that go home with their parents may be coded as an early checkout.
Grading System for K-5
When determining the final grade for a grading period, teachers shall weigh assignments and assessments as indicated in the tables below.
Grade Key for K-1:
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Homework
Because students complete assignments at varying paces, it is difficult to determine the actual length of time a student will need to complete a homework assignment. For this reason, it is expected that teachers will use sound judgment in determining the amount of homework assigned each night. The table below provides general guidelines for the amount of time a student should spend on homework nightly.
Grade Span |
Suggested Maximum Length of Nightly Homework |
Grades K – 2 |
30 Minutes |
Grades 3-5 |
45 Minutes |
Inclement Weather Procedures
All weather-related school closings, early releases, or late-starts will be shared by Wilson County Schools’ central office via phone and email, as well as posted on the district’s website at: http://www.wilsonschoolsnc.net/?DivisionID=20293.
WCS may elect to utilize a remote learning format in emergency situations, such as inclement weather, power outages, or other events.
Late Arrivals/Early Checkouts
- Students may enter the building beginning at 7:30 AM. Breakfast is served in the classroom beginning at 7:30AM.
- Students who arrive after 8:00 AM and/or leave before 3:00PM are counted tardy. These students must be checked in at the front office by a parent/guardian via our check in system.
- Help us maintain student safety! Please do not drop your child off in the morning before adults are outside on supervision duty or after staff have left the carpool area. Our doors lock promptly at 8:00 AM! Please do not place your child at risk by dropping him/her off unattended. Parents who are unable to bring their children to school or pick them up on time should utilize other means of transportation. Many area daycares provide transportation for their enrolled students to our school. WCS also provides morning and afternoon daycare, as available, for interested parents. For more information regarding the WCS Before-School or After-School Care programs, contact Amy Deans at amy.deans@wilsonschoolsnc.net or 399-7714.
- Breakfast: In order to increase the opportunity for students to begin their day with a healthy breakfast, Wilson County Schools has implemented BIC (Breakfast in the Classroom). This voluntary program allows students to eat breakfast in their classrooms taking no more than 15 minutes to eat. This program will allow teachers more instructional time with students than the traditional breakfast format and will also ensure all students get a chance to eat. Breakfast will begin at 7:30 and ends at 8:00 each morning. If your child arrives late they will be unable to get breakfast.
- Conferences: There are several things we must do in order to be ready when students arrive. Because of this we are unable to conduct impromptu conferences in the morning. We respectfully ask that parents schedule a time to meet with the teachers via email or telephone.
7:30 AM |
Carpool begins; students may be dropped off when supervising staff member is present |
8:00 AM |
Tardy; Official Start of School Day |
3:00 PM |
Dismissal Begins |
Medications Administered at School
All medication administered during the school day must follow Wilson County Schools guidelines, as outlined by the Superintendent and based on state health recommendations.
School staff may administer prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications only when proper authorization is on file. This includes a completed Medication Administration Permission form signed by both the parent and a healthcare provider (except for short-term prescriptions of two weeks or less, which only require parent signature).
Medications must be in their original containers, labeled with the student's name. Students are not allowed to share medications. Certain emergency and chronic condition medications (e.g., asthma inhalers, EpiPens, insulin) may be carried and self-administered by students, if approved by the healthcare provider, parent, school nurse, and principal.
All medications are stored securely unless they are emergency medications that must be immediately accessible. Unused medication must be picked up by the parent at the end of the school year or it will be properly disposed of.
Parents may administer medication to their child at school if needed. Please contact the school nurse or main office with questions or to obtain required forms.
Morning Meeting
At New Hope Elementary we will participate in a morning meeting. These meetings will take place each morning from 8:00 am to 8:15 am and will be an integral part of our daily schedule.
