Handbook

ROADRUNNER Expectations

At Renton Park, we follow the Renton Park Way:

Be Safe

Show Respect

Be Responsible

Students are expected to follow directions given by any Renton Park staff member – on the playground, in the classroom, the lunchroom, the hallway, or the bus line.

Students are asked to follow The Renton Park Way when at school or on school sponsored trips or at school events. Expectations for classroom behavior and for behavior in common areas such as lunchroom, playground, hallways, and restrooms are taught to students and posted for their reference.

Specific examples of behavior expectations

Be Safe

·      Go down the slide on your bottom only, feet first.

·      Walk in the building and use the handrails on the stairs.

·      Keep your hands, feet, and other body parts to yourselves.

SHOW Respect

·      Respect the school’s equipment by treating it with care – library books, walls, desks, etc.

·      Respect personal property at all times.

BE RESPONSIBLE

·      Use appropriate, respectful language.

·      Respect others’ personal space and belongings.

·      Use supplies wisely without waste – toilet paper, pencils, erasers, etc.

Be a Problem Solver

·      Organized games are open to all. Make sure all who want to play may do so.

·      Use Second Step Strategies to try to solve disagreements, and seek an adult if you need help.

Our school is committed to providing a safe and civil educational environment for all students, employees, volunteers and patrons – one that is free from harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB).

“Harassment, intimidation and bullying” means any intentional written message or image, including those that are electronically transmitted, a verbal or physical act including, but not limited to one shown to be motivated by race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or mental, sensory, or physical disability – or any other distinguishing characteristic when the intentional written, verbal or physical act:

1. Physically harms a person or damages their property
2. Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s education.
3. Is so severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment or
4. Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.

Harassment, intimidation and bullying are NOT tolerated at school. For additional informational & forms, please visit our school office. 

Our dress code promotes modest, appropriate, safe, and respectful dress.

Modest

Shirts must be long enough to cover top of pants – no bare skin showing, underclothing should not be visible (e.g. bra straps or underwear bands). Pants should not be sagging below the waistline. No halter-tops, spaghetti straps, or tank tops with the strap narrower than 1½”. Bottom of shorts or skirts must reach below fingertips.

Appropriate

Students may be outside even if it rains. Umbrellas may only be used going to or from school – not on the playground. Please be sure your child has warm outer clothing during cooler weather. Shoes must be worn at all times, and tennis shoes are recommended for P.E.

Safe

Clothing and accessories associated with gang dress are not acceptable on campus.

Respectful

Hats are not to be worn in the building. Clothing associated with violent themes, tobacco, drugs or alcohol and any with foul language or sexual innuendo are not appropriate on campus.
If a student's attire causes a disruption to the educational program, they will have to call for a change of clothing or be sent home.
 

General Items Not Allowed at School

Students are not to bring toys, electronic devices, video game devices, MP3 Players, CD players, I-Pods, etc. to school. Items of these types may become stolen, lost, and can be a distraction in the school’s operation. Permanent markers, white out or correction type markers, trading cards, and stickers also can become a problem. Valuable jewelry, cameras, radios, and playthings are not to be brought to school. Because of the danger of loss, students are not to bring more money to school than is needed during the school day.

If expensive items are brought to school, the Renton School District and Renton Park Elementary are not liable or responsible for them.

Please do not bring your dog or pet to the school or playground even if it is on a leash. In general animals are not to be brought to school.

Items such as guns, knives, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, matches and fireworks are illegal on school grounds and persons in possession are subject to suspension and related legal action.

Gum and Candy

Gum is not allowed at school. Candy is only permitted as part of a student’s lunch and must be kept in his/her individual lunch container. Candy can only be eaten in the lunchroom during the lunch period or as determined by the classroom teacher.

Cell phones & smart watches are permitted but must be kept turned off and in the student’s backpack during the school day. The Renton School District and Renton Park Elementary are not liable or responsible for student cell phones or smart watches.

School telephones are used for daily business purposes. Student use will be limited to emergencies only. All arrangements for after-school activities should be made before coming to school.
 

The goal of discipline is to teach students proper behavior. When discipline becomes necessary, it is administered in a firm, consistent manner that is respectful of the individual. Our focus is on helping the child accept ownership of his or her actions and to learn to resolve problems positively.

