Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

This handbook was prepared to provide you with information about the policies, procedures, and rules of Rutland School. Parental and student expectations are also outlined. The educational process works best when the home and the school cooperate and work together. Please feel free to communicate with the school whenever you feel the need by calling, e-mailing or coming in to see the teachers or administration personally. The individual attention that our staff can give each child is our biggest advantage. We only ask that you follow the procedures as outlined in this handbook so that the process can function most effectively. If there is a question about the procedure to follow, it is always best to call the office.

We urge you to read this handbook carefully, even if you are familiar with last year's handbook. Items in bold have been changed or additions have been made. Those parents/guardians who have students who are unable to read or to understand this handbook are asked to explain to them anything that would concern them. We encourage you to go through the handbook with your child, no matter how young or old he/she may be.

Please keep this handbook. You will need this as the year goes on. A copy of this handbook is also posted on our website, www.rutlandgradeschool.org.

We look forward to this year and hope that with the cooperation of the parents/guardians, students, and school group we can be a highly effective team.

Sincerely,

Mr. Ruff

Principal

Dear Parents/guardians and Students of Rutland Grade School,

We believe that if students are to succeed in school they need support from their families as well as from teachers and school employees. Part of that support includes creating and protecting certain conditions that have proven to promote success in school. Students are less likely to succeed if the school personnel are acting alone in their efforts for children. When school and family are in agreement and working together our students’ chances for success increase.

In order to improve the chances for that success, we would like to work in cooperation with students and families where all parties do their part to help the students. Students, parents/guardians, and school personnel all share the responsibility to promote success in school. If one of the groups fails to fulfill their responsibilities the chances for success are diminished. We are including some examples of best practices of families whose students have been successful students.

From A Contract for Families by Henry Levin and Clive Belfield’s article you can see what families do with children who are successful in school:

Those parents…

· Know what is exemplary behavior

· Set aside reading time for children

· Reward good school performance

· Discuss school experiences

· Communicate with children more

· Review child’s schoolwork daily

· Meet with teachers

· Actively monitor children’s work and leisure time

· Take children to the library regularly

· Decrease conflict within the home

· Live in neighborhoods that are more socially organized

· Do not move often (children do not have to change schools)

Ideas from our employees:

· Establish a moral foundation of right and wrong in the home

· Model good character for children

· Give a child a little rope but always hold on to the reins. They need freedom; will make mistakes, but parents/guardians always need to be there with support and love.

· Attend those extracurricular activities.

· Monitor TV programs, video and computer games, and Internet use.

· Children repeat what they hear at home. Think before you speak.

· Respect your child as you wish for them to respect you.

· Eat meals together, without the TV, and talk to each other.

· Listen to your children. Often times what they say isn’t what they mean

· Having high expectations will help bring better results.

· Set goals with your children and reward them when those goals are met.

· Work within the proper channels to solve problems at school. Children play “divide and conquer” well; however, parents/guardians and school personnel need to present a united front.

· Create a homework spot and time when children can work without distraction.

· Make an effort to know the classmates and friends of your children.

· Participate and volunteer at school.

· Teach your child to respect the adults in their lives.

· Teach and value the Character Counts traits at home: respect, responsibility, fairness, trustworthiness, citizenship, and caring.

VISION STATEMENT

At Rutland Grade School we strive to provide for the development of students in an interesting and educationally sound atmosphere.  We provide an opportunity for students to acquire skills, information, and self confidence to maximize their potential for success and productivity as citizens. Administration, faculty, staff, students, and community members work together in an atmosphere of mutual respect because we appreciate the power of cooperation.  By working together we will achieve more than we ever could on our own. We have high expectations for our students and ourselves as we continue to improve and grow.

RUTLAND TWP. COMM. CONS.SCHOOL DISTRICT #230

Faculty & Staff

Superintendent Teacher's Aides

Mr. Mike Matteson Mrs. Cheryl Thoms

Mrs. LeeAnn Niemann

Principal Mrs. Patti Alderson (Psych/Soc. Sec.)

