Visiting School Policies
All persons entering the building at any time are required to register in the
school office first, regardless of the nature of the visit. This policy is in
place to ensure the safety or your child(ren). All parents, volunteers,
and/or visitors will be required to wear school visitor badges which will be
issued in the school office at the time of registration. Teachers have been
instructed not to meet with parents without a visitor pass. We ask that you
do not visit the classrooms during the school day to see your child or to
deliver forgotten materials. Even though they are well-meaning, unexpected
visits interrupt classroom instruction. Please help us to eliminate as many
classroom interruptions as possible.
Parents who are either 1) bringing a child who is tardy, or 2)
picking up a child who is leaving early, need to sign the TARDY or EARLY
DISMISSAL LOGS in the office. Please accompany tardy children into the
building.
School volunteers will sign the VOLUNTEER LOG and obtain a volunteer
badge to be worn while on the school premises. Volunteer badges must be
returned upon signing out each day.
School visitors who are only visiting the office and using the main
entrance should just sign the VISITOR LOG in the office. Visitors who will be
visiting areas of the school other than the office and the main entrance must
register in the school office and wear a visitor badge while on the school
premises. School visitors include parents, grandparents, substitutes, F.S.U.
staff and students, and any other community members. It is county policy that
all individuals entering a public school must be registered with proper
identification.
New Seccurity System
On Monday, May 18, 2009, a new door security system was made
fully operational at Westernport Elementary School. This is a
pilot project approved by the elected board for Westernport
Elementary and West Side Elementary Schools.
In the morning from 8:15 a.m. – 8:50 a.m., the doors at
Westernport will be unlocked for student arrival. Students
arriving after 8:50 a.m. must be accompanied by a parent/adult,
use the new intercom system to gain access to the building and
sign in at the main office. The doors will be locked from 8:50
a.m. – 3:05 p.m. and will be unlocked from 3:05 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
for student dismissal.
If you come to the main entrance and find it locked, you
will need to access the silver box to the left of the main
entrance doors. The office staff will be notified of your
request to enter, communicate with you, and facilitate your entry.
This system is by no means being implemented to keep our
school community out of our building. It is an additional safety
measure to protect our students and staff by monitoring access to
the building. The safety of our children is always our first
priority.
As we begin to pilot this new safety feature, we
encourage your feedback and suggestions. Please feel free to
contact Mr. Robert Farrell, Allegany County Public Schools
Coordinator of Safety and Security at 301-759-2063 or Mr. Gary
Stein, principal, at 301-359-0511 if you have any questions or
concerns.
Attendance
Regular school attendance is expected of all K-12 students in the Allegany
County Public Schools. School attendance is directly related to school
achievement. In order to maximize academic achievement, there must be a
unified effort between school and home. Please encourage your child to come
to school when possible. However, if your child is too ill to attend, we do
encourage you to keep him/her home. Please send a doctor/dentist slip to
school each time your child makes a visit due to illness and/or checkups.
This is a county policy, and your cooperation is always appreciated.
All absences, tardiness, requests for early dismissal, vacations or
any other change in the regular daily program of your child should be
explained in a written note to the teacher. Students are also responsible for
completing missed work. The updated attendance policy will be enforced.
Please make an effort to schedule doctor and dental appointments before or
after school hours or on school holidays. The school calendar lists all
vacation days for the entire school year.
Your child will be marked tardy if entering the building after 8:50
a.m. After this time, it will be necessary for a parent/guardian to accompany
your child to the office to sign the Tardy Log. The total number of “days
tardy” will be recorded in your child’s report card at the end of each nine
week marking period. Daily attendance records will be transferred
electronically to the Pupil Personnel Office at the Board of Education. For
the progress and academic success of all of our students, please make an
effort to decrease these numbers for the 2009-2010 school year.
Please remember that prior to 8:50 a.m., children have an opportunity
to ask questions, make-up missed assignments, organize their thoughts, and
begin preparation for the day’s activities. This time is very important to
your child. Please help your child begin each day on a positive note.