• Upon entering a classroom, students go to assigned seat and begin assignment.
• Students will come to attention when school hand signal is displayed.
• All students are required to walk to their right in hallways.
• All students will sit in assigned seats.
• Students will adhere to posted classroom rules and will be disciplined by posted consequences.
• Students will head papers correctly.
• Students will follow procedures for passing in papers as required by the classroom teacher.

School begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m.

School Insurance may be purchased at school.

Lockers will be available for rent for $10.00 per year for students in

grades 4-6. Students are not to share their locker combination

number.

Physical Education is required by law. All students will be expected to participate in physical education activities unless excused because of medical reasons.

Awards: Students of the Month are selected at the end of each month by classroom teachers. There will be two honor rolls. There will be an "A" honor roll and an "A-B" honor roll. Each nine weeks, students who make the honor roll will be rewarded. The honor roll will be published in the Selma Times Journal and the school newsletter after each grading period. Perfect attendance awards will be given to those students who have not been absent. Students who are tardy or check out early will not qualify for this award. Sixth graders may qualify for the President’s Academic Award. Accelerated Reading awards will be given out when students meet their goals. Additional awards may be made available at the discretion of the principal. (Students who have more than one "U" in conduct will not be on the honor roll.)

Your child must live in the J. E. Terry school zone to be eligible to attend. A registration/zone form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian. Guidelines to determine eligibility are available from the office. In order to update our school records, we ask that each household provide two (2) proofs of residence. Students are expected to be at school on time. A student is considered tardy if he/she is not in his/her seat by 8:00 a.m. Tardiness is not accepted. Students who receive four tardies within a semester will face disciplinary action. It is the obligation of every parent to insure that every child under his/her care attends school if the child is of compulsory attendance age. A student must not have more than 20 unexcused absences during the school year in grades K-6 if the student expects to be promoted. A student with unusual circumstances, which are substantiated by a physician or other appropriate documentation could be promoted if all other requirements are met.

The following shall be considered excused absences:

1. Personal illness
2. Legal quarantine
3. Court required appearance
4. Death in immediate family
5. Emergencies or other circumstances which are approved by the principal or the superintendent

An unexcused absence is defined as an absence that is not covered by one of the mentioned reasons on the previous page. When a student has four unexcused absences, a report will be forwarded to the parent and the school attendance officer. If a student is absent, he/she must submit a written excuse within 3 days after returning to school. An excused absence allows the student to make up any work missed. The teacher will normally give the student a maximum of three days to make up work unless unusual circumstances exist. It is the responsibility of the student to see that make-up work is turned in. Students are normally not allowed to make up work when the absence is unexcused.

Students have the privilege of using the transportation services of the Dallas County Schools, provided he/she can abide by the rules and regulations as established by the Dallas County Board of Education. This privilege can be suspended if the student fails to abide by these rules. Our primary concern is the safety of each of the students riding the bus. The bus driver has a very important responsibility and he/she does not need to be distracted by students who do not want to behave. Students are expected to follow the bus rules which are listed below.

1. Students must obey the driver at all times.
2. Students shall stay in their seat while the bus is in motion.
3. Students shall keep all body parts inside the bus at all times.
4. Students shall not talk to the bus driver while the bus is in motion.
5. Students shall not throw objects on or off the bus at any time.
6. Students will board and leave the bus only at an approved stop.
7. Students who wish to board or leave the bus at a stop other than their normal stop must have written parental permission and permission of the principal.
8. Students shall cross the highway in the following manner:

Failure to abide by the bus rules may subject a student to a wide range of punishment including, but not limited to, suspension from riding the bus, suspension from school or expulsion from school.

Calendar: A calendar and newsletter will be sent home to the parents at the beginning of each month. Please read them and make notes of important dates.

Check-In Procedures: All students who arrive at school after 8:00 a.m. must stop by the office and be signed in by a parent or guardian. Unless excused, this will count as a tardy. (See information about tardies in the section titled Attendance.) Students will receive their attendance card to take to their homeroom teacher.

Check-Out Procedure: Students may check out for illness, doctor appointments, or emergencies. Students who check out for reasons other than these will be considered unexcused. All check outs must be approved by the principal (or his designee).

Students may check out of school by one of the following methods:

1. being signed out by their parent, guardian, or designated responsible adult.
2. having a note signed by parent or guardian that can be verified by phone by a school official before the student leaves the school premises.

The principal has the final responsibility of making a decision in the best interest of the child.

Complaint or Concern: If a student or parent has a complaint or concern involving instruction, discipline or learning materials, the following procedure should be followed in order to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

1. Contact the person whom you have a complaint about to discuss both sides of the story.
2. If the problem is not resolved, contact the principal.
3. If the problem is still unresolved, contact the superintendent.
4. Finally, if unresolved, you can take your complaint directly to the School Board.

Conferences: Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled the first nine weeks, the third nine weeks, and as needed. If you need to talk with a teacher, please call the school office to set up a conference time that is mutually agreeable for both parties. Conferences are normally scheduled before 8:00 a.m., during the teacher’s planning period, or after 3:15 p.m. Conferences or "drop-in" visits before school must end by 7:55 a.m. in order for the teacher to begin class.

Debts: Students who owe the school money may be prohibited from participating in extra curricular activities.

Discrimination Compliance: The Dallas County Board of Education is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the Dallas County Board of Education not to discriminate on the basis of disability, national origin, race, religion, sex or age. If you have reason to believe that you have been discriminated against, you may contact either of the following:

Mr. Don Willingham, Administrative Assistant,
PO Box 1056, Selma, AL 36702, 334.872.8031- email willinghamd@dallask12.org
or
Dr. Vicie S. Larkin, Title IX Coordinator
PO Box 1056, Selma, AL 36702, 334-876-4465- email larkinvicie@dallask12.org

Distribution of Materials: Individuals or organizations wishing to distribute non-curricular or promotional materials on the school campus must have permission from the principal.