Mr. Mike Ruff

Hearing Itinerant

Grade 8 Ms. Kathryn Lang

Mrs. Laura Parks

Social Worker

Grade 7 Mrs. Karen Kline

Mrs. Pam Stack

Speech Pathologist

Grade 6 Mrs. Renae Gallagher

Mrs. Lori Buinickas

School Psychologist

Grade 5 Mr. Kevin Gallagher

Mrs. Alaina Weatherford

Care Coordinator & Bus Driver

Grade 4 Mrs. Trudy Carretto

Mrs. Roberta Aubry

Bookkeeper & Secretary

Grade 3 Mrs. Debbie Pusateri

Ms. Kristin Coulter

Receptionist & Bus Driver

Grade 2 Mrs. Carolyn Finucan

Mrs. Lois Dunn

Custodian

Grade 1 Ms. Dee Wiberg

Ms. Melissa Poulakos

Cafeteria Manager

Kindergarten Not available at the time of printing

Ms. Jennifer Baracani

Special Education

Mrs. Catherine Cole

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Mrs. Linda Backos, President	Term expires in April of 2011
Mr. John Jones, Vice President	Term expires in April of 2011
Mrs. Cheryl Wignes, Secretary	Term expires in April of 2011
Mr. Mark Gualandri	Term expires in April of 2009
Mr. Marc Fogarty	Term expires in April of 2009
Mr. John Maynard	Term expires in April of 2009
Mrs. Janet Meyer	Term expires in April of 2009

Treasurer to the Board

Mrs. Bette Meyer

PTO Officers

President – Mrs. Teela Boe

Vice President – Mrs. Karen McGrath

Secretary – Mrs. Jeanine Behrens

Treasurer – Mrs. Nancy Meyer

BELL SCHEDULE

8:40 School day begins

11:45 – 12:25 Lunch for the K-4 students

12:00 – 12:40 Lunch for the 5-8 students

3:15 School day ends (Regular schedule) 355 minutes

2:20 School day ends (Tuesday early dismissal) 300 minutes

1. ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Students entering Kindergarten must reach their fifth birthday by September first of this school year. Students entering first grade must reach their sixth birthday by September first.

2. PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS AND IMMUNIZATIONS

All students entering kindergarten or grade 5 or enrolling in Illinois for the first time must present to the school a written form showing a complete physical examination. Dental examinations are mandated for children entering kindergarten, second, and sixth grades. All students must show proof of immunizations against certain communicable diseases. Exemptions from these requirements may be made under certain statutes of Illinois law. See the superintendent if you wish to apply for an exemption.

Notification of physical and immunizations must be presented by the first day of pupil attendance. Admission shall be denied until proper notification has been made. (Ill. School Law). Physical examinations are required for all participants in inter‑school athletics. Please have your sports physical completed on an IESA form if possible.

Students must turn in a physical examination to their coach or athletic sponsor before they can engage in practice for any inter‑school athletic activity. This includes basketball, track, soccer, volleyball, cheerleading, or any other activity which may be added.

State law also requires that students participating in interscholastic sports show evidence of accident insurance coverage. If the family does not have hospitalization coverage, the student should take the optional accident insurance offered by the school's carrier.

If you have questions about this, contact the school office for the full text of the Board of Education Policy and the School Code of Illinois.

3. ABSENTEEISM/TARDINESS

All students are to be aware that school begins at 8:40 a.m. Any student who enters the building after 8:40 a.m. may be considered tardy, and THESE STUDENTS MUST REPORT TO THE OFFICE BEFORE GOING TO THEIR CLASSROOM. Students with excessive tardiness will not be considered for perfect attendance honors.

If a student is absent, parent/guardian must call in the absence to the school office between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. If a household does not have a phone, a written excuse must be presented to the teacher the day following the absence. Students may not call themselves in as absent. If the school is not notified by 10 a.m. of the student's absence, state law requires us to contact the parents/guardians. Those working parents/guardians who fail to notify the school may receive a call at work. Please call us to avoid this disturbance. In case of excessive absences or tardiness, the student will be reported to the LaSalle County Truancy Officer. All unreported absences are considered unexcused absences

Bus drivers should also be notified of the absence before the bus route begins (approximately 7:30 A.M.). Your bus driver will inform you of the best phone numbers to use prior to school. If notifying the bus driver is not possible, please try to notify the family before you on the route and have the message relayed to the bus driver. You can also contact the school office. We will do our best to relay the message your child’s bus driver.

Our policy is to offer students with “excused” absences a “day-for-a-day” in terms of making up work missed due to absences. Although this is our standard practice, each student’s case is dealt with independently. Ultimately this time period will be left up to the teacher’s discretion. Therefore please be sure to call in your child’s absence. Those absences considered “unexcused” may have a harder time making up the work and missed work may result in a zero. The State of Illinois only permits a handful of valid reasons to miss school and authorizes each school to validate absences. For more information, see the Illinois School Law Survey text.

