Student Handbook

It is important for each child to be at school every day. Please make every attempt to schedule doctor, dental and other appointments outside of the school day.  If your child will be absent, please call the Attendance Line at 651-259-1980. This line is available 24 hours a day. If you need to have your child dismissed early, please send a note with your child explaining your request. Students will not be released to anyone other than their parent/guardian unless the office is notified by written permission or a phone call to the office. Anyone picking up a child before the end of the school day is required to come to the office and sign the child out. When a student arrives after 9:35 a.m. the student must be signed in by staff in the health office.

 If your child has a serious allergy this needs to be reported to the Health Office and classroom teacher. Latex balloons are restricted from Roseville Area Schools. We ask that families not bring their pets to school. We have several children with pet allergies. Animals may be brought to school if the animal is a certified therapeutic animal (upon approval from the principal).

STUDENT HOURS: 9:35 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Students are not allowed to enter the building before 9:20 a.m. as there is no supervision. If you need childcare before the school day, you may contact Friendship Connection at 651-724-6317. Most students are transported to and from school by bus. Students must ride their assigned bus. If a student will be dropped off or picked up at a different stop, or ride a different bus, they need to bring a note from home giving them permission to do so. Your child will bring the note to the office. Students being driven to and from school should use the main entrance.  Cars should not drive in the bus drop-off zone or park in the fire lanes. When using the drop-off/pick up area at the west end of the parking lot, please remember:

• Pull forward as far as possible before you stop your vehicle
• Drop your child off on the sidewalk only
• NO PARKING – If you need to leave your car, park in the lot, and walk into school.

Dismissal: Any adult picking up a child from school will wait in the main entrance near the office. If you are picking your child up early or before the second bell (4 p.m.), you need to sign your child out in the office.

Like many elementary schools, we take precautions to ensure student safety. All entrances remain locked throughout the day and individuals must enter the building through the entrance at the southwest side of the building. Our security buzzer is on from 9:35 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. All visitors must sign in and wear a visitor badge while in the building.

EDW Elementary School is committed to providing a respectful learning community for all students. We use a variety of tools that are both proactive and reactive in design so students are successful. The approach is grounded in the Responsive Classroom model and the following core beliefs, which guide our actions and interactions with students and others.

We believe it is essential for staff, students, parents, and community to work together.

• Knowing the families of the children we teach is as important as knowing the children we teach.
• Knowing the children we teach individually, culturally, and developmentally is as important as knowing the content we teach.
• Parents are partners in a child’s education.

We believe in meeting the individual needs of all students.

• Working with the individual child’s needs does not mean treating each child the same.
• Children grow through stages of development.
• The growth of a student should be focused on self-control and making ethical decisions.
• Consistency is essential and consequences are necessary and logical.

We believe students have the right to learn.

• There is a specific set of social skills that children need to learn and practice in order to be successful academically and socially: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self control (CARES).

We believe students learn only when they are in a safe, supportive environment.

• All children want to be good.
• All children want to and can learn.
• All people make mistakes.

We believe students learn when engaged in relevant and meaningful work.

• How children learn is as important as what they learn.
• The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interactions.
• The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.
• Tools to help us build a caring, inclusive community.
• Build social skills.
• Build academic readiness.

Morning Meeting: Gathering as a whole class to greet one another, share news, and warm up for the day ahead. Morning meetings are held in the homeroom classrooms every morning. We encourage you to join us.

Establishing and Sharing Hopes and Dreams: members of the community share the goals they want to achieve.

Creating Rules Collaboratively: helping students create classroom rules that allow all class members to meet their learning goals.

Logical Consequences: responding to misbehavior in a way that allows children to fix and learn from their mistakes while preserving their dignity

• Loss of privilege
• Take a break
• Reparations

Most inappropriate behavior is corrected by re-teaching or through some low-level intervention, which occurs in the classroom. If the behavior is dangerous, against the law, or continues to disrupt the learning of others, more significant measures such as dismissal, suspension or expulsion may occur. The following behaviors may result in significant measures: sexual, racial and religious harassment, bringing a weapon or look like a weapon to school, verbal and/or physical assault/harassment.  

