Handbook

GENERAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

ADMISSION

Judson International School welcomes students of all ethnic, religious, national, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The school respects the religious preferences of parents and students; it is understood, however, that the Judson curriculum is based on biblical values which are freely expressed in the classroom and in chapels in a natural and non-coercive way. All students will participate in all school subjects including biblical studies.

Students are accepted on the basis of available space and the meeting of age and academic requirements.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Judson International School is a department of William Carey International University and is supervised by the university’s leadership.

An Advisory Council of Judson International School is principally made up of parents who currently have children in the school. The Advisory Council in consultation with the Administrator has the responsibility to make decisions for Judson. Individual members of the Advisory Council may not act alone without Council approval.

AFTER SCHOOL CARE

Extended day care

Judson International School offers an after school program from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Amy Carmichael building. The fee is $5 per hour or every part thereof.

Enrichment Programs

Judson offers after school sports, art, music, dance and other programs for an additional fee. Information is given at the beginning of each semester.

ATTENDANCE

Planned Absences

Parents must contact the school office before the absence, giving the dates of the planned absence and the reason. The administration will decide if the absence will be excused. All arrangements for homework and missed work must be made with the teacher before the absence.

Illness and Unplanned Absences

Parents must notify the office if the child will be absent, early on the day of the absence. They may request missed work and home work at the same time. Missed work and homework must be completed according to the teacher’s directions. This is usually one day per day of absence. Students have the final responsibility in seeing that missed work is completed.

Late Arrival or Early Check Out

Students who arrive late or leave early must be signed in or out through the school office. Only a parent or legal guardian may check out a child unless a phone call or note has been made to the office. Students that are tardy must be signed in the office by a parent. They will wait in the office until the end of the homeroom period for middle school, and until 8:15 for grades 1 through 5 before going into class. There will be consequences for excessive tardies.

Absences and tardies are part of each student’s permanent record.

CARE OF CAMPUS FACILITIES AND PROPERTY

Students are responsible for keeping schoolbooks in good condition.

Students who return books with torn pages or covers, marks, or damage of any kind will be charged for the damage. Replacement value and shipping charges may be necessary. Damaging property, whether personal or school property is violating the rights of others. It is expected that the student, even if it is accidental, will acknowledge all damage. The student or his/her parents will then provide adequate compensation.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

The school office needs to be notified whenever a student’s address or phone number is changed. In case of an emergency, it is extremely important the school has up-to-date phone numbers and addresses.

COMMUNICATION

The school will communicate with the families in the following ways:

Class Newsletters: These will be sent home at least once every quarter. They will keep parents aware of current topics of study, field trips and upcoming events, and information teachers want to share with them.

Principal’s Newsletter : This monthly newsletter will inform parents of upcoming school events, areas of needed parent involvement, and school-wide programs. It will be e-mailed to each family. A hard copy will be mailed home if requested. A copy of the newsletter will also be on the school website.

CONFERENCES AND CLASSROOM VISITATION

During school hours any communication with the student or teacher must be through the office. The teacher will not be able to confer with the parent during class time. Conferences and class observation must be pre-arranged.

A parent-teacher conference is scheduled at the end of the first quarter. At other times, either parent or teacher may initiate conferences. The principal will be part of these conferences if requested.

DAILY SCHEDULE

School begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m. for grades K to 5 and at 2:50 p.m. for grades 6 to 8.

Morning Arrival

The school will be open at 7:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Students arriving at the Carmichael building, will remain on the playground until lineup. Students in grades six to eight will remain outside until 7:45 a.m.

In case of rain, students may go directly to classrooms.

Lunch Time

 Lunch is from 11:15 to 12 for Kindergarten through third grade, from 11:45 to 12:30 for grades fourth and fifth, and from 11:45 to 12:20 for grades sixth through eighth. Judson International School has a closed campus policy. Students are not allowed to leave campus during the school day.

Cafeteria

Students in grades kindergarten through fifth may order a take out lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Students in grades sixth through eighth can go to the cafeteria for lunch. They can eat their lunch at the cafeteria or bring it back to their playground to eat. $25 lunch cards can be purchased at the cafeteria for $20.

Afternoon Dismissal

Carmichael students will remain in the playground area after school until their parents pick them up. Students not picked up by 3:00 p.m. will be taken into after school care and the parents will be billed accordingly.

There is no adult supervision for students at middle school building after 3:00 p.m. Students not picked up by 3:00 p.m. will be sent to After School Care and the parents will be billed accordingly.

ELECTRONICS AND TOYS

No electronic equipment is permitted at school. This includes portable music players, personal computing devices and game systems. Toys and magazines should only be brought at the teacher’s request. If any of these items are found in the students’ possession, they will be confiscated and only returned to parents at the end of the week.

