Plaza Vista School K-8 - Irvine Unified School District

New Family Orientation
2010~2011

We at Plaza Vista are committed to ensuring
all students experience individual successes
regularly. Through the effective use of
collaboration and dedicated time we will
utilize all available resources for students to
reach and exceed individual goals.

Plaza Vista School is a K-8 single-track, year-round
calendar school located in the community of Westpark.
Built in 1999, we are currently beginning our twelfth year.
Over nine hundred students attend Plaza Vista School and
they represent a diverse population of both ethnic and
socio-economic groups. The building is a beautiful,
modern single story facility encompassing 63,000 square
feet. Kindergarten through fifth grade students are located
in one half of the building and sixth through eighth grade
students are in the other half. In 2010 we became a
California Distinguished School, which honors some of the
state’s most exemplary public schools.

Plaza Vista School maintains its own web site to
provide information about the school, including
school calendars, bell schedules, grade level supply
lists, newsletters, school policies, staff contact
information, classroom information, and parent
involvement. Our website can be viewed at
www.iusd.org/pv.

• Students may not be on campus prior to 15 minutes
before their school day begins and all students must be
picked up and/or must leave directly and go home
after school as supervision is not provided.
• The school grounds are for the sole use of Plaza Vista
students during the school day, and are not open to
pre-schoolers or older/younger siblings during school
hours.

• Absences: If your child is not in school for any reason,
please telephone the attendance line before 9:00 a.m. at
949-936-6951 to report your student’s absence.
• Late Arrivals: Each student must sign in at the front office
if he/she is tardy. Your student will receive a tardy slip to
give to his/her teacher. We would appreciate you making
dental or doctor appointments after school hours.
However, if you find it necessary to schedule a medical
appointment during your child’s class time, please “sign
out” your child in the office. Do not go directly to the
classroom for your child at any time. This minimizes the
disruption to our instructional program.
• Student Release: Students will be released only to persons
designated on the emergency card.

Parents are urged to discuss safety rules and the
responsibilities of good citizenship with their children in
regard to walking to and from school. The City of Irvine
provides crossing guards at Warner/San Ynez and at Paseo
Westpark/Festivo.
Please:
• Come directly to school from home.
• Walk on the sidewalk and inside the crosswalks.
• Cross the streets only at the corners and crosswalks and
with the crossing guard who is on duty before and after
school.
• Go directly home after school.

• If you find it necessary to drive your child to school,
we ask that you be aware of the safety of all children
when driving in the vicinity of the school.
• Due to the limited number of spaces, we ask that
parents reserve the spots marked “STAFF” for staff
members only.
• The red curb in front of the school is identified as a
“DROP-OFF ZONE” only. At no time can you leave
your car unattended at the drop-off zone in the
parking lot or on Paseo Westpark’s drop-off at the
curb.
• A parking variance is in place for school activities
listed on the home page of our website. Please see
the website for more details.

The following guidelines are established to prevent injury
or loss of property:
• Students riding bicycles to school must be in 3 rd -8 th grade.
• All 3 rd through 8 th grade students who ride their bicycles to
and from school must wear a bicycle helmet.
• Bicycles should be licensed through the Irvine Police
Department.
• Each bicycle must be locked in the designated bike racks
near the lunch area.
• All bicycles must be walked while on school grounds and
across the driveways to the parking lot.

• Children are sometimes asked by a staff member to remain at
school after dismissal time. Parent notification will be made if
students are asked to remain longer than 15 minutes in
elementary or 30 minutes in middle school.
• Children attending after school enrichment classes are requested
to go directly to their designated area after school.
• Children attending CDC will be picked up by CDC staff (K-2) or
should proceed immediately to CDC once dismissed (3-6).
• Children are not allowed to play on the playground after school.
They should go directly home.
• If a student leaves an item here at school, he/she needs to go to
the outside door of the classroom and knock to see if the teacher
is still present. If the teacher is not in the classroom, the student
will need to wait until the following day to retrieve the item(s).

• The CDC childcare program at Plaza Vista School
provides affordable, quality childcare and day camps
for elementary school-age children of working parents.
Professional staff supervise children in a caring,
nurturing environment.
• The program operates Monday-Friday. For further
information, please call 949-652-6405.

The school office staff works hard to provide the best
quality services to children, staff and parents. We ask
that you sign in with the office and pick up a visitor or
volunteer badge before visiting the instructional area.
The office is open from 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Monday
through Friday.

• In regards to forgotten items (not just lunches, but musical instruments and
homework assignments), we are attempting to minimize classroom
interruptions and encourage responsibility. At the same time, we also do our
best to take the nutritional needs of our students into consideration.
• K-3 – If a parent delivers lunch for a student in K-3, office staff will ensure that
the lunch is delivered to the student or the teacher is notified so they can send
the student to pick up his/her lunch in the office.
• 4-5 – If a parent delivers lunch for a student in 4-5, office staff will notify the
classroom teacher via email. Students are also informed by teachers at the
beginning of the year that if they forget their lunch, they should check up in the
office.
• 6-8 – Students are informed by their teachers at the beginning of the school
year that if they ever forget their lunch, they should check up in the office.
• Of course, if there are extenuating circumstances in regards to the child’s
health, exceptions can be made. We also encourage parents to place money
into their child’s Lunch Box account in the event their child does not remember
to bring lunch. Students who do not have lunch can go to the cafeteria and
they are given milk and crackers.

