ELLICOTT HELPFUL RESOURCES

School Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Safety and supervision concerns for children in school make it impossible for students to arrive at school prior to 9:00 a.m. to accommodate parental work schedules, appointments, etc. Please do not drop your students off and leave them unattended.

Emergency Data:  The school must have current home, cell phone and emergency telephone numbers and addresses in case of accident or illness. Please confirm your demographic and emergency contact information through the PowerSchool parent portal located on our district website www.opschools.org and remember to update that information anytime it changes.

School Entrance:  When there is a need to come to Ellicott during school hours please enter through the front foyer. Our safety monitor will verify your entrance and ask for photo identification.  If your student needs to be released from school early, or if you need to drop off a lunch, book, or any other item they will then notify the office by an intercom system of the need for that student or of items left for pick up by that student.

Early Release: Pupils leaving school early, before 3:00pm, for various appointments should have written notes from their parent/guardians submitted to their classroom teacher that morning.  Please be aware that if your child does not have a note for an early dismissal the teacher won’t be able to properly have them ready in a timely fashion and there may be difficulty locating them.  These early releases count as an early dismissal and are detailed on their school attendance record. We encourage all students to attend for the full day so they don’t miss out on the end of the day details from their classroom teachers.

Dismissal Procedure: All students are dismissed by wings in a calm and orderly fashion to their buses.   Any student who is scheduled to be picked up by a parent/guardian at dismissal time (3:10 p.m.) will be housed in our large cafeteria and must have a note sent in to their classroom teacher that morning. Please refrain from last minute calls to the main office during this busy time of day.  Be prepared and have proper identification for the monitors at dismissal time.

Medications: PLEASE DO NOT SEND MEDICATIONS OF ANY KIND TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR STUDENT.  No medications, including Tylenol, Advil, or cough drops, may be given during school hours unless you comply with the rules of New York State Law. Contact our school nurse to discuss your medical needs.

Attendance:  When you know that your child is going to be absent or tardy for school we request that you call the schools automated attendance line at #209-6102 to leave a message regarding this absence or tardiness.  It is the parent/guardians responsibility to see that regular attendance is maintained.  We strongly encouraged you to schedule family vacations around the days school is not in session.  Please remember to send in a written detailed note for all student absences even if you have called the attendance line.  These excuses are kept on file as required by New York State Law.

School Breakfast:  A continental breakfast is offered to all students in our school if needed. Free and reduced plans apply for those who qualify and the application can be found on our district web-site.

School Lunch:  We participate in the National School Lunch Program.  Children may purchase a lunch which includes milk or they may bring a bagged lunch and purchase milk. If a student forgets his/her lunch or money for lunch, they may charge their lunch that day. It is expected that the charge will be paid on the next school day.  Personal checks for lunch accounts should be made payable to Orchard Park Central Schools.  You may access www.mySchoolBucks.com as an option for prepaying for your student lunches online.  Free and reduced plans apply for those who qualify and the application can be found on our district web-site. Please label all money that you send in for your student to be sure it gets proper credit.

School Books:  Students have the privilege of using all classroom textbooks and of signing out library books.  All classroom textbooks should have book covers placed on them. It is expected that students will take responsibility for returning the books in good reusable condition. Lost or damaged books are expected to be paid for by the student.

Personal Possessions:  Please label in ink all children’s possessions with their full name.  This is the only way we can help identify lost items.  Sweaters, coats, caps, hats, book bags, lunch boxes, etc. should be marked with the child’s full name.  A lost and found box is kept near the cafeteria and you are encouraged to remind your student to check there for lost articles.

Extra Curricular Activities:  Students in Grades 4 and 5 are permitted to participate in various before and after school activities (i.e. intramurals, chorus, and band/orchestra).  Teachers, who are in charge of these activities, will send home information and any necessary permission sheets when the activities are scheduled.

Before/After School Programs:  Our school participates in a “before school”, as well as “after school” program conducted by the Y.M.C.A. Information regarding this program can be obtained by calling the Y.M.C.A. at 674-9622. Please keep your classroom teacher updated on your student’s attendance in this program to ensure proper day’s attendance.

Party Invitation Reminder:  Please be reminded that neither our school office nor classroom teachers can give out addresses of students and their families for any reason, such as the purpose of sending out birthday invitations. Refrain from sending party invitations to school unless the entire class is invited. It can be very difficult for children who are not invited to deal with this during the school day. Your understanding of the reasons why this needs to be adhered to is appreciated in advance.