Parent Student Handbook 2007-2008

Purpose of Guidelines

St. Therese School is a Catholic Elementary School dedicated to educating young Christians and instilling in them the message of the Gospels. The purpose of these regulations and guidelines is to outline the basic directions necessary to insure good organization and order within our school community. We hope that this will be a handy reference for you during the school year. The cooperation of the administration, faculty, students and parents is necessary as we work to achieve our mission and goals for each school year.

St. Therese School Mission Statement

St. Therese School is a ministry of the parish that promotes students’ spiritual, moral and academic development within the tradition of a Catholic community.

St. Therese Core Values:

The opportunity for shared responsibility

Practiced and developed Catholicity

Spiritual and Academic Potential of all students

Accessibility of Catholic Education within a Parish Community

Resourcefulness and excellence

St. Therese School Statement of Philosophy

We believe that each student has unique God-given gifts. It is through a broad based challenging curriculum integrated with Catholic Christian values that the total life experience of the child is enriched. Through our ministry, a student’s spiritual, intellectual, moral, social and physical potential will be developed.

Learning is a shared responsibility between the home and school that is an ongoing process. We believe all learning is connected and can best occur if past experiences and prior knowledge are considered when addressing the needs of each student.

Through diverse curricular and extra-curricular programs, students receive the tools that develop their ability to reason and make responsible decisions. These programs develop an understanding and respect of individual differences as well as an awareness of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship.

It is through these beliefs that we will provide the foundation for each student to make a contribution to our community and the global society as they enrich their relationship with God.

St. Therese School Goals

• To nourish the continued development of each individual's faith life through the sharing of Christ's life and teachings.

• To support student's endeavors to integrate their beliefs with their decisions and actions as they acquire self-esteem and become self-disciplined.

• To provide an environment which will encourage and enable students to explore and develop their creative, intellectual, spiritual, social and physical talents.

St. Therese School Motto

Living a Faith . . . Building a Future.

Accreditation

St. Therese School is accredited through the Missouri Nonpublic School Accrediting Association and North Central Accrediting Association.

Education Committee

The Education Committee is a policy making board. The Committee is subject to regulation from the church, pastor and the guidelines from the Diocesan School Office.

Membership of the committee consists of nine lay members, the pastor and the principal of the school.

The Committee meets on a monthly basis and is open to members of the parish. Personnel, individual students and other confidential matters are discussed in closed sessions as determined by the Board President. Notice of each regular meeting will be published in the parish bulletin and the school calendar. Contact the school office for the current year schedule.

Education Committee Members for 2007-2008

Renee McKeon - President Mark Elling Susan Freeman Amy Baack Laura Thompson

Andy Anderson Joe Summers Mike Woollen Robert Widman

St. Therese School & Diocesan Policy Manual

The St. Therese School & Diocesan policy manual is a document, which addresses specific areas related to administration, personnel and curriculum of the school. A copy of the St. Therese Diocesan Policy Manual is available for review in the school office.

Admissions Policy

It is the mission of St. Therese School to offer a quality Catholic education to the children of the parish community. All parents are expected to tithe to the parish, pay all school fees and meet fundraising requirements as set forth later in this manual. Parents should be practicing Catholics with a tithing history for student admission.

Students are admitted to St. Therese School in the following priority:

• Parishioners with children currently in the school.

• Parishioners with a first child reaching school age.

• Parishioners who have moved into the parish with children who have attended Catholic school elsewhere.

• Parishioners with children in other schools.

• Catholic students from other parishes.

• Non-Catholic families.

All families are expected to accept financial responsibility for the church and school by honoring the financial admission requirements and the enrollment timetable set forth by the parish finance office. Admission priority is contingent upon the fulfillment of the requirements specified above.

Students with special needs are admitted to St. Therese per Diocesan Policy 300.3

An annual review of student needs and our ability to meet them is held with parents. St. Therese does not have resources to meet every need; however, we will work to meet needs as far as possible. For admission and continued enrollment, students must be able to function in a classroom setting and be independent in personal care skills.

All transfer students are admitted under a probation basis. A review of academic, behavioral, and overall student individual needs will be conducted after forty-five (45) days. The provisional status may be continued if deemed necessary by administration.

Guidelines for enrollment of students with special needs

Students with special needs will be subject to the guidelines of the school registration process as well as additional guidelines specific to Special Education services as cited in the Administrative Policy Manual #300.3.

