PLEASE NOTE: Not all school policies are listed here. Please refer to our School Handbook for a complete list. Thank you!

Absences

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school by 8:00 am. when your child will be absent or late.  Absences require a written note from the parent explaining the absence. Please send these notes to the front desk. The following are valid reasons for your child to miss school and are considered excusable absences:

• Personal Illness
• Medical/Dental Appointments
• Death/Funerals
• Family Emergencies
• Required Legal Appearances
• Designated Religious Holidays
• Educational Activities approved by the School Principal

All other absences are regarded as truancies. Please also see Truancy section in your School Handbook.

Parent Notification of Absence

If your child is not in school and you have not phoned, School Messenger will contact you starting at 10 am. You will also be notified if your child has five (5) unexcused absences in a semester. The notification will be in writing and sent by registered or certified mail. The notice will ask you to meet with the School Coordinator of Community Services within five days.

If you fail to meet with the School Coordinator of Community Services, the school may take steps to impose penalties on you for failing to correct the truancy problem. These penalties include enforcement of state statutes and municipal codes such as a referral to the District Attorney’s Office.

Planned Absences

If your child will be out of school on a planned absence of more than 2 days, you must notify the office, in writing, at least two days prior to the planned absence.  Students are expected to obtain all work from teachers prior to the planned absence.  Additional time is required of teachers to prepare advance work. We hope all parents will keep these requests to an absolute minimum since students miss valuable instruction when they are absent. 

Accidents

Every accident in the school building or on school grounds, whether before, during or in after school activities, must be reported immediately to the front desk. School staff will be required to fully report all accidents and create a written record of such accidents using the school form.

Address / Phone Changes

You must notify the school if you move or change telephone numbers.  Please let us know if you move to a new address, have a change in your home phone numbers, cell phone number(s), or emergency contact numbers.

Arrival Procedure

The front doors of the building are opened and students are admitted into the building at 7:30 A.M.  All students entering the building should proceed directly to the cafeteria.  Breakfast is served daily in the cafeteria, 7:30-7:50 A.M.  Beginning at 7:45, students are supervised on the playground until their teachers pick them up at 7:50. Students in the grades 2-8 will be dismissed by the morning staff to their classes at 7:50 A.M.

Assignment Notebooks / Homework Folders

21st Century Preparatory School assignment notebooks are required for 3rd grade through 8th grade students. These assignment notebooks are available for purchase for $5.00 each at Registration.
Students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade will have a homework folder instead of an assignment notebook.

Bicycles

• All bicycles should have their own locks and licenses.
• Bicycles must be parked in the racks provided.
• Bicyclists must know and obey all traffic laws.
• Bicycles are not to be ridden on the school lawns or in the parking lot.
• The school cannot be held responsible for damage or theft of bicycles that are parked on the school grounds.

Communicable Diseases

If a child contacts a communicable disease, that is contagious toward others, and easily spread to others, parents must notify the school as soon as possible.

According to State health regulations, children with contagious diseases (as listed below) are not allowed to attend school until released by a doctor.  The exception to this is head lice, which does not require a written release to return to school. Your child will be checked upon returning to school, after the appropriate treatment, and must be nit free.

• Chicken pox: Onset is 2-3 weeks after exposure.  Symptoms:  slight fever and irritability followed by an itchy, blister-like rash.  The blisters eventually dry, crust over, and form scabs.  They may appear on the scalp, armpits, trunk, and even on the eyelids and mouth.  Your child is contagious for up to five (5) days.
• Strep throat: Onset is 2-5 days after exposure.  Symptoms:  sore throat, fever, and occasionally a rash.
• Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye):  Onset is 2-3 days after exposure,  Symptoms:  Irritated, tearing eye; swollen lids, and mucous discharge that makes the eyes sticky. Children under five years old are not susceptible.
• Impetigo: Onset varies.  Symptoms: Golden crusty sores or pimple-like spots that develop watery heads, break and form crusted areas.  May occur on face, hands, legs, feet, or buttocks.  Spreads rapidly is left untreated.
• Ringworm (Scalp): Onset varies.  Symptoms:  Bald, oval shapes on the scalp; grayish scales, broken hair, itching.
• Ringworm (Body): Onset varies.  Symptoms:  Rounded, reddish area with a scaly or blistery
    border, often itchy.
• Head Lice: For two weeks after exposure, observe your child’s hair and scalp at neckline
  and around ears for eggs or nits (tiny, pearly white, egg-shaped objects) that stick to the hair.