Students will be allowed two days per year for bereavement days. These days will not affect perfect attendance requirements for Honors Day. The office must be notified at the time of absence that the student is using his or her bereavement days.

4. BEFORE SCHOOL PROCEDURE

When students arrive on the bus in the morning, they are to go directly to their classrooms. Students not riding the bus are to use the main entrance and are not to enter the building before 8:40 a.m. Please enter and exit the parking lot with great caution anytime students might be present. Students should not be in the classroom without a teacher's permission.

5. AFTER SCHOOL PROCEDURE/EARLY RELEASE OF STUDENTS

At the end of the school day, classes will be dismissed in an orderly fashion to the buses. For the safety of our students, all Rutland students involved in extracurricular activities and those students not riding the bus home will be held in school until the buses are released. If you need to have your child immediately after the dismissal bell rings, an authorized adult must come into school and sign the child out on the clipboard in the hall. The student then becomes the responsibility of the authorized adult.

If your child must leave school before dismissal time, please be sure to have the student come to the office with a note stating the time he/she is leaving and the reason for early release.

6. SCHOOL FEES AND ATHLETIC ADMISSION

Because the State of Illinois has provided funding for textbooks for the past several years, all textbooks are free to students at Rutland School. We do, however, have a consumables fee to cover the cost of workbooks, paper, etc., used by the students. The fee for this school year is $25.00 per semester ($50.00 per year) for students in grades K‑ 8. Payment will be expected in full at the beginning of the semester if payment for the entire year was not made at the time of registration. Partial payment or waiver of fees will be accepted in cases of hardship. Arrangements for partial payments are to be made in the school office, which will also have available applications for waiver of fees because of need.

Students are liable for the condition of their textbooks. If books are lost or suffer extreme damage the parent will be billed for the book(s). Library books, reference materials, or school equipment issued to the student will also be the responsibility of the student and parents/guardians.

Family passes for admission to home basketball and volleyball games are available for $8 per sport or $20 per year for all sports. This does not include away games or any tournament games.

7. STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Please be aware that the school does not carry accident insurance on students or visitors. Student accident insurance is not compulsory but is recommended for those who have inadequate home coverage. Insurance forms will be sent home with students at the beginning of the school year. Insurance also covers students in practice for athletics, participation in athletics, or in attendance at or in transit to and from athletic events or other school sponsored events if transported by school transportation.

All students participating in inter‑school athletics must carry student accident insurance unless a proof of insurance plans is verified. This includes basketball, track, volleyball, soccer, cheerleading, or any other activity which may be added. Checks for student insurance are to be made payable to the insurance company, not to the school. Call the school for details if necessary.

8. HOT LUNCH AND MILK PROGRAM

The school cafeteria will be available for those students desiring hot lunches. One milk is provided per hot lunch. Students also may carry sack lunches and may buy milk, if so desired. Lunch and milk cards may be used only by the student they are purchased for; they may NOT be shared. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is available as a substitute for the main entree if desired.

The cost of a school lunch is $1.80. Lunch cards will be sold to students in the school office for $18.00 each. Parent/guardian may purchase more than one lunch card for a student at one time. Students may purchase a second serving of the entrée each day for 50 cents. Students turn their money for seconds in to the teacher during lunch count in the morning. At the end of the school year, or if a student moves, all lunches not used will be refunded in the school office or cards will be given to a younger brother or sister. No refunds less than $2 will be given. The only students who may purchase individual lunches at the end of the year are eighth grade students without siblings at Rutland School. All lunch cards are good for a total of 10 lunches. If you think you’re a candidate for the Free & Reduced Lunch” program, be prepared to share with us all of your W2’s, or a copy of last year’s taxes, or your TANF card. These are the only indicators of proof-of-income that we are allowed to work with.

When the last lunch is used on a lunch card, it will be returned to the student. It then becomes the responsibility of the student and parent/guardian to see that a new card is purchased in the school office so that the child may eat on the next school day. It might be a good idea for parents/guardians to keep a record at home of lunches purchased in case the student forgets to inform the parent/guardian that a new lunch card is needed. If possible, it is suggested that payment be made by check. This will serve as a receipt for your records. Credit for unpaid lunches will be limited to 5 lunches. If lunches are not paid for, or if a free or reduced‑price lunch application is not completed and approved, students will be denied lunch.

