Parents
Students
Newsletters
Click below to open a newsletter.
School
Policy
School Hours - Pre-Primary & Extended
Day
9:00 am - 12 noon - all morning children - Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 2:30 pm - extended day children - Monday - Thursday
* Prior to the designated arrival time, the staff cannot be responsible
for your child. The staff needs this time to prepare the classes. Please
respect this and do not bring your child to school before 8:55 am.
School Hours - Elementary
8 :15 am - 3:15 pm - Monday - Friday
* Prior to the designated arrival time, the staff cannot be responsible
for your child. The staff needs this time to prepare the classes. Please
respect this and do not bring your child to school before 8:10 am.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
| Arrival: |
Please accompany your child to
the classroom. He/she will be met at the door by the teacher and
assistant. Parking in not permitted in front of the main church
entrance.
Please try to be "on time," late arrivals
are sometimes embarrassing for the student and a potential disruption
to the class. |
| Dismissal: |
Please enter the grounds from Holly Road.
Stay in line in your car and drive up one at a time to pick up
your child or car pool. A teacher will escort your child from
the playground or classroom to your car. If someone other
than your child's regular driver is to transport your child, a
written note must be sent to the school. Please
be sure to advise anyone who will be transporting your child of
these procedures.
Following dismissal from school students must
be picked up promptly. Children can feel insecure when all of
their friends have left and no one comes for them. Also there
is no program for the students after dismissal as the teachers
must proceed with their classroom responsibilities. And child
not picked up will be taken to their classroom and parents will
be called. |
Parent / Teacher Relationship
Feel free to talk with the teacher
regarding any questions you may have concerning your child. Special
arrangements can be made to meet with you before or after school hours.
Please contact the Director with questions concerning school policies
or parent education.
Parent / Teacher conferences will
be scheduled twice during the year. Conferences may be requested at
any time by parents and teachers. The Director is available for these
conferences. Please telephone the school office for all appointments.
Communication from Home
It is helpful to inform the school
of any significant change occurring in your home. The following are
situations which could cause distress for your child: parents being
away for an extended period of time, new persons living in the home,
illness of a family member, accident or death in the family, moving,
or the death of a pet.
Health
When your child is absent from school
for health or other reasons, please call the office. Parents will be
notified promptly of any contagious disease in the school. Please notify
the school as soon as you notice your child has a contagious disease.
Do not send your child to school if he/she has a fever, upset stomach,
severe cold or cough, or any signs of impending illness. Please keep
your child at home for 24 hours after a fever and or after starting
an antibiotic. Minor accidents occurring during the school hours will
receive prompt and careful attention from the staff. No sunscreen or
insect repellent will be administered by the school.
Severe Illness at School
A child who becomes too ill to remain
at school will be sent home as soon as possible after a parent or authorized
person has been contacted. Students with any temperature over 98.6 degrees
will be sent home. Each student must have an emergency card on file.
Please notify us of changes in telephone numbers and authorized persons.
Children may not bring medicine to school without prior written and
oral communication by the parent with the child's teacher. All medicine
will be stored in the school office and dispensed by trained staff.
Urgent Medical Attention
In case of an emergency, the child
will be taken to the nearest hospital emergency room. The child's parents
will be called immediately.
Snow Plan
We will close automatically whenever
the Virginia Beach Public Schools close. If the Public School System
has a 2 hour delay we will not open. If, while the school is in session,
you think the roads are becoming unsafe, please feel free to come for
your child at your discretion. Snow days will not be made up.
Clothing
It is best to dress children neatly
and simply in clothes that they can work and play in without concern
that they "get dirty." Do not send your child to school in
an outfit that would be ruined if paint or polish were spilled on it.
When possible, dress children in clothes they can unfasten themselves.
Boots are advisable on rainy days. If the boots are slip-ons (not requiring
shoes) you may wish to send in slippers for the child to wear during
the class time. Please put names in all clothing to avoid loss and a
change of clothes in a clearly marked bag (clear plastic) at the beginning
of school. Dress your child warmly in cold weather since we take the
children outside in the playground everyday. Our playground can be very
windy.
Personal Belongings
We ask that toys and similar "play"
items be left at home. Children may bring books, tapes, and other interesting
educational objects to school and they will be utilized if time permits.
Please label all items clearly with your child's name. Candy and gum
may not be brought to school. You may want to check your child's pockets
before coming to school. If your child should come home with an unfamiliar
object, please return it to the school, as it may be an important part
of school equipment.
Birthdays
Birthdays are a special time for everyone,
and are especially important to your child. Please tell the teacher
which day you want to celebrate your child's birthday at school. On
the day of your child's birthday celebration, send in a pictorial time
line with a brief explanation of his or her life. We will celebrate
his/her life by walking around the sun (a candle) the appropriate number
of times and viewing the time line. The time line will be returned.
Parents are welcome to attend. While many parents of children whose
birthdays come during the school year like to send a special snack (cookies
or muffins) to school for a mid-morning celebration, it is not required.
It is our tradition that the birthday child give a present to the class
in his/her name. If possible, the present should come wrapped and the
birthday child will unwrap it for the class. This enables your child
to take an active part in developing the classroom environment. Please
ask your child's teacher for suggestions before purchasing a gift.
Observation in the School
Our philosophy does include educating
persons interested in Montessori Education. We will have days set aside
for parents and other interested individuals to observe the classroom.
Parent observations will not be scheduled before October 7th. We strongly
suggest new parents observe before the first parent conference so that
you will have an understanding of your child's routine. Please make
an appointment for your observation.
