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. 

Signing your child out early in the afternoon prior to the end of the school day or later than three times counts as an absence.  If your student has an appointment and needs to leave early, please call the office.

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. 

Be on time! Stay all day!

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.

 

DROP OFF: Our building opens at 7:30am. Parents enter in the farthest drive south of the building and drive around to the north, dropping off at door 28.

LATE ARRIVALS: Any time after 8am, parents are to call 973-9987 and send students through the front entrance.

PICK UP: Middle school pick up in the right hand lane on the south side of the building. Elementary pick up on the north end of the building, but still enter the south entrance and drive around to the north end of the building.

Dress for Success

One of the challenges we face being a K-8 school is that what may be acceptable for a Kindergartner to wear may not be acceptable for an eighth grader to wear. With this in mind, we need parent help in administering one school wide dress policy that we can consistently follow. We desire to have a learning environment that is free from distractions.

Here at CMA we have a Regular Dress policy, not a FREE dress policy for all our K-8 students. Students are not allowed to wear clothing that distracts from the learning of others, is vulgar, offensive, frightening, sexually suggestive, gang/alcohol, weapons or drug related. Parents/Guardians are expected to use good judgment in sending students to school properly dressed and groomed. Following are the specific dress code expectations
that our students are required to follow while they attend Christa McAuliffe Academy:

Please Remember:

1. ID: Middle School students will be expected to wear their Student Identification card on a lanyard all day. Teachers will do an ID check along with a dress code check every morning in 1st hour. If students do not have an ID or are in violation of dress code, they will be sent to the office to get an ID or be placed in ISS until ID/dress code are fixed. IDs should be around the student’s neck with appropriate grade level color lanyard at all times throughout the school day. Student ID may not have stickers, markers, or anything covering up the students’ pictures or bar code.

2. Electronics: Cell phones and Smart Watches, electronic devices and accessories such as headphones and earbuds are to be powered off; out of sight; and not used during the school day from 8:00—3:10, unless being used for instructional lessons with a teacher.

3. Shirts must cover the stomach and undergarments while sitting or standing. No low cut tops (front or sides). Tops should cover the top of the chest from armpit to armpit. Tops should have straps.

4. Hoodies: are allowed as long as students meet the following requirements:
a. The hood is not worn inside.
b. Students wearing jackets or hoodies will need to have an appropriate shirt underneath.

5. Appropriate Shorts/Skirts: Shorts, sports shorts, and skirts, tunics, and dresses must be mid thigh in the front, in the back, and on the sides, when walking, even when worn with tights. Ripped, shredded, or torn pants that show skin above fingertip length should have leggings underneath.

6. NO SAGGING to the point underwear are visible will be allowed. Students who have more than 1 sagging violation will be required to wear a belt. Students sagging will have ‘ties’ put into the belt loops to hold the pants up appropriately. Students who continue to sag will be written up and referred to administration for additional
consequences.

7. Shoes must be worn at all times. House-shoes/Slippers are not shoes.

8. Outerwear: Coats, hats, backpacks, gloves, sling/string bags, and purses are to be kept in lockers. Students may transport clothing items to Physical Education and athletics. Jackets, flannels, and hoodies must be worn correctly. No blankets.

9. Headwear: Hats, ball caps, bandannas, sunglasses and other similar types of headwear may not be worn during the school day.

10. Head Coverings due to religious and medical purposes are acceptable, as are appropriate headbands or scarves for holding back long hair.

11. Inappropriate wear: Undergarments, slippers, and pajama pants cannot be visible or worn as clothing.

12. Accessories: Jewelry, socks, belts/buckles, hair styles, tattoos including ink drawing on the skin, may not distract the learning environment.

13. SPIRIT DAY will have some flexibility on dress code, however, CMA Administration will have the final say.

The above code/expectations will be applied fairly and equally regardless of gender. Changes or additions to the Dress Code may be made based on the need to maintain a proper learning environment during the year.

We view the dress code policy as a problem to be solved, not a disciplinary issue. In the event that there is a dress code issue, we will follow these steps to solve the problem:

1. Students will be given the option to change into clothes they have with them. If they have nothing suitable then,
2. Students will be given clothes the office has on hand. 
3. Students will call home and request a parent to bring clothes to wear. If that is not possible,
4. Students will be placed in an alternate setting (office or ISS room) until appropriate clothing can be acquired. It is our priority to keep students in class as much as possible, and get them back to class as soon as possible.
5. Chronic dress code violations could result in further administrative consequences including a meeting between the student, family, and principal.

If you need financial assistance for clothing, please contact our Social Worker or the United Way helpline at 211.

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. 

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.

Please check the rack by door 28, which is north of the cafe, for lost and found items.

 

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. A driver’s license will be required at check-in for any visitor.

Parents may visit the school and classroom at any time. All meetings with teachers need to be scheduled in advance. Children not enrolled at Caldwell are not permitted to visit classrooms unless accompanied by an adult.

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.

Please contact your child's teacher at least 48 hours in advance before bringing treats.

Teachers will send out notices when their class is planning a celebration and let you know how you can support the event.