Building Procedures

Good attendance and punctuality are necessary for academic achievement.  Please make every effort to have your child in school each day on time.

School begins at 8:55 a.m. Dismissal is at 2:55 p.m.  Students will not be allowed to go to their rooms before 8:40 a.m. Prior to this time there is no supervision for children.

Children are required to bring in a written absence excuse, signed by their parent or guardian explaining their absence.  The child should bring the excuse on the first day back at school after an absence. When your child will be absent from school please call 845-987-3300 following the attendance prompts or email sesattendance@wvcsd.org as early in the day as possible.

ARRIVAL
The building is open for student arrivals at 8:40 a.m.  The day officially begins at 8:55 a.m.

• Bus Arrivals:
  • Students will exit buses and go directly to their classrooms.  Staff will be on bus duty to make sure procedures are followed.
• NEW… Morning drop-off procedures:
  • For the safety of all, please enter the main driveway at the front of the building for morning drop off, maintain a single “Curb-side Drop Off” lane and pull your vehicle up as far as possible following the curb. Please allow your child to quickly exit your car and immediately walk on the sidewalk. Staff will be present for supervision of students as they walk into the building through the main doors to be scanned. Should you need to visit the main office, please park in the main lot and enter the main doors prior to 8:30 am or after 9:00 am.  Late arrivals will enter through the main entrance as well. Please remember everyone entering the building must wear a mask and is asked to maintain social distancing. 
• Late Arrivals:
  • Students arriving after 8:55 am can be escorted by a parent/guardian from the parking lot to the front entrance of the building.  Attendance staff members will be present to sign-in/issue late pass(es).

DISMISSAL
The day officially ends at 2:55 p.m.

• NEW… Afternoon dismissal pick-up procedures:
  • Please make sure you send in a note with your child if they are going to be picked up from school. Everyday pick-ups may send in only one note with the required information. Please make sure we have a note for each child being picked up. The note should include the child’s name, teacher’s name, date and time (state either “at dismissal” or “early leave with time”) of pick up, and the name of the person picking up (must have picture ID).
  • Student Pick Up will be “Curb-Side” at the front of the building. Parents should pull up in a single lane against the curb closest to the building. Each family will be given two paper placards labeled with the family name.  One of these cards should be placed on the dashboard of the car. Students will be called out of the building to be united with their pick-up by a staff member. Persons picking up the students should remain in the car but will need to sign for the student.  Please be patient as we work through the new procedure. 
• Bus Dismissal:
  • First and Third Grade will be dismissed at 2:50 pm at the sound of the first bell.  Second and Third Grade will be dismissed at 2:55 pm  (second bell).  Staff will be present to supervise students during this time. Parents/visitors are not permitted near the blacktop area while the buses are loading.  

There will be no visitation during lunch periods and meetings with teachers/staff should be scheduled by phone prior. 

Visitors will be buzzed into the building. From there you must go directly to the main office to sign in and obtain a pass to visit the desired place.  Care should be taken to make certain that classes, students, and teachers are not disturbed during instructional times.  When possible, visitors should arrange in advance for their visit or conference.

The following areas where volunteers are needed:  

1.   Working with students under the direction of the teacher.
2.   Clerical work for teachers.
3.   Tape recording books and other material.
4.   Special projects.
5.   Library

Hours can be arranged at your convenience. Notices will be sent home with information about the volunteer program after school begins.

Birthdays are very special and exciting days for all of us. It is a time to celebrate “us” with friends and family. As a school, we want to continue recognizing our students’ special day while being sensitive to our District Wellness Policy, student allergies, and financial hardships. Therefore, student birthdays will be celebrated with non-food events. Please request a list of non-food celebration choices from your child’s classroom teacher, as each list may be a little different. Together we can continue to celebrate our students in a healthy, safe and positive way!

We are fortunate in having an active, supportive Parent Teacher Association, and we are proud of it.  All parents are urged to join the PTA and help with the projects run for the good of the students.

