2007-08 Calendar and Parent Handbook - Quakertown Community ...

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School Board Information THE BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS The Board of School Directors, often called the “Board of Education,” is responsible for the educational policies of the Quakertown Community School District. The Board is responsible to the state government and the local community for the education of children from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Board members are elected by residents of the municipalities of Quakertown, Trumbauersville, and Richlandtown Boroughs, and Milford, Richland, and Haycock Townships. Each member is elected for a four-year term of office. The Board, under state guidelines, establishes policies which are executed by the Superintendent, with the help of the administrative team. BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS REGION Mrs. Kelly L. VanValkenburgh, President 3 Mrs. Linda A. Martin, Vice President 2 Mr. Manuel Alfonso 2 Mr. William R. Laboski 2 Dr. Robert L. Leight 1 Mrs. Kathy Mosley 3 Mr. Zane R. Stauffer 1 Mr. Paul R. Stepanoff 1 Mrs. Nancy B. Tirjan 3 Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Richlandtown Borough, Haycock Township & Richland Township Election Districts 1, 2 & 3 Milford Township and Trumbauersville Borough Quakertown Borough & Richland Township Election District 4 NON-MEMBERS Alice K. Bishop ............................................Secretary Sylvia C. Lenz ......................................................Treasurer Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams, LLP ..................Solicitor Two high school students are also elected in the fall to serve as Student Representatives on the School Board for that current year. SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS Parents and residents are invited to attend School Board meetings, which are normally held the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m., except during the months of November and December. (The Board meeting calendar may also vary during July and August.) Each December, the Board establishes its meeting dates, times and locations for the upcoming year. If the Board deems it necessary to hold a special meeting to conduct urgent business, public notice is given. SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS The Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the School Board and executes Board policies on the operation of the schools. The Superintendent is the Board’s advisor and keeps them informed of the needs and programs of the schools. ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS If you have a question about policy, finances, or a district-wide related problem, submit your question in writing to the Superintendent before the School Board meeting. This enables the School Board to research and prepare a complete answer to your question. Questions dealing with teacher/pupil relations should be handled at the building level. STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE In compliance with Federal and State laws and regulations, the Quakertown Community School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, or the presence of nonjob-related medical conditions or handicaps in the educational programs and activities it operates, in its admission policies, and in its employment practices. Quakertown Community School District complies with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, revised in 2001 as No Child Left Behind, (NCLB). The Quakertown Community School District is in compliance with all NCLB assurances. DISTRICT MISSION STATEMENT “Preparing for the 21 st Century” Our mission is to maximize the achievement of each student and to empower all students to become productive citizens. SIX-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS 2007-2013 GOAL 1: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Continue, develop, implement and support effective programs and strategies that meet the specific needs of every student and that result in increased student achievement. GOAL 2: COMMUNICATION Implement and support methods for improved communication with all stakeholders. GOAL 3: STAFFING AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT Provide a variety of staff development programs that empower the staff to grow professionally and that support district initiatives. GOAL 4: FINANCE AND FACILITIES Review processes and procedures to ensure efficient and effective use of district resources. Continue planning and implementation to provide safe, physically sound, and appropriate facilities for all students and staff. GOAL 5: DIVERSITY Create and support an educational and work environment that welcomes and celebrates diversity.
PROGRAMS FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN The Quakertown Community School District provides exceptional students with free, appropriate, public educational programs and services, as determined by the child’s Individual Educational Program (IEP). Students receive instruction in programs operated by either the district or the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22. Some severely disabled students attend Approved Private Schools because they cannot be educated in a less restrictive setting. Special classes are Learning Support, Life Skills Support, Emotional Support, Physical Support, Autistic Support, Multihandicapped Support, Speech and Language Support, Visually Impaired Support, Hearing Impaired Support, and Gifted Support. Preschool handicapped children are eligible for supportive programs and services from the Intermediate Unit, and their parents are encouraged to contact the Intermediate Unit at 215/348-2940. Homebound instruction is available to students for up to five hours per week as a temporary educational program due to physical or emotional incapacity. Further information about homebound instruction may be obtained from the school’s guidance counselor or principal. For more information about special education services, parents may contact Ms. Doris Martin, Supervisor of Special Education, at 215/529-2007. CHILD FIND ACTIVITIES AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT TEAMS (IST) An instructional support team is a group of educators who meet to discuss a child’s learning and adjustment to school for the purpose of deciding upon appropriate intervention strategies. In addition to the child’s classroom teachers, the team may include the guidance counselor, principal, nurse, school psychologist, speech therapist, adapted physical education teacher, and instructional support teacher. Any parent may request an IST or child study team-screening meeting, at any time, by contacting the child’s principal. Consideration for special education programs and services emerge from a multidisciplinaryteam (MDT) approach, including the student’s parents as valuable team members. Teachers or parents may initiate an MDT