The purpose of these meetings is to:
- Foster a sense of community and belonging among students
- Set a positive tone for the day
- Discuss important announcements and upcoming events
- Encourage social and emotional learning through structured activities
We believe that these morning meetings will help create a more cohesive and supportive school environment, ultimately benefiting your child's educational experience.
Parent Engagement Policy
The Wilson County Board of Education and New Hope Elementary School believe that the education of children is a cooperative effort between parents and schools. Parents are their children’s first teachers and involvement by parents improves the educational achievement of their children. We believe that the involvement of parents increases the effectiveness of the program and contributes significantly to the success of the children. The New Hope School staff will strive to involve parents in activities throughout the school year.
We invite parents to give input into the development of their children’s instruction programs. Input is solicited through surveys, ConnectEd phone calls, and other means. Parents are invited to confer with teachers and administrators. Parents are asked to be active members of various committees at the school level. Parents are also encouraged to serve as volunteers in school activities.
Additional ways to promote parental involvement includes:
- Parent/student agendas provided by the school
- Notes/letters sent to parents
- Notification of student progress each nine weeks
- Phone communication through the ConnectEd system
- Written, electronic and/or phone messages soliciting volunteers and committee members
- Parent-Teacher conferences
- Teacher websites
- District-level initiatives
- Special Events
- Report Card Conferences
Parent Visits to Classrooms
We encourage parents/guardians to be involved in and support the educational program of our school. Active parental participation increases student learning and enhances your child’s elementary school experience. Sometimes, it is necessary or desirable for parents to visit their child’s classroom. Parents are welcome to observe and learn about the educational program at school subject to reasonable rules developed by school administrators (WCS Policy Code: 5020 Visitors to the Schools). Therefore:
Initial Requirement to Observe/Visit the Classroom: All parents/guardians who wish to observe or visit in classrooms must be approved on the WCS Volunteer Tracker system. Please visit the WCS website for more information. Pending applications and expired approvals will not be accepted.
Who May Visit the Instructional Setting: The privilege of observing a child’s instructional program during classroom time resides solely with a child's parent, legal guardian, or foster parent and does not extend to non-custodial grandparents, other interested close relatives, or caregivers.
Who May Be Observed: The sole purpose of a classroom visit by a parent is to observe their student and the instructional program being presented. At no time should a parent’s motive for or focus of a classroom visit be to observe another student or students in the classroom. If the Principal has knowledge of or suspects that the focus of a parent's classroom visit is to observe another student, he/she reserves the right to deny a requested visit or to end a visit in progress.
Scheduling: Visits must be scheduled in advance through the Principal or designee for a time and date convenient to the parent, teacher, and Principal/designee. No visits will be allowed while students are participating in assessments. Some other activities may be exempt from observation, as well. Same-day requests for classroom visits will not be honored unless initiated by the teacher and approved by the Principal or designee. In order to protect the learning environment for all, the Principal or designee may be present during the parent observation. Parents should plan to conference with the Principal or designee immediately following the observation.
Duration: To minimize potential interruptions and distractions during instructional time, the principal or designee reserves the right to limit the duration of classroom observations.
Conduct During Classroom Visitation: Parent visits to classrooms will be scheduled to begin and end in a manner that will not interrupt the instructional activities in progress. While visiting the classroom, the teacher will designate an area for parents to sit, generally in the back of the classroom. Parents are asked NOT to sit with or interact with their student or the teacher during the observation, unless specifically requested by the teacher to do so. Unnecessary noise or movement creates a disruption to the learning environment and must be avoided. Parents may NOT discipline their student during the classroom visit or while in the presence of other students. Parents who fail to observe the stated guidelines during their visit may be asked to leave the room if their presence or conduct interferes with the orderly operation of the classroom.
Parents wishing to discuss their student’s behavior or academic progress after observing him/her during class should schedule a parent conference with the teacher. Any other concerns or complaints may be addressed directly to the classroom teacher after regular school hours or to the Principal.
