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Meet Mrs. Mead
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Our class handbook will help you find answers to commonly asked questions about procedures of our class and our school. If you cannot find what you are looking for, e-mail me, or check out the websites for the Board of Education and Mitchell.Below is a listing of the class handbook sections. Click on a section to see further information.
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Attendance
Regular school attendance is vital to educational development. Whenever a child is absent due to illness, parents will submit a note to their child’s teacher within three days providing information regarding the absence. The absence is considered lawful, but still counts in the generation of absence letters. If the parent submits a note from a doctor, the absence is considered not only lawful, but excused. The school is required to send out letters notifying parents when students have accumulated 5, 10, and 21 absences that do not have doctors’ notes.
Students who arrive after 9 a.m. will be considered tardy. Students who are picked up from school before 3:20 p.m. are also considered tardy. Students who arrive to or leave from school during the middle of the day are marked absent for half of a day.
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Attire
- Shorts and skirts are permitted as long as the shorts reach the middle of the thigh.
- Sleeveless shirts are permitted as long as at least two fingers width of fabric cover both shoulders, and the chest area or under garments are not exposed.
- Spaghetti straps are not permitted.
- Midriff area, under garments, and cleavage must not be visible at any time.
- Pants must be secured no lower than mid-hip and must not cover the front of the shoes while walking.
- Backless and open-toe shoes with a hard sole are permitted. Foam and similar soft soled shoes such as flip-flops and beach footwear are prohibited.
- Headwear or sunglasses are not permitted.
- Sleepwear-type clothes are not permitted.
- Clothing that displays or symbolizes any inappropriate language or material is not permitted.
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BARKs
| B |
- Be Polite |
| A |
- Act Responsibly |
| R |
- Respect Learning |
| K |
- Keep Safe |
If a student is caught BARKing, he or she may be rewarded with a BARK certificate by any school personnel. Every time a student collects ten BARKs, they may be cashed in for a prize. This is done during the Top Banana ceremony on Friday mornings. |
Behavior Expectations
| A major goal of our staff is to establish an atmosphere throughout the school in which children will feel safe and secure, and will have a maximum opportunity to learn. All students have a right to learn; therefore, no child will be permitted to disrupt the learning environment. Our expectations at Mitchell is that all our Mitchell Bulldogs will BARK. |
Birthdays
| Parents are welcome to provide treats for their child’s birthday. Snacks can be brought to the classroom at the beginning of the day for the child to distribute at lunch. Please notify your child’s teacher prior to delivery so preparations can be made for classmates with allergies. Should parents desire to distribute party invitations during the school day, it is imperative that an invitation be given to every child in the class. Should parents desire to exclude any classmate, all invitations should be distributed at home and not on buses or in the classroom. |
Bus Behavior Expectations
| Riding the school bus is a privilege. This privilege may be temporarily or permanently denied if a student’s misconduct jeopardizes bus safety or another student’s safety while riding to or from school. |
Changes in Student Departure Routine
| Parents must submit a written request if a child’s morning or afternoon arrangements are different from the regular routine. Parents needing to pick up students must report to the school office to sign out their children. If at all possible, try to schedule appointments during the time your child is not in school. |
Conferences
| A conference can be scheduled with Mrs. Mead through e-mail or a written request. Mrs. Mead is available before and after school, and she is looking forward to meeting with all of her students’ parents throughout the course of the school year. |
Drills
| Regular fire, tornado, stranger, and bus drills are required in every public school. Monthly fire drills will be conducted while tornado, stranger, and bus drills will occur periodically during the school year. We ask that all visitors follow the guidance of our staff during these drills. |
Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures
We encourage students to ride the bus whenever possible. If your child does not ride the bus in the morning, please note the following procedures for student drop-off in the side A-wing parking lot. Pull up as far as you can when dropping off your children. This will allow us to have four or five vehicles dropping off at the same time along the sidewalk. Please do not get out of your vehicle unless necessary. Our staff members will assist your children in exiting the vehicle. Once your children have left your vehicle and have started walking toward the school, please proceed out of the parking lot so that other parents may drop off their children.
The doors open at 8:45 a.m. and staff members will monitor and assist students in the side parking lot at this time. Any student arriving after 9 a.m. must be escorted by the parent to the main office.
Only children who have registered with the office as a “car rider” will be dismissed to the A-wing parking lot at dismissal. If your child is not registered as a daily car rider, you will need to park your car and report to the main office to sign out your child. |
Emergency School Closings
| Weather conditions often bring school closings. Please monitor radio and TV stations for the latest information on school closings, delayed openings, or early dismissals. Please refrain from calling the school, as it is important for us to keep our telephone lines open. Information can be accessed using the 24-hour information telephone lines (301-934-7410 or 301-932-6656). You may also wish to register at www.schoolsout.com for e-mail notifications of closings or delays. |
Field Trips
In second grade, we will be taking three field trips. Please watch for information coming home regarding these field trips. We will be looking for chaperones for all of our field trips. Chaperones for field trips will be selected by random drawing on the date that permission slips are due. If the venue permits, non-chaperoning parents may also attend the trip. The provided field trip form should be returned by the due date for parents to be considered as chaperones. Classroom teachers will notify all parents who submitted a chaperoning interest.
