Policies

To the Rock Lake Students and Parents:

Welcome to the 2023-2024 Rock Lake Elementary School Year. The students performed well on the end of the year assessments.

We applaud the students, teachers, parents, and community mentors who work so hard to help our students realize their academic goals. Our mission is "Academic Excellence for All".

SCHOOL HOURS

Pre-Kindergarten - 5th Grade

8: 15 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday

8:15 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Children should arrive at school no earlier than 7:30 a.m. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. and ends at 8:15 a.m. for grades K-5. Pre-K breakfast time is 9:00 a.m. **Parents should not drop student off prior to 7:30 a.m. There is no supervision for the students and that creates a safety issue. **In the morning all students need to report to the cafeteria regardless if they are not eating breakfast.

ARRIVING AND LEAVING SCHOOL

ALL students driven to school by parents
must be dropped off in the car zone area near
the traffic light. Please do not use the parking
lot where buses make drop-offs and pick-ups.

BREAKFAST, LUNCH & MILK PROGRAM

Well balanced, nutritional lunches and
breakfasts are served at school everyday.


    
     
     
 

Students should not bring carbonated drinks, gum or candy to school.

"SUGAR- FREE" SCHOOL

In keeping with our efforts to provide the best possible learning conditions for our students, we are a "sugar-free" school. It is highly recommended that faculty and staff does not give any products that contain sugar to students of Rock Lake. Students are to leave candy, gum, and sweets at home.

ATTENDANCE

Students that are absent should bring in a written notice from the Parent or Physician on the first day back from the absence. In doing so, the student absence is Excused. If the student does not bring in a written notice, the absence will be Unexcused.

The teacher will contact the student's parent and/ or guardian if the student is absence two or three days consecutively. The attendance clerk will contact the parent and/ or guardian if the student is absence five or more days consecutively or shows excessive absences. If there is no response from the parent and/ or guardian, the attendance clerk will contact the school social worker. If excessive absences continue, the State Attorney's Office will intervene.

TARDINESS

Students arriving after 8:15 a.m. are tardy, with the exception of students arriving on late buses. Students who are tardy should report directly to the front office Attendance Clerk. Consistently absent and tardy students will be referred to the school social worker.

SCHOOL VISITORS

Parents and other visitors are welcome and encouraged to visit the school. BEFORE GOING TO ANY CLASSROOM, PLEASE CHECK IN AT THE OFFICE FOR A VISITOR'S BADGE.

EARLY DISMISSAL BY PARENT REQUEST

Students in grades K-5 are dismissed early only for emergencies or appointments which cannot be made at other times. Parents must first report to the office and sign a dismissal record and show a picture I.D. Students will be dismissed to authorized adults only. All students must be picked up and returned through the office. All early dismissals must take place before 3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday the time is before 2:30 p.m. After dismissal preparation starts, we ask that parents wait for their student to be dismissed.

TELEPHONE USE POLICY

Students are not allowed to use the school's telephone to call home for forgotten articles, messages, etc. Cell phones must be off or on silent mode during school hours. If a phone should ring during school hours the phone will be confiscated and the parent will need to retrieve it from the office. Cell phones should remain out of sight during school hours.

The "30-30 Rule"

When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder. If this time is 30 seconds or less, go immediately to a safer place. If you can't see the lightning, just hearing the thunder means lightning is likely within striking range, go to a safer place. After the storm has apparently dissipated or moved on, wait 30 minutes or more after hearing the last thunder before leaving the safer location. We will follow this rule when dismissing students.

PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR CHILD WITH RAIN GEAR!

Please instruct your children as to what they should do at dismissal time, on rainy days and during times of bad weather alerts.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR TELEPHONE NUMBER

It is extremely important that the school's office and the student's classroom teacher be notified immediately of any changes of address or telephone number(s) or any change in emergency telephone number(s). Please update all phone numbers for your child. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. If parents are going to change how the child goes home in the afternoon. It must be put in writing and a follow up phone call must be made to the teacher.

SCHOOL VISITATION AND PARENT CONFERENCES

Parents/guardians are welcome to visit. Please call the school office to make an appointment with a teacher or send a note to your child's teacher requesting an appointment for parent conferences. We ask that parents do not just show up at the teacher's door before, during or after school. At least three conferences (Report

Card Conference Nights) are required. Your support is crucial to your child's success.

Hallway Behaviors

  1. Students will walk safely through the hallways slowly, facing forward, in a line with their hands by their sides.
  2. All Quiet Zones will be observed.
  3. During class time, students must have a pass to be in the hallways.
  4. If a staff member requests that you stop, please stop and correct that behavior. Do what the staff member asks you to do.
  5. No students should be in the hallways prior to 8:00 a.m. or after 3:00 p.m. unless escorted by staff member.
  6. Students will use a thumb-up sign for hello instead of voices.

