ARRIVING AT AND LEAVING SCHOOL

Before And After School Procedures

Before school, students in grades K-4 may arrive any time after 9 a.m. For students to arrive earlier to school, they should be enrolled in Learning Ventures Child Care before-school programs.

At Westwood Intermediate and Middle School (grades 5-8), middle school students (grade 7-8) may arrive starting at 7:20 a.m. and enter through the main entrance and students in intermediate grades (grades 5-6) may arrive at 8:20 a.m. for breakfast or 8:25 a.m. if going directly to their classroom. Students who arrive early will wait either in the Locker Bay area (grades 7-8) or Cafeteria (grades 5-6) until their school day begins.

At Spring Lake Park High School (grades 9-12), students who want to enter the building before 7:30 a.m. are to enter through door 1, the main office entrance. Students may be dropped off at this door starting at 6:30 a.m. and they will wait in the vestibule until 7 a.m. At 7 a.m., students will have access to the building through the main office and through door 6, the doors nearest the student parking lot. All other doors will remain locked until 7:30 a.m.

All students remaining in the building after school must be under the direct supervision of a teacher, coach, advisor, or other school staff member. Students must obtain permission from an administrator to stay in other areas of the school without adult supervision. If students are waiting to be picked up, they must remain in the front lobby/vestibule area. Students who do not meet these expectations will face disciplinary action.

WHEN STUDENT END-OF-DAY PLANS CHANGE

If your grade K-8 student is not going where they normally go after school, it is necessary to notify the school office at least 30 minutes prior to dismissal, giving permission and detailing the change of arrangements for that day. Please do not rely on email. Please call the school office.

Attendance

Regular attendance in school is essential for learning. Regular school attendance benefits a student’s academic progress and social development and establishes regular habits of dependability important to the future of the student.

Parents and guardians play the most important role in their child’s education. Making sure students are on time and ready to learn is critical to each student’s success. Parents and guardians are also responsible for informing the school in the event of a student absence and working in partnership with the school to solve any student attendance problems.

In order to participate in an athletic practice, contest, or activity, students must be making progress toward learning. Participation in extracurricular activities may, on occasion, cause absence from regularly scheduled classes. It is the intent of the administration to keep such absences to a minimum.

In-person learning and attendance

Attendance practices for students attending Spring Lake Park Schools in-person reflect the importance of physically arriving at school on time each day ready to learn. If a student is late for school or late for class, they may be marked tardy or absent. See Absences for specific guidelines.

Online learning and attendance

Students attending SLP Schools online full-time follow attendance practices that reflect a synthesis of best practices in attendance for online learning and will result in specifics next actions to support students in “showing up” for school personalized to their needs.

Students will be marked “present” if they engage in daily meaningful interactions with their learning and/or learner advocate (teacher). Examples of daily meaningful interactions may include, but are not limited to:

• Reciprocal communication between student/family and teacher (learner advocate)

• Collaborative problem-solving for technology access issues and./or use of specific tools within our digital toolkit

• Reciprocal check-ins focused on social and emotional well-being

• Evidence of learning through student work and learning experiences

SLP Online Elementary students and at-home learning coaches also will submit a reflection by 3:30 p.m. each school days sharing:

• What did you do to support your learning today?

• What do you plan to do tomorrow to support your learning?

Absences

If a student will be absent, arrive late, or leave early, a parent or guardian should call the school’s attendance line. You can call 24 hours a day and leave a message.

Parents and guardians may also report a student absence through Campus Parent Portal. On the main menu (on the left), click on MORE and then ABSENT REQUEST to record and submit an absence for your student.

If a child is not at school and the school has not received notice of an absence, the school will call a parent or guardian. If we don’t hear from you, your child’s absence will be recorded as unexcused. Absence due to weather concerns will be excused only if reported by a parent or guardian.

Absence guidelines for grades K-6:

• A student is considered tardy if they arrive up to 60 minutes late.

• A student is considered absent for a half day if they miss more than 60 minutes at the start or end of a school day.

• A student is considered absent for a full day if they miss four or more hours of the school day.

Absence guidelines for grades 7-12:

• Student attendance is recorded for each class period.

