Section I - General Policies and Information

School Hours:
Hours for kindergartners and graders are 8:15 - 2:45 p.m. Monday through Friday. Pre-kindergarten hours are 8:15 - 11:45 a.m.

It is very important that students not arrive before 8:00 a.m. and that they be picked up promptly at their dismissal time, since regular supervision is not provided before 8:00 a.m. or after 11:45 a.m./2:45 p.m. respectively. Students who need to arrive early or stay later must be enrolled in the Extended Care Program. All students that are picked up late (past 11:45/2:45 respectively) must be signed out in the office by a parent or adult designee. Daycare charges may apply.

Upon arrival at 8:00 a.m. in the morning at the office door (see figure 1, door 3), grade school students should go directly to their classrooms.

All Pre K and kindergarten students should be taken to the door at the end of the kindergarten hall (see figure 1, door 1) by their driver and then go directly to their classrooms with the guidance of the teachers aides and student helpers. Parents should not enter with them except for the first week of school. For safety reasons, never park in the kindergarten lot and allow your child to walk unattended across the lot to the building. During this time of day there is a great volume of traffic and children would be exposed to an unnecessary risk of injury.

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Tuition Payment:
Tuition Tuition checks should be made payable to Orcutt Baptist School and mailed or brought to the school office. They should include the childs name and specify what the check is for (e.g. tuition, daycare, lunch, etc.). Tuition is due on or before the first of each month. Notification is sent to families who have not made payment by the 15th of the month. If tuition is not paid by the 15th of the following month, the student may not attend until payment is brought up to date. If a check is returned by the bank for insufficient funds, the writer must pay to OBS the going rate for a returned check. After two returned checks, the parent must pay all school fees thereafter in cash.

The School Board reserves the right to refuse bus transportation and child care to students whose fees have not been paid. Transfer records and report cards are not sent until fees and other financial obligations have been met, including over due library books and fees for damaged textbooks.

OBS Check-writing policies:
All checks need to be made payable to Orcutt Baptist School.
All checks need to include the parent and students name if they vary.
All checks need to written for individual/specific events, ie. a check for tuition, a separate check for ECP, another check for lunch, etc.
All checks need to be labeled as to their purpose, ie. For Tuition.

Admission Policy (New students to Orcutt) New students are admitted to Orcutt Baptist School on the basis of a personal interview with the Principal (or representative), an entrance test (K-5 and up), past school records, a completed emergency data card, and required medical exam and immunizations. Regarding entrance tests, the following criteria apply:

1. Pre-K: Age appropriate development and social skills.

2. K-5 Kindergarten: Using the Slosson K-5 Kindergarten Readiness Test, the student must score at 63% or more using the scoring chart in the book. In certain cases, a retest may be given at the Principals discretion.

3. Grades 1-5: Using the OBS math and reading entrance tests, the student must score at 76% or above in each subject. If the Standardized Test for Assessment of Reading (S.T.A.R.) is given, the students grade equivalency score (as indicated on the computer report) must not be more than 1 year below the grade entering at the time of testing.

4. Other requirements.: Students entering Pre K, kindergarten and elementary grades need to be self-sufficient and toilet trained. Children entering Pre K-3, Pre K-4, or kindergarten must be 3, 4, or 5 years of age, respectively, on or before September 30.
    
   The first 90 days as an OBS student is a probationary period for all new students in order to assess whether they are successfully adhering to OBS expectations regarding academics and proper social and spiritual values.
    
   OBS endorses a policy of nondiscrimination in regard to race, color, and national or ethnic origin.

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Promotion Policy (Students currently at Orcutt):

Pre K and Kindergarten
Advancement to Pre K-4 and K-5: Age appropriate developmental and social skills.

Elementary School

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Tardiness:
Students are expected to be in their home room on time. When students arrive after 8:15 a.m. the parent and child should first go to the office to officially sign in. The office will issue the student a tardy slip (required before being admitted to class). Parents are not to accompany the student to the classroom. Office personnel will escort your student to class if in grades K-3, K-4, K-5 and first grade. Students in grades second fifth will be allowed to walk to class by themselves providing they have a tardy slip.

When students have 4 or more unexcused tardies during a grading period, a parent-principal telephone conference will be required. Five unexcused tardies equal an unexcused absence which will disqualify the student from receiving quarterly perfect attendance awards.

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Absences from School:
A student returning to school after any absence must first present to their teacher an explanatory note from their parent or guardian. The note will be forwarded to the office by the teacher.

1. Excused Absences. These are defined as student illness, serious illness or death in the family, family emergencies, medical appointments, or other reasons that meet the approval of the school administration on a case-by-case basis. Make-up work after an excused absence should be completed within three days after the student returns.

2. Unexcused Absences. These are defined as those not meeting the criteria above such as vacation time during school, etc. Teachers are not obligated to prepare work in advance; in fact, absences for vacation purposes are strongly discouraged by the school. In these cases, homework assignments can be obtained by calling a homework buddy in the class and completing any work as soon as possible.

3. Partial Day Absences

   1. Grade Students and Kindergarten. Students arriving later in the day will be given either an excused or unexcused tardy (depending upon the circumstances) and will be counted absent for half of the day if arriving after 11:30 a.m. Half-day absences are defined as those days when a student is not present in the classroom for at least half of the 6 school day hours (early dismissal days excepted). Half-day absences will disqualify the student for perfect attendance awards.

   2. Pre-K. Students arriving later in the day will be given either an excused or unexcused tardy (depending upon the circumstances) and will be counted absent for half of the day if arriving after 9:45 a.m. Half-day absences are defined as those days when a student is not present in the classroom for at least half of the 3 school day hours. Half day absences will disqualify the student for quarterly perfect attendance awards.