Walkway Behaviors

  1. I will line up and face forward.
  2. I will talk with a soft voice.
  3. I will keep my hands to myself.
  4. I will follow teacher's directions.
  5. I will stop at designated stop signs.
  6. I will have a pass and a buddy if unsupervised on the walkways.

Playground Behaviors

  1. I will play nicely with others.
  2. I will show respect for others and follow teacher directions.
  3. I will take turns on the equipment.
  4. I will use playground equipment safely.
  5. I will stay in the playground area.
  6. I will line up immediately when the teacher calls.

Clinic Behaviors

  1. I will enter the office using the front door.
  2. I will walk in quietly and take a seat.
  3. I will stay in the clinic while being helped.
  4. I will talk with a soft voice.
  5. I will follow the nurse's directions.
  6. I will return to class using walkway behaviors.

Fire Drill Behaviors

  1. I will stand up and listen to directions.
  2. I will exit the classroom silently and proceed to the stopping point.
  3. I will silently proceed to designated area.
  4. I will walk in a safe and orderly manner.
  5. I will remain in line until the "all clear" signal is given.
  6. I will re-enter the classroom in an orderly manner.

Cafeteria Procedures

  1. Teachers should strive to get students to cafeteria on time and pick-up students on time.
  2. Teachers should wait for all students to get through the line in the cafeteria before leaving. (optional)
  3. Students will remain in alphabetical order and proceed to their assigned table.
  4. First ten minutes of lunch is quiet time. After that, students may talk in quiet voices. Signals to be used in the cafeteria: red cup up ten minutes of quiet time; green cup, students may talk in quiet voices. (subject to change) Supervising cafeteria staff or faculty will be in charge of cups their grade level.
  5. Students will remain seated until an adult dismisses them. At that time, they may get up, dispose of trash and line up quietly.

All incoming Kindergarten children will be on paid status until there is an approved form with them listed with the rest of the school children in the family.

Arrival & Dismissal Procedures

  1. The school assumes responsibility for students at 7:30 a.m. Prior to 7:30 a.m., it is the parent's responsibility for safety reasons. No student should enter the buildings before 7:30 a.m.
  2. Staff must provide a hall pass or note to any student who is to be in the building prior to 7:30 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m.
  3. Teachers will welcome students in their classrooms promptly at 8:15 a.m.
  4. Teachers will be in the hallways or their doorways as students arrive and leave the classrooms.
  5. Supervisors of the bus area will be in their assigned area at the designated times.
  6. During dismissal, teachers in the quad will walk their entire class along the outside walkways of the cafeteria building at 3:30 p.m. and at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Teachers will dismiss the Northbound walkers first (toward Colonial Dr.), van & bus riders, escort Southbound walkers toward (Washington St.) to John Giles, and maintain car riders until you reach the car zone area.

Parent Pick-up Procedures

  1. Parents will be directed into the South parking lot moving from the left, around to the pick-up area.
  2. Pick-up area will be designated by two distinct color cones. Students are only allowed to enter their vehicle if it is located in this area.
  3. Buses will enter from the same driveway as before (North driveway), and pick-up their students at the bus area.
  4. Vans will enter from the front office driveway.
  5. Cones will be set up for the traffic to flow in and out of the South driveway in an orderly fashion.

Office Behaviors

  1. I will enter the office using the front door.
  2. I will wait quietly to be helped.
  3. I will use good manners.
  4. I will follow adult's directions.
  5. I will exit the office using the front door.
  6. I will return to class using walkway behaviors.

Restroom Behaviors

  1. I will get a pass to go to the restroom.
  2. I will enter the restroom and hang the pass on the doorknob.
  3. I will enter the restroom appropriately
  4. I will flush the toilet.
  5. I will wash and dry hands and put the paper in the trash can.
  6. I will pick-up the pass and return directly to class.

BUS CONDUCT

Florida law provides school bus privileges to students attending public schools, however, any student that engages in misconduct and abuses, that privilege while riding on a school bus, and at designated bus stop areas, maybe denied bus privileges. Suspension from bus privileges does not mean that the student is suspended from school attendance. The following actions will be cause to suspend a student's bus riding privileges:

  • Fighting
  • Profanity
  • No Bullying
  • Throwing objects/materials from the windows
  • Refusing to remain seated while the bus is in motion
  • Spitting on others
  • Disrespect to the bus driver

County insurance will cover your child if he/she is injured while riding on an assigned bus.

Students will not be allowed to ride a bus to which they are not assigned.

School Rules Against Bullying

  1. We will NOT BULLY other students.
  2. We will try to HELP students who are bullied.
  3. We will make a point to INCLUDE students who are left out.
  4. When we know someone is being bullied, we will REPORT to an adult at school, on the bus, or at home.

Assembly Behaviors

  1. I will enter the assembly in a quiet and orderly manner.
  2. I will sit with bottoms in seats and feet on the floor.
  3. I will wait quietly, using soft voices for the program to begin.
  4. I will face forward with eyes on the speaker.
  5. I will respond positively and respectfully to the speaker.
  6. I will remain seated and wait for the teacher's directions.