See also Immunizations.

Discipline

21st Century Preparatory School is committed to creating a safe, student-centered environment where children are valued, grow, and reach their full potential.  Members of the 21st CPS learning community are expected to be respectful of each other and of the community, and act in the best interest of the safety and well being of themselves and others.

Discipline is the positive direction of behavior toward established standards of conduct, fully understood and based upon reason, judgment, and consideration of the rights of others. Ideal discipline is self-directed and self-controlled. The school, parents, and the community share the responsibility for helping students develop self-discipline. When self-control falters, and self-discipline fails, disciplinary forces from outside the individual must be imposed to protect the rights of others and ensure uninterrupted instruction by teachers. Please see your Handbook for more details.

Student Expectations

• Students are expected to make positive contributions to the learning environment. Any behaviors that detract from the learning environment are not permitted. All behaviors that enhance and encourage a positive learning environments are appreciated as an example of how we can learn from each other. In particular:
• All 21st Century Preparatory School students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the values of the school, and to work in cooperation with all members of the school community to contribute positively to the educational atmosphere of the school.
• Student behavior should always reflect a seriousness of purpose and a cooperative attitude, both in and out of the classroom.
• Students are obligated to show proper respect to their teachers and peers at all times. 
• Disrespectful words, actions, and attitudes have no place at 21st Century Preparatory School.
• All students are expected to take responsibility for their actions and to change unacceptable behaviors.
• All students are entitled to an education free from undue disruption. Students who willfully disrupt the educational program will be subject to the discipline procedures of the school.
• Students are expected to be accountable for their actions and comply with the following school-wide rules at all times.
  1. Be prepared to learn and do their best.
  2. Listen to direction from adults, especially teachers.
  3. Respect self and others.
  4. Respect others’ property and the school environment.
  5. Follow the uniform guidelines fully.

Parent/Guardian Involvement

We acknowledge that parents/guardians have the ultimate responsibility for their student’s behavior at school and at home. We seek to partner with parents to encourage students to comply with the behavioral expectations and rules set forth by the school. By working collaboratively and sending the same message to students, the learning and accountability that takes place at school is reinforced at home. Parents/guardians will be notified of inappropriate behavior on the part of their children.

 
Please see Handbook for complete details and discipline matrix.

Dismissal

All parents must pick up their child(ren) promptly when school ends at 3:45 P.M.  Parents/guardians MUST strictly follow these simple rules in order to assure the safety and security of all students:

1. Do not use the most southern row of parking spaces or the southern most lane – these are reserved for the employees and guests of other organizations who are housed in our building.
2. Be sensitive to others who might need to enter or leave the parking lot on business other than school business – let’s do everything possible to help minimize the impact of our procedures on their lives.
3. All students must be picked up in designated areas. There will be no curbside pickup from Mound Avenue.
4. There will not be any supervision after 4:15 for the remaining students by staff, so it is extremely important for you to have arrangements for picking up your child on time.

If your child is not picked up by 4:15 p.m. the child’s name will be put on a Late Pick-Up List and the School Coordinator of Community Services will be notified. Late pick up can result in contact with the Racine Police Department. The Police may take the child to the police station.

Drug/Alcohol Policy

All students at 21st Century Preparatory have the right to a school environment conducive to learning. The use of alcohol and other drugs is illegal, and interferes with learning, both physical and emotional. In concert with parents, the school has a responsibility to prevent drug abuse, and to maintain a safe and drug-free environment.  A drug offense is defined as a student having in his/her possession alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, or other controlled substances, and/or the paraphernalia for using drugs. Since 21st Century Preparatory School is a drug-free school, none of the mentioned substances are permitted at any time. Violation of this policy will lead to an expulsion hearing.