Progressive methods we may use to help change inappropriate student behaviors may include:

• Clarification of rules(s)
• Reminder or verbal warning
• Time-out in class or in another classroom
• Loss of recess or equipment use
• Phone call or note home
• Parent conference or other form of parent support
• Detention
• Suspension (repeated or serious misbehavior)

Serious misbehavior may result in an immediate suspension. This would include actions such as: Fighting or causing bodily injury, stealing, extremely disruptive classroom behavior, vandalism, sexual harassment or bullying, use or possession of weapons, and use or possession of alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
We reserve the right to refer to the appropriate non-school agency any act or conduct of pupils, which may constitute a crime under federal, state, county or local law.
 

The purpose of homework is to practice learned skills from class, help prepare for future lessons, extend opportunities to transfer concepts to new situations, and to integrate skills and concepts to produce original responses.

Some ways parents can help with homework:

• Establish as much routine as possible and hold your child to it. For example - some students are successful working on homework from 4:00 to 4:30 PM everyday while others do better directly after dinner each night.
• Limit time spent watching TV/video games.
• Have supplies that your child might need available and a quiet place to work. Be interested and involved but let your child take responsibility for their work.
• Communicate with your child’s teacher if you have any concerns or questions about your child’s homework.

Parent/Guardian-Teacher conferences are very important and serve two purposes. They are a way of mutually sharing information about a child's development and a way of reporting student progress to the student’s family. A formal reporting conference is held in November in conjunction with the fall report card. Additional conferences may be requested by parents, teachers or the principal to discuss academic progress and/or social-emotional concerns.

Field trips are class experiences away from the school that are an extension of the academic program. Parents are welcome and encouraged to help chaperone students on these outings. For safety reasons, Washington State Patrol Background Checks must be cleared for all volunteers before attending.

You are welcome to visit your child’s classes. Please schedule your visit with your child’s teacher at least a full day ahead of time and be sure to stop first in the office to sign in and pick up a visitor’s pass.

Parent and family volunteers provide important assistance to us at school. Contact your child’s teacher or the office to let us know that you would like to volunteer.
For safety reasons, volunteers (including field trip chaperones) are required to fill out a Washington State Patrol Clearance Form which must be processed for clearance of ALL volunteers. The clearance is valid for two years and is required by law. This service is provided at no charge and forms are available in the office. Allow for 2-3 weeks for processing.

Federal law and school district regulations allow schools to release directory-type information (student name, address, phone, date/place of birth, dates of enrollment, awards received, and previous schools attended) to such agencies as school news or PTA unless parents notify the school of their wishes to the contrary. Information other than Directory Information is considered confidential.

Our school’s student safety patrol is made up of 5th grade students and supervised by a staff member. Students are on patrol at 8:15-8:30 AM and 3:10-3:20 PM. They supervise students crossing at the designated crosswalks close to our school campus. Students are expected to follow the crossing directions of the Safety Patrol.

A registered nurse is available at Renton Park two days per week. Our school nurse is responsible for health screening, individual health care plans for students with health conditions, managing immunization, status of students, communicating with health care providers & working with the special education team. The nurse assesses health problems that arise at school, supervises health room procedures, consults & instructs on health-related issues. In the case of a medical emergency, staff will call 911.

Please keep us informed if your child has any health concerns we should be aware of, such as bee stings, specific allergies, etc. Each fall parents are requested to fill out forms alerting us to any health concerns of their children. You may contact the school nurse with any questions (425) 204-2952.

Please notify the school if your child is diagnosed with a communicable disease (e.g. chicken pox, ringworm, measles, impetigo, etc.). Confidentiality will be respected, and we appreciate the opportunity to be able to control any further spread in the classroom and school. 

Other Health Concerns

 Head lice are an occasional annoyance for children in schools.  Please check your child’s head every few weeks for signs of lice, particularly around the ears and at the nape of the neck. It is easier to tackle the issues when lice are found early. To prevent lice, instruct your children not to share combs, brushes, or clothing. Please notify the school if your student has head lice. Once a student has received treatment for head lice they will be checked by trained school staff before returning to class.

Hearing and vision screening are done annually. If your child needs a referral, the school nurse will contact you and provide assistance.

Before sending your student to school, be sure your child is feeling well enough to participate in the full school program, including recess and physical education (unless we have a physician’s note stating otherwise). 

In general, your child should stay home from school when these symptoms are present: vomiting, diarrhea, elevated temperature, ear ache, sore throat (especially associated with fever), head lice, inflamed or draining eyes, sores or rash (not obviously associated with an allergic reaction).

