Parent Handbook

50 Pages·2016·0.97 MB·English

by  Miss Kelly Schokmiller

Parent Handbook
Revised and Approved by Board of Education
June 2017
Changes in Red

Policies and Procedures
For St. Gabriel the Archangel School
4711 Tamm Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63109
314-353-1229
www.stgabschool.org

Archdiocese of St. Louis
Table of Contents
Prayer for Parents
Philosophy of Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of St. Louis
Archdiocesan Parent Witness Statement
Mission Statement and Philosophy
Faculty, Staff, Board of Education and Parent Faculty Association

Board of Education Policies
Admissions Policy St. Gabriel the Archangel School .............................................................................. 1
Philosophy ........................................................................................................................................... 1
Definitions ........................................................................................................................................... 1
Notice .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Class Size ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Registration ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Admissions Requirements........................................................................................................................ 2
Receiving of the Sacraments ............................................................................................................... 2
Parishioners and Non-Parishioners ..................................................................................................... 2
Financial Obligation to the School ...................................................................................................... 3
School Readiness Policy ..................................................................................................................... 4
Admission Priorities Kindergarten through Grade 8 ............................................................................... 4
Registration Fees, Tuition and Technology Fee, and SCRIP Program ................................................... 4

St. Gabriel School Rules and Policies
Attendance, Absences, Tardiness, and Truancy ....................................................................................... 6
Band ......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Baptismal Mass ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Behavior Choice Code ............................................................................................................................. 7
Bicycles .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Birthdays .................................................................................................................................................. 9
Board of Education .................................................................................................................................. 9
Book Fines ............................................................................................................................................. 10
Buzz Book .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Cafeteria Workers .................................................................................................................................. 10
Cell Phones and Electronic Devices ...................................................................................................... 10
Change of Contact Information .............................................................................................................. 10
Cheating and Plagiarism ....................................................................................................................... 10
Child Abuse Policy for Volunteers ........................................................................................................ 11
Child Protection and Reform Act ........................................................................................................... 11
Class Interruptions ................................................................................................................................. 11
Concealed Firearms Policy .................................................................................................................... 11
Conduct Policies .................................................................................................................................... 11
Counselor ............................................................................................................................................... 12
Custodial and Non-Custodial Parents .................................................................................................... 12
Registration .................................................................................................................................... 12
Release of Students from School ................................................................................................... 12
Release from School Due to Illness ............................................................................................... 12
Access to Student Records ............................................................................................................. 12
Dual Enrollment ..................................................................................................................................... 12
Emergency Plans .................................................................................................................................... 12
Emergency Forms .................................................................................................................................. 13
Extracurricular Activities ....................................................................................................................... 13
Faculty Meetings .................................................................................................................................... 13
Field Day ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Field Trips .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Gabriel Club ........................................................................................................................................... 14
Headlice Screening ................................................................................................................................ 14
Health Services ...................................................................................................................................... 14
Immunizations ................................................................................................................................... 14
Physical Examinations ...................................................................................................................... 14
Communicable Diseases ................................................................................................................... 15
High School Application Process .......................................................................................................... 15
High School Shadow Policy .................................................................................................................. 15
Home Schooled Students Admission ..................................................................................................... 16
Homework .............................................................................................................................................. 16
Honor Roll and Gabriel Angels ............................................................................................................. 17
Illnesses and Injuries .............................................................................................................................. 17
Inclement Weather ................................................................................................................................. 18
Instructional Use of Copyrighted Materials ........................................................................................... 18
Internet User Policy ............................................................................................................................... 18
Library .................................................................................................................................................... 18
Local and National Disaster Plan ........................................................................................................... 18
Lunch Program ....................................................................................................................................... 19
Mailing Lists .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Maintaining School Privacy ................................................................................................................... 20
Media and the School ............................................................................................................................. 20
Medication ............................................................................................................................................. 20
Administration of Prescription .......................................................................................................... 21
Students with Significant Medical Conditions .................................................................................. 21
Newsletter .............................................................................................................................................. 21
Parent-Faculty Association (PFA) ......................................................................................................... 21
Parent-Teacher Communication ............................................................................................................ 22
Parent-Teacher Conferences .................................................................................................................. 22
Parking Lot Restrictions......................................................................................................................... 22
Parking Lot Safety ................................................................................................................................. 22
Parking Lot Procedures .......................................................................................................................... 22
Parking Lot Arrival Plan ................................................................................................................... 22
Parking Lot Exit Plan ........................................................................................................................ 23
Additional Safety Procedures ............................................................................................................. 23
Parking Lot Exit Plan Diagram .............................................................................................................. 24
Peanut Allergies and Other Food Allergies ........................................................................................... 25
Physical Education ................................................................................................................................. 25
Playground Monitors.............................................................................................................................. 26
Pouches .................................................................................................................................................. 26
Art Pouch Instructions ...................................................................................................................... 26
Chair Back Pouch Instructions .......................................................................................................... 26
Promotion ............................................................................................................................................... 26
Questioning of Students ......................................................................................................................... 27
Recess Guidelines .................................................................................................................................. 27
Report Cards and Progress Reports........................................................................................................ 27
Grading Scale .................................................................................................................................... 27
Resource Teacher and Learning Consultant .......................................................................................... 28
Room Parents ......................................................................................................................................... 28
Sacramental Program ............................................................................................................................. 28
School Hours .......................................................................................................................................... 28
Early Dismissal ................................................................................................................................. 28
School Pictures ....................................................................................................................................... 28
Fall Pictures ...................................................................................................................................... 28
Spring Pictures .................................................................................................................................. 28
Sending Money to School ...................................................................................................................... 29
Serious Disciplinary Consequences ....................................................................................................... 29
Specific Conduct Policies ...................................................................................................................... 29
Tobacco ............................................................................................................................................ 29
Drug, Alcohol, Substance Use and Abuse ....................................................................................... 29
Violence and the Threat of Violence ............................................................................................... 29
Internet and Electronic Communication Conduct ............................................................................ 31
Search and Seizure ........................................................................................................................... 31
Harassment ....................................................................................................................................... 31
Social Activities ............................................................................................................................... 32
Standardized Testing .............................................................................................................................. 32
Student Accident Insurance ................................................................................................................... 32
Student Records ..................................................................................................................................... 32
Content of Records........................................................................................................................... 32
Access of Student Records by Parents ............................................................................................. 32
Access of Student Records by Others .............................................................................................. 33
Transfer of Records .......................................................................................................................... 33
Guidance Information ...................................................................................................................... 33
Release of Student Discipline Information ...................................................................................... 33
Students with Special Needs .................................................................................................................. 33
Special Needs Records ..................................................................................................................... 33
Supplies .................................................................................................................................................. 34
Transfers ................................................................................................................................................ 34
Treats...................................................................................................................................................... 34
Uniform Code ........................................................................................................................................ 34
Girls Grades K-5 ............................................................................................................................. 35
Girls Grades 6-8 .............................................................................................................................. 36
Boys Grades K-5 ............................................................................................................................. 36
Boys Grades 6-8 .............................................................................................................................. 36
Gym Uniforms K-8 ......................................................................................................................... 37
Out of Uniform Days ..................................................................................................................... 37
Dress and Grooming …………………………………………………………………. .................. 38
Visitors ................................................................................................................................................... 39

