Policies
Messages
Messages to students during the school day are highly discouraged because of the disruptions they create in the classroom. Please make all schedule arrangements with your child before she/he gets to school in the morning.
Avoid calling the school and asking staff to deliver messages to children unless the situation is urgent. Children will not be allowed to use the school telephones unless it is an emergency.
Medication at School
Prescribed medication may need to be taken at school to ensure a child’s good health. However, school staff cannot administer any medication to children without a completed Authorization to Administer Medical Treatment form,
signed by a doctor, on file. All medications must be housed in the school office. Under NO circumstances should children carry medication with them at school.
Going To and From School
Bicycles: Only students in grades 3 – 5 may ride a bicycle to school. Bicycle racks are provided at the school. All bicycles must be locked and licensed.
Licenses may be obtained at the Novato Police Department, Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
We urge you to remind your children of the following safety rules of the road:
• bicycle riders are bicycle drivers
• drive with the automobile traffic and as close to the right side of the road as possible, and obey all the traffic rules
• always STOP at a STOP sign
• dismount when crossing the street
• drive solo and in single file
Bicycles must always be walked onto the school grounds. State Law requires all children under the age of 18 to wear a bicycle helmet.
Walking: Children should walk on the sidewalks or against oncoming traffic where there are no sidewalks. They should cross the streets at crosswalks and at the corner.
Students are not allowed to stop at the shopping center going to school or going home from school.
Skateboards/Roller blades: Students are not allowed to bring skateboards, skates or scooters to school.
Cars: When picking up and dropping off children always use the White Loading area in front of the school. The white curb is for Loading and Unloading only!
Do not leave your car parked unattended at the white curb.The red zone is for emergency vehicles only!
Please enter via Lynwood Drive only.You may exitvia Lynwood or Leafwood Drives.
Your Cooperation will make Lynwood safe for our children.
School Dress Standards
Student dress should be appropriate to the classroom and conductive to schoolwork and support a standard of cleanliness, safety, and modesty. Shoes that are comfortable and appropriate for playground
activities are recommended to avoid accidents.
The following dress code guidelines, established by the Novato Unified School District, shall apply to all regular school activities:
• No short shorts (shorts should not be shorter than fingertip length), short dresses, halter tops, bare
midriffs, tube tops, net tops, oversized tank tops, spaghetti straps, low-cut tops of any type, and/or clothing that reveals undergarments.
• No hats in classrooms or office areas
• No make-up
• No backless or open toed shoes or sandals
• No hoop earrings
Please support the educational atmosphere at Lynwood and screen your child’s attire. Thank you for your cooperation. Please help us implement and enforce the dress code.
Class Placements
The School Board has adopted Policy 6152 stating its intent that the placement of students is to be based on the best possible learning environment for the children.
Individual and class needs are carefully studied. In making the decision, we consider:
. gender balance
. academic balance of high, medium, and low achievers
. balance of students with special needs
. balance of student interests, readiness, behavior and motivation
. parent requests
All parent requests shall be given equal consideration. Parent requests must be submitted in writing to the principal by May 10th detailing the reasons why a particular placement will
best meet the needs of their child. Parents will be encouraged to include a second choice in the event that their first choice cannot be accommodated.
The principal will make the final decision regarding student placement, solely based on the above criteria following parental notification and an opportunity for discussion if the first
choice cannot be accommodated.
School Visits
We invite and encourage you to visit the school and classrooms. Classroom visits should be scheduled in advance with the classroom teacher. All visitors must register in the school
office first before visiting the classroom or the campus and pick up a visitor’s pass. For the protection of your children, it is important that school officials know who is on campus.
Once again, All visitors, including parents and volunteers, must check in the school office before going to classrooms.
Attendance – Absences and Tardies
Perfect attendance with no tardies is being recognized monthly at our Citizenship and Recognition Assemblies.
Regular and punctual attendance at school is extremely important so that your child and his/her classmates receive the full benefit of classroom instruction. In addition, it is through
student attendance that public schools are funded so that educational programs can be supported.
If your child will be absent from school, please call the attendance phone at 897-8641 ext. 555 and leave a message. During school hours, you may report the absence directly to the office
at 897-4161. If you are not able to call the office, you should send a note to school with your child stating the date(s) and reason for the absence upon his/her return. Absences due to
illness, medical or dental appointments, or death of a family member are excused absences; those absences attributed to childcare problems, transportation, family emergencies, vacation ,
etc. are NOT excused absences.
