Additional Information

Posted Wednesday, January 9, 2008

If it becomes apparent that a child will need to report to Extended Day after school and he/she does not know it before leaving home in the morning, parents are asked to call the Extended Day extension and leave the necessary information on the tape. The program Director will see that your child receives the message. Parents are asked not to call the school office in regard to these messages.

Registration for Extended Day is part of the registration process at All Saints Catholic School. Students who are not picked up within 20 minutes of dismissal will be supervised in this program and parents will be charged for this childcare according to the program fees. This applies to students who are not picked up within ten minutes of the end of an after-school activity. Students may not at any time be left unsupervised in the building or on school property while waiting for a ride. Students are picked up in the Extended Day room (Father Kelly Hall) where the parent/guardian must sign them out.

The following is general information about the program. If you have any questions, please call the Extended Day office (393-2143) any school day between 6:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. or between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

All Saints School operates a child care facility which is fully licensed by the Department of Social Services of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The program offers a wide variety of activities for the children. These include but are not limited to: arts and crafts, board games, small toy animals, blocks and a variety of special activities, such as movies. Throughout the year the Director schedules special events such as parties, cooking lessons, and presentations by guest speakers or entertainers.

Staff Qualifications: The staff have fulfilled all state requirements for this program and have been interviewed and approved by the school principal, who is ultimately responsible for the operation of the program.

Lines of Authority: The director assumes responsibility for the administration of the program. She is accountable to the principal of All Saints School.

Physical Facilities: All Saints Extended Day Program is held in the Father Kelly Hall and adjacent areas. This facility provides approved kitchen and lavatory space which have passed inspection by the City of Manassas fire and health departments. The program also utilizes adjacent meeting rooms for homework and study areas, as well as the playground and gym.

Enrollment Capacity: Current capacity for the program is 75. This means that no more than 75 children at one time may be actively in attendance in the Extended Day Program.

Registration: Any child participating in the program must have a registration form and emergency form on file with the Extended Day Program. Registration for Extended Day is a component of the registration process for All Saints Catholic School.

Hours: The Extended Day Program operates each regularly scheduled school day. The morning session begins at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 8:00 a.m. On early release days and on all other days, the program begins when school dismisses and ends at 6:30 p.m.

Inclement Weather: When school opens late due to inclement weather, the morning session will begin at 7:30 a.m. and end when school opens. When school closes early due to inclement weather, children must be picked up as soon as possible and no later than three (3) hours after the close of school. Please make every effort to have your child picked up promptly after school closes. Parents who work at a distance and cannot arrive within this time frame will be expected to call someone locally to pick up their child within three hours.

Extended Day Discipline Policy: All Saints School Extended Day program has established behavioral standards for all children enrolled in the program.

• The students are expected to show due respect toward God, parents, teachers, their classmates and themselves.
• The children are expected to care for their environment both inside and outside the classroom. This includes equipment, supplies and personal belongings.
• Behaviors that are destructive or negative to the church or school will not be tolerated.

Inappropriate behavior will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Several general guidelines will be followed.

• Children are given a verbal warning when engaged in an inappropriate behavior.
• If that behavior continues, the child is taken aside. The child is asked why the behavior is unacceptable, what kind of behavior would be more appropriate, and what will happen if that behavior continues.
• If the child continues, the child is asked to sit quietly away from the others to improve his/her behavior. Once the child has done so and is ready to rejoin the class, he/she may.
• If at this time the behavior(s) continue, the child will lose special privileges. These include making snacks, watching movies and participating in other special activities. At this time, the parents are also notified and reminded of the discipline policy.
• If there is no change/improvement in the child’s behavior, a written notice will be sent home. The parents will be asked to schedule a conference with the director and/or assistant principal.

Certain behaviors on the part of a student may result in his/her immediate removal from the program. These include but are not limited to, possession of any type of weapon, use or possession of alcohol or drugs, or intentionally injuring a classmate, parent or teacher.

Illness Policy: Parents will be asked to pick their children up from Extended Day if they exhibit any of the following conditions:

• Fever of 100 ° f or higher.
• Vomiting.
• Colored discharge from their eyes, ears or nose. (unless there is a note from the doctor stating that the child is not contagious).
• Lice; eggs or live bugs having been found in the child’s hair.
• Injury or other illness requiring medical treatment.

(To return to school the child must be symptom free for 24 hours or have a doctor’s note.)

In the event that parents cannot be reached within a reasonable time, program staff will call the emergency contacts. If a child is ill before school and the parents have not been reached, the child will report to the clinic and not to class.

