IV. Organization of the School
Table of Contents
VI. Communications
Rhythm of the Day
School begins in Kindergarten and the grades at 8:00 am Monday through Friday.
School dismisses on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday:
Please drop your child off at school no earlier than 7:35 am when a faculty member comes on duty at the front door.
Parents are strongly encouraged to have their children walk the Pine Hill Path up to the school building, weather permitting.
So that teachers are free to greet their classes in the morning, please arrange to speak with your child's teacher at another time.
Please arrange to have your child picked up at the dismissal times stated above. Children still at school at 3:00 pm (1:15 pm on Thursdays) will be taken to the office to await their rides home unless they are enrolled in the after school program.
It is important not to block fire lanes. Please do not leave your car parked on the paved circle at the top of the driveway or in other areas marked by NO PARKING signs.
If your child arrives at school after 8 am, s/he must go to the office to check in before going to the classroom.
If your child will be absent for the day, please call the office by 8:15 am. A message can be left on the school answering machine, if you call before 7:45 am.
The school does not hold its teachers responsible for providing work for students who take extended vacations from school with their families nor for providing special help in catching up with work that has been missed during such times. If unavoidable or special circumstances require a child to be absent from school for more than the normal vacation time, parents should consult with the teacher to make the necessary arrangements to keep up with school work.
Students eat snack at 10 am after the main lesson and lunch at noon. We encourage wholesome, ample snacks and lunches for your child, with no soda, soft drinks, candy or gum. The kindergarten provides a daily snack. Students in grades 1-8 need to bring a snack and lunch to school. Please avoid using garish, TV or movie-character lunchboxes.
All students are expected to go outside for morning and lunch recess. If a child is well enough to be in school, we believe s/he is well enough to go outside. Exceptions are made only with a written note from home or if a student needs to complete work for a teacher.
Afternoon care for kindergarten children is available from noon until dismissal (2:45 pm), Monday through Friday. Tuition is paid for this service. Application forms are sent to kindergarten parents in the summer and are available in the office.
After school care is available from 3 to 5 pm each day (1 to 5 pm on Thursdays). There is a charge for this service and you may sign up by calling the school office. You may use this service on a regular basis or as the occasion demands. In the latter case, you are requested to reserve a place for your child the day before, if at all possible, by calling the office. Charges are billed monthly.
The school store is open most days after school and is managed by parent volunteers. It offers for sale many items with a Waldorf touch, including art supplies, craft projects, gift items, greeting cards, books and a lending library of books about education and parenting.
Students with symptoms of illness should not be sent to school. Children will be sent home with symptoms of fever,vomiting, excessive coughing, runny nose, eyes or sores. All students should be free of such symptoms for at least 24 hours before coming back to school. If your doctor has prescribed an antibiotic, your child should be kept home for 24 hours after starting the medication (after which time s/he is considered non-contagious). If treatment involves homeopathic remedies, the child should be kept home for 10 days to two weeks (after which time s/he is considered to be non- contagious; for example, treatment of strep throat).
These restrictions are made by the State of NH Public Health Department, and the school is required to make them known to our parents.
All students must have a current form on file in the office. The form must be renewed and signed each year. New forms are sent home with the reenrollment agreement in the spring for the following year.
In the event of an emergency, you will be notified immediately. If you cannot be reached, we will contact an adult whose name and number you have given on the form. It is extremely important that you notify us of changes to telephone numbers listed on your form. This form is also used to call you if your child falls ill at school or has an accident and needs to go home.
The school receptionist is trained to administer simple first aid in case of an accident on the playground, but the school is not staffed with medical personnel. If your child has special medical needs, you must bring them to our attention upon enrollment and give regular updates to your child's teacher.
The law requires that students not carry medications nor keep them in their possession in any way during the school day. All medications must be given to the class teacher with a parental note stating the purpose of the medication, when it is to be given, how much is to be given, and when it was last given. Any prescription medication must be accompanied by a physician's order and the parent's authorization for school personnel to administer it. (Forms are available in the school office.) All medication must come to school in a professionally labeled bottle. Your pharmacist will usually give you an extra bottle for school if you request it at the time your prescription is filled. The school will not administer any non-prescription medicines by mouth (aspirin, Tylenol, etc.) without permission from parents.