Students who bring a weapon to school may face immediate suspension and possible expulsion. This includes pocket knives. Any type of play weapon is not allowed. Please make your child aware that under no circumstances should a weapon be carried to school.

Fighting is mutual conflict in which both parties contribute to the situation by verbal and/or physical action. This includes “play fighting,” which oftentimes leads to real fighting. We teach all students that violence is not an acceptable way of dealing with anger and frustration. All children need to know how to deal with anger. It is not ok to use physical violence when someone disagrees with us, teases us, takes something that belongs to us, or hits us first. In the event that this should happen, students should know how to safely remove him/herself from the problem and report it immediately to the supervisor. Children need to know how to protect themselves when someone is trying to hurt them, not how to hurt that person in retaliation. In other words, “punching back” will not be an acceptable excuse for fighting with another student. Depending on severity of the incident, consequences for inappropriate behavior may range from conference with a staff member, loss of privilege to removal from school.

Roseville Area Schools has revised Policy 508 – Bullying Prohibition, to comply with the requirements of the Safe and Supportive Schools act, MN Statutes 121a.031. This policy assists the district in its goal of preventing and responding to acts of bullying, intimidation, violence, and other prohibited conduct. Bullying means: repeated intimidating, threatening, abusive, or harming conduct that substantially interferes with a student’s educational opportunities or performance, ability to participate in school functions or activities or receive school benefits, services or privileges. This includes cyberbullying which is the use of technology or other electronic communication transmitted through a computer, cell phone or other electronic device to bully. No teacher, administrator or other employee of the school district will knowingly permit, condone or tolerate bullying. The school district will investigate complaints of bullying by students and take appropriate action against any student who is found to have violated this policy. To see the complete Bullying Prohibition Policy 508, refer to the district webpage.

All calls during the day to classrooms go directly to voicemail. Teachers are expected to return calls within 24 hours. If you need to talk with your child or change pick up plans please notify the office staff directly.

It is extremely important that we have all student records updated. Please be sure to report all changes to the school office.

EDW seeks to create a fun educational environment for all learners. Throughout the school-year students and staff come together to demonstrate a sense of pride and strong community well-being at our Bobcat Pride assemblies. During this time we sing the school song and play interactive/cooperative activities related to our Responsive Classroom core values—Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and SelfControl—C.A.R.E.S.

To encourage a sense of building-wide community, we have fall, winter, and spring celebrations. In the fall, we celebrate community, team-building and our Responsive Classroom C.A.R.E.S. We kick off our winter celebration of reading with a Bobcat Pride assembly. Students and staff take time at the end of the school year to intentionally engage in a celebration of learning with picnics and classroom community events.

In alignment with Roseville Area Schools’ Equity Vision, EDW staff members strive to provide an inclusive learning community for all families regardless of race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, home or first language, religion, national origin, age, or physical appearance. To this effect, school-wide and classroom celebrations are not directly linked to calendar holidays.

Families with a television or access to the Internet can find out if school is cancelled or starting late. Because our district is small and without rural roads, we often remain open when Minneapolis, St. Paul, and even Mounds View are closed. The district will make an effort to notify families via phone or email.  We are part of the Roseville Area Schools. These sites also will tell you if school is closing early due to severe weather conditions. Please talk with your child about where to go and what to do if school closes early and you cannot be reached.

Positive attitudes and behavior are directly related to appropriate dress and good grooming. Appearance and dress are to be in good taste at all times. Just as outdoor temperatures can vary greatly throughout the day, so can the temperature from one area of our building to the next. It is a good idea to send children to school wearing layered clothing that can be removed or added as needed. We want to promote a healthy, respectful lifestyle so clothing that advertises alcohol or tobacco products, or has a message that is disrespectful of others is not considered school wear.

Winter Weather

We ask students to wear the following clothing items during the winter months: warm jacket or snowsuit, hat, boots and mittens. Snow pants are recommended for students who like to play in the snow. Students without boots at school must remain on areas with blacktop.

The purpose of the reporting system implemented in the Roseville Area Schools is to communicate to families about academic achievement, progress and learning related behaviors. It is intended to inform families about learning and personal successes and to guide improvement efforts. Conferences are scheduled twice each year (fall/ winter). Conference sign up sheets are sent home with each student with a selection of dates and times.