Parents of the students will notify the school principal when diagnosis is determined and pre-enrollment procedures are beginning.
Prior to enrollment parents of students will be registered and active members of a parish as defined by the local pastor and principal.
Parents of students, tithing parishioners and families, will become active members of the F.I.R.E. parent group to assist with fundraising activities.
If the case load for Special Education services as determined by the principal and the special education teacher has been reached, students will be put on a “wait list” following the schools’ regular registration guidelines.
Prior to enrollment, parents will request an interview with the school principal. All necessary documents regarding the special needs of the student should be presented to the principal at that time.
The principal reserves the right to determine if the faculty and staff are able to meet the needs of the student throughout the school year as per Diocesan Policy #300.3.

Enrollment Commitment Criteria

· Being registered parishioners with a tithing commitment representing at least 5% - 9% of family’s gross annual income, recognizing the cost of education for your family at St. Therese School.

· Being active tithing members of St. Therese for the last twelve months or have recently registered at St. Therese with a verifiable tithing and activity record at your previous parish.

· Agreeing that all tithing and school commitments will be current throughout the year.

Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph

Parent – Teacher Covenant

Because our school strives to be a faith community, parent cooperation and good parent-teacher relations are essential. As members of a faith community, our first instinct is to assume that all of us, teachers, administrators, parents, guardians and other care-givers, have the child’s best interest at heart.

While our school is excellent in many ways, no one within our community is perfect and problems and misunderstandings will occur. When a problem or disagreement arises, we will make every effort to contact you to clarify the situation. Parents, guardians and family members who experience problems or are confused with some matter regarding your child’s educational experience, are asked to show similar respect by: a) striving first to learn the reasons behind the policy: b) inquiring about the teacher’s or school’s understanding or decisions before judging or forming an opinion. Those who are not satisfied with what they have learned are asked to approach the administration to investigate the matter. In this way, positive resolutions can be reached.

Parents and guardians are asked to follow these guidelines for expressing concern over a school matter:

If the problem involves routine procedures such as homework, class assignments, classroom or playground behavior, or student-to-student problems, then the parent is asked to contact the teacher first. The best way to do this is usually through a phone call to the school where a message will be give to the teacher to return your call. For a variety of reasons, parents should not attempt to bring up a difficult or serious matter in front of other students while the teacher is on duty during the regular school day.
If the problem is more serious, the parent or guardian should inform the principal in writing or with a phone call. Only signed notes or callers who identify themselves will be taken seriously. Due to school responsibilities, the principal may not be available immediately; therefore, patience in setting appointments or in expecting a return phone call is requested. Since concern for your child is uppermost in all our minds, we will make every effort to accommodate you and your concerns. We simply ask that you understand that many children and other parents may also be requiring our immediate attention at the time.
All staff members of our school promise prompt attention to problems, privacy in discussing matters, professional courtesy and respect when problems are presented, and a sincere effort to resolve problems in a Christian manner. That is, we promise to approach problems and misunderstandings in a manner that expresses genuine concern for the welfare of your child spiritually, psychologically, academically, and physically and also the welfare of his or her fellow students.
With this in mind, parents and guardians are expected to show the same concern and respect for the staff our school, as well as the other children and families of our community. The following behaviors, therefore, are unacceptable within our community: We will not tolerate assaults or harassment of a staff member, student, parent, guardian or family member. Nor will we tolerate intimidating or verbally abusing any member of the community – in person or in writing.
Commission of any of the above acts on the part of a staff member will lead to appropriate disciplinary actions. Likewise, misconduct on the part of a parent, guardian or family member may lead to a warning or one of the following actions: a) limiting or refusing permission to enter or use school grounds or facilities; b) asking that someone other than the person exhibiting poor behavior represent the child’s interest on school matters; c) refusing to allow the child to re-register, and in extreme cases, initiating procedures to ask the family to withdraw the child from school.

We rely on the good faith and the sincere efforts of everyone in the school community to keep the spirit of this covenant so that we may become the genuine faith community, which we strive to be.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

St. Therese School admits students of any sex, race, color, national and/or ethnic origin and grants to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities accorded to students of the school. (This concurs with Diocesan Policy 300.2)

Desegregation Position

The following represents the policy of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in regard to racial integration of students.

The Diocese sponsors and promotes racial integration of elementary and secondary schools. The purpose of the Catholic School is to assure that truths and values of the Catholic Faith are fully incorporated into the academic program and into the lives of the students. Catholic schools emphasize the broadening and enriching of educational opportunities afforded in culturally and racially mixed schools. Catholic schools shall not accept applicants seeking to avoid the orderly implementation of court ordered desegregation of public schools of any school district. (Diocesan Policy 300.20)

School Finances

St. Therese is a tithing parish. All parishioners are expected to support the church with 5% - 9% of their gross family income. Tithing enables the parish to provide Catholic education as a ministry for those in the parish community. All fees and tithing commitments must be current to ensure future enrollment.

