Daily Attendance is required of every student at Escalante-Biggs Academy. Our goal is to achieve a 95% attendance rate as a school for 2020-2021.
It is important that your child be here on a daily basis. If your child is going to miss more than 3 days you must request a student leave of absence form from the front office and have it filled out and signed by the principal. If your child is absent for 3 or more unexcused absences the following will take place:
If a child is absent
The professional judgment of our staff, balanced class size, the specific needs of children, and input from the parents are primary considerations. Parents will be notified if a change is being considered, and a conference will be held. Children will have the opportunity to visit other classrooms during the year to meet peers and teachers.
At Escalante-Biggs Academy students are not required to wear a uniform, however, for safety reasons the following articles of clothing are NOT permitted:
If dress code policy is not followed parents/guardians will be notified to bring clothes and items will be confiscated. It is expected that students be in appropriate clothing for active outdoor play on a daily basis (pants, shirts, tennis shoes & light jacket). Teachers will keep you informed of any special dress up days. Removable clothing such as sweaters, coats and boots should be labeled with your child’s name.
Smocks are provided for messy activities; however, accidents can happen. Our paints are washable. Usually prompt attention with cold water and face soap takes care of any soiling.
Please send your child to school with a change of clothes appropriate for the weather. This should remain accessible EVERY day and all items should be labeled with your child’s name.
We ask that all our parents follow the “GOLDEN HEALTH RULE”. Place yourself in the role of other parents – – would you want your child exposed? Please do not send your child to school if they are ill. Remember that the experience at school will not be as valuable for your child if he or she is not feeling well. Please check your child for symptoms every day BEFORE bringing them to school. If they have any of the symptoms listed below, please do not send them to school. Upon arriving at school parents will fill out a Student Health Screening Log and your child’s temperature will be taken. This is for your child’s protection and to protect their schoolmates.
KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AT HOME IF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS ARE PRESENT:
It is important for your child to come to school well rested. REMEMBER, rest may prevent the development of serious illness. Symptoms of a possible communicable disease are: sniffles, reddened eyes, sore throat, headache and abdominal pain, plus a fever.
If your child becomes ill at school, we will notify you. It is very important that you keep your emergency numbers CURRENT! If your child is sick and will not be attending school, please call the attendance line at 720-424-4621.
All parents must have their family physician fill out the medication consent form and bring this to school with the medication before appropriate staff members can distribute medication to any child. Do not ask your classroom teacher or any staff member to administer any medication to your child, including over the counter medication.
All children are accepted into the program regardless of toileting concerns. The staff at Escalante-Biggs Academy will work with you and your child towards their toileting goals and ensure the safety of your child while they attend our school.
If your child is wearing diapers or pull-ups we ask that you supply diapers or pull-ups when your child attends. In addition, please send an extra pair of clothes in case of an accident at school.
Children may enter only through their classroom door at their assigned time. Anyone arriving to school after 9:00 a.m. will not be permitted to attend school that day. Children may not be dropped off or picked up early. Please schedule appointments for after school. If you need to schedule an appointment during school hours please keep your child at home for the day. We appreciate you support and cooperation.
You are required to sign your child in and out upon leaving on a daily basis with your child’s teacher and/or paraprofessional. Please remain with your child until your assigned drop off or pick up time. If you arrive early please wait in your car. Classroom doors will open at 8:15 am.
Please observe class hours. Teachers need time to prepare their classrooms for the day and are not available to supervise children until class begins. Please bring your child in their assigned time slot.
You must pick up your child on time. If you know you are going to be late, please notify the school office immediately so that we can reassure your child.
If a child is absent and it is unexcused the secretary will contact the parent and/or emergency number to determine if the child is excused for the day.
Denver Public Schools provides bus transportation for students whose parents approve their child to use this service. Bus transportation is provided by the Success Express Shuttle. Please be at your child’s bus stop approximately 10 minutes before the shuttle is scheduled to pick-up or drop-off your child.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Responsible Adult – A responsible adult (18 years or older) must meet the shuttle at the designated stop and accept responsibility for your child at the front steps of the shuttle.
