Handbook

Handbook Essentials

Visitors:

ALL visitors to the school must report to the office and sign in before proceeding to their destination.

All visitors need to sign in at the office before going to classrooms. Parents are welcome, but students from other schools need to get approval from the classroom teacher and administration before coming to visit unless accompanied by the parent.

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Parking and Student Drop-off/Pick-up

We know there is limited parking, and many parents drive their children to school. Parents may park along the street and in designated parking spaces. For your child’s safety, drop them off and pick them up with the passenger door opening on the school side of the street so students don’t need to cross in front of traffic. Remember that green curbs are for limited parking times and red curbs are no parking zones.

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Playground Rules:

The playground, courtyards and patios should be a safe place for students. Therefore, we have some expectations:

• Walk, don’t run on the cement areas and steps
• Park your bicycle at one of the racks or get off and walk it if necessary
• Playground equipment must be used in a proper and safe manner
• Food and drinks stay in the cafeteria, not outside (state requirement)
• Use kind and respectful language with students and adults
• Follow the rules when playing games
• Take care of balls, the playground equipment and our school grounds
• Listen to the teacher on duty and follow instructions
• We practice for emergencies so we are prepared (Fire Drills, Lockdowns)

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Toys and Electronics Policy:

The following are not allowed:

• No toys or electronic devices from home are allowed at school*
• No weapons (toy or real)
• No bodily harm (fighting, kicking, biting, pinching, pushing) or threatening to harm
• No foul, abusive or hurtful language
• No alcohol, drugs, or tobacco products
• No defacing or destroying property
• Skateboards and roller blades are not allowed on APS property
• No running, playing, or loitering between buildings, including the portables and courtyard,
• No tackle football or rough play, or jumping from swings.

*Toys, electronics and other items of value encourage disruptions in the classroom, fights and theft of items. If students bring a ball to school, it is understood that this will be a donation to the classroom and it no longer belongs to the student. Items will be taken away, turned over to administration and only returned to parents. East San José Elementary School is not responsible for any items that are lost, stolen or damaged.

We highly recommend that you not send a cell phone with your child. The school has phones in every classroom, and the office is usually able to relay emergency messages in a timely manner. 

IMPORTANT: If you choose to send a cell phone with your child, it must be kept in the backpack and the school is not responsible for any loss or breakage.

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Student Messages:

Please try to coordinate with your child before they come to school. If there is an emergency and you need to get a message to your student, you can call the office, but try to save this for unexpected occasions. Teachers usually check their mailboxes once a day, and we try to limit any interruptions by announcements in the classroom.

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Teacher Contact:

Parents are welcome to contact a teacher, but please try to do this outside of class time. When the children come into the room, the teacher needs to start instruction. Either send a note, request a separate conference, or try and speak with the teacher before or after school. Also keep in mind that teachers cannot be called from their classrooms for telephone calls during class time. Parents are encouraged to visit classrooms and volunteer, but when possible it is best to let the teacher know ahead of time. Please remember, that you must check in at the office before proceeding to the classroom.