Early Check-Out

Parent/Guardian must come to the main office and sign the student out. A student who needs to leave school for any reason during the school day should bring a note from a parent/guardian indicating the time they need to be excused and the reason for the excuse. The student should hand this note in to his/her teacher and then the teacher will send it to the office.

Students will be excused only upon the request of a parent/guardian. A child will not be allowed to leave the school with anyone who is not authorized by the parent on the emergency card maintained by the school office. The main office shall keep an updated written list of those individuals authorized to remove the children from school premises.

If the student returns to school the same day, the student is to report to the front desk immediately to sign back into school. Checking a student out early to avoid parking lot traffic during dismissal is not acceptable.

Early Release Days

Four times during the school year we have early release (see school calendar for dates). The school day is 8:00 AM to 12:15 PM on these days.  Lunch is provided on Early Release days.

Electronic Communications Equipment

Students are prohibited from possessing any electronic devises capable of sending or receiving voice, email, paging, text messaging or any other electronic communications while on school premises unless the equipment is provided to them by the school. Students are also prohibited from using or possessing music players and video games on school property.

Emergency Cards

To insure the ability of the school to contact a parent/guardian, each family is required to have on file an emergency card. Parents/guardians are required to complete all new forms.

In case of a serious emergency requiring immediate medical treatment each parent must sign a release, prior to their child attending school, authorizing the school to have your child transported to emergency facilities. The parent or guardian will immediately be contacted regarding the medical situation of the child and the location where the child is being transported.

Health and Safety

A school nurse is on staff three days a week. Parents/guardians should not send a sick child to school. You will be called to pick up your child(ren) in any of the following cases:

• A temperature of 101° or above
• Vomiting
• Skin infection

Please also see Communicable Diseases

Homework

Homework is the oral and written reinforcement and/or enrichment of concepts and skills presented in class, or the presentation/introduction of new concepts being presented. Daily time allotted for homework varies by grade level and by subject area.

Homework assignments have several positive aspects:

1. they allow parents to see what is being taught;
2. they allow students to practice concepts that are taught in the classroom;
3. they help prepare students for the next day’s instruction; and
4. they allow the students to develop good study habits.

Timely completion of all assignments is the responsibility of the students and parents.

Homework for students who are home ill for more than one day may be requested at the same time you report your child’s absence. The teachers will be notified and the homework assignments can be picked up at the school after 3:30 pm. Students who are out of school for a planned absence are expected to obtain all work from teachers prior to the planned absence. Students are expected to complete all work missed due to any absence.
Teachers will assist students who are in need of help in making up work due to an excused absence.  A time allowance will be given to make up the missed work (i.e., one day to make up work for each day of school missed). Students and parents are responsible for all material and work missed during an absence.

Immunizations

Each child will be required to comply with the Wisconsin state requirements for student immunizations prior to attendance at the 21st Century Preparatory School. Students who immunization record is not on file/up to date, will not be allowed to attend school until it is updated/filed.  Conscientious objectors to the immunization laws must file appropriate paperwork with the school office by the state deadline.

Inclement Weather (click for school policy)

Whenever our school must alter operations because of severe weather, or for any emergency related event, you will be notified by School Messenger.  You must have a current telephone number on file with the school to receive School Messenger notifications. 21st Century Preparatory School also participates in the following television and radio station closing networks, and will post that information on the following television and radio stations:

• Today’s TMJ Channel 4
• CBS 58 News
• WISN Weather Watch Channel 12
• WITI Fox 6
• News/Talk 1130 WISN/AM
• WRJN 1400
• 620 WTMJ

21st Century Preparatory School will be listed separately on media announcements. The Superintendent or administrative designee in his/her absence will contact the television stations. Every effort will be made to have the posting called in by 6:00 am.

Insurance

21st Century Preparatory School does not carry health/accident insurance for students. In view of this, parents may wish to review their own health insurance policies.