• A student is considered tardy if they arrive late to class.

• Tardy violations are accumulated per trimester. Students who are excessively tardy to class should expect a meeting with their counselor or an administrator. Students may receive disciplinary action and/or be placed on an attendance contract.

The school will excuse – or not excuse – student absences according to district policy. See definitions within (Policy 503: Student Attendance.) Parents/guardians can request that an unexcused absence be changed to excused with a written note or phone call.

Learning is compromised when students are continually absent from school. If a student is absent frequently, school staff will reach out to families to understand current circumstances and develop a plan if needed.

Schools also are mandated by state law to report a truant student to the proper authorities. At six unexcused absences, the school is required to submit a referral to the Anoka County Attorney’s Office, and the county gets involved.

Arriving Late

If a student is arriving after the school day has begun, a parent/guardian should call the school’s main office prior to the student’s arrival at school. The parent and student (grades K-4) should report directly to the office to sign in. For students in grades 5-12, the student will report directly to the office to sign in and obtain a late pass to class.

Leaving Early

In general, leaving school early is discouraged. Early dismissals should only occur for rare circumstances and parent requests for early dismissal must go through the school office. Please make every effort to schedule appointments outside of school hours.

If a student must leave early for an appointment or other excused commitment, a parent/guardian should call the school office prior to the early dismissal. Students in grade K-8 who need to leave early must be picked up in the main office and signed out by a designated adult, who will be asked to show identification.

High school students must have parental consent confirmed with the school’s main office to leave campus early. This includes one-time/occasional needs to leave before the end of the day, students who have a flexible schedule at the beginning or end of the school day or students who take courses off campus for part of the day.

In case of emergency or illness, the student must report to the health office. The school nurse will contact the parent or guardian. The parent or guardian must sign the student out in the office.

Updating Student Information

Basic student information, address, telephone numbers, child care, and emergency contacts is housed in Campus Parent Portal and can be updated there or by calling the school office. Please remember to notify the school of any changes in this information or change in your work status or schedule. This information is used in many ways and must be as complete and accurate as possible.

STUDENT DATA, PHOTOS AND VIDEO

Spring Lake Park Schools, its schools, and departments frequently highlight student successes and the many good things taking place in schools. This includes, but is not limited to, yearbooks, articles and photographs in newsletters or the website, or videos of student programs shared through the school or district’s communications. Students’ names may or may not appear with an image or video.

If a parent or eligible student wants any or all of their student directory information to remain private, the parent, guardian, or eligible student must make a written request to the building principal. This request must include the name of student and parent, as appropriate; home address; school presently attended by student; parent’s legal relationship to student, if applicable; specific category or categories of directory information not to be made public without the parent’s or eligible student’s prior written consent.

If you have questions about the use of student data, photography, or other media, please contact your building principal. Students and parents may only take photos or videos at school or school events with prior consent from the subject of the photo/video. Cameras are prohibited in restrooms and locker rooms.

LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES – SCHOOLOGY AND SEESAW

Each student in Spring Lake Park Schools is issued a school-owned iPad to support their learning. The district uses two Learning Management Systems, Seesaw and Schoology, to support learning.

Seesaw is used in grades K-2 to share updates, learning progress and student work samples with families. Schoology is used in grades 3-12. This is where students find class information, submit homework assignments, review grades, participate in interactive discussions, receive announcements and feedback, take tests and interact with teachers and peers.

In addition to Seesaw and Schoology, a variety of educational technology tools and apps are used to enhance student learning and engagement. Students are expected to and supported in using these tools. Parents/guardians may also access these tools to help support student learning.

Technology Acceptable Use Policy

Technology tools are extremely useful educational tools. Access to the district’s technology network is governed by school district policy. Each fall, families are notified of the district’s Technology Responsible Use Policy. The policy outlines expectations for the use of technology in our schools and the responsibilities of the school, the student and the parent/guardian. The full policy can be found at SpringLakeParkSchools.org/policies .

Personal Property And Lost And Found

We recommend students leave all valuables at home. If special circumstances make it necessary for a student to bring money or other important possessions to school, leave the belongings in the office.