DISCLAIMER
This Parent Handbook contains established policies and procedures for the 2017-2018 school year. Since it is not possible for this Handbook to address
every situation that may arise during a school year, the administration reserves the right to amend or revoke the policies and procedures in this Handbook
at any time as circumstances may require. When changes are made to the Handbook, parents and students will be informed of the change in writing in
a timely manner and this will include a statement about when the change will take effect.
Prayer for Parents

O, God, make me a better parent.
Help me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say and to
respond to their questions kindly.
Keep me from interrupting them, talking back to them and contradicting them.
Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me.
Give me the courage to confess my sins against my children and ask them for forgiveness
when I know I have done wrong.
May I not vainly hurt the feelings of my children.
Forbid that I should laugh at their mistakes, or resort to shame and ridicule as
punishment.
Let me not tempt a child to lie or steal.

Guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all I say and do that honesty produces
happiness.
Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me. May I cease nagging; and when I am out of sorts,
help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue.
Blind me to the little errors of my children and help me to see the good things they do.
Give me a ready word for honest praise.

Let me not expect my children to have the judgment of adults.
Do not allow me to rob them of the opportunity to wait upon themselves, to think, to
choose, to make their own decisions and face the consequences of their choices.
Give me the courage to withhold a privilege which I know will do them harm.
Make me so fair and just, so considerate and companionable that they will have genuine
esteem for me.
Let me be loved and worthy of imitation by my children.
Finally, Lord, give me calm and poise and self-control.
Through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
PHILOSOPHY OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF ST. LOUIS

The educational mission of the Catholic Church finds its center in the life and teachings of Jesus, who reveals
God’s design for all creation. In Jesus, the Church invites all people into communion with the Father, Son and
Spirit and into the mission of transforming all of life into God’s kingdom. Through education, the Church seeks
to prepare her members to hear, live and proclaim the good news of the Gospel. The shared tradition of the
Church supports, challenges, and enlightens persons at every stage of human life, as they grow toward their full
potential as individuals and as members of family, Church and world.