No-shows at the Shuttle Stop – If there is no responsible adult at the designated stop to accept responsibility for your child, your child will be returned to the school. You may receive a bill from the school for additional childcare provided as a result of not being at the designated stop at the appointed time.
PLEASE BE ON TIME!!
It is important that you are on time to pick up your child at Escalante-Biggs Academy or at their designated shuttle bus stop. Our shuttle buses and classroom teachers are on a very tight schedule and if you are late, your child will be sent to the front office or will remain on the bus until the route is completed.
The transportation department will contact the front office if there was not a parent/guardian at the shuttle stop to pick up the child. Transportation will deliver that child back to the school to wait with the office staff.
Loss of Shuttle Riding Privileges – Three instances of no one at the designated bus stop to accept responsibility of a child will result in a four-day loss of bus-riding privileges. It will be the parents’ responsibility to get their child to and from school during this period. If it continues to happen that no one is at the stop for the child, bus-riding privileges will be terminated for the remainder of the year.
Shuttle Bus Safety – Your child’s safety and welfare is our primary concern. Please stress to your child that he or she is to sit in their designated seat facing forward and only get out of the seat when asked to do so. Children should be reminded that they are to keep their hands to themselves and use their indoor voices. No shouting or yelling. We are committed to getting your child to and from school safely.
STUDENTS SHOULD BE AT THEIR BUS STOPS 5 TO 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE DESIGNATED PICK UP TIME.
The front office staff will contact the parent/emergency number to request that they pick up the child in the front office.
A staff member will remain with the child until a responsible person picks up the child.
At the end of each session the teacher/para will complete a hand-to-hand drop-off and delivery to parents/ guardians and/or the bus if applicable.
The parent/guardian will sign-out their child each day and the teacher will sign-out each child if they have hand-delivered them to the bus.
At the end of each day the teacher/para will check the sign-in and sign-out log to determine if all children are accounted for.
The teacher will only release students to an adult over the age of 18 that has been indicated on the Parent Permission Form.
Due to the pandemic we will not be having field trips. Staff will provide virtual field trips during the school year.
Please be aware that preschool/kindergarten education is not mandated in the State of Colorado, with the exception of children with disabilities.
FORMS: Required paperwork and forms for registration
If there is any change in the information during the year, please notify the office IMMEDIATELY!
Parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled with each family in November and if needed, in March. A personal or telephone appointment will be arranged by your child’s teacher. If you have a special concern, please contact your classroom teacher.
At the present time we are not permitted to have visitors in the classroom. We appreciate your support and cooperation. If this changes during the school year families will be notified and this information will be updated.
Escalante Biggs Academy Staff believe in building a positive connection with parents. Staff members will schedule a time to virtually visit with your family, if you so choose. This informal visit will be to get to know your child and build a positive relationship with the parents. Our expectation will be that all families will be open to a visit.
The Escalante-Biggs Academy will communicate important announcements, primarily by sending them home with your child, email or by phone. School-wide communication will come to families through Class Dojo. Please make sure and connect with your child’s teacher to get connected to your child’s classroom and to the school. Please check your child’s backpack daily for information or announcements that may be sent home.
In keeping with school district policies, parties for special events will not be permitted this school year. Staff will do their best to make special days fun and exciting. Photos and information will be shared through Class Dojo and through classroom websites.
We ask that you leave your child’s toys at home or in your car. If an item is brought to school, we cannot be responsible for this item.
Children who are enrolled in full-day preschool may bring a small blanket for nap. The item will remain in the child’s blue bag throughout the week and taken home to be washed at the end of the week. All items must be labeled with your child’s name.
Escalante-Biggs Academy will provide milk, a universal free breakfast, and will have a daily hot lunch offering. If your child does not eat meat or pork products, accommodations can be made with advanced notice.
Parents will have the option to provide a “brought” lunch for their child who attends full-day preschool or Kindergarten. Please refrain from bringing items that may need to be heated, cooked or micro-waved during the lunch period. Pre-warmed or needing to stay cooled food items can be sent with your child’s lunch-box thermos.
