RETURNING TO SCHOOL DURING THE DAY
If a student has left for an appointment of some kind during the day and then returns before the school day ends, parents MUST check their child in at the office before returning to class, otherwise, they will be counted absent for the rest of the day.

DAILY DISMISSAL
Parents may choose to use the car line to pick their child up, or they may wait in the gym after 3:25 or outside on the lawn.   Teachers are giving last minute instructions, making assignments, and bringing closure to the day’s activities. Parents who have an after school appointment, with a teacher, will be asked to wait at the office until dismissal is complete. Students will be dismissed at 3:35, and directed to the area where they are to be picked up. Please contact the office or your child's teacher prior to 3:00 for changes in routine.

Please discuss with your child how you wish for them to get home. If your child will have a change in plans, please send a note to your child’s teacher regarding the change.  They need to know your end-of-the-day plans for them before coming to school.  If you are picking them up, let them know where you will be.    If it is necessary for a student to leave early, he/she MUST be signed out in the office.  The secretary will contact your child’s classroom at this time.

INCLEMENT WEATHER
In the event school is closed due to inclement weather, information regarding the closing will be available on all radio/television stations in Springfield. Please know  we are apart of Springfield Public Schools and will not be listed separately.  Please note there is a school district around Branson named Mark Twain.  Should this be listed in the closing, it is not Springfield’s Mark Twain.

BREAKFAST / LUNCH INFORMATION
Breakfast will be served at 8:20 am each morning.  Breakfasts and lunches may be paid for daily, or by the week.  Milk may be purchased to drink with a sack lunch as well as other a la carte items offered through the cafeteria.  Please do not send candy or carbonated drinks with student lunches.  Parents are welcome to eat lunch with their child.  The menu is printed on a monthly calendar and sent home. Free and reduced meal applications are sent home during the summer months and should be completed and returned as soon as possible.  If you do not get one for some reason, please feel free to pick one up in the school office.  If you think you may be eligible, please complete the application and return it to the office as soon as possible. If you have filled out a free/reduced lunch form and are waiting for the decision, your child/children may charge up to three meals and will be expected to pay for those charges regardless of the free/reduced status.

Comet Café Conduct:
We have established the following expectations for our Comet Café (lunch room).  It is every student’s RESPONSIBILITY to exhibit proper cafeteria decorum. Or goal is to behave as you would in a restaurant and make it an enjoyable place for students and staff.
Students are Expected to:
1.  Use an Inside Voice                           2.  Walk                   3.  Be a good Citizen

Students who have difficulty in the Comet Café will be given a ticket to go home and be signed by parents.  They will not be able to sit with their class until the ticket is returned or if inappropriate behavior continues.

PLAYGROUND / RECESS INFORMATION
Students are expected to go out for playtime unless there is a health reason and a note is sent from home or a school staff member temporarily utilizes this time for an alternative activity. All students will walk/run at least one lap around the track at the beginning of recess.   Appropriate clothing should be worn for outside activities.
All students will attend physical education twice each week.  Tennis shoes are necessary.  If a child is to be excused from P.E. classes, he/she must have a written note from home.  Extended time (2days) requires a note from a physician. 

ITEMS FROM HOME: Students should not bring toys, including balls, bats, gloves, or other current popular gadgets unless you have received written or oral verification from the classroom teacher.  In any event that a student should bring something from home that he/she is not supposed to have at school, the staff will not assume responsibility for theft, breakage, or misplaced articles.

PETS:  Pets are not allowed at school for the duration of the day.  If your child would like to bring in their pet for show and tell, first you must get approval from your child’s teacher and arrange a date and time with them.  Due to allergies and classroom safety concerns, some pets may not be allowed in school. 

ELECTRONICS/COMMUNICATION DEVICES:  Students are prohibited from possessing electronic communication devices such as pagers, beepers, ipods, CD players, and visual communicators such as laser pointers. Students may have a cell phone at school, but it should not be visible or used during the school day. The school will not be responsible should any items brought be lost, stolen, or damaged.

