Attendance Consistent attendance is critical to the academic growth of children and the development of sound attitudes toward learning. Parents are asked to make every effort to have their child attend school on a daily basis and arrange trips and vacations to coincide with scheduled school holidays and vacation periods. State Law and Yorktown Board Policy does not recognize individual or family vacations as legitimate grounds for missing school time. Accordingly, teachers will not assign work for students missing school for such purposes. Additionally, parents are strongly urged not to pick up students prior to the end of the school day for outside activities and appointments, as doing so interferes with the teaching/learning process. Parents are required to call the Health Office at 243-8092 each day of their child’s absence. There is an answering machine in operation when school is not in session. If the nurse does not receive a message by 9:15 a.m., the home will be called to determine the reason for the absence. Tardiness Parents are asked to make every effort to have their child arrive at school on time as valuable classroom time is missed when a student is tardy. When bringing a child to school late, parents are to escort their child to the nurse, after which the child will be sent to the classroom. Lunch Program The French Hill Elementary School offers a daily hot lunch program at $1.50 per day. Lunch menus are sent home monthly. Lunch cards may be purchased in blocks of two, three and four weeks at a cost of $15, $22.50 and $30, respectively. Parents may purchase these cards from the cafeteria by sending a check with their child made payable to Yorktown Central School District. Parents are asked to send in the exact amount and to be sure the check is in an envelope with their child’s name and teacher’s name on it and addressed to the cafeteria. Registering New Students To register a new student, call the district transportation office at 243- 8016 to make an appointment with personnel from that office. After that meeting, the parent is to contact French Hill for an appointment to register and have their child screened. Transportation Busing is available to all French Hill students. In mid-August, parents are mailed the Yorktown Central School District Transportation Guide which has, among other valuable information, a detailed listing of the bus runs. Later in August, parents receive a letter from the principal containing busing information specific to their child. Student's Dismissal Change Any change in a student’s dismissal plan should be communicated via a note to school on the morning of the day of the change. Please be sure to include all pertinent information including date, child’s full name, teacher’s name, specific information as to dismissal change (child’s full name that he/she is visiting and bus number, for example) and parent signature. Notes should be presented from parents of all children involved in the change. Lost and Found Please label all your child’s articles, such as boots, lunch boxes, backpacks, coats, mittens, etc. so they can be returned to their owner. A lost and found rack is located in the cafeteria. For articles lost on the bus, please call the Baumann & Sons Bus Co. at 243-5300. E-Mail Protocol Know your teacher's e-mail policy. Each teacher will explain, at Parent Orientation, communication protocols specific to their class. E-Mail is best used for a quick question or to convey general information, not a complicated issue. If the content of your e-mail is confidential, health-related or time- sensitive, use an alternate means of communication. Be respectful.