Lunch procedures:

Students in K, Gr.1, and Gr. 3-5 will have recess on the playground prior to eating. Due to schedule conflicts, students in gr. 2 will eat first, then have recess.

During recess, students are encouraged to play ball, four square, or just visit with their friends. They will not be allowed to engage in any activities which could cause an injury to themselves or others, such as skateboarding, roller blading, contact sports, or physical contact activities.

All students will enter through the doors from the playground and proceed to the lunch line or cafeteria.

Students must eat in the cafeteria unless they have permission to eat with a teacher in a classroom.

No one may leave the cafeteria, at any time, without permission from an adult supervisor. All students exit through the doors that lead to the playground area. All other hall areas are “off limits” without a pass.

At the end of their lunch period, students are required to wait in the cafeteria until their teacher picks them up to return to the classroom. See also Meal Services.

Meal Services

21st Century Preparatory School serves breakfast and lunch under the National School Lunch Program. Breakfast is available daily in the cafeteria from 7:30 a.m. until 7:50 a.m. Please see the menu or the school website for current breakfast and lunch prices.

Students not participating in the school lunch program, should bring a bag lunch from home. Parents/guardians should not bring fast food for their child(ren) to eat for lunch.

Parents deposit money into their family’s account through the front desk. Each time the child eats breakfast and/or lunch, their account is debited.  Parents or students should bring cash or check in an envelope labeled LUNCH MONEY, with the student’s name, room number, and the amount in the
envelope to the front desk.

Lunch balances need to be paid in full before the first day of the new school year. Parents should keep at least $10.00 in their family’s lunch account. You will be notified by School Messenger if your family’s lunch account balance falls below $3.00. If your family owes more than $20.00 on their account, your child(ren) will not receive a hot lunch. The child(ren) will need to bring a bag lunch (no fast food) until the account is paid.

To apply for free or reduced price meals, households must fill out the Free/Reduced Lunch Application and return it to the school office. The application needs to be filled out on a yearly basis. The information provided on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year by the school’s official.  Applications are accepted throughout the school year.  Families who may qualify for the National School Lunch Program and do not complete the application will be responsible to pay full cost of each meal your child eats.

Medication Policy

It is best to give your child any prescription medicine at home. However, at times, a child may need to be given prescription medication during school hours. Under no circumstances will any medications be dispensed to students without parental consent. School personnel will only administer medication at the designated time as directed by the medical provider.

The procedure for dispensing medications is as follows:

1. Students who must take prescription medication during school hours must have the medication brought to school in the original prescription container. The student’s full name must be affixed to the container.
2. The physician and the parent/guardian must complete and sign a Prescription Medication Form. This form includes clear instructions from the doctor, including but not limited to, the type of medication to be given, the dosage required, the doctor’s signature, and your written consent. The form is good from the date of the doctor’s signature until the end of the current school year.
3. Non-prescription or over-the-counter medications are discouraged from being given during school hours.  However, if it becomes necessary to do so:
   a. A medication request form must be submitted and signed by the parent/guardian, and
   b. Medications must be brought to school in the manufacturer’s original container and must have the student’s  full name on the container.
4. Medication will be taken by the child at the designated time, supervised by authorized personnel.
5. Limited quantities of any medication should be kept at school. All medication administered at school will be stored in a locked drawer, cabinet or file. Parents must notify school when the drug is discontinued, or the dosage or time is changed. If the medication is resumed, a new order must be received.

Parent Rights and Responsibilities

21st Century Preparatory School recognizes that you, as a parent or guardian, are our most important partner in your child’s education. Your involvement is essential to your child’s educational success. We urge you to understand and exercise your rights and responsibilities.

Parents have the Right to:

• Advocate for their children.
• Examine and receive copies of all school records pertaining to their children within the 21st Century Preparatory School guidelines.
• Receive regular reports of their child’s academic progress and attendance.
• Request and be granted conferences with teachers and/or administrators.
• Request and to receive explanations of the curriculum, grades, testing, homework and disciplinary actions.
• Participate on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, and participate in the development of all school policies, plans and procedures that have an impact on the education of their children.