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Excessive Absences (all students):
A parent-principal telephone conference or meeting will be required after 10 or more absences from class. Absences of 15 days or more will jeopardize the students success during the school year and their promotion consideration. After the 15th absence, the school board may review the situation and may curtail enrichment and /or extra-curricular activities and use those periods as make up time, put the student on probation for a determined amount of time to assess progress in attendance, or disenroll the student.

Parent-Requested Early Pickup:
For a student to leave school before regular dismissal, a parent must come to the office and complete official sign-out procedures. Teachers may NEVER dismiss students directly from the classroom to a parent or that persons designated substitute. If you know that you will be picking up your child before the regular dismissal time and will be requesting accompanying homework, we ask that you call the school before 12 noon, so the teachers will have adequate time to assemble the necessary paperwork. Last minute notifications for homework often disrupt the classroom activity and may not be able to be accommodated in a timely manner. Thanks for your understanding.

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Scheduled Early Dismissals:
Throughout the school year, there are various scheduled early dismissals for the students. These normally occur on teacher work days, conference days, certain holidays, and other days where deemed necessary. (See OBS School Calendar for 2006-2007.) On these special days, one dismissal will occur.

1. Pre-K Students. These students will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m.

2. Kindergarten and Grade Students. These students will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m.

3. Bus Riders. There will be only one bus departure. Kindergarten and grade students riding the OBS buses will be dismissed at 11:40 a.m. along with the Pre K students

4. Daycare. Daycare will begin after the 11:45 a.m. dismissal.

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Cancellation of School:
As Orcutts student body primarily resides in the Newport News Public School (NNPS) district, we will follow their decisions for weather delays or closings. Please note the following bad weather guidelines.

A. Delayed Opening 1 Hour. All students report at 9:15 a.m. Before school daycare will not be available. After school daycare will begin at 11:45 a.m.

B. Delayed Opening 2 Hours. All Pre K, half-day programs are cancelled. Only kindergarten (K-5) and grade students will report at 10:15 a.m. Before school daycare will not be available. After school daycare will begin at 2:45 p.m.

C. Closed. All school and daycare operations for the entire day are cancelled.

* If the school closes, the before and after care program will be closed. Thanks for your understanding.

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Lunch Time:
During homeroom period each morning, students may order and pay $2.00 for a nutritious lunch (including milk or juice) prepared by OBS cooks. Extra milk or juice may be also ordered for $.35 each. Extra lunch plate items, if available, can be purchased for an extra $1.00. Ice cream (graders only) may be ordered for $.50 (limit 2) and will be provided at the time the lunch plate is picked up. A price list is provided for each student at the beginning of the school year. Parents are requested to send the exact change (daily or weekly) or pay with a check made out to Orcutt Baptist School. All money transactions will be handled in the office or the homeroom - no money will be exchanged at the lunch counter. Menus are prepared monthly and sent home with the activity calendar. Students may also bring their lunch from home, but no canned or bottled drinks or other dangerous pop top cans are allowed. Students should bring nutritious meals and snacks rather than junk food.

NOTE: PARENTS SHOULD AVOID BRINGING IN FAST FOOD LUNCHES FOR THEIR CHILDREN. THIS HAS CAUSED FEELINGS OF BEING LEFT OUT FOR THE OTHER CHILDREN.

Textbooks:
Since textbooks are school property, we need the help of parents and students in taking care of them. Textbooks MUST be covered by the end of the first week of school. Sticky contact paper type covers may not be used as they often leave a residue when removed at the end of the year and devalue the book. Students losing or damaging a textbook will be expected to pay its replacement value. If book covers wear out or are lost, they must be replaced immediately.

(NOTE: The supply fee charged to each student pays for all general consumable supplies and workbooks, not for buying new hardback texts.)

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Classroom Visitation:
Parents are welcome to visit and observe in their childs classroom. This should be arranged in advance. The maximum length for any visit is 1 hour. Multiple visits will need to be coordinated and approved beforehand by the principal.

Parent-Teacher Fellowship (PTF):
The aim of the Parent - Teacher Fellowship is the establishment of a wholesome Christian relationship among parents, teachers, and students. Since its beginning in 1976, Orcutts PTF has enthusiastically supported the school with many gifts such as computers, VCRs, playground equipment, new textbooks, etc. These gifts are made possible through various fund raisers held throughout the year. The PTF also supports Teacher Appreciation Week, and other gatherings. Officers of the PTF Board are elected in the spring and meet monthly. These meetings are open to all OBS parents.

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Educational Incentive Programs:
Many fine companies and corporations have become involved with educational incentive programs for local schools. Their involvement ranges from direct cash payback to the school or reimbursement in the form of educational materials. Your help is greatly appreciated by patronizing the following programs. Its a simple and rewarding way to raise funds or materials for your childs school!

1. Target Stores School Fundraising Made Simple. By simply shopping at Target, our school will receive 1% of the dollar amount of all purchases made on the Target Guest Card by parents and families participating in the program. If interested, simply fill out a Target Guest Card application available in any store. If you already have a Guest Card, you can participate by calling 1-800-316-6142 to designate our school.

2. General Mills Boxtops. General Mills Boxtops for Education is a program that has benefited Orcutt for many years with direct cash payback and materials. Simply save boxtops and deposit them in the appropriate container located by the front entrance. Just clip the appropriate portion- not the entire top itself.

If you have any questions about these programs, please contact the school office.

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