Children who arrive late to school must report to the office for a pass before going to class. Please plan your morning schedule so that your child arrives on time and learns to respect
the importance of punctuality.
Avoid scheduling personal appointments for your child during the school day. When it is necessary to leave early for an appointment, please report to the office and we will call the room
for your child.
Should your family plan a vacation or unavoidable extended absence for 5 days or more in length, please request an Independent Study Contract from the school office. Independent Study
requests must be made at least one week in advance so that the teacher can prepare the appropriate school work. All Independent Study work is due the day the child returns to school.
Completing the Independent Study requirements allow the absences to be excused and your child to keep up with his/her class. Independent Study contracts not completed will result in the
days missed being counted as unexcused.
Truancy
A student who has three unexcused absences in a school year and/or three tardies in excess of 30 minutes is considered legally truant. A truancy notice and/or letter from the principal
will be sent home alerting you if absences/tardiness becomes a problem. Should attendance continue to be unsatisfactory, further truancy notices will be filed and a referral will be made
to the School Attendance Review Board.
Emergencies
In the event that your child becomes ill or has an accident at school, you, or one of the adults that you designate, will be notified immediately. Please be sure that you have filled out
the emergency cards (sent home the first day of school). Should there be any changes during the year, please inform us. Local emergency telephone numbers are extremely important to have
on file at the school office should you not be home in case of an emergency. It is necessary that we have three or more numbers on record. The emergency district phone number is 897-4201. Emergency information will also be broadcast on radio station KCBS at 810 am.
Behavior Standards
Lynwood has had long established school wide rules of behavior that have been communicated and enforced, with rewards and consequences, for many years. They are:
• Show respect for all adults and students
• Respect the personal rights of others
• Care for all school property
• Use appropriate language
• Walk in the hallways and outside corridors |
In addition, Character Education, with monthly themes, has been part of our behavior plan. Clearly, teaching students appropriate behavior characteristics with positive reinforcement
and their understanding of living as part of a society, is our primary concern. This year we are enriching this curriculum with some new support materials that include the Pillars of Character. The monthly themes will include:
• August/September/October – STAR – Stop, Think, Act, Review
Students will learn and practice this strategy to create a positive school environment (and Bully Proofing)
• November/December – Trustworthiness
• January – Respect for Others
• February – Responsibility
• March – Fairness
• April – Caring
• May/June – Citizenship |
We will also be using “Bully Proofing” materials which help children use strategies and behaviors caring and getting along.
Human Relations and Respect Mission
In order to create and sustain a safe, just and respectful learning environment in the Novato Unified School District, all individuals including students, staff parents and community members:
• Shall be treated with dignity, respect and fairness
• Shall encourage, develop and nurture collaborative relationships that provide ongoing community support to all students, families and staff
• Shall promote positive human relations, value differences and recognize similarities by modeling acceptance and inclusion of all individuals within the school community
• Shall create opportunities for all individuals to develop empathy for those whose life experiences are different than their own
• Shall promote the safety and security of all members of the community by responding swiftly should demeaning or threatening comments of behavior occur |
Students, staff, parents, and community members shall join together to ensure human dignity for all, by creating alliances and developing voice to alleviate injustices in our community.
Concerns/Complaint Procdures
Should any problem occur regarding your own child, every effort should be made to resolve the problem directly with the teacher. If the problem cannot be resolved, the matter should be
referred to the principal. Copies of the School Board policy complaint procedures are available from the District Education Center (897-4201) or the school office.
School Support Services
Jeannette Giacomini, our Intervention Teacher works primarily with students in grades 1,2, and 3 who require extra help with reading. She is a resource to teachers in all grades to consult in reading and language arts.
Alex Nelson, our Speech Therapist works with students identified with speech and language problems.
Debra Mattson, Resource Specialist, works with identified students and coordinates the special education program at the school.
Traveling Music Teachers provide music instruction to students in grades 1-5. Concerts and performances are held during the year.
The Library Media Center is open during school hours. Our library media clerk Donna Hofeditz staffs the library every day. Martha Skiles, a professional library medial specialist, also serves the school on a regular basis.
Diane Martin, our School Psychologist is here part time to provide student assessment services.
Instruction and support is provided to English Learners (EL) by the classroom teacher and specially trained Instructional Assistants.
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