Conferences are beneficial to students, families and teachers, so we work very hard to provide families with a preferred choice time.

Roseville Area Schools collects, maintains, and releases information about students and their families only for legitimate educational purposes including instruction, guidance, and research as provided in federal law and state statutes.

The purpose of this policy is to establish expectations of dress for students consistent with Roseville Area Schools' Equity Vision. Safety and belonging are important components of a positive school culture. This policy is focused on promoting both components.

Inappropriate dress includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Student attire that creates a danger to health or safety
• Attire that creates a material and substantial disruption to the educational process, school operations, or a school sponsored activity; that can reasonably be forecasted to create such a disruption; or that reflects aggression, including microaggression, toward any protected class
• Clothing or accessories with words, pictures, caricatures, based on stereotypes of a specific gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or disability
• Clothing or accessories with American Indian team names, logos, or mascots that depict stereotypes

The dress code policy applies to all school days including summer school, school-related events and activities such as dances, prom, graduations, and educational travel.

Additional Dress Information

Wheeled shoes may not be used at school. Shoes must be worn at all times, and tennis shoes are required for physical education. During winter it is important that  students wear clothing appropriate for  the weather (hat, gloves or mittens, scarf, boots, etc.). Students will be outside for recess everyday unless  the temp and/or windchill are below  zero degrees or there is precipitation.  Weather reports are consulted before sending students outside on cold days.  Boots need to be worn usually from the  first snow until the playground dries up  in spring. The boots keep the feet dry allowed at school. The school is not responsible for any such item if it is broken, lost or stolen.

The use of tobacco, alcohol and chemicals is strictly prohibited on school grounds. This includes all activities before, during and after school for all students, siblings, parents, and staff.

Roseville Area Schools is working to prepare students and staff for emergencies. As we all are aware, there are many different situations involving safety, health or security, which may occur in our schools. Our goal is to prepare our staff and students to properly react to the various types of problems which might occur. You may hear of our preparations during the school year as your child brings home information or comments on some of the discussions held at school related to these issues. Our emergency response effort includes a variety of situations, including bus accidents, illness or injuries, hazardous accidents, weather emergencies, utility emergencies, assault or intruders, bomb threats, evacuation plans, and missing children. We are required by the State of Minnesota to practice five fire drills and five lockdowns per school year. We ask that you provide medical emergency information for the students information file. This along with emergency numbers are very important in case of an emergency involving your child. Each building has an ER Team (Emergency Response Team). In the event of an evacuation our site is the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection located on the corner of County Road D and Victoria Street. We feel that it is a good idea to spend some time with your child going over some of the situations that could occur and what you would like to see him/her do in those situations. It is always a good idea for your child to carry a card with name, address, and phone numbers in their backpack. This is helpful especially for very young students who may get on the wrong bus, or do not remember his/ her information.

Friendship Connection provides year-round, school-age childcare to EDW’s  K-6 children. For more information, call Ariel Gittens at 651-724-6317.

As part of the Roseville Area Schools, EDW provides a Gifted Cluster Model Program in grades 1 – 6.  Students are placed in a heterogeneous classroom with a small gifted cluster group of 4-8 informally or formally identified students. Teachers are trained in the characteristics and needs of gifted students. They are equipped with strategies and differentiation techniques to challenge and support all students. Each elementary school has a designated AATD lead teacher who facilitates enrichment opportunities and represents the school on the Roseville Area Schools AATD Advisory Council. Contact information for the AATD lead teacher can be found on the district website under AATD Programming and Services. The AATD lead teacher is accompanied by a parent representative from EDW on the task force. Academic competitive programs are offered at the school. EDW has a history of involvement in the Future Problem Solvers and Math Masters programs in grades five and six. More information about philosophy, identification and other details can be found here.

Literacy includes reading, writing, and oral communication as detailed in the MN Academic Standards in Reading and Language Arts, as well as district outcomes. The literacy program maintains strong alignment to expected content in each grade while also advancing our district’s strong focus on equity.