Catholic education includes all the deliberate, systematic, and sustained efforts of the Church community, in both
formal and informal education settings, to develop the skills, knowledge, and values needed for life. In today’s
pluralistic society, the Church offers the harmonizing perspective of faith to human culture and history. Catholic
education sees all knowledge as sacred when human insight is combined with divine revelation in the pursuit of
truth, goodness, and beauty.

Catholic education involves the active participation of the learner in studying and interpreting human experience
in the light of faith, so as to advance God’s glory and the dignity of all peoples. Through methods appropriate to
differing age levels and ways that people learn, the Church provides opportunities for learners to explore, reflect,
and integrate a Christian understanding of nature, self, society, and God, and to manifest this in lives of love and
service. In this endeavor, the Church recognizes the learner’s dependence on grace to bring human nature to
completion.

It is the educator – teacher, administrator, and Pastor – who is preeminent in creating the unique climate in which
a Catholic philosophy of education can be realized. Called to a specific ministry in the Church, Catholic educators
are committed to professional excellence and spiritual growth in their Christian lives, witnessing to the Tradition
and Vision they share. Respecting each learner as created and loved by God with special gifts and needs, they
direct the learning process as guide and companion.

The Church calls parents, as the first educators of their children in knowledge and faith, to partnership in the
mission of Catholic education by taking responsibility for their own life-long learning and supporting the
educational opportunities offered for their children. The entire Catholic community, especially the parish family,
shares responsibility for providing the learning environment, the resources, the leadership, and the community of
faith that supports the educational mission of the Church.

(Archdiocesan Policy #1100)
Archdiocese of Saint Louis
Witness Statement
For Those Seeking to Enroll Their Children in a Catholic School or a Parish School of Religion

One of the blessings of marriage is bringing forth new life. God entrusts children to parents who have a primary
right and duty to educate their children in the practice of the faith. Parents carry out this responsibility by creating
a home full of love, forgiveness, respect and fidelity. The family is the community in which, from childhood,
one honors God and learns moral values.

In the rite of the Sacrament of Baptism, parents receive the following call from God to evangelize their children:
You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of
training her (him) in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring her (him) up to keep
God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor…You will be the first
teachers of your child in the ways of the faith. May you be also the best of teachers, bearing
witness to the faith by what you say or do, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
No wonder, then, that the Church understands the home to be the domestic church. It is in the intimate
environment of the family that parents are, by word and example, the first heralds of the faith with respect to their
children. This environment is enhanced and deepened through the parish Eucharistic community that is the heart
of the spiritual life for Christian families.

Catholic schools and parish religious education programs are in partnership with the family in proclaiming and
witnessing to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. They assist parents in fulfilling their responsibility as the
primary religious educators of their children. This partnership works best when parents respect the beliefs of the
Church and live lives in a manner that reflect these beliefs. If parents reject the beliefs of the Church or live lives
in conflict with these teachings, catechizing young people becomes very difficult.

Aware, then, of the dignity of this holy parental call, and with a reverent awe for that responsibility which is mine,
I commit myself to be, in word and example, the first and best teacher of my children in the faith. Practically,
this means I will:
 Understand that the authentic teachings of Jesus as taught by the Catholic Church will be part of my child’s
education and formation;
 To the best of my ability respect the teachings of the Church and help my children respect the Church and
its teachings;
 Regularly participate in the Sunday Eucharist with my family (if not Catholic, support my children’s
participation in the Church of Baptism), include prayer in my daily life and form my children in the faith.
 Commit to speak frequently with my children about God and to include prayer in our daily home life;
 Participate in and cooperate with the School or Parish School of Religion in programs that enable me as a
parent to take an active role in the religious education of my children, including sacramental preparation
for Catholic children;
 Support the moral and social doctrine of the Catholic Church to ensure consistency between home and
school;
 Teach my children by word and example to have a love and concern for the needs of others;
 Meet my financial responsibilities in supporting the Catholic school or the Parish School of Religion.
 Practice stewardship in support of the school and parish.
MISSION STATEMENT

St. Gabriel the Archangel School seeks to provide excellence in elementary education (K-8). As part of St. Gabriel
the Archangel Parish, we strive to enrich our students spiritually and academically so they will be, like our patron
saint, messengers of the Good News wherever they go.

PHILOSOPHY OF ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL SCHOOL

We, the St. Gabriel School community, strive to develop and deepen our knowledge and love of God. We dedicate
ourselves to academic excellence and provide students the means to attain it.

Recognizing parents as the primary educators, we work together to foster the full potential of each
student…spiritually, emotionally, aesthetically, physically, and socially.