Dress and Appearance: Students are expected to dress appropriately for school. Proper dress and grooming is the responsibility of parents and students to insure that other students are not distracted from the purposes of school. All students are expected to obey the dress code. Parents, we need your help on this. The specific dress code requirements are listed below:

The principal may make other rules regarding dress and appearance as may be appropriate to carry out the intent of these provisions.

Emergency Drills: Fire, tornado, and bomb drills are held periodically in accordance with state law and/or directives from the Superintendent’s office.

Field Trips: Field trips are a part of your child’s educational experience. Field trips are usually planned at least two weeks in advance. Your child must have a signed permission slip on file at school. All permission slips and money required for said trip must be turned in at least one day before the scheduled trip. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Grading: Report cards are sent out every nine weeks. In addition, mid-term progress reports are also sent home. Folders containing graded papers are sent home for parents to see and sign weekly. The following grade scale has been adopted by the Dallas County Board of Education.

90-100 A

80-89 B

70-79 C

60-69 D

59 or below F

Homework: It is the student’s responsibility to complete all homework assignments. A zero will be recorded in the grade book for homework not turned in. Each teacher has a policy that states how much time is allowed for homework to be turned in. The teacher will notify parents when failure to turn in homework becomes a problem. Homework may count up to a maximum of 10% of the student’s grade.

Illness: Any child who has a communicable disease must stay at home. Any child with head lice must be sent home from school and may not return to school until the child’s head is free of nits and/or lice. More specific information about head lice may be obtained from the school office.

Meal Tickets: We must have a lunch form on file for each student in school. Please fill one out and return it to school. If you are not eligible or do not wish to participate in the lunch/breakfast program, please write "Not Eligible" on the form, and sign it. Students will not be allowed to charge meals. A note from the office will be sent home on the date that there is a -0- balance in your child's lunch account.

Medication: No medication will be given out by school personnel unless proper guidelines are followed. If your child is going to be on medication, please have the proper form filled out by either the parent and/or doctor as may be appropriate.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled at least twice a year. These are normally scheduled for the 1^st and 3^rd nine weeks. Conferences are also scheduled throughout the year as needed. Please make every effort to attend these conferences. If you wish to meet with your child’s teacher at other times during the year, please call the office to set up an appointment. Conferences are normally scheduled before 8 a.m., during the teacher’s planning period, or after 3:15 p.m.

Promotion Requirements: A student must meet promotional criteria established by the Dallas County Board of Education. Information regarding promotional requirements are on our website also.

PTO: We encourage all parents and teachers to join the PTO. If you have any fund raising ideas, please feel free to let us know. We welcome your ideas and support.

School Hours: Children riding in cars or walking to school should arrive no earlier than 7:25 a.m. The front door will open at 7:25 a.m. Car riders will be dismissed at 2:55 p.m. Bus riders will be dismissed at the appropriate time based upon the schedule from Dallas County High School. Students who walk home will be allowed to leave campus after the buses have departed. NOTE: CAR RIDERS AND WALKERS SHOULD ENTER THE SCHOOL THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR. PARENTS ARE NOT TO LET CHILDREN OFF AROUND THE SIDES OF THE BUILDING.

Summer School Regulations: A student desiring to do summer school work in a school other than that in which he/she is regularly enrolled must obtain written permission from his/her principal and parent(s) or guardian.

Textbooks: Textbooks are provided by the State of Alabama. Students and/or parents are responsible for the proper care and safeguarding of these books when checked out to the student. Parents are responsible for paying for books which are lost or damaged in excess of that which would result from normal use of the textbooks. Students who owe for lost or damaged textbooks will not be issued new textbooks until the student has cleared their account.

Valuables at School: Students, not the school, are responsible for their personal property. Personal property should be taken home after school and when at school kept in the student’s personal locker. Valuable items should be left at home. Hand-held games, stuffed animals, toys, cell phones, beepers, radios, and tape/CD players are prohibited. Not only do they disturb others, they are often lost or stolen. These items will be collected by the teacher and turned over to the principal. Items listed above that are taken from students will not be returned.

Visitation: Parents or guardians are encouraged to visit the school. However, all visitors must report to the main office, sign in, and get a visitor pass from Mrs. Cox. Visitors must not enter classrooms without a pass from the office. Parents are welcome to visit classrooms as long as certain guidelines are followed. Normally, parental visits to classrooms should not exceed one hour unless special permission is received from the principal.

Classroom observations by parents (if conducted properly) can often be a useful educational experience. Parents are important to a child's success in the classroom. Parents can prove useful by serving as tutors, sharing talents and skills, reading with the children, providing clerical assistance, etc. While the faculty and administration at J. E. Terry wishes to accommodate the parents who want to visit classrooms, it must be remembered that this must not interfere with the educational process. The teacher has to be concerned with all of the students in the class. In order to minimize distractions that can occur when parents do observe classes, the following guidelines have been established. We ask for your cooperation in following these guidelines. Failure to do so could jeopardize your opportunity to observe classes in the future.

1. Parents shall make prior arrangements with the teacher to set a suitable time for observations.
2. Parents shall check with the office before proceeding to the classroom.
3. Parents shall be seated in an area designated by the teacher.
4. Parents shall observe only. (Remain seated and only participate in classroom procedures if asked by the teacher.)
5. Do not talk to any students in class.
6. Do not help any students with assignments (unless requested by the teacher).
7. Keep at the end of the line if following the class outside of the classroom.
8. Parents and teacher shall set a time to discuss the results of the observation.