Covington School Standards and Policies

Covington School is dedicated to helping all students become responsible and respectful citizens of our school community. Common agreement by students, parents and staff on basic rules will make everyone's experience at Covington positive and productive.

• Los Altos School District Policies The document includes: ZERO Tolerance, Civility, and Student Use of Technology Board Policies
• The following Covington School Standards and Policies includes: Emergency Procedures | Policies and Procedures | Behavior and Safety Standard | Dress Code | Cellphone Policy

Emergency Procedures

Before an Emergency

• Make sure that your school forms indicate anyone who can pick up your child in an emergency (friends, neighbors, etc.). No one--not even a relative or a babysitter--will be allowed to pick up your child unless they are listed on the student's white emergency card.
• Ensure that you have informed these contacts that they are authorized to pick up your child.
• If your child has any special medical conditions, get a Medic Alert bracelet for them to wear at ALL times (www.medicalert.org).
• Let the Covington School office know if you can sign up as a volunteer during an emergency (only encouraged if all your children are at Covington).

In an Emergency

• Tune to 530 (KNUT) on the AM dial of your radio.
• Come to school as soon as possible to retrieve your child.
• Park in a location near the school, but not in the school parking lot. Use the parking lot off Rosita Avenue.
• Go to the Student Check-Out Table in the front of the school by the flagpole to sign out your child.
• If you are far away and desperately need an update, you can call the Attendance Line at 650-947-1101 (not the main or classroom numbers). If power and access are available, a general update will be recorded on the line.

What Not to Do in an emergency

• Do NOT call the main school or classroom telephone numbers.
• Do NOT park in the school parking lot because it could block emergency vehicles. Use the parking lot off Rosita Avenue.
• Do NOT attempt to retrieve your child without checking him or her out at the Student Check-out Table.
• Do NOT go onto the field or blacktop areas.

Check-Out Procedure

• Parents or designees should go to the Student Check-Out table in the front of the school by the flagpole and present identification.
• Staff will compare identification to names on the emergency sheet filed with Covington by parents. Once verified, an aide will take a check-out card to the teacher or leader of the class out on the field.
• Teacher on the field will verify check-out on their check-out log.
• The child will return to the Student Check-Out station with the aide. The emergency card will be returned to the check-out station classroom folder. Please do not try to get your child from the field yourself.
• Parent or designee signs the sign-out log. The child is dismissed.

Policies and Procedures

Attendance

Excused absences are granted for medical or dental appointments, sickness, and religious holidays only.

Absences and late arrivals are to be reported to the school by a parent or guardian before 9:00 a.m. by calling the Attendance Line 650-947-1101.

Covington School has an attendance assurance program. The attendance assurance program ensures that parents are called by 10:00 a.m. the day of an absence.

Any child marked absent for the day and whose parents have not called the office will be called to confirm the absence. Children who arrive after the school day begins or are picked up for an appointment during school hours must go to the office to sign in or out.

When to keep your child home from school

The following guidelines are suggested to help control the spread of colds, flu and other possibly contagious illnesses. Please keep your child home when he/she has any of the following symptoms:

• Fever of over 99.6 degrees: Student must stay home until their temperature has been normal for 24 hours.
• Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
• Nausea
• Chills
• Sore throat or trouble swallowing
• Frequent coughing sneezing, or runny nose
• Rash or unusual sores or spots
• Unusually red, watery or burning eyes
• A new cold
• Generalized muscle aches or pains

If you are unsure, please do not send your child to school. Assess their condition at home, and if they are not sick, you may bring them in later. Please do not send them to school and tell them to call you later if they are still not feeling well.

Lunch Hour

Children bringing lunch to school (or buying it on Hot Lunch days) are expected to eat at Covington and remain on the premises during the entire lunch period. Students who have forgotten their lunches should check the table in front of the multi during the morning or noon recesses to see if a lunch has been dropped off. We do not interrupt classes to announce the arrival of lunches, so students should be prepared to check for themselves.

Medication

Covington personnel are not allowed to administer any medication (including aspirin, cough drops, etc.) without specific written permission from the child's doctor and parent. If at any time it should be necessary for your child to receive medication during the school day, a Permission to Administer Medication Form should be obtained from the office and completed by the physician and parent. A new Permission to Administer Medication needs to be completed at the beginning of each school year for continuing medications. A parent may come to the school office to administer medication to his or her child at any time.

Visitors To School

Before entering the school campus, all visitors and volunteers, including parents, must sign in and sign out of the school office. A notebook is made available for this purpose. We need the visitor's name and time of sign in. A visitor ID badge is provided and expected to be worn. At the time of leaving the campus, please record your departure time. This procedure has been requested by the School Site Council, PTA, and staff for the purpose of assuring the security and safety of both our students and visitors in the event of an emergency.

Visits To The Classroom

We welcome parent visits to Covington School when class activities permit. Visits should be limited to the length of the activity and you are always welcome to come again. Please make an appointment with your child's teacher or principal before academic observation visits and remember to sign in and sign out of the office.

Behavior and Safety Standard

At Covington School, we value Coyote Character: Respect, Fairness, Caring, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, & Citizenship

Covington students deserve a safe and secure environment in which to learn, work, and play. It is the intent of the Covington staff to support and encourage each student's academic, personal, and social growth, and to assist students in becoming responsible members of the school community. Our behavior standards are based on building a school culture that displays respect for learning, people and property. The most important commitment at Covington School is that students agree to take responsibility for their actions.