In so doing we…

 foster Catholic values by offering faith building experiences in knowledge, prayer, service, and liturgy;

 encourage students to practice stewardship by returning time and talent to their parish and community;

 devote a variety of resources to serve students with special academic needs;

 create and uphold an atmosphere of honesty, dignity, self-discipline, belonging, and tolerance of
individual differences;

 cultivate the whole person both during and after school by providing students opportunities in art,
music, athletics, scouting, and other pursuits.

Believing this philosophy, we hope to enrich our students so they will be, like our patron saint, messengers of the
Good News wherever they go.
ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL SCHOOL
FACULTY AND STAFF
2017-2018
Teacher’s Name Grade Level
Miss Andrea Coffey KC
Mrs. Mary Miller KM
Mrs. Jessica Schellman KS
Miss Elizabeth Chambers 1C
Miss Michelle Krajacic 1K
Mrs. Robin Mills 1M
Mrs. Laura Guenther 2G
Mrs. Laura Mosbacher 2M
Mrs. Stephanie O'Dekirk 2O
Mrs. Barbara Belcher 3B
Mrs. Erin Puzzella 3P
Miss Jenn Schmitt 3S
Mrs. Susan Giles 4G
Mrs. Linda Morris 4M
Miss Julie Garcia 4S
Mrs. Kelly Fox 5F
Mrs. Megan Potts 5P
Miss Gloria Seper 5S
Mrs. Robyn Doenges 6D
Mrs. Julie Panus 6P
Mr. Greg Buechter 7B
Miss Abby Kilian 7K
Mrs. Meg Thomas 7T
Mrs. Suzy Kurz 8K
Mrs. Jennifer Ronshausen 8R
Mrs. Lisa Slama 8S
Mrs. Julie Dame Literacy Coordinator
Mrs. Anne Pingel Tech Coordinator
Mrs. Nicolle McKinlay Computer
Mrs. Jennifer Bolesta Art
Mrs. Jamie Voelpel P.E.
Mrs. Michelle Shaver-Krus Music
Mrs. Jackie Diekhoff Spanish
Mrs. Elaine Favazza Learning Consultant
Mrs. Elaine Lamar Teacher’s Aide
Mrs. Debbie Schommer Teacher’s Aide
Mrs. Michelle Keim Counselor
Sr. Gail Buckman Band Director

Mrs. Kelly Slattery Principal
Mrs. Deborah DaLay Asst. Principal/Coord. Relig. Ed.
Mrs. Gail Italiano Office Manager
Miss Sally Iocca Office Assistant
MAINTENANCE STAFF
Mr. Steve Levitt Maintenance Manager
Mr. Joe Reinagel Maintenance
Ms. Shannon Bequette Maintenance

RECTORY STAFF
Msgr. John Shamleffer Pastor
Father John Wetmore Senior Associate
Father Ryan Weber Associate
Father Steve Kuhlmann Associate Pastor
Deacon David Willis Deacon
Deacon Jim Hoefl Deacon
Deacon Jim Volansky Deacon
Deacon Daniel Koko-Oleko Deacon
Ms. Eilleen Garavaglia Parish Secretary
Mrs. Joan Miller Parish Accountant
Miss Mary Beth Wittry Parish Director of Music
Mrs. Judy Hunter Parish Nurse

PARISH BOARD OF EDUCATION

PRESIDENT: Shannon Williams 452-9122 [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENT: Cori Sallaberry 348-1561 [email protected]
SECRETARY: Kristin Busch 699-0590 [email protected]
MEMBERS AT LARGE:
Tom Bene 323-5223 [email protected]
Stephanie Bonat 603-219-6566 [email protected]
Mary Pat Carl 761-1057 [email protected]
Katie French 322-7711 [email protected]
Theresa Holmstrom 239-6578 [email protected]
Cherie Massmann 402-6441 [email protected]
Steve Schlitt 791-6162 [email protected]
Tim Tynan 352-1752 [email protected]
Gary Wells 223-7015 [email protected]

PARENT FACULTY ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT: Carrie Wegman 353-5510 [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENT: Staci Turner 353-0504 [email protected]
SECRETARY: Bridget Fahy 802-7396 [email protected]
TREASURER: Laura Murphy 680-9768 [email protected]
FUNDRAISING CHAIR: Tracy Polansky 604-1926 [email protected]
MEET & GREET CHAIR: Heather Sanders 409-3448 [email protected]
HOME & SCHOOL CO-CHAIR: Megan Dolton 629-6143 [email protected]
HOME & SCHOOL CO-CHAIR: Tracy Goldkamp 550-3236 [email protected]
AUCTION CO-CHAIR: Julie Devoti 374-8027 [email protected]
AUCTION CO-CHAIR: Stephanie Dolan 517-2219 [email protected]