School Handbook

Good attendance is critical for steady academic growth, and, by law, children are required to attend school. 

Please call the school office any time your child will not be in school. 

If you are asked to leave a voice mail, please give the following information:

• Name of the parent or guardian calling
• Student's name and grade
• Date(s) of absence
• Reason for absence; please be specific

Absences will only be excused for the following reasons:

• Illness
• Medical or dental appointment
• A family death or serious illness
• Court/judicial appearance
• Religious observations
• School-sponsored activities

Students who are late to school will be considered tardy. Please make every effort to have your student at school on time. 

Additionally signing your child out in the afternoon prior to the end of the school day affects their attendance and learning. 

Students who become truant (inexcusably absent three consecutive days or five school days in any semester or seven days in a school year) will be reported to the Kansas Department for Children and Families in accordance with Board of Education Policy 1461. 

If a student is absent two or more days, the parent may call the office and request
assignments. Teachers must have 24 hours' notice to gather assignments. The work will be in the office at 2:20 p.m. the day after the request is made. It is the responsibility of the student to make up assignments that were missed due to absences (BOE P1472).

Students need to ask their teachers for work missed upon returning to class. Although individual teacher policies may vary, students that have been absent because of illness will be given an appropriate period to makeup lessons upon returning. A student will be given one day for each day of absence to complete make up work.

If you have concerns about make-up work, please call our office. We will be happy to help you or have the teachers contact you.

Students must live 2.5 miles or more from their assigned school to qualify for transportation to that school.

For questions about WPS transportation and busing, call 316-973-2190.

The district does offer the FirstView app that helps families track their student's school bus. Families will need a security code from the school office to use the app.

Students may arrive at school at 6:50 a.m. to enter building when adult supervision is available. Students are to remain on school grounds upon arrival.

School is dismissed at 2:10 p.m. Students are to be out of the building and off the school grounds by 2:20 p.m. unless the student is participating in a school-sponsored activity. Students may not re-enter the building once they exit school property. This includes home games, dances and any other after school activities. Students waiting for rides are to remain on concrete at the main entrance area. If the student is participating in a school-sponsored activity, the student is to be at the location of the activity no later than 2:15 p.m.

Navy blue or tan/khaki pants, shorts, skirts, skorts, and jumpers (no denim, logos, contrasting trim/thread, or embroidery). No hip huggers/ low-rise pants or stretch pants. White or navy-blue shirts.

Shirts or blouses must have collars. Crew neck sweatshirts (no hoodies) or plain sweaters in navy blue or ash gray are acceptable (collared shirt must be worn underneath sweatshirt or sweater). Undershirts must be solid white or navy only.
Shirts must be tucked in at all times.

Belts are required with belt loops. Student ID must be worn at all times.

Parents should notify the school nurse if there are any health conditions that may require medical attention, such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.

If a student becomes ill during the school day, they should request a pass to see the nurse. 

Students who exhibit fever, sore throat or tonsillitis, any eruption of the skin or rash, any respiratory symptoms accompanied by a fever, severe cough or cold, or any eruption of the scalp, will be sent home.

Parents will be notified to pick up their student and must do so in a timely manner to limit exposure to other students and school staff.

Please keep your emergency contact information up to date with both the teacher and office staff.

School board policy (BOE P5316) restricts school personnel from giving students any medication, including over-the-counter medication.

Medication is given only upon written request from both the parent/guardian and the student's physician. Students must also have received one dose of medication without an adverse reaction prior to any doses being given at school.

All medicine must be in the original container and be presented by a parent to the school nurse for safe keeping and scheduled administration. The container should be labelled with the following:

• Name of student
• Name of medication
• Directions for use
• Name of physician
• Name and address of pharmacy
• Date of prescription

The district uses the ParentVUE online portal to give parents to access information about their student's attendance, assignments and grades. ParentVUE allows parents to quickly and easily update their family contact information, which is vital in order to maintain strong home-to-school connections. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are a great way to stay involved in your child's education. Parents have the opportunity to discuss their child's progress, review assignments, learn about future projects and to strengthen the connection between home and school. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are held twice a year in October and February. 

Progress reports are provided to parents every quarter. Reviewing these reports is an essential component of parent involvement in their child's education. Please look for these reports and discuss them with your student. You may also log on to ParentVue for an ongoing list of grades provided by the teacher. If you have any concerns about these reports, contact your student's teacher.

All visitors to the building, including parents, must sign in through our visitor management system HallPass.

Parents, caregivers and other relatives wanting to volunteer in the school or for field trips are required to register every year as a volunteer. Visit the Volunteer Registration page to complete your annual registration.

PTA meets every other month. We encourage you to attend as many meetings as
possible. PTA assists teachers with the profits from the annual fundraiser, sponsors
three student dances, and provides snacks and luncheons for staff. Volunteering with the PTA is a great way to get involved with your student’s education.

The Site Council is comprised of parents, staff, and representatives of community organizations and businesses and meets once each semester. The primary responsibilities of the council are to provide advice and counsel for evaluating school performance goals and objectives and to recommend methods, which should be employed at the school to meet these goals and objectives. Our Site Council has opportunities to share in decision making related to our traditional magnet program.

Keeping students emotionally and physically safe at school is our number one priority. All students have the right to learn in an orderly environment that is free of disruption. We understand that from time to time, students may need additional practice meeting these expectations. We are trying to teach students academic and behavioral skills they will be using in the real world that will help them be successful adolescents and adults. Our staff will work closely with parents to ensure students learn to be responsible citizens and develop strategies for resolving conflicts.

We provide breakfast for all students free of charge.

Lunch fees can depend on family income. Complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application annually to qualify for free lunch and adjustments to school fees. 

The district uses an app called School Cafe to allow families to see menus.

The district uses LINQ Connect to pay for meals.

For special dietary restrictions, please contact the school nurse. 

Field trips with our city and nearby sites of interest are scheduled by classroom teachers throughout the school year. These trips are designed to supplement different aspects of the classroom curriculum and intoduce students to resources within the community. Parents will be notified of the planned trip at least five days in advance and must sign a trip waiver for students to attend. If a student does not have a signed permission slip to attend the trip, they will not go. We will not accept verbal permission over the phone.

If there is a fee for the field trip, the money needs to be submitted at least three days prior to the scheduled trip. All field trips require the use of school buses. Parents are not able to transport students on field trips.

If a parent serves as a chaperone, they will need to complete the school district's volunteer process prior to the field trip.

The safety of students, staff and parents is the Wichita Public Schools' greatest priority during the threat of dangerous conditions.

Emergency plans are in place should tornadoes, lightning, hail, snow or other dangerous circumstances present a safety concern. 

If schools are to be closed or activities cancelled or rescheduled due to weather conditions, the information will be posted on the Wichita Public Schools' website main page and displayed on all school websites.

Lost eyeglasses, books or valuables are taken to the office where the owner can claim them. Other lost articles are located at the back of the cafeteria. Articles not claimed are donated to local charities.