Meeting notices are sent home with the children.  Meetings prove to be a valuable place to come together to consider topics important to the education of children.

Parent-teacher conferences are in the fall and spring. If needed, parents or teachers may request a conference at any time.

When it is necessary for you to take your child from school prior to the regular dismissal time, we prefer you make arrangements with the office staff in writing. You may send in your note, or fill out a form that is available at the time of dismissal. Parents/guardians arriving to pick up their chil(dren) should report to the main office window to complete sign out procedures, Please be prepared to show photo identification. Staff will not release a child without notification from the office. We are sensitive to the fact that emergencies do occur. Should this be the case,  please call the main office at 987-3300 to make arrangements for your child.

Student pick-ups at dismissal occur at 2:50 p.m.  End-of-the-day impromptu or emergency student pick-ups can be made by going to our main office greeter’s window prior to 3:00 pm.  You will sign out your child and we will call your child to the office.

EMERGENCY CLOSING
The school district’s primary email notification system, called School Messenger System (SMS). Parent contact information is in the district database, so parents will automatically receive notifications via the School Messenger System, therefore there is no need to sign up. 

If the weather conditions such as a snowstorm or drifting conditions dictated early closing, the following procedure will be followed:

1. M. Dismissal – Grades 5th – 12th,  then Grade K – 4th
2. M. Dismissal – Same sequence as for a.m. dismissal

The following radio/television stations will be contacted and should announce changes in the school day:

FM STATIONS

• 92.1 LITE-FM 
• 92.7, 96.9 WRRV                                                  
• 93.3 STAR                                                                             
• 93.5 WTBQ                                                       
• 94.1, 95.7, 103.1, 107.7 FOXRADIO
• 94.3, 97.3 THE WOLF                                          
• 96.1 KISS FM                                    
• 96.7 WDLC-WTS                                                                 
• 97.7 MIX                                                               
• 98.9 FOX OLDIES                                               
• 99.3 NEWS TALK WKIP                                     
• 100.7 WHUD                                                        
• 101.5, 106.1, 106.3 WPDH                                   
• 102 WSUS                                                             

AM STATIONS

• 1110 WTBQ
• 1220 WGNY
• 1260 WBNR-WSPK
• 1340 WALL
• 1390 WPDH
• 1450 WKP-AM
• 1490 WDLC-WTS

TV STATIONS

• WABC-TV
• FOX 5/NNYW
• WNBC-TV
• HUDSON VALLEY 12 NEWS

School openings, delays, closings are also featured on the district website (www.warwickvalleyschools.com) for those on-line with computers.

Occasionally there will be an EMERGENCY CLOSING due to power failure, road conditions, or other unforeseen situations.  When this occurs, the radio stations are notified immediately as to the time of dismissal.

Children will be sent home the usual way BUT it is extremely important that each child know exactly what he/she should do if there is no one at home when they arrive.

INCLEMENT WEATHER SCHOOL CLOSING & DELAYED OPENINGS
Parents and students are advised to listen to the local radio stations for closing or delayed school schedules.  Radio announcements will state one of the following:  NO SCHOOL for the Warwick Valley Central School District, DELAYED OPENING of one or two hours.

School openings, delays, and closings notifications will also appear on the district website.

If you have questions about the WVCSD Parent Portal system, or are having trouble logging in, go to: https://www.warwickvalley schools.com/parent-portal/.

Questions regarding the portal can be directed to Ms. Lois Leonard, at lleonard@wvcsd.org.

When serious illness or injury requires that a child be absent from school for an extended period (one month or more), the services of a home teacher may be supplied. Please contact the school office for further information.

During the year students will bring work to be completed at home.  Parents can help at home by providing a place for the child to work, setting aside a time for homework so that distractions are kept to a minimum, showing an interest in the child’s work, and demonstrating a belief in the value of education.