Cell Phones

Students in Kindergarten through fifth grade may not bring cell phones to school. Students in sixth through eighth grade may have them if a parent permission slip is on file in the office but they are only to be used outside of school hours. If cell phones are used during school hours (this includes recess and lunch time), they will be confiscated and only returned to parents.

Emergencies

Fire and earthquake drills are conducted regularly throughout the school year. The school has emergency supplies. In the case of a disaster, students will be released only to the persons named on the Emergency Release form. Judson’s safety area is the grass area west of middle school building.

DISCIPLINE & CONDUCT (K-5)

Teachers and playground supervisors will deal with most offenses and disruptions in an age-appropriate manner. If a student consistently transgresses school rules and the rights of others, he/she may be given detention. This may be at recess or after school. (Any time a student goes to detention after school, parents will be notified).

In cases of serious offense or conduct, parents will be notified. Where necessary, the principal may be involved. The school administration must make the final decision concerning discipline.

For grades 6 through 8, please see the Middle School Supplement.

FIELD TRIPS

Students must wear the official school uniform on field trips. The official uniform is burgundy polo shirt and navy blue pants. Girls may wear a navy blue or plaid skirt. Field trips will be planned with great care as to the safety of the students.

Misbehavior by a student may result in his/her exclusion from future field trips. Parents willing to drive for their child’s field trips must fill out driver information and verify they have the level of insurance recommended by ACSI. Driving for field trips contributes towards service hours.

GRADING PERIODS

The school year is divided into two semesters of two grading periods each. Report cards will be sent home the week following the end of each quarter.

Progress Reports will be sent out half way through each grading period in upper grades only.

Consistent low grades may require a student to be put on academic probation for the following grading period.

GRADING SYSTEM

Kindergarten through Grade three are marked with Outstanding, Good, Satisfactory, or Needs Improvement in all areas.

Letter grades are given for academic achievement for core subjects in grades four and five. Special Subjects and work and study habits are graded as Outstanding, Good, Satisfactory, or Needs Improvement.

Letter grades are given for all classes in sixth through eighth grades, plus comments for effort and behavior. The following is the numerical scale equivalent used for letter grades.

Letter Grade Numerical Grade

A+ 98-100 %

A 93-97 %

A- 90-92 %

B+ 88-89 %

B 83-87 %

B- 80-82 %

C+ 78-79 %

C 73-77 %

C- 70-72 %

D+ 68-69 %

D 63-67 %

D- 60-62

F Below 60 %

HOMEWORK

Homework, including the daily reading of children’s literature, is considered an important part of the school curriculum. It is used to provide added practice or follow-up activities. It will not be given to teach new information. The amount of homework will increase from grade to grade.

Parents concerned about the amount of time a child is spending on homework should contact the teacher. The following guide gives the approximate amount of time parents may expect for their children’s homework. Grade 1 receives around twenty minutes; Grade 2, thirty minutes; Grade 3, forty minutes; Grades 4 and 5, fifty minutes; Grade 6, sixty minutes; and Junior High, will average two hours.

LOST AND FOUND

Books, clothing, lunch boxes, backpacks, and other articles of value found lying around will be taken to the lost property box in each building. An effort will be made to return the articles to their owners, if labeled. Parents are required to label all belongings so they may be easily identified.

At the end of each quarter, any unclaimed items will be disposed of.

MEDICAL & ILLNESS POLICY

Parents are asked to keep children at home if they have a severe cold, undetermined rash or spots, any fever, severe headache, pink eye, upset stomach, diarrhea, or other symptoms of illness. Children should be kept home for 24 hours following fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Contact the office for specific directions if your child is taking prescription medication.

Parents should inform teachers any time children will need to take non-prescription medications at school and give those medications to the teacher for elementary school students or to the office for junior high students. No child may administer his/her own medications.

PARENT SERVICE

Judson requires at least 20 hours of service time from each family during the school year. There is a wide range of possible avenues of service and each family is responsible for completing their hours. A deposit of $200.00 in the form of a post-dated check must be given to the office at the beginning of the year. This will be returned when the hours are completed.

SCHOOL OFFICE

The school office is located in the Zwemer Building. Parents visiting either building are asked to go to the office first rather than directly to a child’s classroom. For the protection of your children, no persons may be in the halls or in classrooms without clearing such a visit through the office.

SNACKS

Students may bring healthful snacks for morning break. Fruit, nuts, vegetable sticks, cheese and crackers, and 100% fruit juice are appropriate. Candy, gum and soft drinks are not allowed at school. Foods with refined sugar are discouraged.Students may not purchase soda from vending machines on campus during the school day. If noted they will be taken from students and not returned.

STUDENT ACCIDENT PLAN

An accident plan is carried by the school for all students and school full-time personnel. It will cover the insured student during school times and at school-sponsored activities. This plan is secondary insurance only. Parents may elect to buy a 24 hour, year around accident insurance from the same company for a very reasonable rate.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

A student government will be formed from students in Middle School. They will be given training in leadership and Christian service.

