CORE VALUES

1. Each child should feel individual worth, importance, and love by each adult in the learning community.

2. Each child should feel safe and secure to take chances, try new things, and participate freely.

3. Each child should be instilled with a sense of personal integrity in order to make wise decisions, not only when adults are present, but when they are with their peers or alone, to choose the right, even when the consequences are not appealing.

4. Each child should be taught moral character values that are important for life success.
5. Each child should be made to feel confident and positive in their ability to realize their personal goals, aspirations, and dreams.

6. Each adult should be attentive, compassionate, and empathetic to student, family and colleague concerns.

7. Each adult should teach in such a way that the students gain a breadth and depth of knowledge so as to be prepared for the next grade level.

8. Each adult should be a role model of learning and character at all times.

9. Each adult should demonstrate respect to students and families and should be accountable and accessible to parents.

10. Each adult should foster an atmosphere of teamwork and collaboration within their small learning community and the learning community as a whole.

 Absence Reporting
Please call the school in advance of the absence, or the morning of the absence before 9:00 a.m. During the non-school hours, voice messaging is available. Please identify the student(s), their teacher(s), and the reason for the absence.
Call ~ 480-964-4602 and leave a message for Sarah Moss

Attendance & Timeliness
Arizona State Law requires students to attend classes 95% of the school year. This means students should be absent no more than 9 days. Burke Basic School has the goal of 98% attendance.

• For absences due to medical or dental appointments, bring a doctor’s appointment receipt back to the school.
• The following consequences may be administered by the school for absences:
• 5 absences – Notified by letter of the student’s absences.
• 8 absences – Notification by letter of the student’s absences and consequences of further absences.
• 10 absences – Parent meeting with the principal to discuss absences.
• 12 absences – Citation issued by truancy court.
• 15 absences – Meet with school board to discuss continued enrollment at school. 16+ absences - The school may withdraw the student, retain, or refuse to re-enroll for the following year.

Tardies: School begins at 8:05 a.m. with a morning assembly with the pledge of allegiance and recitation of Character First quotations.

Early Removal: Parents must not go directly to classrooms to remove students but should check in at the front office and the front office staff will call for the student.

Before & After School Care - Wildcats Club
The goal of Burke’s before and after school program is to provide a safe environment that facilitates creativity, sportsmanship, leadership, and academic success, as well as creating an atmosphere of belonging, cooperation and fun for the children to enjoy.
Monday – Friday 6:30 am to 8:00 am and 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Summer camp program also available.
Call 480-593-4987 during the before and after care hours listed above.

The site is licensed with The Department of Health (Childcare Services Division) as well as The Department of Economic Security (DES) and offers discounts to families receiving DES support.

Behavioral Expectations
Burke Basic School has a reputation as a safe and orderly school. This is maintained through high behavior standards and expectations. We ask parents to help us teach these standards at home. The following is an acronym of the standards we uphold:

Bobcat PAWS Power!

P = Positive Words and Actions
A = Academic Excellence
W = Winning Attitude
S = Self-less Service

Students demonstrating these behaviors will be given PAWS Points by any staff member. Students can earn these on the bus, at recess, at lunch, and in the classroom. These points are used as classroom and school-wide incentives.

Bus Rules
 
It is our privilege to transport your children to our wonderful school each morning and afternoon. Our number one transportation concern is the physical and emotional safety of all passengers on our buses. The bus is an extension of the actual school and all rules and expectations of the school are to be upheld by all while on the bus. Riding the bus is a privilege and all students who maintain appropriate behavior will be allowed to utilize this service. Students who fail to follow these basic expectations or who fail to respond to the consequences of the school will have their bus privileges suspended or removed.
Please call David Craig for your transportation needs 480-228-6606

Character First
Burke Basic School is concerned with the character and moral development of our community. We have adopted the Character First program to help assist you in nurturing high moral and character values. Each year the school will focus on 9 character traits.

Each Character First trait includes a definition and “I Will…” statement that must be memorized by each student. The definitions and “I will…” statements will be recited as a school during morning assemblies. Each character trait includes an animal or object that illustrates that trait. There are also applications, stories, poems, songs, and activities to teach the traits. These activities should be incorporated into the reading and language arts lesson plans and learning activities.

