Student Handbook

Welcome to Wyandotte Elementary School! We are glad to have you as a part of our school community. We are looking forward to creating partnerships with student, parents and staff. Together we will build memories and reach new academic achievements!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school office. We are here to help you!

Wyandotte Elementary School
5865 East 50 South
Lafayette, IN 47905

(765)772-7000 telephone
(765)447-5463 fax

Mary Beth Fitzgerald, Principal
Kay Cohernour, School Secretary
Molly Howe, Attendance Clerk
Ashley Gamble, School Nurse
Julie Bushman, Health Assistant

Student absences must be reported to the school office by 10:00 a.m. daily. Call 772-7000 to report your child’s absence. If your child has a medical appointment, please obtain an excuse from the doctor to give the school upon your child’s return.

Attendance areas of districts are fixed by the school board. Students are assigned to the school district where they reside. It is the policy of the Tippecanoe School Corporation that all students enrolled in its schools shall be in attendance during each regular school term. Tippecanoe School Corporation’s attendance policy requires a student to be present 90% of the school days to qualify for promotion. Indiana law mandates compulsory attendance as stated in Section 20-8.1-3-17 Indiana Code. Any student who demonstrates excessive absences or tardiness and is in violation of the stated school attendance policy will be referred to Truancy mediation. Truancy mediation will determine what court action is warranted.

Students arriving late to school must check in at the office with a parent. Students should not sign themselves in. No student is to leave school early unless officially excused and signed out at the office. Checking in and signing out are under the same jurisdiction as attendance.

In the event of inclement weather or mechanical breakdown, school may be closed or the starting time delayed. The same conditions may also necessitate early dismissal. School closing, delayed starting time, or early dismissal will be announced over radio stations WAZY-96.5 FM, WASK-1450 AM, WBAA (Purdue Station) 101.3 FM or 920 AM, and WLFI-TV 18. If Wyandotte has an early dismissal, it will be one hour after Harrison High School. To access and receive official alerts and notifications from Wyandotte and Tippecanoe School Corporation go to www.tsc.k12.in.us and click on “quick links tab” TSC Website Login to register.

Please do not call the school to give your child a message unless it is an emergency. Effective schools have a lower number of interruptions during instructional time. Transportation plans should be complete before your student leaves in the morning for school. If a student’s normal transportation changes, a note must be sent to the teacher. If a note is not received, the child will be sent home on the school bus. If a student is riding home with another student, the office must receive a note from both sets of parents before a bus pass will be written.

Students who are being transported to school by parents may NOT arrive before 8:45 a.m. School begins at 8:50 a.m. and students arriving after 9:00 a.m. will be considered tardy and should be signed in at the office. Dismissal is at 3:25 p.m. for car riders. Parents should wait in the car rider line for their student. Bus riders will be dismissed at 3:30.

Arrival procedures for car rider drop off:

1. In order to be efficient, the first vehicle shall always proceed all the way to the sidewalk outside of door #15 prior to letting any child(ren) out of the vehicle.

2. No child should exit a vehicle until that vehicle is along the sidewalk. All children will exit the vehicle on the driver’s side and enter the school through door #14.

3. Children may not be dropped off until 8:45 AM. Door #14 locks at 9:00 AM. At 9:00 AM, you must pull to the front of the building and sign your child(ren) in at the office.

Dismissal procedures for car riders pick-up:

1. The car rider pick­-up process will begin at approximately 3:30 PM.

2. The last name(s) of the car rider(s) must be visibly displayed in the front window of each vehicle upon pick-­up. Names should be written in marker so the attendant can easily see from a distance.

3. Children will remain inside the school until an outside attendant radios to an inside attendant for each child. Parents should advise their child(ren) to remain attentive while waiting for their ride as it is difficult to hear names being called when children are loud inside the school. This also prolongs the process.

4. Children must enter the vehicle via the driver’s side. This is for the safety of the child(ren) you are picking up! Parents may NOT park and walk to the door to get their child(ren). Crossing the car rider line is dangerous.

5. Children may not go home with another student without permission. Please contact the office prior to 3:00 PM with any change in riding arrangements.

6. All parents must remain in their vehicle during drop­-off and pick­-up. If your child needs help with their seat belt at pick-­up, please pull into a parking spot and proceed to help the child at this time.

7. For the safety of all children, DO NOT pull around cars in the drop-­off/pick­-up area even if you have already dropped ­off or picked up your own child(ren).

All visitors must report to the office to sign-in and receive a visitor’s badge. Parents and visitors are welcome at all times. We suggest that parents plan visit in advance. This will help make the visit more meaningful and less disruptive to the learning environment.

The Hawk Talk newsletter is emailed monthly from the school office to our families. This communication contains important information about the school, calendar of upcoming school events, holidays, and activities. It is also available on the Wyandotte Elementary School website at www.tsc.k12.in.us .

