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Policies and Procedures

Student Handbook

Vision Statement

At Florida Avenue Elementary we will reach our full potential, lead productive lives, and be a positive influence on others.

Mission Statement

Our mission at Florida Avenue Elementary is to prepare each child individually in a disciplined and caring environment that offers mutual respect for all stakeholders.  We encourage independent learning by striving to develop, reinforce, and expand academics, as well as, fostering positive moral and social values across the spectrum.

Student Pledge

I pledge to show my respect by listening to others,
Using my hands for helping,
Caring about others feelings,
And being responsible for what I say and do,
I am in school to learn!

Please refer to STPPS website for COVID Updates and Information:

http://stpsb.org/coronavirus/index.html

Florida Avenue follows the STPPS District Handbook for Students and Parents:

  • Admissions
  • Discipline
  • Attendance
  • Promotion and Retention
  • Report Card Policy

 www.stpsb.org/districthandbook

Registration Information can be found on the STPPS web page

https://www.stpsb.org/our-schools/registration

Information to be Completed at the Beginning of Each School Year
  • Emergency Card
  • Car Line/Walker Letter
  • Release of Student Information Consent Form
  • STPPS Student Instructional Technology Use Agreement 
  • Truancy Notification Letter
  • Louisiana Student Residency Questionnaire
  • Parental Consent to seek Medicaid Reimbursement
  • Chromebook Responsible Use Policy

School Hours

Office Hours:              7:35 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.

School Hours:             8:05 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.

 School begins promptly at 8:05 a.m.  Children can begin arriving after 7:35 a.m. each day.   At that time, teachers are on duty to supervise students.  For your child’s safety, do not bring your child to school or have them walk to school before 7:35 a.m.  All students arriving after 8:15 a.m. are tardy and must check in at the office with an adult.  Dismissal begins at 3:05 p.m.  Students walking or riding bicycles should leave campus promptly.  All students going home by car should be picked up no later than 3:15 p.m.  If at dismissal a child is to go anywhere other than home on their normal daily route, a written notice must be sent to his/her teacher by the child’s parent/guardian and approved by an administrator.  The school will not make any transportation changes after 2:30 p.m.

Lunch Schedule:
  • Pre-K 11:55
  • Kindergarten 10:55
  • First Grade 11:20
  • Second Grade 10:50
  • Third Grade 12:15
  • Fourth Grade 11:25
  • Fifth Grade 11:50
  • Sixth Grade 12:20
 Bus Service

Call the Transportation Department, 898-3373, with questions regarding bus routes, stops, and times. For the safety of your child and everyone on the bus, security cameras are present and appropriate bus behavior will be strictly enforced.  Students are expected to always:

  • Remain seated facing the front of the bus.
  • Keep their hands and feet to themselves and inside the bus.
  • Talk in a respectful low (normal) tone of voice.
  • Use only the bus and bus stop assigned.

Bus Transportation Bus routes and stops are planned and established by the St. Tammany Parish School Board Transportation Department. Parents can click on School Bus Routes on our website under the Stay Informed link or on the St. Tammany website home page, to find bus routes, bus driver contact information, and bus stop locations http://www.stpsb.org/transportation/.

Students who ride a bus are expected to follow behavior guidelines, which are posted on each bus. The bus driver will also send home a flyer with additional information. The form on the flyer must be completed and signed by a parent or guardian.

Students should be at their designated bus stop 10 minutes prior to pick-up time. Students are not allowed to be dropped off at a different bus stop by their parent/guardian. They must catch the bus at their assigned stop only. Students cannot be dropped off at a stop other than at the stop nearest to their home. Students who are found to be dropped off at a stop that is not their place of residence and are picked up by parent/guardian in a vehicle will be reported to transportation and Child Welfare and Attendance. Safety is always our number one concern.

