Chester-Andover Elementary School

The CAES Instrumental Program is offered to any interested student in grades 4, 5, and 6. Each student participates in a weekly lesson with another student playing the same instrument as they strive to become proficient and are then invited to participate in the band.

The CAES Chorus is open to any interested student in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6. The Chorus meets once a week from 2:00- 2:30 pm. Preparations throughout the school year include rehearsals for at least three concerts: Holiday concert, Arts Night and a musical production. Learning and fun are all mixed up as the children spread their wings and vocal cords!

Our school maintains an active Educational Support Team that meets on a weekly basis with the purpose of seeking new ways to address specific challenges that individual students may be facing in school. The process involves drawing upon the experience and expertise of a variety of professionals in our school, as well as the child’s parents. Together we look at a child’s strengths, discuss concerns, explore strategies, consider available resources and develop a plan to better meet the student’s educational needs. In addition to a child’s classroom teacher and parents, the team is generally composed of teachers from various grade levels, Title I Staff, Special Education staff, our School Nurse, the School Counselor and an EST Coordinator.

The school is fortunate to have a wide variety of technology resources and tools available to support the educational process in the school. The school is fully networked allowing for access to student work, the Internet, printers and other resources from any location and computer in the school. Procedures for the use of the computers will be explained by each classroom teacher each year.

All students and parents are required to read the Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources and the Internet Policy and sign the Parent/Guardian Permission sheet when enrolling. The form remains on file and in effect while the student is attending Chester-Andover. The policy and permission form are in place to let parents and students know that the educational technology resources available at the school are to be used for educational purposes only. Students who do otherwise are subject to the disciplinary actions in place. The full text of the policy is available at http://caes.wswsu.org/caestech/docs/CAES_G5.pdf.

The School Counselor is available to provide guidance and counseling services to all students, through direct services, such as: individual counseling, small group sessions, and class interaction around specific issues, as well as consultation with staff and parents. School staff, parents and/or students may request services at any time during the school year. A referral form may be obtained from the Guidance Counselor or through the school office.

Registration and Orientation for children entering kindergarten is held each year in the spring. Children must be 5 years old on or before August 31 of their entrance year. Registration dates are announced in the Beating Drum and in the local newspaper.

The library media center is a resource for teachers, students, staff and parents. The library collection includes materials in a variety of formats about a variety of subjects. Students are welcome to check out books during regular school hours. Books are signed out for a two-week period and can be renewed. Each student may have seven books checked out at any time.

Students visit the library at least once a week. Units are planned that support classroom work, encourage technology and research skills, and support a love of reading. Eighteen laptop computers are available in the library for student use and are fundamental to the library media program. The library media program is designed to encourage life long learning.

Parents are welcome to visit the library media center at any time. Stop by to see what we are doing, to volunteer in the library or to browse our collection. And please don’t forget to visit our book fair when you come to your parent teacher conference.

CAES has a full-time school nurse. Health screenings are performed by the nurse for vision, hearing, height, weight and immunization review. If a problem is identified at the time of screening, parents will be notified and an appropriate referral will be discussed.

A Health Questionnaire must be completed for each student each year, and any concerns about his or her health should be reported to the school nurse. Should a child have any changes in his or her health status, please notify the school nurse.

Rest, nutrition, and hygiene are important for the school aged child. Children should have at least 8-10 hours of sleep at night. Late night outings and sleepovers are best saved for the weekend. Breakfast is the child's primary fuel for the day. Help plan for time to eat breakfast or participate in the school breakfast program. We encourage parents to send their children to school with healthy meals and snacks. Hygiene should be maintained daily and health habits

remain at home until the symptoms are gone. A child should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. If the child is taking an antibiotic, she should have the medication for a 24- hour period before returning to school.

During the cold and flu season children should be particularly attentive to hygiene. They should carry a handkerchief or tissues. They should be reminded that one of the best ways to prevent colds is to wash hands frequently; especially after going to the bathroom or before eating. Children should not carry cough drops, lozenges, cold pills or aspirin to school.

