FAQs

Code of Student Conduct

It is important that students are present each and every day that school is in session (unless illness prevents their attendance) in order to ensure continuity of instruction. However, attendance should never be stressed to the point where a child is sent to school ill. Please assist us in protecting the health of all our youngsters by keeping your child home if he/she is not well.

Children showing symptoms of sore throat, ear ache, fever, stomach upsets, vomiting, rash, diarrhea, or reddened, watering eyes, during the preceding 24 hours, must remain at home.

Please notify the school if a child will be absent.  The attendance line is available 24/7 - (908) 757-7555 Option 1.

Tardiness:  Students in Grades K  through 4, and morning pre-k, are considered tardy if they are not in their classrooms ready to begin at 8:35 a.m.  Afternoon  pre-k students are considered tardy after 12:20 p.m.  All students who arrive late for school must report to the Main Office to obtain a late pass.  When a student arrives at school 30 minutes after the instructional period begins, parents are required to escort their child to the Main Office in order to indicate the reason for their child being late.

Early Dismissal:  Parents are requested NOT to ask that their child be excused early except when a true emergency makes early dismissal unavoidable.  Early dismissal should be arranged in writing through the Main Office. Students will be called to the office AFTER the parent/guardian arrives and signs their child out of school.
 

Parents and visitors are requested to make use of visitor parking spaces in the front of the school as well as on the street between 7:45 AM and 3:30 PM.

Please do not enter or park in the staff lot, even for a brief amount of time, during these hours.

Parking in the designated FIRE ZONE is not permitted.

All visits to the school are by appointment only. Please call the main office at 908-757-7555 to make an appointment. We do not provide tours of the school during the school day.

To enter our building, please use our main entrance (Door 1). Ring the doorbell and wait to be buzzed in. We respectfully ask you to please be patient. The office can be quite busy at times and there may be a short delay before we can respond to the bell.

Upon entering the school, turn right to the Main Office. Board of Education policy requires all visitors to sign in and obtain a badge that must be worn while in the building. The school office reserves the right to request identification for those visitors who are not familiar to us.

We recognize the joy and excitement that birthdays can bring. In order to keep an instructional focus during the school day, parameters have been established so that the students can have an enjoyable celebration in their classrooms. This practice has been instituted because the staff and administration recognize the importance of instructional time and do not wish to disrupt it. Therefore, the following guidelines have been established: 

We do not hold traditional birthday celebrations, and food/goody bags are not allowed.  However, parents are encouraged to arrange with their child’s teacher to be a guest reader. 

Children may NOT distribute birthday party invitations at school unless every child in class receives one. The classroom teacher should be consulted first. 

Under certain conditions, hazardous weather , or other emergency conditions, it may be necessary to delay the opening of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools.  The announcement of delayed opening means that school will open 1 1/2 hours later than usual.  Students who are bused will meet their bus at the same bus stop EXACTLY 1 1/2 HOURS LATER THAN THE NORMAL TIME.

Elementary students should not arrive at school PRIOR TO 9:50 A.M.  Entrance time is 9:55 a.m., with instruction beginning at 10:05 a.m.  On delayed opening days, dismissal times will not change.  

On delayed opening days, the pre-kindergarten morning session will be held from 10:05 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and the afternoon session will be from 1:00 to 3:10 p.m.

Requests for Homework Assignments...

If a student is absent from school for a short-term illness, i.e., one or two days, teachers, at their discretion, will provide assignments upon the child's return to school.  Our practice is based upon the philosophy that if a child is ill, it is essential that they rest so that they may return to good health as soon as possible.  When the child returns to school, the teacher will be able to explain the assignments and/or provide the necessary instruction so that the student's understanding will be enhanced.  The teacher will determine a reasonable time frame for the work to be completed based upon other assignments that are planned for the week.

If a child is well enough to complete school-related activities on a day of illness, it is recommended that the child read for short periods of time, write a story on a topic of their choice, or work on a long-term project that has already been assigned.  Parents are encouraged not to worry about a few missed assignments when their child is home for a short-term illness.  Whatever work is missed can be made up when the child is in good health and able to give the assignment their best effort.

If a student is absent from school for three or more days due to illness, the following guidelines have been established:

• Parents should notify the child's teacher of the absence.
• The classroom teacher will prepare appropriate assignments based upon their discretion and notify the parent when the assignments are ready. A brief meeting or telephone conference may be necessary to ensure that the assignments are understood and proper directions are provided.
• When the child returns to school, the teacher will monitor that the student has completed the work and determine if further guidance and support is necessary. A reasonable amount of time will be provided to the student for all missed assignments.

If there is an occasion that necessitates a family trip, the teaching staff and administration recommend that parents engage their child in the following ways to maintain the child's reading, writing and basic computation skills:

• Read on a regular basis.
• Write a creative writing piece.
• Keep a vacation log or journal.
• Practice math facts and spelling pattern words.

Please do NOT request assignments from your child's teacher due to a family trip.  Please note that when planning family vacations, it is respectfully requested that parents honor the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District calendar.  It is strongly believed that it is essential for students to attend school every day and only be excused for illness or extenuating circumstances.

Please click here to view the Parent/Guardian Handbook