No Audio or Video Taping of Classroom: To protect the privacy rights of all students, video and or/audio recording of classroom visits by the parent or guarding is prohibited. Electronic devices that could be used to video or audio record, including but not limited to cell phones, should not be visible or operational during the visit. Violation of this guideline can result in dismissal from the classroom visit and/or the school site.
Parties
To protect instructional time and maintain a safe and secured campus, visitors will not be permitted to visit classrooms during the instructional day without being approved on RAPTOR and having a prior arrangement with the teacher and/or principal to participate in a classroom event or assist teacher with assigned tasks. If a parent would like to observe the classroom, prior approval must be given in advance and same day visit requests will not be approved.
Parents may bring cupcakes or a small treat for their child’s birthday if they wish, but it is not a time for a birthday party to occur and is not an approved class event. Snacks will need to be dropped off at the front office and the office personnel will deliver the snacks to the child’s classroom. Cupcakes/treats are to be given after our cafeteria’s operating hours (generally after 2:00 PM). All treats must be commercially prepared; due to state laws and regulations, no homemade goodies are allowed!
Please do not send (or arrange delivery of) gifts to students at school. Items including, but not limited to, flowers, balloons, and gift baskets create distractions and will not be shared with students at school or at school events. Items delivered to school for students by florists and/or other vendors will not be accepted. Many local vendors are aware of this policy and will not accept orders to be delivered to school.
PTO
The New Hope staff encourages all parents to join our PTO. While a separate entity from the school, we do depend on our PTO as a major source of financial and human assistance. Our PTO is very supportive of our school and throughout the years has provided us with computers, SmartBoard screens and projectors, furniture, grounds beautification, field trip and special event funding, tutoring, and other essential resources. Please be on the lookout for information about joining New Hope‘s PTO.
Reassignment
Students who do not live in the New Hope School district must apply for reassignment in order to remain for the school year. Reassignment must be completed every school year. In order to be approved for reassignment, students must be in good standing academically, behaviorally, and through attendance. If a child does not meet the criteria it will be recommended to the board of education that the student return to their homebase school. Transportation is not provided for students who attend on reassignment.
Student Use of Wireless Communication Devices
The possession of wireless communication devices is a matter of convenience and safety for students and parents, but the use of these devices can also be a disruption of the instructional process. The following rules apply at New Hope regarding student use of communication devices:
- Wireless communication devices include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones, electronic devices with internet capability, paging devices, two-way radios, or any similar device.
- Students are permitted to possess such devices on school property so long as the devices are not activated, used, displayed, or visible during the instructional day or as otherwise directed by school rules or school personnel.
- The school principal may develop and make available a plan for specific times and locations when students may access their wireless communication devices without consequences.
- The use of cellular phones and other wireless communication devices is prohibited on school buses.
- Students who participate in after-school programs are prohibited from using wireless communications devices during such programs.
- If students chose to bring a personal device for school use, rather than a school issued device, they need to complete a BYOD Form and return it to the media specialist.
- NHES/WCS is not responsible for personal devices at any time nor will we investigate any incidents of loss, theft, or damage.
- Please see the WCS Board of Education Policy # 3225/4312/7320 for more information.
Technology- Student Devices
Personal Devices
Students are free to use their own personal devices. They will connect to the WCS Guest Network daily. WCS is not responsible for personal devices at any time nor will investigate any incidents of loss, damage, or theft.
If students chose to bring a personal device for school use, rather than a school issued device, they need to complete a BYOD Form BYOD in Spanish and return it to the media specialist. The media specialist will then submit a help desk ticket to receive a personalized password for their account.
Student At Home Agreement
Before students take home a device and charger, they will need to complete the Chromebook at Home Agreement along with a parent signature. Chromebook at Home Agreement in Spanish
Acceptable Use Policy
Students will be signing their AUP electronically by using a Classlink account. No paper copies of AUP are necessary.