School Fees: School Family Fees (per family) $350.00

Registration Fee (per child) $130.00 (Maximum $500 per family)

Fundraising Requirements

In order to support the education program of St. Therese, we implement one required fundraising project annually. Because of its continued success, both financially and by patron support, St. Therese sponsors an Auction each spring. Each school family will make a commitment to support the school's auction by soliciting items for the auction or buying out. Buy-out amount and fundraising commitment are determined each year by the parish business manager.

For those families who choose to participate in the Auction, these are the requirements:

1. Agree to sell/buy (no returns) 4 auction tickets at $10.00 each.... Total $40.00

2. Agree to sell/buy (no returns) 12 raffle tickets at $5.00 each.... Total $60.00

3. Agree to solicit $200.00 worth of auction items through the coordination

of your committee chairperson

*All ticket money not paid by the March due date will be charged a $25.00 late fee.*

Total Fundraising Commitment: $300.00 or

Agree to a Fundraising Buyout of $350.00 to be completed in January.

*A $25.00 late fee will be accessed to all buyouts not paid by the January due date.*

**All solicitations of auction items (donor forms) need to be completed by the specified deadlines.

All information regarding the auction deadlines will be available

through the weekly Principal Notes.

***AUCTION -- SATURDAY, April 12, 2008***

Academics

Curriculum: Our curriculum is derived from Diocesan guidelines, meets state standards and is shaped by the creativity of our teaching staff. The general curriculum per grade area is as follows:

Kindergarten Language Arts

· pre-reading skills

· letter recognition and sounds

· introduction to basic sight words

· upper and lower case printing

Math

· number sense skills

· introduction to number sentences

· counting

· calendar skills

Science and social studies skills based on themes.

· learning reinforced through the use of centers

· manipulatives and cooperative learning

Religion

· We learn how Jesus loves us and we can share his love through our behavior and service to others.

Grade One Language arts fundamentals are presented through the strategies of:

· guided reading

· phonics

· writing

· self-selected reading

Math

· number sentences (story problems)

· counting patterns

· graphing

· money and time

· place value

Science and Social Studies

· integrated through the language arts program.

Religion

· We come to know God as our loving Father and learn basic Catholic practices.

Grade Two Language Arts

· mastery of basic reading and phonics skills

· cursive handwriting

· beginning writing processes

Math

· double digit math

· regrouping

· place value

· number sense

· time and money

Science and Social Studies special units

Religion

· sacramental preparation

· We study about Jesus and His great love for each of us and consequently how we treat others

Grade Three Math

· mastery of regrouping two and three digit numbers

· introduction to multiplication facts and the division process

· problem solving and data interpretation

Reading

· reading fluency and comprehension with an emphasis on reading for information in the content areas

· we enhance the writing process by focusing on paragraph writing and summarization

Science and social studies are studied on a unit basis

Religion

· Catholicity is studied as it is modeled throughout the community. We introduce basic church doctrine and rituals are reviewed.

Grade Four Language Arts

· reading comprehension skills

· daily grammar practice

· writing process

· figurative language

Math

· multiple digit math

· mastery of multiplication and division facts

· number sense

· problem solving strategies

· fractions

Social Studies

· Missouri history

· a states unit

· mapping skills

· organizational skills

Science

· physical and earth science with hands on experiences

· research skills

Religion

· We focus on God’s greatest commandment, Beatitudes, Scripture and Saints

Middle School Teachers in grades 5-8 specialize in a particular curricular area and students move from class to class to benefit from more in-depth knowledge and practice. Homeroom teachers take primary responsibility for their grade level students and reinforce those particular students’ spiritual development.

Lower Middle School

Grade Five U.S. History

· geography and economic structures

Science

· life and earth sciences

Language Arts and Literature

· grammar

· higher level thinking and questioning skills

· comprehension and writing skills

Math

· mastery of three digit multiplication

· long division

· problem solving

· basic geometry

· fractions

· decimals

Religion

· emphasize the sacraments

· study the Mass as our central form of Liturgy

We teach organization skills, handling multiple tasks and time management.

Grade Six Math

· geometry

· algebraic concepts

· problem solving

· fractions

· decimals

History

· ancient civilizations

· history’s impact on society

· world geography

Science

· earth sciences

Language Arts and Literature

· grammar

· writing process

· critical thinking skills

· reading comprehension

· vocabulary development

· elements of Literature

Religion

· We begin a deeper understanding of the Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures.

· We develop a strong sense of social justice.

Upper Middle School

Grade Seven Social Studies

· early explorers and settlement in North America

Life Sciences

Language Arts and Literature

· grammar

· writing and analysis

· author writing styles

· paragraph development

Math

· refinement of basic math skills

· pre-algebra

Religion

· We grow to know the person of Jesus and the New Testament.