1. Prescription Medication must be brought to school by the parent or guardian in a container appropriately labeled by the doctor or the pharmacy and should include the name of the medication, the child's name, the doctor's name, the dosage, and the reason for administrating and the time to be taken. The medication must be given to the school nurse or the principal before medication can be given. The nurse MUST have a doctor's order to administer the medication in school. The nurse will also require a parent signature on the permission form.

2. Non-prescription medication must be accompanied by a note from the parent giving permission to administer along with instructions for administration. All medication must be left in the custody of the school nurse. The student is not allowed to carry any medication to and from school.

Illness or injuries at school: Children who are ill will be sent to the nurse’s office. If it is determined that they are not well enough to remain at school, parents will be contacted. If we are unable to contact the parent, the emergency contact person will be called. If a child is injured, first aid will be administered in the office or on site if serious. If the injury appears serious, parents will be contacted. If we are unable to contact the parent, we will contact the emergency number. Head, neck or back injuries may result in the ambulance being called first, then the parent, depending on the injury.

Head Lice: Head lice is a periodic problem at school. All children are screened for head lice at the beginning of the year. During the year should an individual be suspected of having head lice, they will be sent to the nurse’s office to be appropriately examined. If the child is determined to have head lice, siblings and all other classmates will be examined.

2. Any student identified by the school nurse (or qualified designee) as having lice and untreated nits will complete the school day. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other health agencies say that it is not necessary to send the child home before the end of the school day. They will be discouraged from having any close contact with others.

3. Verbal and written instructions for treatment will be given to the family of each identified student. The instructions shall include a suggestion that the parent or guardian of the student contact the child's physician or other pediatric health care provider. Instructions shall also include recommendations for treatment that are consistent with Vermont Department of Health and Education guidelines and that the student may return to school after proper treatment.

5. Students will be readmitted to school after the first treatment with a written or verbal confirmation from the parent or guardian that the initial treatment has been completed. In accord with Department of Health recommendations, students will not be excluded from school on the sole grounds that nits may be present despite appropriate treatment.

6. Each re-entering student will be examined by trained personnel to look for evidence that the treatment was performed. Re-treatment recommendations will be consistent with Vermont Department of Health and Department of Education guidelines. Parents will be notified of any re-infestation, and referred to the child's physician or pediatric health care provider for consideration of prescription medication.

Immunizations: Immunizations must be up to date. State law requires students to be excluded from school if they do not have the proper immunizations unless the student is exempt for medical, religious or moral reasons. Please contact the school nurse if you have any questions or require forms.

Insurance: The school does not carry insurance for injuries to children while they are at school. This is covered by the family medical insurance. For those families who do not have medical insurance, a policy is made available to parents through school. This information is sent home the first week of school, but it may be purchased any time. It is highly recommended that students without coverage purchase this insurance. The cost is generally less than a single trip to the doctor.

Special Education is specially designed instruction for students who have been identified as having special needs. To qualify for special education services a student must be identified as: (a) having a disability, (b) an adverse effect in a basic skill area, and (c) in need of special education services as a result of the disability. This is determined through an evaluation process developed by the evaluation and planning team.

The following are the categories used to determine eligibility for special education: learning impairment, specific learning disability, visual impairment, deafness or hearing loss, speech or language impairment, orthopedic impairment, chronic or acute health impairment, emotional-behavioral disability, autism, or traumatic brain injury.

When a child is evaluated the team will look at some or all of the following characteristics: physical characteristics, such as vision, hearing and health; social, emotional and behavioral characteristics; adaptive behavior, such as self-help skills, coping skills and independence; life circumstances; speech characteristics; language skills, learning abilities and styles; and basic skills.

Additional help in reading and mathematics is provided to eligible students. These programs consist of diagnostic evaluation and individualized instruction in a small group setting. Students receive instruction in the regular classroom or in the learning center. Families of students receiving Title I services are required to accept and sign a home-school compact.