Threats
All threats made at New Hope are taken seriously. If a student creates a direct and immediate threat to the safety of other students or staff a minimum of three days of out of school suspension will be assigned. Depending on severity of the threat additional protocols may be administered such as notifying law enforcement. In all cases an at risk protocol will be followed to determine the severity of the threat.
Transportation: Arrival & Dismissal (Carpool information)
We will follow all safety precautions during arrival and dismissal of students. Please use our front carpool line to drop off your child each morning between 7:30-8:00 AM. Follow the directions of the adult on duty. Let students out at the front drop-off area only if there is a staff member stationed outside the front of the school at the carpool area. Please do not park in the bus parking lot as this lot is for buses, staff and other pre-approved persons only. Designated parking for K-5 parents is the front parking lot. Please use this lot to park if you have an early morning appointment with your child’s teacher.
Our self-contained students may be dropped off in the bus parking lot. Please park in the designated parking lot spots provided and walk your student to the side breezeway where you will be met by a staff member who will walk your student into the building.
Students who arrive late (after 8:00) or are picked up early (before 3:00) are considered tardy.
Our exterior doors automatically lock upon closing. For safety reasons parents should not drop tardy students off at the closed/locked front door area, but instead, should park, then enter the building to sign the child in at the office. If you are unknown to our office staff, an ID will be required for entry into the building. For safety reasons, please do not drop your child off unattended at the front locked door, as you will be leaving your child outside and unsupervised.
If you must pick up your child from school for any reason during the regular school day, please enter through the front door of the school and ask for your child before 2:30pm. The secretary will call for your child when you arrive on campus and you will sign him/her out at the front desk. There will be no early check outs between 2:30-3:00 pm due to the high volume of traffic in the office and the continuous interruption to classrooms and instructional time.
In order to make traffic flow smoothly and protect students, parents should remain in their cars and follow the traffic flow into the school grounds each morning and afternoon to drop off and pick up their children. In the AM carpool line, there will be 2 lanes of traffic from the main entrance. In the afternoon, there will be three lanes and students are walked to their cars by a staff member. Parents MAY NOT park in an adjacent lot or across the street and walk over to pick up their child as this creates a hazardous and dangerous situation.
It is important that parents pick up children on time at the end of each school day. Parents who are late in picking up students from school must come into the office to sign out their child. Students should not remain on campus after carpool unless participating in a school-sponsored activity. Persistent tardiness in picking up your child at carpool will necessitate a meeting with the principal and/or social worker, with appropriate follow-up actions. Parents who are consistently unable to pick their child up in a timely manner should consider another form of transportation or an after-school childcare option.
Board Policies
Several WCS Board Policies may be of interest to parents throughout the school year. Several policies of note are linked below:
- Student Behavior Policies (Policy 4300)
- Student Dress Code (Policy 4316)
- Homework (Policy 3135)
- Evaluation of Student Progress (Policy 3400)
- Evaluation of Student Progress (Regulation 3400R)
- Student Promotion and Accountability (Policy 3420
- Student Promotion and Accountability (Regulations 3420A-R)
- Student Promotion and Accountability (Credit Recovery)(Regulation 3420B-R)
- Graduation Requirements (Policy 3460)
- Graduation Requirements (Regulation 3460-R)
- Administering Medications to Students (Policy 6125)
- Administering Medications to Students Regulation 6125-R)
- Attendance (Policy 4400)
- Student Records / Release of Directory (Policy 4700)
- Student Records / Release of Directory (Regulation 4700-R)
- Technology in the Education Program (Policy 3220)
- Technology in the Education Program (Regulation 3220-R)
- Technology Responsible Use (Policy 3225/4312/7320)
- Internet Safety (Policy 3226/4205)
- Internet Safety (Regulation 3226-R/4205-R)
- School Safety (Policy 1510/4200/7270)
- Interscholastic Athletic Eligibility (Policy 3621)
- Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying Complaint Procedure (Policies 1720/4015/7225)