TELEPHONE

Students may use the telephone in the office with permission in cases of emergency or if instructed by a teacher only. Messages may be left with the office for a student. Students are not permitted to use cell phones during school hours.

TESTING

Entering kindergarten and first grade students may take a readiness test. Students entering higher grades will be tested if they cannot provide standardized test scores and/or report cards.

Stanford Achievement Tests are given each year in April for grades one through eight.

TRANSPORTATION

All students arriving by car must be dropped off in the Elizabeth Street parking lot. Parents must use the marked parking spaces or may drop their students off by the red curb markings in front of the school office. Students crossing the parking lot must use the crosswalk.

Students must be picked up after school in the same places where they were dropped off.

TUITION & FEES

A list of required tuition and fees is available in the school office.

The business of Judson is education, not money. Judson is a non-profit organization which uses all income to educate its students. Therefore, it is important not to spend excessive time on billing or collecting unpaid tuition. Please be prompt in paying all tuition by the first school day of the month it is due. A $25 late fee will be assessed for any amount not paid by the tenth of the month due, unless prior arrangements are made with the school office.

Unless otherwise indicated at the time of enrollment, parents understand they are enrolling students for the entire school year and are responsible for paying the full year’s tuition and all fees.

Reenrollment for the 2008-2009 school year will begin in February.

Registration fees are due at the time. Curriculum fees will be due by August 1. Tuition payments may be spread over a ten month period, from September to June.

UNIFORMS

Students are expected to wear the school uniform every day except when

“Free Dress” days are announced. The official uniform is the burgundy polo shirt with logo and navy pants or navy or plaid skirt for girls. This is worn for field trips, picture day and special school events. Shorts and pants in either khaki or navy may be worn at other times. Girls may wear jumpers, skorts and skirts in navy, khaki or plaid. Navy or white polo shirts with logos may also be worn.

For colder days, students may wear Judson sweatshirts or sweaters or jackets.

Shoes must be closed and worn with socks. Sandals and slip-ons are not acceptable. Socks must be neutral colors.

P.E. uniforms are required for fifth to eighth grade students only. This consists of a gray t-shirt with logo and navy, black or gray athletic shorts.

Only natural hair colors are allowed. Body piercing except for girls’ ear lobes is not allowed. Earrings should be small. Uniform hats only could be worn on the playground. Sweatshirt hoods may not be worn inside the classrooms.

Parents are asked to mark all clothing with the student’s name.

Students who come to school out of uniform will be issued a uniform violation citation. The first is a warning. Any subsequent violations will result in the student forfeiting the next free dress day. Continued refusal to comply with uniform standards will have further disciplinary consequences.

WITHDRAWAL

Withdrawal from Judson International School for any reason must be transacted through the school office by the parent or guardian. All money owed the school must be paid before the withdrawal is complete and records can be released. A fourteen-day notice should be given prior to the withdrawal of any student.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT

DISCIPLINE AND CONDUCT

Minor offenses and disruptions in the classroom and playground will be dealt with by the teacher or playground supervisor.

Detention will result in the following situations:

Continued classroom or playground disruptions

Profanity or other inappropriate language

Harassment

Disrespect

Gum, candy or soda at school

Minor property damage

Detention Policy

• Detention must be served on the day after the notice is given, unless a note or phone call is made by a parent to the office; the detention must then be served the next school day.
• The student will go to After School Care to serve detention.
• The period for detention is 30 minutes; parents will be billed for $5 per detention.
• The student is required to sit where directed. There is to be no contact or communication with other students. No home work or reading may be done.
• To be released from detention, the student must be signed out by a parent or representative.

Discipline Sequence

If any student receives repeated and regular detentions, his/her parents will receive a letter from the school.

Saturday School may be deemed necessary if a student’s behavior does not change after several detentions.

Parents will meet with the Principal if any student continues to violate school rules and policy.

Continued unchanged conduct may lead to suspension or expulsion.

 Any student who has excessive detentions in a semester will not be able to participate in extracurricular activities.

 * Saturday School: the student must attend school for 2 hours on a Saturday morning from 8:00 to 10:00am. There will be a charge of $20.00.

*Suspension: a student who has a disregard for school rules may be suspended. A student may be suspended without prior incident for a more serious offense. Students are not permitted to make up work missed during suspension – all work will be given a zero.

*Probation: after returning from suspension, students will be placed on probation. A student will remain on probation for 6 weeks. Any infraction of the school rules during this time will be treated very seriously.

*Expulsion: usually expulsion will follow the above order of discipline, but may occur without prior incident for actions considered extremely serious. The usual reasons for expulsion will be:

repeated lack of respect for school rules or staff

continued use of profanity or inappropriate language

violation of conditions of probation

possession of drugs, weapons or alcohol

serious property damage

actions which threaten another’s safety

cheating

Cheating