Car Riders & Walkers

Drop off and pick up procedures for car riders and walkers: 

  • Walkers:  Students must live within a half mile of the school to be walkers.  They will be dismissed by the bus ramp and must use crosswalks to leave the school grounds.  We ask that parents do not park on Sixth Street or park near the bus ramp.  
  • Car Riders: Our drop off and pick up line forms on Sixth Street and Florida Avenue.  You will need to enter Sixth Street from Michigan Avenue.  Sixth Street is one way during school hours entering from Gause Blvd.  If you are a car rider, please notify your teacher.  We will send home signage for you to display for car line.  YOU MUST HAVE THIS SIGN DISPLAYED OR WE WILL ASK THAT YOU PULL IN AND CHECK OUT CHILD.  The signage will help the car line run smooth and quickly.   Students may be dropped off beginning at 7:35. Students cannot be dropped off before 7:35 or before the car line duty team is outside.  
Bicycle Safety

Review bicycle safety with your child and remind him/her to wear a bike helmet and obey all traffic regulations when traveling to and from school.  Students are to enter the campus no earlier than 7:30 on Florida Avenue side and park in the bicycle rack in back parking lot on Florida Avenue.  They are to stay off of the road in the front of the school.  Traffic is heaviest in this area.  Students will walk their bikes while on sidewalks and paths on campus.  The school assumes no responsibility for bicycles. 

Cafeteria

The meals served daily are nutritionally balanced and meet one-third of the daily minimum nutrition requirements.  We strongly urge you to take advantage of the school lunch program. 

Please contact the cafeteria manager, Shannon Stevens at 985-605-5527 between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. if you have any questions.  Fast food, canned and/or bottled drinks, and toys are not allowed in the cafeteria.

School closings and STPPS information

Occasionally, schools or a school may need to close due to an emergency. Notification of emergency closings is given as soon as possible to parents and caretakers. Notifications about closings and re-openings are made through recorded emergency phone calls, the School System website, www.stpsb.org, the School System mobile app, STPPS Facebook and Twitter accounts and the local media. In cases of potential severe weather, School System officials are in constant communication with the National Weather Service, St. Tammany Parish Emergency Preparedness officials, and Superintendents around the region to make decisions about school closings. Even with the assistance of these officials, weather conditions are often impossible to predict. During severe weather conditions, School System officials must try to decide what is best for the district’s students and employees.  Please check the school board website https://stpsb.org.  You can download the STPPS app for updates and notifications.

Conferences

Parent conferences are encouraged and can be arranged at any time during the school year.  To request a conference with a teacher, call the school office (643-1605) or email the teacher on her school email account to set up an appointment. 

The School Building Level Committee (SBLC)

The SBLC’s mission is to develop appropriate intervention plans for students through a cooperative, collaborative team effort. SBLC strives to help students become successful in school in order to meet their educational and life goals.

Counselor and Mental Health Provider (MHP)

Guidance and Counseling services are available to help our children become aware of their abilities, aptitudes, interests, and attitudes.  The school counselors can assist in the following areas:

  •  to help children develop to their fullest potential
  •  to help children maximize their self-esteem
  • to provide opportunities for problem solving, etc.

Please call our school counselor if you feel your child could benefit from this service.

Counselor – Victoria Bourgeois
Victoria.Bourgeois@stpsb.org
MHP – Briana Dey
Briana.dey@stpsb.org

 

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Each student is required to have an emergency sheet on file in the school office with the following information:

  • Parent(s)/guardian name(s).
  • Complete and up-to-date address.
  • Home phone and parent work number.
  • Emergency phone number of friend/relative.

If during the year there is a change in any information, please notify the school office immediately.

 
PAWS

Positive

Accountable

Wise

Safe

Positive – Look for the positive in everything

Accountable – Hold yourself accountable for your words and actions

Wise – Consider your choices and make Wise decisions

Safe – Practice being safe by following the rules

We Will lower the number of referrals by:

  • Clarity & Consistency – Posting & Rehearsing Procedures, Rules, & Consequences
  • Focus on Data – Grade Level Data Analysis to drive behavior instruction & behavior goals – Google Doc
  • PAWS – School-wide PBIS – Matrix to begin Implementation, Teach Accountability as first Virtue, Design 9 week celebrations, refresher lessons in January.
  • Kindness!!!! – Build a kind teacher student relationship – firm but fair, smile, greet students by name, model good manners, etc…
FIELD TRIPS

Trips are planned to enrich learning.  Classes may participate in field trips during the school year as arranged by each grade level.  Information and cost of trips will be sent home prior to any trip.  Students are not required to attend a field trip.  Assignments will be given to any child who remains at school.  The work will be done under the guidance of another classroom teacher.  Students attending field trips must ride the school bus.  We encourage parents to attend our field trips as chaperones.