Character First traits are changed each month.
August/September ~ Attentiveness
October ~ Obedience
November ~ Gratefulness
December ~ Generosity
January ~ Truthfulness
February ~ Orderliness
March ~ Forgiveness
April ~ Sincerity
May ~ Virtue

Child Find
All children with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services shall be identified, located, and evaluated (§300.125). A practical method shall be developed and implemented to determine which children are currently receiving needed special education and related services (§300.125). This policy applies to highly mobile children with disabilities and children that are suspect of having a disability under §300.7 and in need of special education, even though they are advancing from grade to grade (§300.125).

School procedures include at the minimum:

• Documentation of the public awareness efforts. This is done to inform the public and parents within its jurisdiction of the availability of special education services (§300.125, AAC R702-401).
• Screening activities that are implemented for all newly enrolled students and those transferring in without sufficient records.
• Screening activities that are done within 45 days of enrollment.
• Screenings that include consideration of academic or cognitive, vision, hearing, communication, emotional, and psychomotor domains (AAC R7-2-401).

The school maintains documentation and annually reports the number of children with disabilities. This is done within each disability category that has been identified, located, and evaluated (§300.125)
Call our Special Education Director, Anne Magruder, for more information 480-964-4602

Curriculum
The school offers a basic, traditional program that is aligned with the Arizona State Standards and national content standards. The school also participates in statewide testing.

The curriculum includes phonics, spelling, reading, mathematics, penmanship, grammar, and composition, science, music, art, history and geography, computers, health and safety, physical education, and citizenship.

Discipline Policy
The school must maintain an orderly atmosphere. Every child should practice respect and courtesy at all times. Students are to follow classroom rules, school rules, dress code rules, transportation and playground rules. To ensure this, teachers establish, teach and enforce both school and classroom rules. Students are given positive reinforcement in many ways to include PAWS Power Points when they are observed obeying the rules.

Consequences for inappropriate behavior are outlined below and are enforced. The following consequences and demerit point system may be used when students are sent to the office for behavior/discipline problems. The principal has the final determination and authority regarding all behavior/discipline issues.

Demerit Points:
A child may receive demerit points when sent to the principal’s office for behavioral infractions.

Dress Code

Please put your children's names on clothing and all personal belongings brought to school.

School Uniforms are Required. The dress code is designed to encourage a wholesome learning environment, to provide safety, and to discourage negative influences on students. Clothing should be clean, neat, and in good repair. Denim is prohibited. The principal reserves the right to make final decisions regarding dress code issues. We ask the parents to encourage their children to adhere to the school's dress code.
Please call the front office for questions on dress code 480-964-4602

Drug Free Zone
This school is a drug free zone (i.e. the area within 300 feet of a school or its accompanying grounds, any public property within 1,000 feet of a school or its accompanying grounds, a school bus stop or on any school bus or bus which transports pupils to any school). Parents/staff may not smoke or consume alcohol on or around the school property. Students accepting, purchasing, selling, or distributing illegal substance will be expelled. Students in possession of illegal drugs will be expelled.

English Language Learners – Extended Day Tutoring
If a student's enrollment papers indicate that the student speaks another language predominately, the student will not need to be assessed for his/her English fluency. This will be done within 60 days of enrollment. Upon assessment, the student will be classified as either English Proficient or English Learner. Parents are permitted at any time to request a meeting to discuss his/her child's assessment and classification.

Students identified as English Language Learners are offered extended day services. These students receive intensive English learning skills from 3:00 to 4:00, Tuesday through Friday. Parents are encouraged to attend with their children.
Call Mrs. Krantzman for further information 480-964-4602

Homework
It is the belief and philosophy of this school that student’s learn best in a classroom with a teacher, rather than at home struggling through long homework assignments that produce high error rates. Homework includes the following:

• Daily reading logs – parents should spend 20 – 30 minutes each day reading with and to their children. Teachers may send short reading assignments home for students to read and parents to sign off on.
• Math facts practice – parents should spend time helping students learn their math facts. The school has ideas and strategies that will help you with this.
• Spelling/Vocabulary practice – children are expected to practice their spelling and vocabulary lists nightly.
• The fifth and sixth grades will receive homework limited to 45 minutes per day in order to prepare them for the rigors of junior high school.