To minimize lost items, please:

• Keep non-essential items at home

• Label everything especially headset, lunchbox and clothing layers that may be removed during the day

• Remind your student to return their possessions to their locker or backpack when not using them to avoid loss

• Help your student form the habit of checking that they have their belongings each day

• Remind your student that items left on the floor in front of their locker are not allowed and will be removed

Each school has a designated lost and found area. If something is lost, students should check the lost and found immediately. Jewelry, money, wallets, purses and eyeglasses can be claimed in the main office. Unclaimed items are donated to local charities throughout the course of the school year.

If your child leaves something on the bus, items can be retrieved by calling the transportation department at 763-600-5590. Please provide your child’s bus number to claim misplaced items when calling.

Recess

All students in grades K-8 go outside each school day for recess unless the weather does not cooperate. Students will need a written note from a physician to be excused from recess. Students are expected to dress for the season, including wearing boots, snow pants and coats during the winter months.

We cancel outdoor recess when the outside temperature is 0° and/or the wind-chill factor is -10 °F, if the conditions are extremely icy or sloppy, or if it is raining and/or lightning.

REPORTING ON STUDENT PROGRESS (GRADING)

Student growth and development is our goal. We assess progress in ways that allow students to demonstrate what they know and can do. Our goal is to make connections between school and home throughout the year and to communicate progress and partner with parents and guardians to support student growth.

Our progress reporting and grading system provides information for students, teachers, and parents to reflect on strengths and needs in student learning, demonstrate progress, and evaluate mastery of learning outcomes. Report cards are issued for all grade levels three times each year at the end of each trimester.

Report card grades reflect student learning. Teachers look at evidence of learning, over time, to determine where students are at their learning at the time of report cards. This is just one of many ways we report on student learning throughout the year.

Grades for students in grades K-6

At the elementary level, teachers report on a student’s progress toward mastering academic and life competencies that are essential for students as they prepare for their next levels of learning. Rather than using letter grades (A, B, C, D) at the elementary level, student learning is reported based on a student’s progress in demonstrating the identified competencies.

Elementary report cards will show a student’s progress toward mastering an identified academic competency as:

• Beginning: The learner is still acquiring knowledge and skills for this learning outcome

• In progress: The learner accurately applies knowledge and skills for this learning outcome to familiar situations

• Proficient: The learner accurately applies knowledge and skills for this learning outcome to new situations

• Extending: The learner makes connections that extend beyond the learning outcome

• An NA (Not Applicable) indicates that students did not have opportunities to learn this outcome. Any learning outcomes marked as NA will be addressed throughout the rest of the year

• An NE (No Evidence) grade indicates that students had opportunities to learn this outcome but did not submit any evidence of their learning. As a result, there is no evidence to determine where they are at toward meeting the learning outcome. Any learning outcomes marked as NE will be addressed throughout the rest of the year

Our career and life competencies also provide valuable opportunities for feedback and student reflection on the dispositions and skills necessary for success in their academic learning.

Elementary report cards will show a student’s progress in career and life competencies as:

• Consistent: I can usually do it on my own, in various situations

• Progressing: I’m working on it and can do it in familiar situations

• Emerging: I’m just learning about it

Grades for students in grades 7-12

Course grades provide information about student achievement and learning progress at a point in time. Course grades are based on students demonstrating evidence of learning, and teachers have multiple points of evidence throughout the course that show how students are progressing through course learning outcomes. The grading scale is:

A 93-100% A- 90-92%

B+ 87-89% B 83-86% B- 80-82%

C+ 77-79% C 73-76% C- 70-72%

D+ 67-69% D 63-66% D- 60-62%

NE No Evidence – Student has not submitted evidence of learning - Used for year-long courses only.

NY Not Yet – Student has demonstrated some evidence of learning and must submit further evidence - Used for yearlong courses only.

F At the end of the course a student may fail. If a student receives an NE or NY and it has not been resolved at the end of the year, the student will receive an F.

Questions about grades or grading should first be directed to the teacher of the course. If an issue is still unresolved, the student should contact their counselor for assistance.