A student may bring a treat for the class for his/her birthday. Treats should be simple and will typically be served when children return from afternoon recess. Please make arrangements with your student’s teacher. Please do not bring or send balloons to school. Balloons will not be delivered to the classroom and are not permitted on the school bus.

To use our Cafe Prepay on online payment system go to www.myschoolbucks.com to pay for your child’s meals by using a credit card or by scheduling a direct withdrawal from your checking or saving accounts. Cafe Prepay, allows parents to see their child’s lunch account balance online.

We prefer lunch and breakfast payments to be made weekly or monthly. Money may be deposited into a student’s account on-line www.myschoolbucks.com with a credit card or by sending a check or cash to school in an envelope labeled with the student’s name. It is the practice of TSC to allow a maximum of 3 charged meals before an alternative meal is given to a student. Elementary school students will be allowed to charge $5.70 until their balance is made current. In the event that a student’s lunch account has not been made current after 3 charges, a courtesy lunch consisting of a cheese sandwich and a carton of white milk will be provided.

Students who bring their lunch to school will be permitted to buy milk upon entry into the cafeteria. Students should not bring soft drinks to school. Parents are welcome to eat lunch with their student. Parents should check in at the office prior to the student’s lunch time. A hot lunch may be purchased for $2.70 or a brown bag lunch may be brought from home. No fast food or soda is permitted. Wyandotte defines fast food as any food ordered and carried out of a restaurant. Thank you for helping us create a healthy and active learning environment for your child!

Student hot lunch $1.90

Student Breakfast $1.15

Student hot lunch weekly $9.50

Student Breakfast weekly $5.75

Student hot lunch monthly $38.00

Student Breakfast monthly $23.00

Reduced hot Reduced lunch $0.40

Reduced Breakfast $0.30

Reduced hot lunch weekly $2.00

Reduced breakfast weekly $1.50

Reduced hot lunch monthly $24.00

Reduced breakfast monthly $6.00

Adult hot lunch $2.70

Milk a la carte $0.50

Child guest lunch $2.10

Fire, tornado, and security drills will be held periodically to familiarize each student with a safe and efficient exit or place of security. Every student must cooperate fully by moving quickly and quietly to ensure the safety of all students. Fire drills occur once a month, tornado drills occur twice a semester and security drills occur once a semester.

The Tippecanoe School Corporation is against bullying. Please refer to the Student “Rights and Responsibilities” pamphlet available at each school.

1. Parents must notify teachers and the school office in writing if arrangements other than riding the bus home are made. Otherwise, the student will ride the school bus.

2. If a student is planning to go to a friend’s house after school, notes from both sets of parents must be turned in at the office for a bus pass to be written. If notes are not received from both sets of parents, then the students will ride on their regular home bus.

3. Parents must provide the bus driver with written permission if their child departs the bus at a location other than his/her regular bus stop.

4. Students should do the following:

a. Arrive at pick-up point before the bus arrives. There is no recognized waiting time for the bus. Students should inform drivers if they do not intend to ride the bus on a given day.

b. Wait their turn to load and unload, and do not push or shove.

c. Be seated promptly, and avoid blocking the aisle. No one is permitted to save seats. Assigned seats are to be occupied each day.

d. Obtain permission from drivers to open and close windows.

e. Refrain from using loud, boisterous language.

f. Make other arrangements for transportation of animals, glass materials, or objects which obstruct the aisles, doors, or the view of the bus driver. Objects which may be held in a student’s lap, below the seat without visual obstruction to the driver or under the seat may be transported. Items which prove potentially hazardous or dangerous to other students or the driver may be eliminated from the bus at the discretion of the driver.

g. Remain seated until the bus has come to a full stop.

Parents and students are reminded that school bus transportation is a privilege. Failure to comply with the rules and regulations established the TSC transportation department may result in the loss of this privilege.

All visitors must enter through the front doors, register at the office window, and obtain a visitor’s pass. This is to ensure a positive and safe learning environment for all staff, students, and parents.

Rules for school visits:

1. Call ahead to schedule your visit with the teacher.

2. Parents are always welcome to eat lunch with their student(s). If you will be visiting and eating a school lunch, please call ahead the morning of the visit to order a lunch. Parents should check in at the office prior to the student’s lunch time. Please do not bring fast food or pizza lunches. We encourage visitors to bring a sack lunch from home to promote healthy eating.

3. Infants and preschool children should not visit the classroom because they often distract the students and the attention of the person visiting the class.

4. Several 30 to 60 minute visits are better than staying all day. Go to the area where you are visiting and find a place to be seated.