A hot lunch program is in operation in the elementary schools.  Milk and ice cream are sold separately for students who bring their lunch.  The cost of one lunch is $2.60 per day.  Breakfast is $1.35 per day.  Milk cost $.50 and ice cream is sold for $.75. Free & reduced fee breakfast and lunch is available for elementary school students in eligible families. For more information or an application form. See the Food Services webpage or call 845-987-3050.

A monthly menu can be found at our website. The Warwick Valley Central School District Food Service Department is pleased to provide parents with a convenient, easy and secure online prepayment service to deposit money into your child’s meal account at any time. This service also provides parents the ability to view their child’s account balance through a website called www.myschoolbucks.com.

If you decide not to buy the lunch tickets for your child, please provide a suitable way for your child to carry his or her lunch money.  Discuss ways of safeguarding this money.

Students must order lunch online.

A food allergy table accommodates students with food allergies.

There is always a collection of valuable items, sweaters, coats, hats, lunch boxes, eyeglasses, watches, etc., in the lost and found.  Items of lost clothing are placed in the bins in the hallway outside of the music room and gymnasium.  Lost eyeglasses, watches, keys and jewelry are kept in the school office.

Parents are asked to put the child’s name on lunch boxes, gloves, hats, coats, sweaters, boots, etc. to aid in the recovery of these items.

Please encourage your child to remember items necessary on a daily basis – homework, sneakers, lunch, etc.; however children will be permitted to use the school phone to secure these things. Training children to be responsible and remember develops self-discipline and independence.

Students may go outside through the school year for recess.  It is vital that you dress your child appropriately for the weather conditions.  Boots, hats, gloves, and warm coats are necessary for snowy, cold weather.

The Warwick Valley Central School District shares with you the pride of having, utilizing and maintaining adequate school facilities. Resident, non-profit groups are granted the privilege of using school facilities for a variety of reasons after the school day.

For information regarding district policy, rules and regulations, and use of district facilities visit About WVCSD.

Throughout the year a wide variety of activities are planned for students before or after regular school hours. There is no late bus for elementary schools. Parents must make arrangements for their child to be picked up if they attend an after school activity.

Some teachers may provide parents with the days in which they will be available for extra help for students. Please make arrangements with your child’s teacher prior to the day they would like to stay.

School nurses provide educationally-oriented health services to promote, protect, maintain and improve the health of our students.  The school health program is based upon the premise that the health of pupils will be reflected in a greater effectiveness of the total school program.  School nurse personnel act as a liaison between home, school and the medical community regarding medical concerns.

The New York State Education Law requires that school children in grades K, 2, 4 and students new to the district have a physical appraisal. We are also planning to examine children due for Special Education reevaluation.

If you plan to have your family physician examine your child, please return the Annual Physical Examination Form, completed by your family physician, before October 1st.  After this date, the school physician reserves the legal right to make a physical appraisal of all pupils for whom we have no report.

New students who choose to have a private physician perform the physical exam will be allowed 28 calendar days (from the date of registration) to return the completed physical exam form and record of missing immunizations.

New York State Law requires students age 8 through 16 be screened annually for scoliosis.

NOTE:  It is the policy of the school to ask parents to keep their children home if they show signs of a cold or other infection.  If a child has had a fever, he should not return to school until his temperature has been normal for at least 24 hours.

According to New York State Law, there is a definite procedure for our nurses to follow before any kind of medication can be given to a child in school.  The law requires the following steps:

1. The school nurse must have a written order, signed by a doctor, giving the following information:
   1. Name of medicine
   2. Reason for giving
   3. Dosage
   4. Time
   5. Number of days to be given
2. It must have a professional label.
3. It must be brought to the school nurse by an adult.
   Under no circumstances is a child to bring medication to school.
4. The parent or guardian must submit a written request to the school nurse to give the medicine as directed.
5. The medication will be destroyed seven days after the final dosage is required.
   The unused medication may be picked up by the parent within this period.