by contacting the building principal. Each building has an appropriate form to facilitate a parental request for evaluation. Screening activities are ongoing and include reviews of functional vision, hearing, speech, and language. Screenings are conducted during the school day, as appropriate, at various times during the school year. Parents are advised concerning the results of screening and are asked for written permission before the more formal MDT process may begin. Once permission is obtained, the multidisciplinary evaluation must be completed within 45 school days. The purpose of identification activities is that each child will receive appropriate and meaningful educational benefit in the least Pupil Services restrictive setting. Parents are encouraged to submit comments or suggestions for improving the Child Find process to the Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education/Pupil Services. PROTECTED HANDICAPPED STUDENTS The Quakertown Community School District does not discriminate against otherwise qualified handicapped students who have physical, mental, or health impairments which substantially limit equal success to the school program. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 guarantees equal opportunities for participation in school programs and activities. If parents believe that their child may quality as a protected handicapped student, whether or not the child is enrolled in a special education class, the parents may request an evaluation or may request accommodations by contacting the student’s building principal. A Parent Request for Evaluation form is available to facilitate parental requests. PUPIL RECORDS The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the confidentiality of student records. Parents and students have the right to inspect, review, and obtain copies of their educational records within a reasonable period of time. Parents may initiate requests by contacting the student’s building principal. No individual or agency outside those listed in School Board Policy shall be permitted to have access to the records without written permission from the parent or student. Information that is labeled “directory information” by a school district is excluded from FERPA’s protection and may be released without permission. In this district, the directory information that is released consists of student names, addresses, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, date of attendance, last grade completed, honor roll designation, and awards received. Directory information is collected for the purpose of updating school records, sports programs and the like, including release of seniors’ names to recruitment officers of the armed services. IF YOU DO NOT WANT SOME OR ALL OF THIS INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD RELEASED, YOU MAY PREVENT ITS DISCLOSURE BY CONTACTING THE BUILDING PRINCIPAL BY SEPTEMBER 30. Parents may contact the building principal or the Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education/Pupil Services at 215/529- 2013 for further information about the district’s records policy. Parents may wish to know the types of information collected, especially as the policy applies to multidisciplinary, psychological and psychiatric reports, and procedures for the amendment or destruction of records. INTERIM REPORTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS Interim reports are issued at the mid-point of each marking period to inform parents of failing grades or work of substandard quality. STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SAP) This program offers a team approach to the identification, intervention, and referral of those students who are “at risk” of losing their quality of life and/or education because of selfdestructive behavior patterns which may or may not be tied to chemical use or mental health conditions. A team consisting of district and building level administrators, school counselors, nurses, and teachers operates as a helping mechanism in conjunction with the discipline system in the senior high school and each of the middle schools. HEALTH SERVICES School nurses in Quakertown public schools provide health services to all students. Medical examinations are required for each student upon entry to school and in grades 6 and 11. Dental examinations are required upon entry to school and in grades 3 and 7. Scoliosis screenings are required in grade seven. Students may be exempted, upon parent request. Parents who wish their child to be excused from annual vision, hearing, height and weight screenings should contact the school nurse. When it is necessary for a child to take a prescribed medicine in school, the following policy is adhered to: prescription drugs must be in a duly marked prescription container with the child’s name on it. Written instructions, signed by a parent or guardian, must accompany this medicine. The school nurse or building principal must be informed of such medication requirements. FOOD SERVICES The QCSD Food Service Department participates in the National School Lunch Program. Program requirements include lunches meet one-third of the daily nutritional needs of the school age children and implementation of free and reduced price lunch benefits. Student lunches offer a variety of nutritional and appealing food selections. Lunch prices are set to cover the expense of these selections. Elementary student lunch is $1.70. Secondary lunches have tiered pricing, dependent upon food selections; the prices are $1.90, $2.40, and $2.70 All schools, except Haycock, have point of sale (POS) systems. POS allows students to establish cash accounts to access for the purchase of lunches. Students deposit money into their account and draw from that account using their personal identification number (PIN). Please contact the district Food Service Office for additional information on the QCSD Food Service Program.
Page 1 and 2: Quakertown Community Haycock School
Page 3 and 4: LABOR DAY 2 3 4 SCHOOLS & OFFICES C
Page 5 and 6: 7 14 FIRE PREVENTION WEEK COLUMBUS
Page 7 and 8: STANDARD TIME ELECTION DAY 4 5 6 7
Page 9 and 10: 2 HANUKKAH 3 4 5 6 7 8 (begins at s
Page 11 and 12: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 • PES - PTO Meet
Page 13 and 14: ASH WEDNESDAY 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 17
Page 15 and 16: READ ACROSS 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 AMERICA D
Page 17 and 18: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 NATIONAL LIBRARY 1
Page 19 and 20: NATIONAL MUSIC NATIONAL TEACHER 4 5
Page 21 and 22: SHAVUOT 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 (begins
Page 23: 2008 August Sunday Monday Tuesday W
Page 27 and 28: COMMUNITY EDUCATION ADULT EVENING S
Page 29 and 30: WINTER SPORTS BOYS’ BASKETBALL No
Page 31 and 32: Strayer Middle School Milford Middl

2007-08 Calendar and Parent Handbook - Quakertown Community ...

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