The program emphasizes a gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student. Skills first are taught explicitly by the teacher, and then often are practiced together in cooperative settings, with students practicing independently only after strong initial support has been provided. This approach helps to ensure a high likelihood of success for all students.

Students read a wide variety of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry across a range of genres. Nonfiction selections are aligned to national science and social studies standards. Selections become more varied as students advance through the grades. Writing instruction aligns to reading, with students often learning to write the same genre as they are studying in their reading groups. Students are taught to write in a variety of forms through a process approach that includes pre-writing, writing, revising, editing, and publishing. Spelling, grammar, and usage are taught both through specific lessons that help students expand their skills, as well as through applied activities like process writing. Greater emphasis is given to applied/embedded activities as students advance through the program, although specific skills lessons are part of instruction at all grades. Student motivation is fostered through the varied texts and activities students complete throughout the program. Students have ongoing opportunities to talk about their learning, and to read, write, and think critically throughout their K-6 experiences.

Lost and found articles are kept in the “Lost and Found” area, which is located in the main hallway. Several times during the school year items are placed on “claiming tables.” Items not collected are donated to an area charity. To guard against lost articles, please use a marker to label items with your child’s first and last name. Items left on the bus can be claimed by calling Centerline Charter at 651-482-1794.

Students who lose or damage library materials, textbooks, or other school property will be assessed a fine to cover the cost of loss or repair. The fine will be refunded if the book or other lost item is found later and returned. Families unable to pay the cost of the item are asked to contact the principal to make arrangements.

All meals (breakfast, lunch, and after school super snack) are available at no cost. Families are still encouraged to fill out the Application for Educational Benefits each year.

Menu Choices

All menu items including photos, descriptions, ingredients, allergens, and nutritional information can be found here. Meals include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. All meals and snacks meet the dietary guidelines the USDA school nutrition programs. Special meal accommodations can be made with a Special Diet Statement signed by a medical provider.

Invitations to birthday parties and other activities should be mailed from the family’s home. We ask that invitations not be handed out at school unless the entire class is invited. Transportation to parties should be made independent of school busing.

Life Touch Studios will take individual and class pictures for all students in the fall of each year. Picture retakes are taken a month later. Picture packages are available for purchase. In addition, yearbooks are offered for purchase in the spring of each year. Notices are sent home with students in the winter regarding yearbook sales. Scholarships are not available for pictures or yearbooks.

Students use the playground only under the supervision of adult staff members. Safety rules are reviewed with the students the first week of school and periodically throughout the year as needed. Our students don’t have equipment such as, helmets and padding that is required for physical contact sports. To protect their safety, tackling, wrestling, pushing, tripping, hitting, kicking, and other body contact activities are not permitted. The throwing of snowball, sports equipment, and other objects at another person is also prohibited. Running and chasing others on the playground equipment is unsafe and not allowed. Good sportsmanship is expected at all times. Students who swear, berate others or name call will receive the same interventions as those described above.

Each Thursday every family will receive the Thursday Update from the school. This will be delivered to you via email.

 A list of school supplies can be found on the EDW website. If you need assistance with supplies please call Juli Fick at 651-724-6312.

Students often are hungry by midmorning. They are encouraged to bring a nutritious snack to eat during their classroom break. Foods such as fruit, vegetables, and cheese will give them the energy they need to make it until lunch is served.

Healthy kids learn better. In order to align with federal mandates that aim to provide the best learning environment possible and support student achievement, the school district made changes to its wellness policy starting with the 2017-2018 school year. As of the 2017-2018 school year, birthday celebrations will not include food or drink. Parents/families are asked to not send birthday treats with their student to school. The new guidelines help students avoid unhealthy snacks while still providing plenty of room for tradition and fun. If there is a non-birthday classroom event that calls for families to provide snacks, families are asked to only send nutritious snacks. Information about healthy snacks can be found on the district’s Nutrition Services webpage at rosevillenutrition.com.

The job of our volunteers is to help the bus driver safely transport students to and from school, to escort kindergarten student to and from the buses at school, and to help with loading and unloading of buses at school. Some patrols help our walking students cross the street safely.