Late Pick Up/Non-pick Up: All Saints Extended Day program closes promptly at 6:30 p.m. Please call the Extended Day office if you will be late picking up your child. The late fee is $5.00 (per child) for every 15 minutes past 6:30 p.m. that you are late in picking up your child. The Extended Day staff will grant a 2-3 minute grace period before charging any late fees. Late parents must sign a late fee form. Parents who are late picking up their children four or more times may be asked to make alternative arrangements for child care.

The procedure for handling children not picked up by 6:30 p.m. is as follows:

• By 6:45 p.m. attempts will be made to contact parents.
• If by 7:00 p.m. staff are unable to contact the parents, they will attempt to reach emergency contacts.
• At 7:30 p.m. if staff have not been able to reach a responsible party they will contact the principal who will notify the police.

Billing: All Extended Day bills are issued on Monday or Tuesday in the electronic payment system. Payment is requested by Friday of that same week. If there is no school that Friday, payments are due the following school day. Any family that is unable to make their Extended Day payment on time must notify the Extended Day Director. Any family that is three weeks or more behind in their payments and has not spoken with the Extended Day director may be excluded from the program until the account is current. These families will be charged a late payment fee of $10 per week that payment is not received.

Signing In/Out: Children attending the morning Extended Day program must be signed in by a parent, indicating the time of arrival. Children may not be dropped off to come into the building by themselves and may not be dropped off before 6:30 a.m. Children attending the afternoon session are to be signed out by a responsible party indicating time of departure and are to be picked up before 6:30 p.m. Children are not allowed to sign themselves in or out. If someone other than a parent is to pick up the child(ren), please notify the Program Director. This person must show a photo ID before any child will be released to him/her. The Extended Day program is not responsible for any children not signed in or already signed out. Students not picked up by their carpool within 15 minutes of dismissal will be escorted to the program by the teacher on duty.

Drop Off/Pick Up: The Father Kelly Hall is used as our Extended Day Center. When dropping off or picking up children, parents may park on Stonewall Road and enter the facility by way of the side entrance to Father Kelly Hall. On certain days Father Kelly Hall is used by other parish organizations. On these days Extended Day will meet in the library or gym.

Drop-Ins: If a parent knows beforehand that his/her child will be attending Extended Day, they are asked to send a note with their child or leave a message on the Extended Day answering machine.

Homework: Time is set aside every afternoon for the children to work on their homework. The Extended Day staff will make every attempt to provide assistance when needed, but it is not the responsibility of the staff to see that the children complete their homework. This is the child and parent’s responsibility.

Clothing and Personal Belongings: The children are allowed to bring play clothes to change into when they attend Extended Day. Please be aware that certain clothing is not allowed. Tank tops, short-shorts or clothing with suggestive illustrations or words cannot be worn. Having play clothes is not mandatory. The Extended Day staff does not assume responsibility for any lost or stolen belongings. Please be sure to label anything your child brings to Extended Day with their first and last name. Please be aware that sometimes children and parents take home the wrong belongings. If a parent accidentally does this we ask that they return those items as soon as possible.

Any belongings left in the Extended Day room for more than one week will be sent to the lost and found located in the hallway adjoining the cafeteria.

Special Concerns: If you have any special concerns regarding your child, please inform the staff in writing. Any allergies or special instructions should be listed on the emergency form.

Food: Breakfast will be provided for children in the morning program and a snack will be available during the afternoon session. The cost for these is absorbed into the fees. The following is a guideline for parents concerning food brought from home.

• Snacks may be brought from home provided:
  • The food does not require refrigeration or any special storage.
  • The food is properly wrapped to prevent it from becoming unsanitary.
  • Your child is instructed not to share this food because of possible food allergies or special diets of other children.

• A snack may be brought for sharing for a birthday, etc., provided:
  • The date is cleared with the director of the program to prevent scheduling conflicts.
  • The snack is shared among all members of your child’s group.
  • Nutritionally sound snacks are important for your child.

We ask that you not send candy or other empty calorie junk foods as a snack. Additionally, while cookies or other dessert-type food may be sent, this should only be as a supplement to a nutritional snack, such as fruit, vegetables, muffins, cold dry cereal, or fruit juice.

If your child has a food allergy or is on a special diet, the Extended Day Program staff members must be informed in writing even if you provide a daily snack from home.

Reporting Suspected Child Abuse and/or Neglect: As a licensed child care center the program staff are bound by state mandate to report any suspected abuse or neglect to the proper authorities.

Transportation: All Saints School does not provide transportation for the Extended Day Program.

Confidentiality: The Extended Day program follows the rule of parent-teacher confidentiality. Any conversations between the staff and parents (guardians) are kept confidential. The Extended Day staff does not share this information with any other individuals. However, there are certain times when it is necessary to share information with other parties who are involved with the specific child, i.e. school administration, teachers.