Milk cards (10 punches) are available for $2.00. Students may choose from white or chocolate milk. Students in Kindergarten and first grade may have a milk break in the morning; therefore milk cards are required. Students wishing to purchase milk for a sack lunch or extra milk with a hot lunch may do so if they have a milk card with remaining punches.

SINGLE LUNCHES OR SINGLE MILKS CANNOT BE PURCHASED.

Parents/guardians whose income falls under certain income guidelines may be eligible for free or reduced‑price meals. Contact the office if you do not receive a free lunch application at enrollment. Milk tickets must still be purchased.

9. LOCK FEES

All students in grades 7 and 8 must purchase a school lock. Students in other grade levels participating in extracurricular activities will also need a lock to secure their belongings. The current price will be listed on the fee sheet at registration. This is only purchased once, as the lock may be used each year. No other locks will be allowed, as these locks are keyed or combinations are recorded so that authorized school personnel can open them in an emergency. The school reserves the right to open and inspect lockers at any time. Please remind your student to put their personal items, school uniforms, and valuables into their locker and lock it!

10. P.E. ATTIRE

All students in grades 7 and 8 must have navy blue shorts and a yellow T‑shirt for P.E. All students need tennis shoes to be used for inside PE only. In addition, students are expected to wear other tennis shoes for outdoor PE. They will not be allowed to wear their inside PE shoes.

11. CHECKS FOR PAYMENT

All checks in payment of consumable fees, hot lunches, milk, or other fees are to be made payable to Rutland School. INSURANCE CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE PAYABLE TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY. Please note that there is a $25.00 NSF fee in effect for checks made on insufficient funds.

12. REPORTS CARDS TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS

Report cards will be issued home quarterly. Parent‑teacher conferences will be scheduled in the fall and spring. However, conferences are recommended whenever teacher or parent/guardian deems it advisable. Other forms of teacher communication will be sent to parents/guardians at any time that a teacher feels parents/guardians should be immediately informed of negative aspects in their child's scholastic or character development. Such notes are to be signed and returned to the school in the same manner as the report card.

13. PARENT/GUARDIAN‑TEACHER CONFERENCES

Conferences are encouraged. All parents/guardians wishing personal conferences will be notified after the end of the first and third grading periods as to a designated time for their personal meeting with their child's teacher or homeroom teacher. Fall conferences are strongly encouraged!

14. EMERGENCY FORMS

Emergency forms are required. Emergency forms include information needed in case of medical emergency or early dismissal, etc. Be sure to indicate any medical condition which might affect your child's treatment in case of an emergency. PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE PHONE NUMBERS OF SOMEONE WHO IS AVAILABLE TO COME AND PICK UP YOUR CHILD IN CASE OF ILLNESS OR EMERGENCY DURING SCHOOL HOURS. PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM AND RETURN IT TO THE OFFICE IMMEDIATELY. Be sure to notify the school of changes in home or work phone numbers so the records can be updated as necessary. Only the persons listed on the district form will be allowed to pick children up from school. Some form of identification may be required. If anyone is to pick up the children who is not on the list, parents or guardians must notify the district.

15. ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINE

To enable the school to monitor the possession and use of prescription medicines by students on school property, it shall be the obligation of the parent/guardian whose child has been prescribed medication by a duly licensed physician to notify the administration of the type and dosage of the pharmaceutical product prescribed. All medications, including over the counter products, possessed by a student upon school property shall be accompanied by a parent/guardian letter of direction specifically stating dosage and time to be given. This information must be signed and dated. Any medication or drug found in the possession of a student on school grounds in absence of proper documentation and letter of direction as aforesaid shall be reported to the administration.

No employee of Rutland Township School District #230 shall be required by the Board of Education to administer medications to students. The Board of Education and/or its employees shall assume no liability for the administration of medications, the administration of the wrong medication, the wrong dosage of a medication, or the failure to administer proper medication. The administration of medication IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARENT/GUARDIAN.

BECAUSE OF THE QUESTION OF CLEAR LEGAL GUIDELINES ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINE, THE FACULTY AND STAFF OF THE SCHOOL WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO ADMINISTER OR TO SUPERVISE THE ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATIONS.

A SAMPLE PERMISSION LETTER IS AVAILABLE FROM THE SCHOOL OFFICE. COPIES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT REGISTRATION.