GENERAL INFORMATION
Arrival :Students that are eating breakfast may arrive at 8:00. They are to enter through the outside doors on the east side of the cafeteria. The doors will not be open prior to 8:00. Other students may arrive between 8:15 – 8:30 A.M. Kindergarten, Pre-K, and 1st grade students will sit in the hallway by their classroom door. 2nd and 3rd grade students, and 4th and 5th grade students, will gather in their designated areas (to be announced on Information Day).
Dismissal is at 3:05. All students should be picked up by 3:20. Middle and high school students should wait outside to meet younger siblings. Special arrangements with friends for after school should be made ahead of time so parents are well informed. Students will be unable to use the phone after school for such arrangements.
Closing School: Oklahoma’s severe weather makes it necessary at times to close school. Area television and radio stations will alert the public when this decision has been made. Early dismissal is not a common practice in the Edmond school system due to the inconvenience it would cause to working parents. Occasionally when driving conditions are bad, the buses run late. Please have a plan that your child understands, so they will not remain outside in bad weather for an extended amount of time.
Attendance: Attendance is an important factor in learning. Be sure your child is at school unless emergency or illness is an issue. Keep doctor slips for verification. Our district requires you to receive notification at 7, 14, and 20 days of absences. At 20 days, students may be considered for retention and contact with the District Attorney’s office will be reviewed.
Accessing the Building: The double doors leading to the entry and office will be open 8:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. All visitors will have to pass through the office area to sign in. This feature has been designed to maximize safety for our building.
Phone System: Sunset has a phone system that allows for a phone in each classroom. Your teacher can give you the classroom extension number to allow you to leave a voice message.
The student phone located in the office should be displayed on your caller ID as 715-5028 (but may show "no number"). Please set your phone to accept calls from this number. This is an outgoing line only. Please use our main number (340-2990) if you need to return a call.
It is very important for the school and parents to have an excellent means of communication. Teachers are encouraged to contact the parents when they feel there is a need, whether it is academic, discipline, or other important information. Teachers also send samples of student work home for them to see. Students will bring home classroom and office information on THURSDAYS in our take-home folders. Please watch for these important messages.
School will be dismissed on Friday, November 7 for parent/teacher conferences. Please feel free to contact the school for an appointment if your feel there is a need for a conference between the teacher, parent, counselor, and/or principal. This will guarantee their availability. In grades 3-5, where letter grades are given, parents will be sent a progress report during the 5th week of each nine-week period if a student has anything less than a "C" average/
Address Verification: Parents whose children will be attending Edmond Public Schools during the next school year will be asked to update existing enrollment information and to provide a current utility bill as part of our continuing effort to verify student addresses. This process will assist your school district in many ways. First, it will assist in projecting our future enrollment. The verification of student addresses will also help us insure that your tax dollars are being used for the education of children whose parents are legal residents of our district. For new patrons, two proofs of residence will be required. Verification of residence will be shown on Information Day.
Parties
School: Our district policy allows a maximum of three parties per year. Sunset will host the following parties:
1) Winter party (in December, just before holiday break),
2) Valentine’s party, and 3) End of Year party. Homeroom parents will coordinate the party efforts. All treats will be donated by parent volunteers. Our parents must now include a healthy snack choice as a party option - eg. cheese, apple slices, veggies, etc (see district section about healthy snacks). Please do not send gum, suckers/lollipops, or balloons as treats. We also ask that party favors be limited to edible items and not items such as water pistols, whistles, yo-yo’s, etc.
AT SUNSET WE DO NOT COLLECT MONEY AT SCHOOL FOR OUR PARTIES OR FOR ANY GIFT ITEMS.
Personal: We do not host personal birthday parties. However, if you would like to send a healthy class treat, you can make arrangements with the classroom teacher. We can not pass out unhealthy treats such as cupcakes. At Sunset we do not distribute party invitations at school, unless they include ALL students in the class.
Costumes: We do not wear costumes on Halloween. We will use announced spirit days for various dress – eg. crazy socks.
TIDBITS
1. Parents are welcome to visit the school at any time. All visitors must report to the office, sign in, and receive a visitor badge.
2. Students may not bring money to school unless it is for lunches or for a school request (e.g., school store, school pictures).
3. Students should not bring toys, radios, headsets, games, magazines, etc. to school at ANYTIME unless a note from the teacher is provided. This includes popular trading/collecting cards (Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, sports, etc.).
4. Students may not bring or wear to school any skateboards, shoe skates, rollerblades, or roller-skates. Students may ride a scooter if it can fold up and fit into a backpack.
5. It is important for parents to notify the office any time there is a change of address or new phone number for home or work. This is necessary for keeping enrollment cards updated in the event of illness or injury. Emergency numbers must be provided.
6. The Edmond Schools make accident insurance available to students. The school system is not financially responsible for the cost of any accidental injury occurring from a school activity. The insurance is offered as a convenience. Enrollment forms are available in the office.
7. Please mark all lunch containers, backpacks, and clothing with the owner’s name. Items collected in lost and found that are not claimed will be given to a local needy organization at the end of each nine week period. Items will be displayed in the main hall one week prior to being donated.
8. Students will not wear costumes on Halloween to school.
9. Students must have notes from parents to remain inside during recess.
10. The Edmond School Board Policy Book may be reviewed at any time in the office or on the district web site: www.edmondschools.net
11. The school reserves the right to release to the press any student recognition of honors and awards.
12. Flowers, balloons, cookie baskets, stuffed animals, etc. delivered to students will need to remain in the office for the day. Students may not transport such items on the school bus.
13. State Law (Section 24-102 of Title 70) provides that "Pupils shall not have any reasonable expectation of privacy towards school administrators or teachers in the contents of a school locker, desk, or other property. School personnel shall have access to school property in order to properly supervise the welfare of the pupil. School lockers, desks, and other areas of school facilities may be opened and examined by school officials at any time and no reason shall be necessary for such search."
14. Pets – Sunset has many students with severe allergies. In an effort to help keep these difficulties to a minimum, pets will not be allowed for show and tell. A classroom pet will not be obtained unless all parents in that class are surveyed.
15. Special Dress Code Notes:
a) Bandanas are never allowed – even on spirit days;
b) Triangle scarves are considered "head gear" and may only be worn on spirit days
16. DISABILITY: Individuals with disabilities needing any assistance to participate in school sponsored functions (i.e., open house, parent/teacher conferences, plays, etc.) should contact the school office at least 48 hours prior to the event. Please indicate the specific accommodation(s) or service(s) needed to participate effectively in the school activity(s). Our district is committed to providing accommodations and/or services to parents and community members with disabilities in order to participate in school sponsored programs as effectively as non-disabled individuals.