I understand many important educational resources are accessed using school technology. I will use technology in schools for educational purposes only. The school has a right to monitor my use of school technology. I will use respectful language and behavior while using school technology. I will be mindful of school resources by printing only what is absolutely necessary. I will not give out personal information about myself or anyone else while using school technology.

Our mission is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. We do this by:

• Facilitating access to ideas and information
• Collaborating with teachers in the teaching of information literacy and technology skills
• Encouraging reading and the use of information skills to promote literacy and lifelong learning

The media/technology curriculum is integrated into the classroom curriculums. For more information on the media/technology curriculum, contact the library media specialist.

Library Media Center Hours

The Media Center is open most times during the school day. Students may check out books with a pass from their teacher, or during their regularly scheduled library time.

• Shawna Traver, Library Media Specialist
• Pachie Vue, MITA Media/Technology Curriculum

Students come to the Media Center weekly to check out books. The number of books your student is able to check out depends on his/her grade level:

• Kindergarten and 1st grade: 1-3 books
• 2nd grade: 3 books
• 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade: 4 books

Under certain circumstances, students may be permitted to checkout fewer or more than the normal number of books for their grade level.

Overdue notices are sent home with students who have overdue materials. If a child feels s/he has received an overdue notice in error, s/he should check with the library staff who will investigate further.

At the beginning of each year, students are taught how to properly care for library books. Guidelines discussed include:

• Having a special place at home just for library books
• Not eating or drinking while reading
• Keeping books out of reach of younger children and pets
• Turning the pages from the side or top corner instead of the bottom
• Carrying books between home and school in a backpack
• Using a bookmark instead of folding the corners of pages to keep your place

Students must pay for lost or damaged Media Center materials. If a lost item is found and returned to the media center within one year of payment, a full refund is given. If payment creates a hardship for the family please talk to Media Center staff for alternative options, which include the option for students to help out in the Media Center to supplement the cost of the book.

Students are encouraged to make their own book selections as part of a learning process to determine which books are right for them. Students take out books for many different and valid reasons. They are encouraged to take many different types of books, both fiction and non-fiction and teachers may have requirements as to the type of books they choose (i.e., one of the books they choose should be a practice reading book, biography, etc.). If you are unhappy with the choice your child makes, discuss it with him or her. Find out why he chose the book and if he enjoyed having it. If he feels he did not make a good choice, discuss what might be a better choice next time. Remind him that the library staff knows almost every book in the library and is always happy to match books with students. The Media Center has a computerized catalog and circulation system. Students are taught how to conduct computer searches for materials by subject, title, and author.

Each school in Roseville Area Schools has a health office staffed by a health assistant under the supervision of the licensed school nurse. The school health office functions to support students who become ill or injured during the school day, administer medications to students who require it, and provide assistance to students who need support with the management of chronic health conditions at school.

You are encouraged to contact the licensed school nurse if your student has a chronic health condition requiring management during the school day, or if you have a question regarding your student’s health.

If your student becomes ill or seriously injured at school and it is necessary for them to go home, you or your designated emergency contact person will be contacted by the Health Office to pick up your student. Students who are 18 or older may sign themselves out at the discretion of school staff.

Please notify the school office immediately each time your phone numbers or emergency contact names/numbers change, or update them in ParentVue (CLICK HERE). We depend on you for this information and we need to be able to reach you quickly in case your student is ill or injured. If we cannot reach you or your emergency contacts, we may call 911 or contact the police. Students are not allowed to call parents from a classroom to request permission to go home. 

Not every health office visit will be reported home. You are encouraged to call your school health office with any questions.

The following will help you decide whether your child is too sick and should stay home from school.

• If your child has a fever of 100 degrees or more, they should stay home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal and remains normal without fever-reducing medication.
• If your child has vomited or has diarrhea, they should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
• If your child had any rash that may be disease-related or the cause is unknown, check with your healthcare provider before sending them back to school.

If your child is ill, please call the school to report the absence each day of the illness. If you have questions regarding your child's illness, please call your school nurse or healthcare provider.

For students with health conditions that require medication during the school day, parents/guardian-provided medication is administered by the licensed school nurse, or by the health assistant or other staff under the direction and supervision of the licensed school nurse. There is no school supply of medication.