Parents have the Responsibility to:

• Promote prompt and regular attendance, providing a written explanation for absences and tardiness.
• Inform the school in case of a change of address, telephone number, or emergency contact information.
• Be familiar with the discipline guidelines of the 21st Century Preparatory School, discuss these guidelines with their children and encourage compliance.
• Attend mid-quarter teacher/parent conferences and participate in the parent/teacher organization (see P.T.O).
• Communicate to their children that they believe in their ability to achieve high academic success.

Rights of Non-Custodial Parents

If you are a non-custodial parent, you have the same rights to student records, progress reports, school mailings, school visits, and parent-teacher conferences as a custodial parent unless a court order restricts such rights. When a court order is in place, the custodial parent must provide a copy to the School Coordinator of Community Services.  It is your responsibility as a non-custodial parent to give the school your address and contact information if you want to be consulted regarding your child and to be placed on school mailing lists.

Rights of Foster Parents

As a foster parent, you have many of the same rights as biological parents or guardians for the duration of the child’s placement in your home. However, these rights are restricted by law, for example, the authorization of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) evaluation for the child. A foster parent can attend the meeting; however, foster parents cannot authorize an IEP evaluation unless approved by the Racine Department of Human Services.

Rights of Parents of Children Suspected of Having Special Education Needs

Children with physical, emotional, behavioral, sensory and/or learning disabilities may need special education services and accommodations. As an Independent Charter School, like any other public school, the 21st Century Preparatory School, must provide the fundamentals of Special Education as defined in federal and state law. Special education services are
provided within a model of full inclusion.

Please see Handbook for complete detail.

Progress Reports / Parent-Teacher Conferences / Report Cards

Student Progress Reports are provided for each child at mid-term.  Parent-Teacher Conferences are also held at mid-term of Terms I, II, and III. Conferences give the parents and teachers an opportunity to evaluate and discuss the progress of the student.  Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for all parents. The dates of the conferences are listed on the school calendar. A report card is sent home with each student at the end of each term.

Parents and students have the opportunity to use our online grade book (Skyward) to view the current status of grades and reports.  Each parent and student will receive a password in order to view the online grade book.

This online grade book can be accessed through the internet from your home computer, or there is a public computer that parents may use at 21st Century Preparatory School.

School Counseling Services

21st Century Prep School has a full-time, licensed, School Counselor available to provide services to meet the needs of each student.  Academic support, social/emotional development and career exploration are the focus of school counseling.  Our school counselor provides a variety of services such as, but not limited to, classroom guidance, responsive services, individual and group counseling and consultation.  Our school counselor complies with all state laws and professional ethics codes.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

21st Century Preparatory School strives to ensure that all students reach their full potential. To do so, it is essential that the school be free of disruption. As a student, you are asked to respect the rights of all members of the school community which includes teachers, administrators, parents, support staff, and other students.

As a Student, You have the Right to:

• Come to school and feel safe
• Be respected by others
• Receive a high quality education

Responsibilities

Students also have certain responsibilities, both as citizens and as members of the school community. These responsibilities are present whether the student is in the school building participating in a school activity or traveling to or from school. In order to guarantee these rights, each person must assume responsibility for his or her own behavior and refrain from infringing upon the rights of others.

• Active Participation: Students have the responsibility to actively engage in the serious business of learning. For example, they must attend school regularly and be on time. They must remain in class until excused, pay attention to instructions, complete assignments to the best of
  their ability, and exert every effort to achieve mastery of the lessons.
• Obey Laws and Rules: The laws of society and school rules have been created to guarantee
  every person’s rights. Students must assume personal responsibility to obey these laws and
  rules.
• Illegal or Dangerous Items: Students must not bring materials or objects to school or to school activities that could be disruptive or are prohibited by law or school policy. All nonessential items that are brought to school by students shall be stored in the students’ lockers throughout the school day.