Grade Eight Social Studies

· Civil War history through current events

Science

· physical sciences

· chemistry and physics

Language Arts

· novel based literature

· critical thinking

· writing skills

· mastery of eleven sentence paragraph format

· author and illustrate a book

· write autobiographies

Math

· algebra I

Religion

· We learn about the history of the Church and the Church as being the people of God as well as participate in parish and community outreach.

Other Opportunities

All students are offered music, art, Spanish and physical education. K-8 students are offered regular classroom instruction in computers and all students have access to a state of the art research lab and media center. Fine arts opportunities include band for 7^th & 8^th grade students and all grades participate in musical productions appropriate to age levels. Students are exposed and encouraged in multi-cultural learning at all grade levels.

Special Services

Special services are provided to students who qualify for Individual Education Plans through the public school district. There are two certified resource teachers on staff; one working with grades K-4 and the other with grades 5-8. Students meeting the criteria are provided an Accommodation Plan with goals, objectives and modifications to support the student with their academic needs. There is a school counselor on staff.

Quest: Enrichment Program for High Potential Students

An enrichment program is available for high potential students in grades 3-8 during the school day. This enrichment program is designed to meet the needs of students who can learn more rapidly and can handle more abstractions, complexity and depth in learning. These learning opportunities are designed to integrate a variety of subject areas within a real project, product or situation. Students are given the opportunity to learn and apply a variety of problem-solving strategies in a "student centered environment."

Student selection is based on the Renzuli Triad that includes: above average ability (top 10% on achievement tests), motivation and task commitment, and creativity. Teachers and parent recommendations are considered.

Quest is provided on a private contractual basis.

Other Programs:

Family Life, Technology Education, Social Justice, and Drug Awareness are an

integral component of the general curriculum for all grade levels. During the sixth and seventh grade students will participate in a specially designed peace and justice curriculum.

Family Life, required by the Diocese, is designed to support the role of the parent as the primary educator of their child and will actively involve parents in the process. Family Life at St. Therese is in accordance to Church teachings and doctrine.

Grading Scale: The following grading scale is used for grades 4-8 and second semester for third grade.

A+ 100 C 75-82

A 94-99 C- 74

A- 93 D+ 73

B+ 92 D 70-72

B 85-91 D- 68-69

B- 84 U 67 and below

C+ 83

Beginning of a student's 5th grade year, students who receive a yearly average of a "U" will be required to "make-up" that class (es) before advancement to the next grade level. Parents will be notified by the teacher at mid-term during the 4th quarter if their child needs summer remediation. Provisions to do so will be determined by the principal.

Student grades are based on Test Scores, Homework Assignments, Special Projects/Activities, etc. Class participation is considered in all areas of the curriculum but is a larger percentage of the student's grade in the areas of Art, Music, Physical Education, Religion, & Computer. Data supporting participation will be gathered each day in these classes.

*HOMEWORK IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY.*

Principal's Responsibility

• Monitor teacher homework practices

• Assist teachers with students who fail to be consistent with homework

Teacher's Responsibility

• Plan appropriate homework activities with grade level partners

• List Daily homework assignments in a place visible to all students

• Inform parents of long-term projects/activities assigned as homework via Sycamore Education

• Provide students with feedback regarding homework in a timely manner

Student's Responsibility

• Record daily assignments

• Take needed materials to complete homework with them when they leave

• Read, review notes, practice skills on nights written homework is not given

• Have homework completed by the beginning of each class period

• Request assignments missed when absent from school upon return

Parent's Responsibility

• Provide a place and time for study

• Supervise schoolwork done at home

• Question your child, ask to see recorded assignments, and ask to see completed work

• Stress quality work and deadlines

• Outside activities should be supervised and curtailed in order to help students with homework

• Prioritize academics and extra-curricular activities

• Sign homework as requested by the teacher

**Students who consistently struggle with completion of class work or homework will be placed on a structured program.

Homework: The purpose of homework is to provide every student an opportunity to independently practice/review skills taught in the classroom setting.

Regular homework correlates with academic success and will be an integral component of St. Therese's educational program. Because homework is to be beneficial for each student, it will be the responsibility of the principal, teachers, students, and parents working together to make it an effective practice. It is expected for homework to be turned in on time. The consequence for late homework is a lowered grade. Homework is due at class time. Late work will be deducted by 10% per day until handed in.

Student Papers: On a regular basis teachers will send home examples of your child's work. Please review with your child the samples of his/her work.

Students are expected to be involved in some form of independent practice each school night. The following guidelines will be used:

Kindergarten 5-10 minutes per night

1st - 2nd Grade 15–20 minutes per night