For the protection of students, families, and school personnel:

• A new medication permission form is required each and every school year.
• All medications needed during the school day are stored in the health office. Medications required in other programs or outside the normal school day hours are stored in a secure location in that program’s area.
• If there are concerns about any student medication, the licensed school nurse may contact the health care provider and/or request a healthcare provider’s order for an over-the-counter medication.
• Medications prescribed for more than two (2) weeks and which must be taken at school must have the “Dispensation of Medication” form signed by the prescribing provider and the parent/guardian. For over the counter medications, a parent’s signature only is required.
• Medication prescribed for less than two (2) weeks requires written permission from the parent/guardian only.
• All medications must be in original containers labeled with all of the following: student’s full name, medication name, dose, and times of day to take medication.
• Students are not allowed to self-administer medication without approval from the licensed school nurse, parent/guardian approval, and health care provider signature (for prescription medication).
• At the end of the school year medications will be sent home with students unless otherwise indicated. Return of controlled medications (e.g. ADHD medications) will be coordinated with families. 

Parents/guardians are encouraged to contact the licensed school nurse at the child’s school to discuss any concerns or special needs, or to request assistance in obtaining required authorization from their healthcare provider.

Prescription and over-the-counter medications will be stored in a locked cabinet in the Health Office. Emergency medications (e.g., asthma inhalers, seizure medications, epinephrine pens) will be stored in an unlocked cabinet for easy access in the event of an emergency.

Roseville Area Schools are allergy aware and strive to provide a safe school environment for students with life threatening allergies. Please provide an anaphylaxis action plan each school year, or every 12 months. To plan accommodations specific to your student, please contact the Licensed School Nurse.

Minnesota law requires students to be immunized against certain diseases or have a signed, legal medical or conscientious exemption kept in the student health record. These requirements apply to all students whether they attend public schools, private schools, or home schools. Appropriate documentation must be provided to the school health office in order for the student to enroll or remain enrolled. If a parent or guardian objects to immunizations for either medical or personal reasons, a notarized statement is needed on the Student Immunization form. The notarized statement specifies the immunization(s) the child will not be receiving. Download the form here, or contact the health office for information about obtaining a medical or conscientious exemption.

Licensed school nurses conduct vision and hearing screening at school in alignment with the recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Teachers may identify a student who appears to struggle to see and then can request that the student is screened. Parent/guardians may also contact their licensed school nurse and request screening for their child.

Schoolwide screening provided in select grades, as recommended by MDH, are a way to identify students who may need glasses. Students may also be screened as part of a school special education evaluation. Often individuals are not aware that they are struggling to see details at a distance, so screening is helpful to identify those who should follow up with their healthcare provider.

Health screenings that licensed school nurses can provide at school include: 

• Distance vision acuity
• Close vision acuity
• Spot Vision Screener that can identify several different vision conditions
• Eye muscle balance for lazy eye (amblyopia) (for preschool to grade 1)
• Color vision deficiency 
• Hearing

When a student’s ability to attend school is interrupted by major illness or injury, they may become eligible for homebound instruction when the length of absence is anticipated to be fifteen or more school days. The application for homebound instruction is made through the school nurse. Allotted time is one hour per day for each day missed. When students have an extended illness that does not qualify for homebound instruction, they may request homework from teachers through the nurse or student support services.

Students should arrive at their stop no more than five minutes before the scheduled arrival of the bus. Students need to wait at the bus stop in a safe, courteous manner. Safety means staying out of the street and not playing games near traffic. Courtesy means being respectful of private property near the bus stop. Parents are responsible for their child’s behavior and safety; to and from the bus stop, prior to entering and immediately after exiting the bus. Bus transportation is a privilege extended by the board of education; it is not a right. All students are required to obey bus conduct rules which are in place to protect the safety and wellbeing of all students. Failure to observe these rules may result in the loss of bus privileges. If your child will be riding a different bus home from school, please send them with a note giving them permission to do so.

