Attendance
School attendance is required for each student. There is ample research that shows the link of student attendance to student achievement. School begins at 7:15 daily. All students need to be in their classroom receiving instruction by this time. Please make every effort to ensure that your child is present and on time daily for class. Palm Avenue’s attendance policy states that you send in a letter of excusal every time your child is absent from school. If your child is absent from school for more than five (5) consecutive days for any reason, please be advised that the transportation office will delete the student from the assigned route. It is important for you to stay in contact with the driver and/or transportation office to avoid the need for reinstatement.
Cell Phones
Students are permitted to bring cell phones to school. By district policy, the phones must be turned off and put away during the school day. Students who do not comply may have their phone confiscated. Any phone that is confiscated must be picked up by a parent/guardian.
Custody
All custody records are kept in the child’s cum folder and need to be current. Unless specified in a court document, any legal guardian can have access to a child or the child’s school record. All applicable custody issues need to be on file and current in the child’s cum folder.
Dress Code
It is expected that each student dress appropriately for school each day. Male students should be neatly groomed and must wear a shirt, pants, and have proper footwear. Sneakers or tennis shoes are preferable. Flip flops or sandals that do not cover the foot or heel are not permitted. Socks must be worn. Females also need to wear a shirt or blouse with pants that are not form fitting or dress or skirt that is knee length. Tank tops, halter tops or other attire that exposes the midriff or shoulders are not permitted. Footwear must cover the foot and heel and not fit loosely. This is a general description of the school dress code. For a more detailed explanation, please refer to the Student Code of Conduct.
Emergency Information Form
All students must have a current emergency information form on file. This form includes parent or guardian address, phone numbers, emergency contacts, preferred doctor, and any person authorized by the parent or guardian to pick up the student. If the parent has more than one student in the school, please complete a card for each child. The information on this form needs to be current. Please contact the office if there are any changes to this information.
Office Etiquette
Palm Avenue School seeks to provide the highest quality education for its students. Our goal is to serve you and your student in the most professional and courteous manner possible. Parents are welcomed at Palm Avenue and we hope that your experience will be pleasant and rewarding. We ask that you are mindful of a couple of things when visiting with us. Our main office is a busy place. We will try to service every request in a timely manner. Please be patient if there is an issue or emergency that may delay serving you. We will strive to use proper decorum in the school at all times and ask that parents do likewise. We seek to model for our students the proper way to speak and behave. We ask that this is maintained in the office area and throughout our campus. No profane or abusive language will be tolerated. We also ask that parents dress properly when visiting the school. Shirts, blouses, pants, and shoes must be worn. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Parent Check-In
All parents who wish to go anywhere on campus outside of the school office must register and receive a sticker pass from the main office. For safety purposes, no adult is permitted on the campus without proper identification. To receive a pass, the parent or guardian must show proper ID (driver’s license or other current picture ID) and state the nature of the visit to office personnel.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Teachers are tasked with providing a quality education to your child in the least restrictive environment. To this goal, the teachers have scheduled certain times when they will be available for conferences (usually during their planning period). We encourage parents to have at minimum, two parent/teacher conferences per school year. All conferences/observations must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance of your requested date. To meet with a teacher to discuss your child’s progress, please schedule a parent/teacher conference.
Placement
All students at Palm Avenue School have gone through a recommendation process and have been staffed through pupil placement in the EE/SS office. Please contact 390-2073 if you have any questions concerning placement.
Privacy
Palm Avenue must comply with the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 and the Privacy Act of 1974. All student records can only be viewed by a parent or legal guardian. Be assured that your child’s information will not be disseminated to any third party for any reason. All court documents will follow the guidelines determined by the court.
Report Cards
Regular progress reports are published that outline the academic, physical, and social progress of your child. There are four IEP progress reports sent during the school year. These are sent home with the four formal report cards. In addition, your child may receive more frequent reports based on need or the teacher. The report card periods are usually at the end of October, in January, at the beginning of April, and at the conclusion of the school year. Please mark the dates of each report on your calendar so you will know when to expect this important information.
School Records
The school, by law, keeps confidential information on every student. This includes, but is not limited to social security information, health information, special needs information, and contact information. Palm Avenue School complies with all state and federal regulations in the collecting, storing, and dissemination of all student records. It is vital that the information we have is current. Please make sure that you keep a current phone and emergency contact on file for your child(ren). When a change in information occurs (e.g. phone, address, etc.) please update your child’s information in the school main office.
School Supplies
Teachers may publish a supply list for his/her class. Please make sure that your child has the necessary supplies daily to be successful.
Student Drop-Off Procedures
Parents who elect to drive their student to school should drop their student off in front of the school and escort them to the main office. Please make sure that you have signed-in your student and that they have been received by school personnel before leaving the campus.
Student Pick-up
Parents who are picking up their child need to park in the circle in front of the school and come in to the office to sign out your child. Students should be picked up no later than 2:00 PM.
If you need to pick-up your child before the end of school, please come to the main office and sign your child out. If you are allowing another individual to pick-up your child, you must indicate the name of that person on the school emergency information form. All persons picking up students must show proper ID before the student will be allowed to leave. No student will be allowed to leave campus with any person whose name does not appear on the student emergency information form. This is a district policy and there are no exceptions.
Tardy Policy
Students who are late to school must report to the main office and sign-in. Parents or guardians need to accompany the student into the office to ensure proper recording of the student’s attendance. The student will be accompanied by school personnel to class.
Visitors
All visitors must check-in at the school office to receive a sticker pass before traveling on the campus. For security purposes, no adults or children are permitted on school grounds (outside of the main office) without proper identification.