Welcome Washington Parents

2020-2021 DISTRICT CALENDAR
 

DAILY ATTENDANCE

Attendance is expected and is recorded on in-person school days as well as remote learning days at home.  Beginning January 11, 2021, elementary classroom teachers will be taking attendance twice daily - once at student arrival and once after 12:00pm. Students need to be present at both attendance periods to be considered present for the full day of school.  This is the procedure for all elementary school students, both those attending in-person days and online.

ABSENTEE CALLS/NOTES

Cohorts 1,2 & 3: If your child is going to be absent, please remember to call the school attendance line at 586-281-2150 before 9:30 a.m.  Please give us the spelling of the child's last name, teacher's name, and a specific reason: i.e. sick- fever, cough, sinus, COVID, or other- injury, family emergency. The answering machine is on 24 hours a day.  If your child needs an early dismissal, please send in a note to the teacher, who will forward the information on to the office.  It is very important to include the child's last name on all notes and envelopes.  If a child is riding home with another student in the school, please send in a note with this information also.  Due to the busy end-of-school day in the office, please call us no later than noon with any changes to your child's dismissal schedule.

Doctor's notes matter!  While we encourage you to try not to pull students out of school for appointments, we understand that scheduling sometimes necessitates it.  Any absence verified by a doctor's note is marked as excused.  Please make sure to forward these notes to the office as they do make a difference in your child's attendance record.

VISITORS/VOLUNTEERS

Per the safety guidelines, guests will not be allowed in the building except under extenuating circumstances as determined by the district and/or school officials. If you need to drop off an item for your child, drop off your child late, or pick them up early, you will be able to access the school lobby and speak to our office staff through the intercom system.

WATER BOTTLES

Students are encouraged to bring a full water bottle to school daily.  Please label your student's water bottle with their first and last name to avoid mix-ups.  In accordance with current safety protocols, water fountains will not be available at this time.

DAILY NUTRITIOUS SNACK BREAK

Students are welcome to bring a nutritious snack to school.  A snack should be simple and should take no more than 5 minutes for a child to eat.  Fruit, veggies, cheese sticks, and goldfish are examples of a few recommended snacks.  Be aware of restrictions due to food allergies in your child's classroom (the teacher will communicate those with you).  Teachers will give students a dedicated snack time daily, which is also a mask break.  The snack may be eaten in the classroom or outdoors, at the teacher's discretion.

SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST

This is a list of suggested school supplies.  Students will have their own supplies kept in their desk or in their own containers to avoid unnecessary touching of others' materials.

DAILY RECESS BREAK

Weather permitting, teachers will take students outdoors for a scheduled daily recess.  During recess, students will remain with their own class.  Recess also serves as a mask break.  On days with inclement weather, students will have a mask break indoors.

WINTER WEATHER GEAR

Students do go outside to play during the winter months.  Please make sure to send your child with the appropriate items to play outside during the cold months and/or snow.  Students MUST be wearing boots and snow pants to play in the snow.  Please make sure ALL ITEMS are labeled with student's name.  Please provide a sturdy bag to store items as our classroom coat racks do not have the capacity.

BIRTHDAY TREATS

We believe that birthdays are an important part of a child's life and we want to recognize them at school.  Children's birthdays are announced on our daily broadcast, and students who are celebrating their birthday at school receive a birthday prize from the office. 
For students who would like to bring items to share with their class on their birthday, they are welcome to bring a small, individually wrapped NON-FOOD surprise to school (for example-pencil, eraser, stickers) to give to each classmate (please bring enough for the whole class, not just the daily cohort).  Another idea would be to gift a favorite book to the class for the classroom library.  ABSOLUTELY NO FOOD TREATS WILL BE PERMITTED. 
Once we enter Phase 5 or 6 in our state, it's possible birthday parties may resume.  Birthday party invitations may not be passed out at school unless the entire class is being invited.  If you are inviting a small group of students, please contact those families outside of the school day.

TOYS

Toys are not allowed to be brought to Washington.  Toys are a distraction and cause a variety of problems when brought to school.  PLEASE, leave them at home.  This includes playground balls.  Students who bring these items to school for after school plans will be asked to keep them in their backpack, and items taken out will be held in the office for parents to pick up.

CELL PHONES

Cell phones and watches will cellular capabilities (Smart Watches), are not permitted during school hours.  These devices will be taken and held in the office for parents to pick up if students are found in possession of them.

STAY CONNECTED

Your child's teacher will communicate through Google Classroom and email. Always keep an updated email address on file to receive School Messenger Communications from the school and district.  If you have not done so, be sure to opt-in to School Messenger Text Messages.