CELEBRATIONS:  Students’ birthdays may be recognized.  However, parents may not have birthday parties at school.  It is acceptable to send commercially prepared items which meet district nutritional standards for the class to share.  Invitations for parties, sleepovers, etc., may not be distributed at school. Balloons, flowers, etc., will be kept in the office until dismissal time.  The student will be called to the office to see the delivery, but will have to pick it up after school dismissal.

STUDENT DRESS
 Students are expected to be well groomed and neatly dressed.  Boys and girls may wear shorts.  Clothing should be in good taste and appropriate for the day in school and for the weather.  Hats are not to be worn at school unless it is a special “Hat Day”.  Students are not permitted to wear halter, backless, or tops which reveal the midriff. Underwear should not be visible. Students arriving at school in inappropriate clothing will be given additional clothing to put on or asked to call home for a change of clothes.  Avoid placing temporary coloring in the hair or markings on the body that would distract other students from the educational process.  Students need to have tennis shoes to wear on the days they have P.E. Please see the SPS handbook for additional information regarding dress code.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION
After filling out the YELLOW enrollment cards at the beginning of the year, PLEASE keep the office informed of any changes that may occur such as addresses, phone numbers, emergency contacts/numbers, work numbers, or legal guardian.  This is for the protection of your child in case we need to reach you in an emergency. If desired,  provide the school with an email address if you have one available.

LIBRARY
The Library media center is open to students, faculty, and parents.  Books and magazines are checked out for one week with the option of 2 one-week renewals.  Videos and reference books may be checked out overnight.  Students are responsible for any lost or damaged materials.  Students who have overdue books or unpaid fines for lost/damaged materials may loose their privilege of checking out more items until all items have been paid for or returned. Students who have not returned all materials by the end of the school year will have their grade cards held until the issue has been resolved.

GUM
Mark Twain is a “gum free school”.  We ask that gum not be sent to school with out permission of the teacher (for special occasions only).  This assists us in maintaining a healthy, clean environment for our students.

LOST / FOUND
Lost and found articles will be kept on the rolling rack between the nurse’s office and the boys' bathroom.  Whenever possible, please label all clothing with the child’s name.  Periodically, lost and found articles will be displayed in the front hallway so students or parents may claim them.  Unclaimed clothing is sent to the Clothing Bank.

TEXTBOOK REGULATIONS
Each student is responsible for textbooks and other materials issued to him/her.  Payment for damaged or lost books must be made prior to receiving report cards at the end of the year.

VOLUNTEERS
We welcome parent volunteers at Mark Twain. For the safety of students and staff, all volunteers are required to complete volunteer registration papers including a release form for a background check. There are many types of volunteer opportunities available through your child’s classroom and the PTA.  Please ask at the office or look for volunteer opportunities in the Twain Times.  There are many activities we will not be able to provide to our students and families without the support of volunteers. 

PTA
Mark Twain’s PTA is comprised of parents, patrons, teachers and school staff members.  We actively seek new members and have a membership drive at the beginning of each school year. PTA provides many activities for our school as well as raises funds for school improvement efforts.  Please  join and support our PTA.

PTA conducts a monthly Open Forum at 6:30pm in the Library Media Center (please check the calendar for dates).  Everyone is encouraged to come and be involved. You can contact PTA at any time through their Hotline email: marktwainpta@yahoo.com

DISCIPLINE
It is the philosophy of the staff and students at Twain that each child should have a sense of respect for self, classmates, authorities and property. Our foundation for discipline is Love and Logic. Each classroom teacher will establish and discuss classroom expectations, as well as playground and lunchroom rules for the school with the students.  In order to maintain a positive learning environment for students, behavioral expectations must be met.  Please read, sign and return the SPS Handbook Signature Sheet,  which will be in the packet of information you received at Meet the Teacher.

