Building Security
For the
safety of your child/children it is required that all visitors,
including parents/guardians report to the main office and sign in. At
that time a visitor’s pass will be issued which must be worn during the
visit. Please note that parents/guardians are always welcome to visit
the school, however they must not go to the classroom or seek
conversation with a teacher while classes are in session. To visit a
particular class, parents must contact the principal.
School
Hours
Regular School Day (K-8) 7:55 AM – 2:30 PM
Early Dismissal 7:55 AM – 12 Noon
Preschool Half-Day Program
AM Class only 8:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Preschool Full-Day Program 8:15 AM – 2:15 PM
3 Day: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (4 Year Old Concentration)
2 Day: Tuesday and Thursday (3 Year Old Concentration)
5 Day: Monday thru Friday (Both 3 & 4 Year Old Concentration)
SMS After School Program (K-8) 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Dress Code
Parents/Guardians are expected to
cooperate with the St. Mary School staff and administration on a daily
basis in enforcing the student uniform policy. Whenever necessary, the
appropriateness, cleanliness, and neatness of the student’s attire and
accessories will be determined at the sole discretion of the school
administration. Students wearing clothing other than that authorized
from school-approved vendors will be considered in violation of the
school’s uniform policy and subject to disciplinary action.
Parents/Guardians will be contacted if their child is not properly
attired. Necklaces may not be worn during gym. Also, make-up may not
be worn. Please refer to parent/student handbook for the dress code.
Discipline
Saint Mary School will
employ various disciplinary measures, including suspension and
expulsion, for any behavior that is not consistent with the proper
atmosphere for a Catholic school. This section of the handbook
explains the types of disciplinary action typically imposed for
various types of misconduct and prohibited behavior. Please be aware
that similar disciplinary action may be taken for violations that
are not listed here if the conduct or behavior is harmful to the
good order and discipline of the school, its religious mission, or
its educational objectives. In addition, while this section explains
typical disciplinary action, the principal and the pastor have the
authority to alter these procedures as they determine if warranted
in a particular situation.
The purpose of discipline in a Catholic school community as a whole
is to lead the children so that their actions promote the Christian
development of each member and thereby enhance the community.
Discipline at Saint Mary School is part of a teaching/learning
process. It is a constructive process to guide and develop the
attitudes of our students so that they may achieve the highest
possible standards of Christian behavior and cooperation. In keeping
with the regulations of the Diocese of Camden, Saint Mary discipline
policy is developed in a positive manner being primarily diagnostic
and remedial rather than punitive.
There is a standard form to notify parents/guardians of
inappropriate behavior, which must be signed and returned.
Saint Mary School students are expected to respect themselves and
others. Any individual’s actions that deter Christian development or
demonstrate socially or morally undesirable behavior will be
considered by Saint Mary School to be injurious to the well being of
both the individual and the community.
Each student is also expected to follow the individual teacher’s
classroom policy.
Inappropriate behavior warrants disciplinary actions (e. g.
student-teacher conference, parent/guardian-teacher telephone
conference, parent/guardian-teacher-student conference, detention,
suspension, and expulsion). Some behavior may warrant immediate
detention. Parents will have twenty-four hour notice of said
detention.
Click here
for the complete text of the harassment policy.
DETENTION
Recess detentions are an option. After school - Day to week to be determined:
K & 1: 2:30 to 2:45
Gr. 2 to 4 2:30 to 3:00
Gr 5 to 8: 2:30 to 3:15
SUSPENSION
In school
suspension will be based on the nature of the infraction.
EXPULSION
The principal and pastor will decide upon Cases of expulsion.
The diocesan Catholic School Office will be informed of the action to be
taken.
Dismissal
Children
will not be dismissed before the official end of the school day without
a written note from the parent/guardian. Please make every effort not to
schedule an appointment for your child during the school day. If this is
unavoidable, you must send a note prior to the scheduled appointment.
Children will not be permitted back into the building after dismissal to
return to their classroom, unless they have an appointment with their
teacher for tutoring. No child will be permitted to leave the school
with another individual unless written notification has been given to
the office.
Absenteeism/Medications
A note
indicating the reason for your child’s absence must accompany him/her
the day he/she returns to school. All medications must be brought into
school by the parent/guardian with a completed Medication Paper. Forms
are available in the main office.