Please send your child’s “brought” lunch in a lunchbox with any necessary utensils for their lunch. Healthy lunch item suggestions:
For all full-day ECE students, an afternoon snack will be provided. Kindergarten teachers will send a snack list home informing parents when they will send snacks to school with their child to share with the entire class.
Children are encouraged to bring labeled personal water bottles with them for hydration during the school day. Please ask your child’s teacher about the best place to leave the water bottle during the school day.
We follow the school district policy on school closures. The closings are announced on local radio, local news programs and on the district web-site at www.dpsk12.org. Closings for the district are announced as “Denver Public Schools.” Please use good judgment when deciding whether or not to drive your child to school.
The following instructions are for the safety of our children. Please follow these instructions at all times.
Parking lots are a source of danger to young children. We strongly suggest that you:
To: Parent(s) of child/ren attending school at Escalante-Biggs Academy
From: Eric Love -Principal – Escalante-Biggs Academy
At Escalante-Biggs Academy our utmost concern is that of your child’s safety. One of our licensure regulations is that all students must be delivered to their classrooms via “hand to hand” drop off and sign in, which necessitates many vehicles coming and going though our two parking lots at various times during the day.
We also provide Denver Public Schools bus transportation through the Student Success Shuttle and for our School program.
It is imperative that anyone transporting a child at Escalante-Biggs Academy by car know and understand the following guide-lines and agreements. Please share this information with all adults who may be transporting your child to or from school:
The front of the building “horse-shoe” drive is for bus access ONLY.
THIS WILL BE ENFORCED BY DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS SAFETY AND SECURITY OFFICER ASSIGNED TO OUR BUILDING.
Thank you for being an active partner with us in ensuring these guidelines are followed to help protect all children at Escalante-Biggs Academy.
On our walks about the school neighborhood, we conduct an ongoing program of education for street safety. Children are taught:
(STOP, LOOK & LISTEN)
When we take the children on walks, we have very strict rules: The children must always wait for the teacher to tell them that it is safe to cross a street. When the group is near a busy intersection, no child is allowed to walk in front of the teacher, and there will be one or more of the adults at the rear of the group where they can see everyone at all times.
If it is raining or snowing, students will not go outside to recess and will engage in indoor play. If the temperature is below 30 degrees students will have inside recess.
If weather is exceedingly hot, outdoor play will be cancelled and will be substituted with indoor play.
We teach the following safety rules at school to (1) remind children how to interact appropriately with others; (2) to help children feel safe in their classrooms.
Through many discussions, the teachers and the children discuss what “Be Safe” means in terms of concrete behaviors surrounding playground play, going on field trips, using the bathroom, etc.
“Be Respectful” is clearly defined – no actions against someone which could hurt their bodies (hitting, kicking, pushing, etc.) or their feelings (name calling, teasing, hurtful words, etc.)
“Be Responsible” includes awareness all classroom materials, products children make, and anything which is brought from home.
The Colorado Children’s Code requires that all staff employed by public schools report incidents or information of “suspected” abuse and/or neglect. Any follow-up regarding these reports is the responsibility of the Denver County Department of Social Services.
While at school, in the classroom or on the playground, your child is expected to follow our school rules. Acceptable behavior is encouraged by giving positive verbal rewards. Asking a child to stop and think about his/her behavior enables the child to work at self-control. When a child does not cooperate, appropriate strategies will be used to manage behavior. Corporal punishment is NOT an acceptable method of dealing with children’s behavior. Children will not be hit, slapped or spanked in any manner while attending the Escalante-Biggs Academy.
Unless it is a very serious problem, your child’s teacher and an appropriate staff member will talk with your child and will also talk with the child’s parents. If behavior problems persist, a conference will be scheduled with the parent to discuss what may be helpful in motivating the child to behave in an acceptable way. It may be suggested that the child be involved in a behavior plan, with the parent being involved in the process as well.
According to state law, if a student is habitually disruptive or disobedient, the procedure in the District Behavior Standards and Conduct Discipline Code booklet should be followed. For more information about the procedure, please contact Eric A. Love – Principal.
DPS Parent/Student Portal is website where parents/guardians and students can check on how students are doing in school. You can check on your child’s grades, attendance, state and district tests, and much more.