Kindergarten Acceptance
Children entering Kindergarten must be five years of age prior to December 31 of the current calendar year. Parents and guardians are required to furnish proof of their children's date of birth.

Kindergartners who turn 5 after September 1st will be on a two-week trial period to determine maturity levels and to see if they can demonstrate appropriate school behaviors. Students who are not mature enough to follow classroom rules will be withdrawn and asked to come back next year.

All students must be toilet trained before entering the classroom. Students who have wetting accidents may be withdrawn from school.

Lunch
The hot lunch program begins August 13, 2007.

Hot lunches are available from our new catered vendor, The Bread People. The cost is $2.25 and includes milk. Milk a la carte is an additional 35¢. Lunches may be paid daily, weekly or monthly. Your student must have money in their account to receive a hot lunch, so please budget accordingly. Burke accepts cash, checks, or money orders, and credit/debit cards. All payments must be submitted to the office or your child’s teacher in an envelope with your student’s name and teacher on the outside or paid at the front desk. Envelopes may be obtained at the office or from your child’s teacher.

As part of the National School Lunch programs, the school offers lunches free or at a reduced price. Free and reduced price lunch applications are available in the office. Only one application is required per family. Applications must be completed in full before benefits begin. Please submit your applications to the front office. Upon completion, we will inform you immediately of your eligibility status.

Nurse
Either a nurse or health assistant is on duty during regular school hours. All medications must be checked in at the nurse's office. Please call Nurse Mary for more information 480-964-4602

Small Learning Community/Grade Level Forms:
The Small Learning Communities within Burke Basic School are small groups of teachers, paraprofessionals, students, and families committed to continual learning and who support other in continual learning. The Small Learning Communities are supported by resources such as administrators, special educators, paraprofessionals, secretarial staff, auxiliary teachers (music, PE, art, technology), school nurse, playground supervisors, cafeteria workers, transportation department, and parents.

Burke Basic School places students in small learning communities according to demonstrated ability. This is called “ability grouping” and allows the school to serve each students’ academic needs more precisely. Each child is assessed upon enrollment in the school. This assessment, placement, and progression system stems from the old English educational structure known as “Forms.” Students were placed in groups of peers within 2 years span of their age. For example, all of the 5 to 6 year-old, 7 to 8 year-old, and 9 to 10 year-old students were grouped together. Within these forms, students were sub-grouped according to demonstrated academic ability. These cohort groups of students were called “forms.” Students progressed through these “forms” with peers of similar academic ability and were able to advance within the sub-groups as they demonstrated greater academic achievement.

Burke Basic School resists the idea of placing students within confining grade levels. We are forced to do so by the AIMS testing requirements of the state department of education. Even so, we do not call our classes by grade level but instead refer to them as small learning community forms. Our small learning forms are:
Kindergarten SLC – 5 to 6 year-olds
Lower SLC Form – 6 to 7 year-olds
Middle SLC Form – 8 to 9 year-olds
Upper SLC Form – 10 to 11 year-olds

Special Education
It is Burke Basic School's responsibility to inform the general public and all parents of students enrolled in our school of our responsibility to make available special education services for students with disabilities and how to access those services. In addition, we have responsibility to provide information regarding early intervention services for children birth through 3 years of age.

We are responsible for identifying, locating, and evaluating all children with disabilities within our school and for making appropriate referrals to:

1. Arizona Early Intervention Program (AZEIP) for children birth through 3 years of age for evaluation and services if needed; and
2. School district of residence for children aged 3 through 5 for evaluation and services if needed.

We are also responsible for providing a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) which includes special education and related services for students with disabilities at public expense, under public supervision and direction and without charge to the parents.
For all new students to the school, the classroom teacher will complete screening activities within 45 days of enrollment. The teacher will look at the child's ability in the areas of academics, vision, hearing, communication, social/emotional and motor skills. If any concerns are noted the child may be referred for additional help.

If you have any concerns about your child, please contact Mrs. Magruder at 480-964-4602 for more information.

Burke Basic School Special Education Policies and Procedures are available for review.

* The policies contained in this handbook are subject to change without governing board approval.