School Handbook

Good attendance is critical for steady academic growth, and, by law, children are required to attend school. 

Please call the school office any time your child will not be in school. 

If you are asked to leave a voice mail, please give the following information:

• Name of the parent or guardian calling
• Student's name and grade
• Date(s) of absence
• Reason for absence; please be specific

Absences will only be excused for the following reasons:

• Illness
• Medical or dental appointment
• A family death or serious illness
• Court/judicial appearance
• Religious observations
• School-sponsored activities

Students who are late to school will be considered tardy. Please make every effort to have your student at school on time. 

Additionally signing your child out in the afternoon prior to the end of the school day affects their attendance and learning. 

Students who become truant (inexcusably absent three consecutive days or five school days in any semester or seven days in a school year) will be reported to the Kansas Department for Children and Families in accordance with Board of Education Policy 1461. 

Students must live 2.5 miles or more from their assigned school to qualify for transportation to that school.

For questions about WPS transportation and busing, call 316-973-2190.

The district does offer the FirstView app that helps families track their student's school bus. Families will need a security code from the school office to use the app.

Parents should notify the school nurse if there are any health conditions that may require medical attention, such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.

If a student becomes ill during the school day, they should request a pass to see the nurse. 

Students who exhibit fever, sore throat or tonsillitis, any eruption of the skin or rash, any respiratory symptoms accompanied by a fever, severe cough or cold, or any eruption of the scalp, will be sent home.

Parents will be notified to pick up their student and must do so in a timely manner to limit exposure to other students and school staff.

Please keep your emergency contact information up to date with both the teacher and office staff.

School board policy (BOE P5316) restricts school personnel from giving students any medication, including over-the-counter medication.

Medication is given only upon written request from both the parent/guardian and the student's physician. Students must also have received one dose of medication without an adverse reaction prior to any doses being given at school.

All medicine must be in the original container and be presented by a parent to the school nurse for safe keeping and scheduled administration. The container should be labelled with the following:

• Name of student
• Name of medication
• Directions for use
• Name of physician
• Name and address of pharmacy
• Date of prescription

The district uses the ParentVUE online portal to give parents to access information about their student's attendance, assignments and grades. ParentVUE allows parents to quickly and easily update their family contact information, which is vital in order to maintain strong home-to-school connections. 

• Students will not be allowed to wear clothing or items that advertise alcohol or tobacco products, drugs or contain references to sex or profanity or show suggestive, vulgar or obscene writing, pictures or symbols, or horror-related content.
• Students will not be allowed to wear any shirt/top that exposes any excessive amount of skin (such as halter tops, shirts without sides, cut offs, spaghetti straps, tube tops, etc.) or shorts/skirts above the mid-thigh. Stomach should not be excessively exposed.
• Slacks, jeans, shorts, etc. are to be worn at the natural waistline of students, sagging is not permitted.
• Shorts and skirts should follow the "fingertip" rule (when arms are hanging normally at the student's side, their fingertips should be equal to or higher than the bottom edge of the shorts).
• Students will not be allowed to wear ANY clothing or items that give the impression of any gang affiliation.
• Students will not be allowed to wear bike shorts, leggings or tights that are see through.
• Students should wear appropriate footwear at all times. Tennis shoes are required on PE days. Flip flops and shoes with excessive wedged heels are discouraged when physical activity (i.e. recess) could make it a safety concern. "Heelies" are not allowed at school unless the wheels are removed and stored during the school day. **Closed-toe shoes are required to play basketball and soccer at recess.
• Students will not be allowed to wear headwear that is disruptive to the learning environment and must be removed when asked.
• Hats and hoods should not be worn inside the building to ensure all students and staff are readily identified.
• Students will not be allowed to wear pajama pants or other sleep wear unless it's a class-earned or school-wide pajama day.
• Tails and props to outfits will not be allowed, except on spirit days or special occasions.

Students will receive a warning and be loaned an appropriate piece of clothing (or may call home for a replacement) when wearing clothing that is inappropriate. Repeated offenses will result in a visit between the student and parent and/or principal; the school principal makes the final decision as to appropriateness of student dress.