Parent Education Programs
Parent Education meetings will be
held throughout the year. It is important that one or both parents make
every effort to attend these meetings. Montessori philosophy, curriculum,
and materials will be discussed. Suggestions for implementing Montessori
principles in the home will be covered. The more you know about your
child's school environment, the more your child stands to gain from
our program. This is also an excellent way to meet new people and share
parenting joys and concerns.
Nourishment
Each child will have at least one
turn to provide nutritious snacks for the entire class for one week
during the school year. We wish to suggest a few suitable snacks: bananas,
melons, apples, carrots, cheese, crackers, small muffins or any other
light snacks. Please do not bring candy or very sweet cookies.
No peanut products are allowed in the school.
Insurance
At no additional cost to you, your
child will have pre-schooled accident program coverage. An activity
fee will be required in September to pay for in-house and out-of-school
field trips and extended day testing.
Parent Helpers
In addition to a room parent in each
class, we also must ask that when it is your snack week that you also
be available or "on-call" to assist the room parent or teacher
if they need special help for a project, meeting or celebration. If
you know in advance that your scheduled week is not convenient, feel
free to switch with another parent. Please notify the teacher of any
changes.
Phasing in Students
Not every student will attend school
during the first days of school. This is to ensure that all children
receive the necessary attention in these very first special days. Our
goal is for each child to begin with a level of self-confidence and
familiarity that will help him/her to make the smoothest possible transition
from home to school.
The Extended Day Program
Extended day should not be confused
with extended care. Our program is offered to qualified kindergarten
age children in order that they have the opportunity to explore morning
topics in greater detail in advanced presentations and field trips.
It is also a time to further concentrate on those skills which will
prepare them for first grade.
This program requires that the
children bring their lunch to school. Part of our grace and courtesy
exercises involve the use of proper table manners at lunch time. Nutritious
lunches should be packed. Please, no soft drinks. Lunches must be labeled
with a daily date.
Children's Work
Please remember that we focus on process
not product, therefore there may be weeks when your child does not have
papers to bring home. This does not mean your child isn't learning.
Much of the learning takes place without paper and pencil. By asking
or demanding that your child produce a picture or other paper work every
week you are teaching him/her to direct his/her work for external approval.
Any and all work will be sent home
on Fridays.
The children are asked to purchase
a tote bag for carrying their work home. This bag should be returned
on Monday mornings.
Photographs
Each year, a photographer is contacted
to take a school photo. Advance information on dates and cost will be
sent home with your child.
Calendar
Each August you will receive a school
calendar containing dates and times for school events and closings (also
available online at www.chog.info/calendar.html).
It is your responsibility to become familiar with the calendar. There
are a minimum of four teacher work days during our school year. School
will not be in session on these days.
Tuition Payments
Tuition is due on the 1st of each
month, beginning in October. You may elect to pay monthly, quarterly,
or for the entire year. For the coming school year we are initiating
a new tuition payment process (read the letter from the director here).
The Board suggested and approved an association with Facts Tuition
Management Business. Information, applications and instructions are
available here - https://ecashierk12.factstuition.com/ecashierk12/Controller?&query=0F504/23451.
Children's House institution ID is 0F504, PIN is 23451.
Please note that families should complete an e-Cashier agreement online
or a paper form, not both. Funds may be withdrawn on either the 5th
or 20th of each month. If you wish to pay your entire tuition or pay
per semester (September 20th and February 20th) you may opt out of
this program. There will be a $42 fee collected by Facts upon your
enrollment; re-enrollment will be a separate fee due in February.
Discipline Policy
The purpose of our discipline is to
aid children in developing inner control, acceptable behavior and respect
for the rights of others and themselves. Physical and verbal abuse will
not be used. We need to help children without rejecting them as persons.
Children need to understand why their behavior is considered inappropriate.
All discipline will be based on the individual child's needs and stage
of development.
The children will be expected to conduct
themselves in a manner respecting people and property. They will be
given verbal positive reminders as necessary to encourage good
conduct. They will be corrected by only one adult at a time. They will
be dismissed from the general activity area to a quieter place in the
room when verbal reminders are not sufficient to change conduct, returning
when good conduct and control are in evidence. If by his actions a child
puts himself, others, or property in jeopardy, he will be removed from
the situation or held, until he has regained control.
To meet the individual child's needs
and help gain inner control we use the following discipline techniques:
* being sure of the child's attention
when using a positive approach with contact on their level
* giving simple directions
* preparing a child verbally before requiring a change of activity
* allowing a choice, where it is possible
* being consistent
* setting reasonable limits that he can understand and accept
* being attentive and reinforcing desirable behavior
* not allowing him to injure himself or others by his actions
* helping the child to understand routing
* giving verbal reprimand and isolating when needed
* repeating or reinforcing an instruction only after a child has had
sufficient time to act
* giving the child the dignity to be responsible for his own actions
Abuse Reporting
The members of the staff of CHOG are
mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect. Any suspected
abuse will be reported to Social Services for investigation.
Emergency Preparedness Plan
Children's House has an Emergency
Preparedness Plan in place which is reviewed annually and available
for review in the school office. The plan includes emergency evacuation
procedures, emergency shelter procedures and facility containment procedures.
In the case of an emergency the 24 hour contact numbers
are:
Title |
Name |
Number |
| Church Administrator |
Tom Duffy |
635-0328 |
| School Director |
Barbara Beasley |
478-1917 |
School Forms
- Please download, update, print
and provide completed forms to the school director whenever required
by changes to you or your child's information.