Field trips are subject to last minute cancellation for various reasons related to student safety or other concerns. Charles County Public Schools, its agents and its employees will not be responsible for any non-refundable moneys paid by students, parents or guardians in the event that a trip is cancelled. Please know that Walter J. Mitchell elementary will do its best to reschedule any cancelled events. Should any child or guardian not be able to attend due to illness, there may be no refund for field trip fees. |
Lunch Money
A computerized meal accounting system is in use at our school. The system establishes an account for each student. Parents may add money to their child’s meal account. The child’s account is charged only when a child eats a meal. If a child is absent, or brings lunch from home, the account balance remains the same. The system allows for one breakfast and one lunch per child per day. Only meals may be purchased through this account. A la carte milk, juice, ice cream, and snacks must be paid for in cash. When the balance has been reduced to three lunches remaining, the student will be notified.
If you wish to participate, personal checks and cash are accepted. Please make checks payable to Mitchell Elementary School Cafeteria. Please write the child’s name and teacher’s name on the memo portion of the check. Students without lunches or money will be served a sandwich and milk. They will be required to repay the cafeteria the next day. |
Medicine
| Before medication can be administered at school, a physician’s order and authorization form for medications and medical treatments must be completed and on file at school. This policy applies to prescription medications as well as over-the-counter medications such as cough medicine. This form can be obtained from the office. We cannot accept prescription labeled containers as a written request for administering medication. Parents are responsible for bringing medication to and from school. Students are never to have medication in their possession. |
Money
| Children are urged to bring money to school only when it is needed for lunch, supplies, or other routine requirements. Surplus money often causes problems. Since the school cannot accept responsibility for money brought to school by students, parents are urged to send exact change whenever possible. Teachers cannot make change when cash is sent in for field trips. Checks are acceptable at Mitchell; however, please be aware that our bank charges a service fee when checks are returned to us. Any returned check fees are the check writer’s responsibility. |
Parking
| It is critical for the safety of our children that parents refrain from parking or driving in the bus area at the beginning and the end of the school day. |
Playground
| Due to supervisory and safety concerns, only Mitchell students should be on the playgrounds during school hours. |
PTO
| Our school has an active Parent Teacher Organization that is dedicated to supporting our teachers and involving parents and the community in a wide variety of school functions while providing assistance in the education process. Please get involved. |
School Hours
| Regular day, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Two hour early dismissal, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Children are not to be dropped off before 8:45 a.m. |
School Property
| Desks, cubbies, coat closets, lockers, etc. are the property of Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School, and they are subject to search when deemed necessary by the administration. |
School Supplies
| Students are expected to have the necessary supplies for school each day. Supply lists are available from the main office and through the supply list. Supplies should be clearly labeled with students’ names. Be sure to check periodically for supplies that need to be replenished, such as pencils, paper, and glue. |
Top Banana
| Each second grade class has a weekly goal as determined by the teacher. On Friday mornings, at 9:10 a.m., the second grade teachers will hold a Top Banana ceremony in the pod and recognize two students from each class who met the Top Banana goal for the week. Top Bananas receive a prize, a button, and their picture on the Top Banana board. |
Toys
| Unless they are part of the instructional program and pre-approved by the classroom teacher, toys are not permitted on school grounds. These items tend to interfere with the instructional program. Additionally, students should not bring anything of value to school. |
Traveling Tales/Star Student
| Every Friday, Mrs. Mead will choose one student to be the Star Student for the following week. Along with other classroom priveleges, the Star Student will have no homework. Instead of homework, this student will take home and keep the class Traveling Tales backpack for the week. Using the supplies found in the backpack, as well as any other materials from home, the Star Student will create a story, fictional or autobiographical, to share with the class the following Friday. The Star Student will also be responsible for providing the Fun Friday Good Guys Treat. Our class will enjoy the Traveling Tales book at 9:30 a.m. and enjoy the snack at 3:00 p.m. An informational letter will be sent home with the Traveling Tales backpack. |
Visitors
| Parents are encouraged to visit the school throughout the year. Parents may visit a classroom at the teacher’s invitation or request to make a classroom observation. Teachers cannot stop teaching to visit with parents who come in unannounced. Please make an appointment at least two days in advance. Parents are welcome to visit the cafeteria and have lunch with their child. All visitors must report to the main office, sign in, and obtain a visitor badge. Principals obtain the authority to deny access to the school for any individual who may disrupt the learning environment, or who lacks a valid or legal purpose for entering the school. |
Volunteers
| Volunteers are an essential component of the instructional program and your participation is encouraged. Please let your child’s teacher know the days and times you are available to volunteer. Second grade needs volunteers to prepare classroom materials, as well as to work with students one on one, or in small groups. Make sure you sign in and wear your badge. |
Weapons
| Possession of weapons is not permitted and is grounds for immediate suspension, or expulsion from school. Toys or objects that resemble weapons, as well as laser lights or laser pointers are also prohibited. Students are also prohibited from possessing any dangerous item or material, such as tools, chemicals, hardware, or toxic materials. |
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