If your child’s temperature is 100 degrees or higher OR they are vomiting, they may not remain at school. Parents are asked to pick up their child if a health problem occurs. A student with an oral temperature of 100 degrees or over should remain at home until free of fever for 24 hours. 

When returning after an illness they should be free of a fever (without use of fever reducing medication) for at least 24 hours before returning.

Washington State law requires that all students, kindergarten through grade twelve, must be fully immunized before they can attend school. For a complete list of vaccine requirements and recommended immunization schedules, please visit the Washington State Department of Health.

The law states that parents must complete and sign a Certificate of Immunization Status giving the month, day and year of each dose of vaccine. When a student lacks full immunization we require evidence of initiation of the immunization schedule or a properly completed Certificate of Exemption.

Medication includes both prescription and non-prescription (over-the-counter) drugs.

• Medications are allowed at school only when they are in the original container in which they were purchased.
• All medication, even Tylenol, aspirin and cough syrup, must be registered with the school nurse and kept in the clinic.
• The law requires schools to have a written request from the parent/guardian and instructions from a physician or dentist for any medication to be taken at school. This includes over-the-counter drugs.

Please make sure that the school has an up-to-date Emergency Form on file at all times. It is especially important that the school has the following information on file and current.

• EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER
• CURRENT CONTACT PHONE NUMBER 

In the event that your child becomes ill or injured at school we will need to be able to contact you or an alternate person of your choice. Please request a new emergency contact form from office staff should your emergency telephone number change during the school year.

Emergencies (windstorm, earthquake, power loss, etc.) may arise making it difficult to dismiss your child following normal routines. No child will be released without contact with you or your emergency designee. It is helpful to include names and numbers of additional adults to whom your child could be released to (neighbors, family members) in your emergency plan.

The counselor provides services to classrooms, small groups and individuals as needed and works to create a positive school climate. Students may refer themselves or staff and parents may make referrals to the counselor for assistance with particular concerns such as friendship issues, family changes, grief, and/or managing emotions, such as anger. Our full-time counselor works with parents and staff to help students be more successful in & out of the school environment. Our counselor is also available to help families connect with community resources to support clothing, food mental health & homelessness. 

Children who excel academically and/or who display strong creativity may qualify for the Discovery Program. If you feel your child should be referred for highly capable services, please discuss this with your child’s teacher or the principal. Referral forms are available in the office, or by calling the Discovery Program Office at 425-204-2401.

Our ELL Program serves students whose primary language is a language other than English. The students may receive support through small group instruction in English communication skills, reading, and writing in order to develop and apply English language skills to academic content. ELL students are identified through ELL testing and through parent surveys.

Programs provide experiences for all students in grades K through five, primarily in singing, rhythm activities, music concepts, and performance skills.

Our Learning Assistance Program, or LAP, is an intensive intervention program for Kindergarten – 4th grade for students who are performing below-standard in reading. Students served in LAP work in small groups with a reading teacher or classified staff member to develop foundational reading skills and improve reading comprehension.

The school library supports classroom instruction and provides books for students' recreational reading. Each class visits the library once a week for instruction in using resources and to check out books. Students are responsible for returning books in good condition and in a timely manner. No charges are made for overdue books, but fines are assessed for damaged and lost books.  Fines may be paid through the  Online Payment Portal.

Physical Education Programs are offered to all students. The curriculum includes individual fitness skills, team sports skills, and the awareness of physical fitness benefits and goal setting. When your student is scheduled for P.E. please be sure they wear clothing and shoes which allow for full and safe participation in physical activities.

Children with fine, gross motor development, communication, or language needs can be tested to receive therapy.

Specially designed instruction is provided for eligible students in one or more basic skills areas. Students remain in their regular classes most of the school day and are pulled out for areas of needed assistance. Instruction takes place in small groups or individually and is designed to meet the needs of the student.

The school psychologist provides a variety of services including: psychological testing, assessing students for disabilities, classroom observations, parent education, referral to outside agencies, and writing reports to parents and teachers.

Evaluation Team meetings are used to review our support for students having academic and/or behavior challenges in the general education classroom. This team is composed of the building administration, school psychologist, special education teachers, speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, nurse, counselor, and classroom teachers. Teachers and parents can request students who are having academic and/or behavior challenges to be considered by the Evaluation Team. It is the team's responsibility to determine if further testing needs to occur and to aid the classroom teacher and parents in developing the appropriate program for that child.