1. Immediately follow the directions of the driver and patrols
2. Sit in your seat facing forward
3. Talk quietly and use appropriate language
4. Be safe: Do not throw any objects, do not stick your head or arms out the bus windows
5. Keep your arms, legs, and belongings to yourself
6. Show respect for others (no fighting, harassment, intimidation or horseplay)
7. Treat the bus with respect
8. No eating or drinking
9. Do not bring any weapons or dangerous objects on the bus
10. Obtain permission before riding on any bus to which you are not normally assigned

Roseville Area Schools’ School Safety Home Training Lesson

Minnesota state law requires that school bus safety be taught in schools during the first weeks of school. The law also suggests that young students receive school bus safety training before they come to school the first day. As a parent, you are your child’s most influential teacher. We ask that you teach your child about school bus safety. The information below will help you explain to your child how to be safe on and around the bus. Spend some time with your child on these points. Explain the reasons why they are important, and go over them again three or four times on different days so that your child will have a safer bus ride when school starts.

Bus Safety Guidelines

1. Be ready for the bus at the scheduled time. Bus times are set based on the streets that they run on and with a standard loading time. If a student is late to the stop, and the bus has to wait, the bus will be late to all the rest of the stops and to school. Bus riders who are late to stops often don’t act safely, and are in more danger than if they were ready on time.
2. Wait until bus is stopped before moving toward the bus and getting on. Often students get anxious as the bus arrives, so they run forward while the bus is still moving. This is a dangerous practice because a student could slip or fall in front of the bus
3. After getting on the bus, go to a seat, sit down and stay seated. Law requires that students be seated while the bus is moving. Students should sit down quickly so that the bus runs on time. If a student is standing when the bus is moving, he or she may get knocked down or around by the movement of the bus.
4. Remain quiet on the bus, so you don’t distract the driver. While the bus is moving, kids often talk, and that is OK unless it gets too loud. When the bus is loud the driver can’t hear important things like sirens or train whistles, or can be distracted by having to pay attention to the kids and miss something important like a stoplight, or a car coming from another direction.
5. Do what the driver tells you to do.  The driver is in charge of the bus, and sometimes has to tell students to be quiet, or to sit down, or to wait to get on or off the bus. The driver is trying to keep students safe and so kids should do what he or she says.
6. Make sure that you get on the right bus – know your bus number. The bus that takes a student to school may be different than the bus that brings them home at the end of the day.
7. Be ready to get off the bus when it get near your stop, don’t get out of your seat until the bus is stopped.  Many times young students get so involved in a conversation and forget to watch for their stop. This means that the student has to take time to gather their belongings before they get off the bus. Doing this makes other stops late.
8. After getting off of the bus, move away from the bus. If you have to cross the street wait until the driver has placed the stop sign in position.

Communication with families is very important to every staff member in our building. We want to be able to take the time to answer questions and address concerns effectively. Talking with families while students are present makes effective conversation difficult and is disruptive to the class. Before and after the student day, teachers often have team, staff, or other meetings scheduled and not always available if a parent stops by. We ask families to call in advance, so the teacher can devote the time needed for a productive conversation. This also allows the teacher to prepare any materials or information that might be helpful for the parent.

We have a very active community of volunteers. We appreciate having help in the Media Center and classrooms. During the year, we have special activities that require extra hands. For parents that can’t come to the school during the day we have a variety of

The PTA sponsors a variety of community-wide events including: Fall Fundraiser, Fall Festival, Imagination Book Fair, Science Fair, Family Fun Night and the Spring Ice Cream Social and Book fair. PTA President for the 20192020 school year is Christine Friberg. Meetings are held the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Free childcare is provided.

Parents/guardians need to send a note with their child. If the decision is made during the school day, the parent should call the school office to make arrangements. We ask that these calls are made before 3:30 p.m. The adult picking up the child will need to sign the child out in the office before they will be released. Students are not allowed to enter cars in the parking lot unless a parent or other adult is with them.

Yes. We ask that families send a note to the school with information as to who will be responsible for your child while you are away. Please be sure to add current contact numbers in the event of an emergency/ illness. As with a family vacation, please notify the health office along with the child’s teacher.

If you have concerns relating to the classroom we ask that you contact the teacher. If the problem cannot be resolved, the family or teacher is asked to report the issue to the principal.