An immunization record is required for every student prior to admittance to any school in New Hampshire. Minimum acceptable immunization consists of:
Conditional enrollment shall be granted a student who provides a record that shows s/he has received at least:
along with an appointment date for the next due doses until immunizations are completed. This appointment date shall serve as the suspension date if the child fails to keep the scheduled appointment. This process shall continue until all doses are completed.
Students granted conditional enrollment status during one year are not entitled to continued conditional status the next year. They may not be reenrolled unless their required vaccinations have been obtained.
Medical exemptions are granted for a specific vaccine, for a specific period of time and must be signed by a physician. Religious exemption forms must be maintained with health records in the school office. These forms (State Immunization Waiver Forms) are available in the office and must be notarized upon completion.
See the Immunization Law, RSA 141-c:20a and the rules, He-P 301.01, 12, 13 for more details. The rules are just as binding as the actual statute. Copies of the law and rules are available upon request. If you have further questions or need assistance, please contact the Immunization Program staff at the address below, or telephone 1-800-852-3345, ext. 4482 or 271-4482.
IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM
New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services
Health and Welfare Department
6 Hazen Drive
Concord, N.H. 03301-6527
The school is required by law to notify state authorities if there is knowledge or suspicion of sexual or physical abuse of children in or outside of school. Pine Hill complies with this law and cooperates with authorities in investigations. Please refer to the school's policy on physical/sexual abuse, a copy of which is in the office.
The school has been successful in curtailing outbreaks of lice by holding lice checks in the fall of each school year. Parents should check their child's hair for signs of lice at least once a week. Parents should also ensure that their children's hair is washed on check days as announced in the Tuesday. Families will be expected to take responsibility for eradication if a case is detected, and the child will be sent home. Children found to have lice must be checked by the office staff upon return to school.
The school provides most supplies. Students should provide:
The school does not allow use of these items during the school day unless required for the circus and other such events.
Students should not bring toys, skateboards, electronic games such as gameboys, walkmans, and other electronic gear to school.
Bikes should be parked on the left beside the school garage and should remain there during the day.
Students in grades 2-8 have or share lockers at school. Younger children have cubbies.
For class celebrations, teachers ask the birthday child to bring in a treat for his/her classmates (cupcakes, cookies, etc.) Please plan with the teacher in advance.
The Lost and Found Box is located in the front entrance way. Please check it regularly for lost items. All items not claimed at the end of each semester will be given away.
Your child's teacher will send a permission slip home for you to sign before s/he takes the class on an outing off campus. You may be asked to chaperone and/or drive on school outings or class trips, and your support is most appreciated.
Teachers are required to take emergency forms and first aid kits with them on class outings.
If you take part in a class outing as a chaperone-driver, the school's insurance policy requires that you be separately insured. You will be asked to sign a form in the office to that effect before driving children on an outing. Seat belts must be worn by each child in a vehicle, and all traffic and safety laws must be strictly adhered to.
The school limits on-site class fund raising to the eighth grade so that it may, without competition from the other classes, raise enough money to cover the cost of its final class trip.
The school calls a snow day when the local Superintendent of Roads determines that roads are unsafe and informs the schools in our area to close school for the day. When delayed openings are called, school will open at 10 am. Snow days and delayed openings are announced via the school phone tree and on the radio (WNHQ-92.1FM). On delayed opening days, only those kindergarten children who stay for the afternoon kindergarten program should come to school.
The Administrator initiates the phone tree by calling the Head of Coordinators who sets the class phone trees in motion. The phone tree is often an essential communication tool. If you cannot reach the next person after you on the tree, or if you must leave a recorded message, remember to phone the following person so the tree goes on. If you have any questions or need clarification about the phone tree, phone your class coordinator.
The school schedules several visitor's days through the year. Parents and other visitors should phone the office to arrange to visit classes on these days. Scheduling is handled by the Admissions Office. Please see the school calendar and the Tuesday.
The school arranges for individual and class photographs each year. Look for dates in the Tuesday and the school calendar.
There is a pay phone in the office which students may use during the day with the receptionist's permission.
IV. Organization of the School
Table of Contents
VI. Communications