FIRST AID/ILLNESS

If your child becomes ill or injured, our school secretaries will contact you using information on file.  In the event you are called please make arrangements to pick up your child as soon as possible.

MEDICATION

Do not send medication, prescribed or over the counter, to school.  Teachers are not allowed to administer medication to students at school. 

EXCEPTION:  If your child is on a long-term prescription medication, you may request a St. Tammany Parish Medication form from the school office and have it completed by your physician.  The medication can then be administered through the office.  This medication must be brought to school by the parent.  Students are never to bring medication to school.

Textbooks/Library books

Students are expected to keep in good condition, all textbooks, library books, and other materials issued to them.  Any lost or damaged items will need to be replaced.

Cell Phones

Cell phone use disrupts the educational process and can become a safety issue. Students found with a visible device or in use of a device at school will have it confiscated and will be referred to the office for discipline. A parent will need to pick up the device in the main office. At no time should cell phones be used to take pictures of other students or staff members. School personnel will not investigate stolen or lost cellphones and/or electronic devices.

Student Progress Center

The Student Progress Center is a program that allows parents or guardians to review information about their child including grades, attendance, and schedules from a home computer. The password and user ID information will be mailed directly to each student’s home address. The Student Progress Center can be located using the following web address: https://jpams.stpsb.org/progress/. 

Chromebooks

The St. Tammany Parish School Board (STPSB) 1:1 Chromebooks for learning deployment is to promote high levels of student engagement for all students. Increasing access to technology is essential to build upon college and career readiness skills.

All parents must complete the STPSB Responsible Use Policy form.  The form will be sent home on first day of school and can also be found on the Florida Avenue web page.

The policies, procedures, and information within this document serve as information for students and parents/guardians. Teachers may set additional requirements for Chromebook use in their classroom.

Distribution of the Chromebook:  Chromebooks will be distributed near the beginning of the school year. The procedure for distribution of Chromebooks will be established at each school. Logging into a Chromebook:   Students will log into their Chromebooks using their school issued account. Students should never share account passwords with others.

An STPSB Chromebook is being loaned to the student for educational use during the school year  

This device is the property of STPSB and must be returned at the end of each school year. Instructions for such will be given at that time. A student transferring out of the District will be required to return the Chromebook. If a Chromebook is not returned, the parent/guardian will be held responsible for payment in full. It is understood that the intentional failure to return the Chromebook to the school may constitute theft of district property and will be reported as necessary.

Limitation of Liability STPSB is not responsible for damage or harm to persons, files, data or hardware. Chromebooks employ filtering technologies and other safety and security mechanisms, but there is no guarantee as to their effectiveness. STPSB will not be responsible, financially or otherwise, for unauthorized transactions conducted over the device or the school network.

Honoring Instructional Time

For respect to the classroom learning environment, classes will not be interrupted for messages. Forgotten lunches, homework, and/or transportation arrangements are not considered emergencies and students will not be called to the front office for these items. Forgotten items may be dropped off at the front office during the day and will be placed in the teacher’s mailbox.

UNIFORM POLICY

School Uniforms are mandatory for all students.  Our uniform consists of:

  • Solid white or forest green, collared, buttoned polo shirt (logo optional), or Florida Avenue Elementary Spirit (purchased from school only).
  • Solid khaki uniform pants, shorts, skirts, skorts, or jumpers.
  • Shoes should be appropriate for the classroom and playground.  Since PE is a regular part of the school curriculum, and students participate in PE every day, tennis shoes are recommended for safety reasons.
  • Please review the STPSB Handbook for other policies.
Band & Chorus

Fifth and sixth grade students are given an opportunity of either vocal music or instrumental music instruction as an elective.  Information will be sent home with all interested students at the beginning of the school year.  Students involved in these classes are responsible to make up any work missed in the regular classes. 

VISITORS

Parents are urged to become involved in our school activities.  We need volunteers for many aspects of our educational program.  For the safety of our children, we must know who is on our campus at all times.  All visitors to the school must sign in at the office and receive a visitor identification badge.  All students leaving the building during school hours must be signed out through the office.

WITHDRAWING A STUDENT FROM FLORIDA AVENUE ELEMENTARY

Students are to be officially dropped when moving from Slidell or transferring to another school in Parish (due to change of address), please contact the school several days before the planned move.  This will allow the office and teachers time to complete the necessary paperwork.  All textbooks and library books must be returned, and all fines must be paid.