EACH STUDENT IS: individually and fully responsible for knowing the rules, and living up to the agreements.
EACH STAFF MEMBER IS: individually and fully responsible for knowing the rules, explaining the rules to his/her students, and enforcing and living up to the agreements.
EACH PARENT IS: individually and fully responsible for knowing the rules, reviewing the rules with his/her child, and supporting his/her child and the school in living up to the agreements.

For good citizenship, Covington students will be recognized and rewarded.

I. Show respect for other people.

• Respect students and adults.
• Obey adults in charge.
• Do not fight or hurt others.
• Use clean language.
• Do not throw objects.
• Do not vandalize school or personal property.
• Do not use or bring to school drugs, alcohol, or tobacco.
• Do not bring weapons to school (or anything that can be used as a weapon. If you are unsure, ask first. Violation of this rule can get you expelled.)

Penalties (Behavior Citation slips will be given.)
1. Warning and phone call to parent by student in teacher's presence.
2. Student is sent to a Buddy Class to Refocus.
3. Principal speaks with child; the principal calls parent.
4. Suspension from school.

II. Play and work safely showing consideration for others.

• Use all equipment in a safe manner.
• Do not wrestle.
• Do not spit.
• Do not throw food.
• Do not chew gum at school.
• Eat lunches and snacks in designated areas and clean area before being excused.
• Keep the playground clean.
• Walk quietly in hallways and corridors and do not bounce balls there.
• Walk bikes and scooters on school grounds. Roller blades must be removed and carried onto the school grounds. Skateboards are not allowed at school.
  

Penalties:
1. Warning, denial of privileges, and/or perform school service.
2. Repeated occurrence will result in parent contact and appropriate consequences.

III. Play fairly and follow playground and game rules.

• Play in playground areas only.
• No tag on the play structures.
• No tackling or contact sports.
• Climb on play structures only, not on trees, fences, etc.
• On play structures, don't jump, push, or run. Keep two hands on bars.
• Swings - Only one person at a time; sit down; no jumping; share.
• Games:
  
  • Establish rules at the beginning of game. Don't switch rules during game.
  • Once game has started, equipment stays in the game.
  • Do not lock games.
• Toys, including balls and bats, electronic games, radios, CD players, etc. are not to be brought to school.
  

Penalties:
1. Warning and denial of privileges and/or perform school service.
2. Repeated occurrence will result in parent contact and appropriate consequences.

IV. Be on time.

• Line up and be ready for school by 8:30 A.M.
• Students (grades 1-6) may not enter school grounds before 8:10 A.M. (Parents should make arrangements with the office for students to arrive earlier.)
• Leave school when dismissed. Students may not remain unsupervised after school.
• Recess: Get drinks and use restroom when first bell rings.
• Use school telephones only with permission from your teacher.

Penalties:
1. Parent contact (Parents have the responsibility of making sure students arrive and depart from school on time.)
2. Detention at recess

V. Safety Reminders

• Students walking to school need to use the crosswalks and obey the crossing guards at all times.
• Students riding their bikes to school must walk their bikes while crossing the street and while on the school campus.
• Students need to leave the school campus or wait with their parent in front of the school upon dismissal. Primary students are not allowed to play on the playground after dismissal at 2:20.
• While waiting for their parents after school, students are not allowed to play ball, swing backpacks or run around in front of the school.
• Parents who take their children to the playground after the last dismissal bell at 2:40, must supervise their children at all times.
• Students not picked up after dismissal time will be brought to the office to wait for their parents.
• The Kindergarten playground is off limits until the last Kindergarten students are dismissed at 3:05. At that time, parents who wish to accompany their children for after school play, must supervise their children at all times.

Dress Code

The basis of Covington's dress code is simple - student dress should not disrupt the educational environment. Safety, good taste, and appropriateness should determine the choice of school clothing for students. In the event of disagreements about the appropriateness of school clothing, teachers and administrators will have the final say. The Covington staff will enforce the following guidelines:

• Clothing with offensive language or pictures, or with references to alcohol, drugs or tobacco are unacceptable.
• Bare midriffs are unacceptable.
• "Spaghetti Straps" or strapless blouses/dresses (girls) or loose fitting "tank tops" (boys) are not recommended; if you wear them to school you must wear something else which covers your shoulders.
• Shorts, skirts and dresses should be of an appropriate length.
• Flip-flops are strongly discouraged.

Cell Phone Policy

Cell phones are present on campus with many students. While the decision regarding a child having a cell phone at school rests with the parents, the responsibility of acceptable use during school hours is the student's. If a student does have a cell phone to call a parent after school or to contact a parent in the event of an emergency, the following rules MUST be followed:

• The phone must be turned off during the school day
• The phone must be placed in a backpack and not taken out during the day
• Phones are NOT to be used during the school day - this includes calls as well as text messaging
• Phone calls may be made only at the front of the school, after the school day ends
• If a student needs to make calls during the school day, they may ask permission of their teacher or the office, and they may make those phone calls from the classroom or office

We appreciate your reviewing this policy with your child, as appropriate. We will be strictly enforcing this policy so that cell phones do not interfere with the learning environment at Covington School. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have any questions or need clarification of this policy, please feel free to contact me in the school office.

 

 

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