• Parents are welcome on campus. For the protection of the
children, and in respect for the teacher’s instructional
responsibilities, please schedule your classroom visit in
advance and always sign in with office personnel.
• All adults (volunteers or visitors) on campus must sign in at
the school office regardless of visit’s length, unless they are
dropping off or picking up students. All adults must pick
up a visitor/volunteer badge and wear it while at school.
Consistent enforcement of this policy is necessary to
ensure the safety of all children and staff and protect
continuity of instruction. Any parent without a name
badge will be asked to return to the office to sign in. Thank
you for your cooperation.

• Lunches may be purchased in the cafeteria.
Elementary lunch is $3.25 and middle school lunch is
$4.25. Items may also be purchased ala carte.
• Pre-payments may be made at school or online
through the Lunch Box program.
• Please see our website for the cafeteria menu and
detailed information on our lunch line procedures
and to make your online lunch payments.
• Children may bring their own lunch if they desire.

• We will be establishing Family Lunch Days three times
a year this school year. This is an opportunity for
parents to bring a lunch to school and eat with their
children.
• Because we have now set aside this special time for you
to join us on campus during lunch, we request that
parents no longer visit their children during lunch
outside of these scheduled days. This includes
dropping off a child’s lunch at the lunch tables.

• The lost & found cart is located outside the media
center facing the lunch tables. Students are welcome
to check it for lost items.
• Lost glasses, retainers, jewelry, etc. are kept in the
office.
• Please label your children’s belongings for easy
identification.

• We ask that you take care of all arrangements for the day
with your children before they leave for school.
• We ask that only emergency messages be telephoned in to
the office for children, since we strive to keep instructional
interruptions to a minimum.
• Arrangements with friends should be made prior to coming
to school.
• Cell phones are permitted at school, however, board policy
requires that they be deactivated during the regular school
day. The use of cell phones is prohibited during school
hours. They are to be turned off and in the student’s
backpack during school hours.

Anytime your child requires medication at school, the
medication must be kept in the health office to be
given by school personnel. Legally, the district
requires:
• Medication be in the original pharmacy bottle,
properly labeled by the pharmacist.
• Both the physician and a parent must sign a consent
form prior to medication being administered at
school.
• Medication must be brought to school by a parent.

• A safe learning environment is our first priority.
Bullying and other destructive behaviors will not be
tolerated and will have appropriate consequences.
• Please read the Plaza Vista K-5 “Code of Conduct” or
the 6-8 Middle School handbook which will be sent
home with your child at the beginning of the school
year.
• You and your child will be asked to provide your
signatures verifying that you’ve both read the rules and
regulations.

• Partnership – We agree to demonstrate team spirit and to work for
the good of the group.
• Respect – We agree to demonstrate consideration for the rights of
others and to hold others in high regard. We agree to focus on the
good in our lives and to let go of negative feelings.
• Integrity - We agree to keep our word privately and publicly.
• Determination – We agree to persist in what is right, regardless
of the cost. We agree to demonstrate self-discipline and selfmotivation.
• Empathy – We agree to treat everyone kindly and to help them in
their time of need.

• Homework is the primary responsibility of the student, yet
still shared with the parents and teacher. Homework
strengthens school academics and builds student
responsibility.
• Homework is designed to reinforce concepts taught in
class. Each child should get in the habit of doing
homework at least four times a week. While an individual
student’s learning pace will influence the amount of time
spent doing assigned work, the average should be about 10
minutes per grade level with a minimum of 20 minutes per
day.
• If you have any concerns about your child’s homework,
please contact your child’s teacher.

• During the first month of school, we schedule a formal
evening meeting for the teacher to present the
curriculum, policies and procedures for the year. This
is a night for parents only. The staff presents general
information, not specific students progress.
• Our 2010 Back-to-School Night dates are:
• 5 th -8 th grade: Wednesday, August 4 th – Time TBD
• Kinder-4 th grade: Thursday, August 5 th – Time TBD

Open House is scheduled in the spring to showcase
students’ progress. This event is an acknowledgement
of the commendable efforts our students made
throughout the year. Family and friends are invited to
experience this popular event with their student.

• Report Cards are issued three times a year.
• Approximately one month after school begins, parents
are formally invited to meet with their child’s teacher
to mutually specify goals for their child for the year
and to receive an initial progress update. Optional
follow-up conferences are scheduled at the beginning
of the third trimester.
• We encourage parents to schedule a conference any
time they feel there is a need during the year.
• Progress reports may be sent home midway through
each trimester to provide academic progress.

• Textbooks and library books are school property and
are loaned to students.
• Students are responsible for their safekeeping. It is the
responsibility of the student to pay for lost or damaged
books.

• Health Services
• Psychological Services
• Counseling Services
• Specialized Academic Instruction
• Speech and Language Pathologist
• English Learners
• Gifted and Talented Education

• Parent Volunteers
• School Site Council
• Parent Teacher Association
• IUSD Board of Education
• IUSD on the Web

We look forward
to this coming year!