Results of Appropriate and Inappropriate Behavior:  Exceptional behavior will be recognized appropriately.  Good manners, appropriate choices, self-discipline, and good work habits will be acknowledged regularly.  If a student chooses to disregard our school expectations, a consequence will occur.  This consequence will range from a verbal reminder to a temporary loss of some privilege, time-out in the classroom or other locations in the building, and possible suspension (in-school or out-of-school).  The frequency of misbehaviors and the severity of the infraction will determine the consequence in accordance with Springfield Public School Board policy.

BUS
Children who live 1.5 miles or more from the school and live in the Mark Twain attendance area are eligible for transportation.  Please call the SPS Transportation Department at 523-0500 for specific route information. The bus is an extension of the school and all behavior expectations apply. Students who are not safe or don’t follow bus and school rules could be suspended from the bus. If a student is suspended from the bus, parents are responsible for transporting their child to and from school for the duration of the suspension.  Non-bus riding students who plan on visiting the home of bus students will need to make other transportation arrangements.  Due to district transportation guidelines, non-bus riding students may not ride the bus to another bus-riding student’s home.

SAFETY
All visitors are required to check in at the office before visiting classrooms.  Please pick up a visitor’s tag and sign in.  Visitors must sign out in the same notebook before leaving the building.

• All doors except the main front doors will be locked throughout the school day.
• Fire, storm and “in-place sheltering” drills will be conducted on a regular basis.
• Dismissal procedures are in place for the safety of all children.
• The school district implements a procedure in every school relating to threats of violence at school.  To keep everyone at school safe, threats of violence will not be tolerated.  See the District Elementary Student Handbook for further information.
•  Parking lot safety is an ongoing concern at school.  If you pick your child up, you may use the car pick-up lane or park and walk up to the building.  Students will not be allowed to cross the parking lot without an adult. Please see "Dismissal" for more information.
• Students should cross the road only at the marked Cross Walk. Students will be directed to the cross walks where there is a crossing guard or a stop sign.

Bicycles
Students in grades 3-5 may ride their bicycles to school.  There are bike racks at the front of the school where they may park their bike during the day.  Bike locks are encouraged as we cannot be responsible for lost or stolen bikes. Please review bicycle safety with your child. The use of helmets is encouraged. Bike riders must follow the directions of crossing guards and staff members.   Students exhibiting unsafe bicycle behavior may lose the privilege of riding a bike to school. It is discouraged for students K-2 to ride their bike to and from school without adult supervision. 

INSURANCE
School insurance is available to all students.  An application will be included in student packets distributed at the beginning of the school year. If you are interested in the coverage, please pay directly to the company

MEDICATION POLICY
If it becomes necessary for a student to take any form of medication at school, a signed medication form must be presented to the office.  Prescription medication must be in the prescription bottle (pharmacists will give you an extra bottle upon request).  Medication must be sent to school in the original container.  DO NOT send any medication in envelopes, plastic wrap, lunch boxes, etc.  Please send only the amount needed at school.  The medication policy for Springfield Public Schools states that medication is not to be sent home with the child.  A parent or designated adult must pick up any remaining medication within one week after the final date on the medication form.  Over-the-counter medications may be given at school for a period of three days with written consent from the parent/guardian.  Administering over-the-counter medication beyond three days will require a written order from your doctor.  These must be reviewed annually.  Example:  Jane Doe has headaches and her mother would like to leave Tylenol for most of the year.  Jane Doe needs a note from the doctor stating:  Jane Doe needs to take two chewable Tylenol every four hours as needed for headaches at school…Doctor’s signature is required.

HEALTH INFORMATION
School personnel may refer students to the health room when they are ill and for injuries that require the attention of school medical personnel.

Students need to stay home if they have, or have had, a temperature of 100°F or more, have been vomiting, had diarrhea, a disruptive cough, or an unidentified rash within the past 24 hours.  If sent home from school with fever, flu-like vomiting or diarrhea, they will need to STAY home until they are symptom free for at least 24 hours, otherwise consult school nurse.

Periodic classroom head lice checks will be done throughout the year.  If your notice nits or head lice, please notify the school so we may take precautions to prevent any further spread.  Students will also be sent home if they are found to have head lice and/or nits. They must be inspected by the nurse before returning to class.