5. Try to schedule your visit with the teacher at a time of the day when the work you want to see is in progress.

Students absent from school are responsible for all work and information missed in each class. Upon returning to school the first day after the absence, it is the student’s responsibility to seek make-up work from the teacher. Generally, students have one or two days to submit all make-up work as required by the teacher. However, the teacher is permitted to arrange a longer period of time if he/she deems it necessary. Make-up work not completed and unsatisfactorily submitted to the teacher may result in an unsatisfactory grade.

The state of Indiana requires that no student can begin school without a current immunization on file.

Student Medication:

1. All prescription and over-the counter (OTC) medication (FDA approved) must be kept in the school health office.

2. Written instructions from the parent/guardian are required for all prescription and OTC medication.

3. Prescription and OTC medication must be in the original container affixed with a current pharmacy or package label.

4. Medication ordered three times a day or less should be given before and after school or at bedtime.

5. As directed in IC 20-8.1-722, no medication of any type may be sent home with student in grades K-8.

Vision and Hearing screenings are done periodically throughout the year.

Questions regarding any of these health matters should be directed to your school nurse.

Student with vomiting, diarrhea, un-diagnosed skin rashes, eye infections, or fever over 100 degree should not attend school. Students should not return to school until symptoms have resolved, or they are fever free for 24 hours. Students being treated with antibiotic medications should receive the medication for 24 hours before returning to school. Student will be sent home from school with temperatures over 100 degrees, and may be excluded from school with vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, eye infections or other symptoms of illness.

Our policy on appearance and dress has been adopted with the main interest of creating a positive learning atmosphere and wholesome attitude for each individual and the school as a whole. School is preparation for adult life and life’s work. Our policy is designed to form proper appearance and dress habits for one’s future, as well as creating a daily positive attitude.

If a manner of dress, grooming and/or appearance disrupts the normal educational process or presents a physical hazard, school administrators shall take necessary action to correct the situation.

There shall be adequate coverage of the body. No muscle shirts, tank tops, spaghetti-strap tops, spandex shorts, or bare midriffs are permitted. Dresses, skirts or shorts must be fingertip length or no less than three inches above the knee. Clothing items (or wording or pictures upon same) which, in the opinion of the principal or designee, tend to disrupt the educational atmosphere are not permitted. No hats or hoods may be worn in the school building unless a part of “Spirit Days”.

No flip flops or baggy hooded sweat shirts can be worn in school.

Plagiarism, as defined by the Random House Dictionary, is “to steal (the language, ideas, or thoughts) from (another) representing them as one’s own original work.” Intentional or not, when a student fails to acknowledge the source of words and ideas that are not his or her own, the result is plagiarism, that is, theft. Penalties-Elementary School-While no official penalties exist for plagiarism offenses, it is expected that classroom teachers would use such occasions as education opportunities for all students. Time should be devoted to discussion and explanation of plagiarism.

A student will not be subject to seclusion or restraint unless the student’s behavior poses an imminent risk of injury to the student or others. As soon as possible after any use of seclusion or restraint, the student’s parent or guardian will be informed and provided with a detailed account of the incident, including the circumstances that led to the use of seclusion and restraint.

Students should not bring valuables, large sums of money, or expensive toys to school. If it is necessary to bring such items, make arrangements with a teacher for safekeeping. Do not leave money or valuables in the classroom.

TSC is highly supportive of educational opportunities that athletics, performing arts, and other academic-related programs contribute toward accomplishing the stated mission of the school district. These activities assist students to develop confidence, competence, and the ability to deal with success and adversity. We acknowledge the need for reasonable limitations to the time and resources that the school district devotes to such pursuits. As the elected representatives for our school patrons, we endorse the following principles:

1. Successful completion of the approved course of study is a primary objective for each TSC student.

2. We will not compromise our integrity to gain a competitive advantage.

3. We will follow the rules and guidelines of the Indiana High School Athletic Association and the Indiana Division of Student Activities. Proposed participation in activities not endorsed by either of these organizations will be given great scrutiny.

4. We will attempt to be a supportive partner to those non-exclusionary community organizations that provide meaningful educational opportunities to our resident students. First priority for use of school district resources and facilities will be given to school sponsored programs.

5. The school Corporation will not promote student activities sponsored by “for profit” groups.

6. CO-Curricular programs will focus on providing a well-rounded and cultural experience rather than inter-school competition.

7. High school sports teams are competitive by nature. Selection of student participants is a subjective process. Final selection and assignment of team members are the purview of the coach.

8. Interschool athletic competition will begin at grade seven.

9. Academic expectations, student enrollment numbers, and available staff and other resources limit the number of athletic and other activity programs TSC can reasonably sponsor.

10. The school district will, whenever possible, employ faculty members to serve as sponsors and coaches.

11. Participation in any extracurricular activity is a privilege. Staff members, students and parents are expected to demonstrate exemplary behavior.