Technology

21st Century Preparatory School recognizes the value of television, videotapes and DVDs when used to supplement the curriculum. While it is assumed that teachers will exercise their professional judgment when choosing to use television, videotapes, and DVDs the following guidelines are intended to facilitate responsible use of this medium. At the 21st Century Preparatory School, television, videotapes and DVDs will:

• Only be used to support curriculum objectives
• Be age appropriate
• Not violate copyright law
• Not be used at the expense of other tools

If parents have concerns about television and/or video use, the procedure outlined below should be followed:

• Parents should speak to their child’s teacher about their concerns
• If the concerns are not satisfactorily addressed, parents should speak with the Principal

Internet Use Policy

Electronic, communication networks provide vast, diverse and unique resources. Our goal in providing this service to teachers, staff and students, is to promote educational excellence in the 21st Century Preparatory School by facilitating resource sharing, innovation and communication.

We support resources that will enhance the learning environment and is consistent with the vision, mission, goals, and policies of the school. With access to computers and people all over the world, also comes the availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting. There may be some material or individual communications that are not suitable for school-aged children. The 21st Century Preparatory School has taken precautions to restrict access to inappropriate materials. However, it is impossible to control all materials on a global network and an industrious user may discover inappropriate information.

The responsible use of technology relies heavily on the proper conduct of the users, who must adhere to strict guidelines. Access to Preparatory School Technology is a privilege, not a right. Technology use carries with it responsibilities. ALL users of technology are expected to abide by school policies and rules of behavior. These guidelines are provided here so that users are aware of the responsibilities that the use of technology places upon them. If a user violates any of the acceptable use provisions outlined in this document, his/her account will be terminated and future access will be denied. Some violations may also constitute a criminal offense and may result in legal action. Any user violating these provisions, applicable state and federal laws, or posted classroom and school policies, is subject to loss of access privileges and any other disciplinary actions. Students and parents will be required to sign an Acceptable Use Policy Agreement yearly.

Users have the opportunity to access technology for educational purposes only. Exercising that privilege requires that the user accept the responsibility for all material they access, view, download and/or produce. It is necessary for users to evaluate the validity of the information they access via technology use and acknowledge the source of the information when appropriate.  ALL users of technology are acting as representatives of the 21st Century Preparatory School and should act accordingly. Guidelines for acceptable use include but are not limited to the following:

Users Will:

• Use appropriate language.
• Avoid offensive or inflammatory dialog.
• Adhere to copyright rules and assume that any software that they did not create is copyrighted (unless it is labeled “freeware” or “public domain”).
• Not reveal any personal information, i.e. address, phone number, etc. for themselves or others.
• No information stored on school equipment is guaranteed to be private. People who operate the school information systems do have authorized access to all files on the network; others may have access if appropriate school personnel have provided authorization.
• All information stored on school equipment is the property of the school. The school will at its discretion, remove files from the network or change file access privileges.

Use Technology Only for Legal Activities

• Be responsible at all times for proper use of their access privileges and avoid impersonation, anonymity or unauthorized sharing of security measures and/or their account(s).
• Take responsibility for any technology related activities that they borrow or are used under their account or password.
• Maintain the integrity of technology resources from viruses, physical abuse, potentially damaging messages, etc.
• Respect the rights of others to utilize technological equipment by not utilizing it for non-schoolpurposes.
• Abide by any and all policies and procedures of networks, systems and information resources linked by and through school technology.
• Notify a teacher or the Network Administrator immediately if you identify a security problem.
• Do not show or identify a security problem to others.
• Do not reveal your account password or allow another person to use your account.

Please see Handbook for complete details.

Term V / Summer Session

Term V is a mandatory part of the school year at 21st Century Preparatory School.  The term is three weeks long, and the school day is 8:00 AM to 12:15 PM, with lunch served.  All students must attend Term V, the Summer Session.  Failure to send your child to Term V will result in your losing your place(s) in your child’s(ren’s) grade level(s).  To attend 21st Century Preparatory School for the following Fall term, you will have to reapply for admission.