Student Use of Telephones & Cell Phones

Phones in the classroom are for the use of the teacher only. If a teacher gives a student permission, then the student may use the phone in the office. If students forget books, homework, lunch, permission slips, etc. they will not be allowed to call home. However, if the student is ill or if there is a real emergency, the telephone will certainly be available. Cell phones are not to be used by studentsdru ing the school day. Cell phones must be turned off and kept out of sight (i.e., be stored in backpack) between 8:00 am and 2:45 pm. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding on this.

After-School Plans

Children in grades K-3, when plans have been made in advance, are required to take notes to school indicating with whom they will be going after school. This applies when an after-school arrangement differs from the usual practice. Children will not be allowed to make phone calls from school in order to make plans to go home with a friend after school.

Visiting School

Duveneck strives to keep an open-door policy and encourages full and open communication between staff and parents. Parents are welcome on campus. Certain procedures will facilitate openness without intruding on normal classroom routines and without diminishing campus safety and campus security.

1. All parents and visitors must check in at the office, sign-in, and wear a name tag while on campus. When leaving, parents and visitors must sign out at the office.
2. If you wish to contact a teacher, the best way is via a note sent with your student or via email. Should you call the school or visit the office, please leave several options for dates and times for a return phone call. The teacher will respond as soon as possible, usually after school.
3. If your child is absent (illness or trip) and you would like homework, books or assignments, teachers can provide these after school. We encourage you to obtain books and assignments only if it appears the absence will be for two or more days.

In short, parent-staff communication is vital and needs to occur in a way that ensures that teachers can continue regular routines of teaching, supervising (such as yard duty), and planning without interruption.

Please read The Duveneck Partnership for details.

Lost and Found

The Lost and Found is located outside the school office. Many items are left unclaimed every year. Periodically, lost items will be turned over to the district PTA Wardrobe Center. Parents are asked to encourage students to check for missing clothing and other personal articles.

This school/District is not responsible for theft, damaged or vandalized personal property.

Tuberculosis Screening for School Volunteers

Adult volunteers in public schools are required to be screened every four years for possible exposure to tuberculosis. X-rays and intradermal injections are the only tests accepted; tine/patch tests are not. Intradermal tests are offered to volunteers free of charge at the PAUSD office at 25 Churchill Avenue, several times a year. Watch for notice in the Duveneck Dispatch or call the PTA Volunteer Coordinator to determine the testing dates. You can also follow this link for this year's dates.

Volunteer Drivers' Requirements

BEFORE you can drive students on a school outing, you must complete and sign the Parent Volunteer Survey Card. That card will remain on file in the school office. Your card will need to be updated yearly. You must also have TB clearance (see above).

PAUSD Requirements for Drivers

INSURANCE - The following figures represent MINIMUM COVERAGE you must have: public liability, bodily injury and property damage - $100,000/$300,000 per occurrence.

Number of passengers in your vehicle may not exceed the number specified for your vehicle by the California State Motor Vehicle Code.

You are also required to provide seat belts for all passengers.

No student should ride in front seat where a car has an airbag.

California State Law mandates that a forward facing booster seat must be used by every child who is under age six and weighs less than sixty pounds.

BY STATE LAW:

• You must have a current driver's license.
• You must have the current registration and a certificate of insurance in the car.
• You must have a seat belt for each passenger.

Duveneck Homework Guidelines

Homework consists of three components: daily reading, daily/weekly assignments, and multi-day projects. We hope that parents will support students by providing a quiet location in the home conducive to study and by checking in with their child daily about completing assignments.

Parents should wait two days before requesting assignments for a child who is absent because of illness. Duveneck's childcare provides supervised time for study; please check with other providers for their practices.

Reading: It is important that all students read or are read to every day. We encourage parents to make reading a focus for the whole family so that the reading habit is both modeled and supported.

Grades K-3: 10-30 minutes per day

Grades 4-5: 20 minutes per day (additional reading is generally integrated within other homework assignments and projects)

Assignments:
The purposes of regular assignments are to reinforce
and practice skills, to apply and extend learning, and to teach responsibility.

Kindergarten: 15-30 minutes per weekend or every other weekend(often optional)
Grade 1: 10 minutes per day (on average)
Grade 2: 15-25 minutes per day (on average)
Grade 3: 20-30 minutes per day (on average)
Grade 4: 45-60 minutes per day (on average) with the time
increasing from 45 to 60 minutes as the year progresses
Grade 5: 60 minutes per day (on average)

Projects: Projects or long-term assignments emphasize applications and extensions of what is being learned, in addition to teaching organizational and planning skills. It is important, especially at grades 4 and 5, that students work on projects little by little over the period between when a project is assigned and when it is due.

Grade 1: 15-30 minutes on an occasional basis
Grade 2: 15-30 minutes on an occasional basis
Grade 3: 20-40 minutes (regular assignments are often reduced when projects occur)
Grade 4: 2 hours per month
Grade 5: 2 hours per month

About Time:
In most classrooms, time is allotted for completing some or all of the homework. Students study with varying efficiency and rapidity so there may be a considerable range of time needed at home to complete work. We have found that when the time expended on homework far exceeds the expected time, it is often due to students and/or parents
choosing to elaborate on the expectations outlined by the teacher. If your child consistently works more than the suggested amounts of time or seems never to have assignments, check with the teacher. We will readily design accommodations in homework assignments in response
to a student's individual needs.

Parental Involvement in Homework:
Parents should always refer to the teacher's instructions about the degree of expected parent involvement in individual assignments and projects. The extent of parent assistance needed may vary with the individual student, as well. The parent and teacher should be mutually clear about any such expectations.

In grades 4 and 5, parents may be expected to "sign-off" an assignment notebook to indicate their awareness of the work assigned.

Finally, we ask parents to guard against taking too much responsibility for the child's work, especially in grades 4 and 5 when the student is learning to work independently. If you are uncertain about how much assistance to provide, please consult with the teacher.