Eligibility
To
participate in our sports program/extracurricular activities, students
must maintain passing grades in all academic areas and a satisfactory
mark in conduct. If a student receives a failing grade in a major
subject on the Progress Report or an unsatisfactory grade in
conduct, the child will be placed on probation and the student’s record
will be reviewed on a weekly basis. Evidence of definite improvement
from week to week will be needed for continuance in any program. If a
student receives a failing grade in a major subject on his/her Report
Card and/or continues to have an unsatisfactory grade in conduct, he/she
will be excluded from all extra-curricular activities for 3 weeks. At
that time, the student’s record will be reviewed and a decision will be
made to determine if and when the child may resume participation in our
sports program/extracurricular activities.
Lunch Schedule
Grades: PreK, K, Grade 1 10:20 to 11:00
(Snack at 1:15)
Grades: 2, 3, 4:
11:00 to 11:40
Grades: 5,
7 11:40 to 12:20
Grades: 6,
8 12: 20 to 1:00
*Note: Lunch Schedule may change due to class size.
Classroom Celebrations
In order to comply with diocesan policy on the required number of
instructional hours per subject, we ask that classroom celebrations
be limited. The principal must approve all classroom parties. The
distribution of birthday or other party invitations by school
personnel, parents, or students is strictly prohibited unless every
student in the grade level is welcomed to the gathering. For legal
reasons, the classroom teacher or office staff is in not allowed to
provide addresses or phone numbers of any our students to parents.
Field Trips
Field trips may not exceed 1 per semester without approval of
principal. Chaperones are selected from approved list only. All
trips must receive Principal approval. The trip form must be
submitted no later than 1 month before date of anticipated trip. A
class trip is allowed for 8th grade students only. Field trips must
be aligned to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and
Diocesan Guidelines. Teachers are required to submit an outline
describing how the trip will impact on the curriculum for that grade
level. Faculty members need to remind parents/guardians that field
trips are not family outings. Only assigned chaperones may accompany
the children on the field trip. Siblings may not accompany the
chaperone.
Progress Reports/Conferences
Progress reports will be distributed at the discretion of the
administration. Grades 1 to 8 are required to have one (1) Parent
Conference per year. Kindergarten will hold two (2) conferences.
Report Cards
Report cards will be distributed according to the diocesan calendar.
Report cards will be withheld from families owing tuition and other
designated fees.
Activities
Prayer Partners - Kindergarten and 5th, 1st and 6th, 2nd &
7th, 3rd & 8th, and 4th & Preschool
Special Persons Luncheon - Kindergarten, 4th, and 8th
DARE - Grade 6
Student of the Month - October to May - Kindergarten to grade
8 - 1 per month with no one receiving twice.
Confidentiality &
Non-Disclosure
All personal information in regard to families and staff,
proprietary information and other internal information, data and
materials of Saint Mary School are property of Saint Mary School.
Protection of this information plays a vital role in the trust our
families and staff have placed in Saint Mary School. All staff
associated with Saint Mary School agree that any school information
to which they have access to is confidential, unless otherwise
designated by the administration. Such information includes student
data, and classroom situations. The staff understands that the
disclosure of such confidential information to anyone other than the
person(s) concerned authorized might cause irreparable injury to the
school and parties involved.
Technology Acceptable Use Policy
The purpose of school-provided technology, including Internet access
and electronic mail, is to facilitate legitimate educational
endeavors. To remain eligible as users, students must restrict their
activities to those which are in support of and consistent with the
school's philosophy and goals. Access to all forms of technology is
a privilege, which entails responsibility on the part of the user.
Click here for the complete text of this policy.
Pest Management Policy
The Integrated Pest
Management Policy of Saint Mary School (SMS) seeks to resolve
conflicts and redirect pest control efforts toward least hazardous
practices. As such, any methods used in the management of pests will
not exclude the application of pesticide agents, but will minimize
their use whenever possible. SMS acknowledges that a safe, sanitary
and healthy learning environment is required for students and
educators. Therefore, we will concentrate our efforts on developing
and implementing long-term pest prevention methods favoring
non-chemical control measures and other means posing the least
possible threat to persons or the environment. SMS will make every
effort to prevent pest infestations through economically feasible
methods.
Click here to download (pdf)
of the complete document.