St. Stephen's School - Grand Island, NY



St. Stephen School - School Hours School Hours Kindergarten – Grade 8 8:25 AM – 2:50 PM At St. Stephen School, we work in partnership with parents to enable each child to develop as an independent learner. Parents should allow their child(ren) to enter the school building on their own each morning. Various classes invite parent involvement or visitation on particular occasions. The school doors are open at 7:15 AM. Students are permitted in their homeroom at 8:15 AM. Students arriving between 7:15 and 8:15 AM are to go to the cafeteria where they will be supervised until 8:15 AM when they will be dismissed to their classrooms. Daily Schedules: Instructional Periods: Homeroom: 8:25 - 8:35 Period 1: 8:36 - 9:14 Period 2: 9:15 - 9:53 Period 3: 9:54 - 10:32 Period 4: 10:33 - 11:11 Period 5: 11:12 - 11:50 Period 6: 11:51 - 12:29 Period 7: 12:30 - 1:08 Period 8: 1:09 - 1:47 Period 9: 1:48 - 2:26 Homework Preparation: 2:27 - 2:44 Announcements/Prayers: 2:45 Dismissal: 2:50 Lunch Schedule: 10:37 - 11:07 Kdg, 1, 2 11:16 - 11:46 Gr. 3, 4, 5 11:55 - 12:25 Gr. 6, 7, 8 Pre-Kindergarten Schedule Morning Session: 8:30 - 11:30 am Afternoon Session: 12:00 - 2:50 pm Schedule for School Liturgy Days: Period 1: 9:45 - 10:17 Period 2: 10:18 - 10:50 Period 4: 10:51 - 11:23 Period 5: 11:24 - 11:56 Period 6: 11:57 - 12:29 Period 3: 12:30 - 1:02 Period 7: 1:03 - 1:35 Period 8: 1:36 - 2:08 Period 9: 2:09 - 2:41 Other Information: Attendance Policy Students not in their homeroom at 8:25 AM are considered tardy. A student’s success depends greatly on regular and punctual attendance at school. Frequent absences from regular classroom experiences and repeated tardiness hinder the continuity of the learning experience. Subjects are taught in sequence and require the understanding of each concept in the order or its presentation. Students who miss 20 days of school, and have not met periodically with school administration, are in jeopardy of retention. At a conference with school administration and teachers, alternative education plans will be determined. It is the parents’ responsibility to notify school administration of an attendance concern and to request such a conference. Absence Policy When a student is absent from school, the parent or guardian is to notify the school office by 9:00 a.m. Upon returning to school after an absence, the student is to present the homeroom teacher with a written excuse signed by the parent/guardian. **If a written excuse is not received within one week, the absence will be recorded as illegal. The excuse must be dated and should contain: Student Name Date of Absence Reason for Absence Tardiness Policy School starts at 8:25 am and students must be in their homeroom by that time. When a student is late for school, he/she is to report to the school office for a Tardy Slip before proceeding to homeroom. No student will be admitted to class without this admission slip. If a student has more then two unexcused tardies in one week, he/she will be required to serve a detention the following week. Early Release A note is to be submitted to the school office when a student is going to be released early. The parent or guardian comes to the school office and signs out the student to be released. If a student returns to school during the same school day, he/she must be signed back into the school in the office. Parents are expected to make every effort to schedule doctor and dentist appointments for their children outside of school hours. Vacations Students removed from school for vacation are illegally absent from school. Parents are to notify the school of the vacation in writing at least one week in advance. Teachers are NOT required to prepare work for a student prior to illegal absences. The student will make up missed assignments upon return to school. Emergency Closing When school must be closed due to weather conditions or other situations endangering the health or safety of the children, announcements will be made over the local radio stations. Because we depend on Grand Island School District for transportation, when Grand Island District Schools are closed – St. Stephen’s School will also be closed. In the event that an emergency arises while the children are in school and an early dismissal is necessary, these procedures will be followed: 1. Children whose parents have been contacted will be released 2. Children whose alternate adult has been contacted will be released 3. All other students will remain in the building if parents cannot be contacted. 4. In the event that the building must be evacuated immediately, the children will be taken to another facility on the St. Stephen Parish property. If the entire complex must be evacuated, the children will be moved to a nearby public building. 5. The following radio stations will be notified of the emergency dismissal and the point of evacuation: WGR – 550 AM / 96.1 FM WBEN – 930 AM Crisis Plan – lockdown procedure Since 9/11, every school must have a crisis plan in place. St. Stephen School follows the Grand Island Central School District emergency plan, which includes procedures for emergency lockdown. All teachers and staff are aware of the procedure to follow to keep your children safe. In the In the event of an emergency that requires evacuation, circumstances permitting, the building will be evacuated and students moved to one of two secure designated locations: 1. St. Stephen Church 2. St. Stephen Old Church Office Dismissal** Parents who pick up their children at the end of the school day are to notify the school office through a note in with the student or by a telephone call no later than 2:30 PM. Parents are asked not to wait until the end of the day to call. If someone other than the parent picks up the student, the school must have a note signed by the parent/ guardian with the name of the person to whom the student are to be released and the person picking up the student must have legal identification.