Arrival Procedures:

• Pre-K: Students in Pre-K can be dropped off in the A-hall parking lot. For safety purposes we ask that Pre-K parents park their cars and walk their child up to Door 5 to be greeted by their Pre-K teachers. 
• Kindergarten: Students can be dropped off in the E-Hall parking lot, students will line up by their teacher's cone outside of Door 19. 
• 1st Grade: Students in 1st Grade can line up outside of Door 17. Parents can park along Glenn or Crawford Street and enter through the South Gate. 
• 2nd & 3rd Grade: Students can be dropped off on the South Side of the building. Parents can park along Glenn or Crawford street. Both 2nd and 3rd Grade students will enter through door 14 to grab their breakfast before heading to class. 
• 4th & 5th Grade: Students can be dropped off on the Northern side of the building in either the A-hall parking lot or C-hall parking lot. Students will enter through the B-hall doors. 

Dismissal Procedures: 

• Pre-K: Students in Pre-K will dismiss out of Door 5. Parents may park in A-hall parking lot and walk up to Door 5 to pick up their child. 
• Kindergarten: For students in Kindergarten dismissal begins at 4:05pm. Parents may park and then walk up to E-hall (Door 19) to pick up their child. 
• 1st Grade: Students in 1st grade will dismiss out of door 17. Parents may park along Glenn or Crawford street and walk up to Door 17 to pick up their child. 
• 2nd & 3rd Grade: Students in both 2nd & 3rd grade can be picked up on the the South Side of the building outside door 14. 2nd graders will stand on the Basketball court and 3rd Grade stands near the gate closest to Glenn Street and Truesdell Middle School. 
• 4th & 5th Grade: Students will exit out of the B-hall doors and may be picked up in either A-hall parking lot or C-hall parking lot. 

*To streamline the dismissal process for parents picking up multiple children, oldest students will always walk around the exterior of the building to meet youngest sibling then parents can pickup in one location!

To see this process in action, please check out our video!

Keeping students emotionally and physically safe at school is our number one priority. All students have the right to learn in an orderly environment that is free of disruption. We understand that from time to time, students may need additional practice meeting these expectations. We are trying to teach students academic and behavioral skills they will be using in the real world that will help them be successful adolescents and adults. Our staff will work closely with parents to ensure students learn to be responsible citizens and develop strategies for resolving conflicts.

We provide breakfast for all students free of charge.

Lunch fees can depend on family income. Complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application annually to qualify for free lunch and adjustments to school fees. 

The district uses an app called School Cafe to allow families to see menus.

The district uses LINQ Connect to pay for meals.

For special dietary restrictions, please contact the school nurse. 

Field trips with our city and nearby sites of interest are scheduled by classroom teachers throughout the school year. These trips are designed to supplement different aspects of the classroom curriculum and intoduce students to resources within the community. Parents will be notified of the planned trip at least five days in advance and must sign a trip waiver for students to attend. If a student does not have a signed permission slip to attend the trip, they will not go. We will not accept verbal permission over the phone.

If there is a fee for the field trip, the money needs to be submitted at least three days prior to the scheduled trip. All field trips require the use of school buses. Parents are not able to transport students on field trips.

If a parent serves as a chaperone, they will need to complete the school district's volunteer process prior to the field trip. 

The safety of students, staff and parents is the Wichita Public Schools' greatest priority during the threat of dangerous conditions.

Emergency plans are in place should tornadoes, lightning, hail, snow or other dangerous circumstances present a safety concern. 

If schools are to be closed or activities cancelled or rescheduled due to weather conditions, the information will be posted on the Wichita Public Schools' website main page and displayed on all school websites.

Parent-Teacher Conferences are a great way to stay involved in your child's education. Parents have the opportunity to discuss their child's progress, review assignments, learn about future projects and to strengthen the connection between home and school. 

Parent Teacher Conferences are held twice a year in October and February. 

Progress reports are provided to parents every quarter. Reviewing these reports is an essential component of parent involvement in their child's education. Please look for these reports and discuss them with your student. You may also log on to ParentVue for an ongoing list of grades provided by the teacher. If you have any concerns about these reports, contact your student's teacher.

All visitors to the building, including parents, must sign in through our visitor management system HallPass.

Parents, caregivers and other relatives wanting to volunteer in the school or for field trips are required to register every year as a volunteer. Visit the Volunteer Registration page to complete your annual registration.