Student Handbook

• Teach them the value of good, prompt attendance
• Promptly return all forms to school
• Check homework to make sure it’s complete
• Check the school calendar often so you are aware of early release days, special events and no school days
•  Do not send a sick child to school – students must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school
• Make sure your student is dressed appropriately

From time to time at the beginning of the year, we might find ourselves with an imbalance of students at a particular grade level.  We try our best to be proactive about this by making adjustments to class lists before the first day of school.  However, in the case that our student enrollment continues to change, at the recommendation of our district office, we may need to move students or collapse classrooms.  Class lists are subject to change through the month of September.  We regret having to make any adjustments after the start of the year and thank you in advance for your understanding, flexibility, and support.

Shorewood Elementary: 206.631.4900

Highline School District Office: 206.631.3000

Special Services: 206.631.3037

Transportation: 206.631.7502

Student Placement: 206.631.3065

 The 3 B's

RESPECT

We speak courteously to everyone.  We follow the directions of all staff.

We treat both school and personal belongings carefully.

RESPONSIBILITY

We are accountable for our own actions.  We set goals and work to achieve them.  We learn from our mistakes and celebrate our growth.

SAFETY

We do nothing that could hurt ourselves or others.  We resolve conflicts in a calm and thoughtful manner.

Principal - Mike Fosberg

Assistant Principal - Kyle Hutchinson

Office Manager - Vicki Treakle

Office Assistant 

Family Liaison - Vanessa Hatfield

Doors open at 8:50 a.m. with breakfast served from 8:50 - 9:10 a.m. If not eating breakfast, students should not arrive at school before 9:05 a.m. There are no adults available to supervise unattended students.

Monday-Thursday

Friday

Breakfast is served from 8:50-9:10 a.m. If your student does not eat breakfast, please do not arrive at school until 9:00 a.m.

FOLLOW THE 3 B’s:

• Be Respectful-clean up your area
• Be Responsible-go to breakfast or line up outside, keep personal items in backpack
• Be Safe-walk, stay in lines, backpacks on your back

The habit of regular and punctual attendance is strongly related to student success. We ask that you help your child to develop good work habits. The school reserves the right to call and validate the excuse and to schedule a conference relating to tardies and absences. Serious attendance problems will be reviewed monthly and may result in letters, phone calls and conferences. Every attempt will be made, however, to create a positive resolution that leads to good attendance.

We encourage staff and parents to the join the Shorewood PTA!  Our PTA provides our students with assemblies, field trip transportation, popcorn days, spring carnival and many other fun family events.

Our Somali & Hispanic Family Meetings are scheduled monthly and hosted by Vanessa Hatfield, our Family Liaison Specialist.  These meetings offer families an opportunity to provide input into their child’s education.

Shorewood loves and appreciates our volunteers!  Volunteering is a very rewarding experience.  If you are interested in volunteering, stop by the office and pick up a volunteer form or visit the Highline School District website. Once approved, (which generally takes a few days), you can make arrangements with your student’s teacher to volunteer in the classroom or help out with a field trip, etc.  When you come to school to volunteer, please check in at the office.

The Highline Public Schools website has an abundance of resources for parents and students at www.highlineschools.org. You can find information such as school calendars, lunch and bus schedules, health services, internet safety, parent resources, and individual school websites. You can also visit www.peachjar.com and register to receive flyers from school as well as the community. We encourage you to browse the website and Peachjar to see if the answer to your question is just a click away!

The primary responsibility for the education of children is vested in the regular classroom teacher, but a combination of the following specialists and special programs are available to assist in assessment and to help meet individual needs.

• Nurse
• Counselor
• Bilingual Tutors
• Inclusive Education Program
• Psychologist
• Speech and Language Pathologist
• Occupational and Physical Therapy
• Hearing and Vision Specialist
• SEL Specialist
• Success Dean
• Family Liaison

All lost and found items can be located right outside of the cafeteria. Lost and found items that are not claimed, will be donated to charity throughout the year. Please check the lost and found or check with the office for lost items as soon as possible. We are not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Call the office at 206.631.4900 before 9:00 a.m. to report absences. You may also e-mail the office and your student's teacher. Messages can be left before/after school hours on our voicemail. Please be sure to call the office to report an absence, or you can send a written note when your child returns to school. For your child's safety, if we have not heard from a parent/guardian, Highline Public Schools will send a robo notification to verify your child's absence. If your child will be gone for an extended period of time, please let the office know as soon as possible. Absences not excused by a note or phone call within 48 hours of the absence will be marked as "unexcused".

Any absence from school is unexcused unless it meets specific criteria for an excused absence:

Highline Public Schools, in accordance with state mandates, will only accept the following excuses for absences from school:

• Illness, health condition, or medical appointment
• Covid due to illness or to care for family
• Family emergency, including but not limited to death or illness in the family
• Religious or cultural purposes
• Court, judicial proceedings
• Absence directly related to the student's homeless status
• Absence resulting from disciplinary/corrective action (short-term or long-term suspension, emergency explosion, etc.)

The principal has the authority to determine if an absence meets the above criteria for an excused absence.

Students are expected to be at school on time every day and remain in school until the dismissal bell.  Being late for school means the student misses out on important morning announcements and their teachers’ instructional time.

Students arriving after the 9:15 a.m. bell need to check in at the office to obtain a late pass. 

Please try to arrange appointments around the school day. Students needing an early dismissal will only be released when a parent/guardian signs them out in the office.  Teachers cannot release students to parents. A parent/guardian MUST sign the student out in the office, and the office will contact their teacher.

SHOREWOOD ABSENT/TARDY POLICY

It is very important that parents have a procedure for their child to follow if dismissed early due to snow, power/water failure, etc. It is vital that you keep your emergency contact information updated with the school in case of an emergency.

This year, 5^th grade students will choose to participate in either general music OR band.  If students choose band, instruments are not provided but are for sale or rent at local music stores.  There are a select number of district-owned instruments for families to borrow.

We look forward to having your child participate in our Physical Education program! If your child cannot participate in the regularly scheduled physical education class, please send a doctor's note. If your child cannot participate because of a temporary restriction, you may send a note excusing him/her from participating for that day only. Tennis shoes are requested for PE days. Boots, flip-flops, sandals, etc. are not safe for PE activities. Comfortable clothing is also recommended.

FOLLOW THE 3 B'S:

• Be Respectful
  • Flush toilet, Level "0" voice
• Be Responsible
  • Put garbage in can, take care of your needs quickly
• Be Safe
  • Wash your hands
  • Do you have a pass?
  • No writing or drawing in the bathroom

It is your duty as a member of our Shorewood family to report students to the office or your teacher, who are vandalizing the bathrooms.

Every Shorewood student gets to use and check out books from the library during the school year.  The number of books students can check out depends on their grade level.  Students are expected to be respectful, responsible and safe with all library materials.  Library materials need to be returned or renewed each week.  It is a privilege to check out library books and to be able to take them home.  Students who are irresponsible with library materials, will have limited privileges.  If library materials are lost or damaged, those items will need to be paid for.  Students will not receive their report card at the end of the school year if they have a library fine.  The library is a classroom during the school day and is not open for visitors or meetings when classes are in session. 

• Do not park in the fire lane
• Do not park in the handicapped spot without a state issued handicapped placard
• Pull up against the curb - DO NOT block parked cars
• Pull to the front - DO NOT leave large gaps between cars
• Single file ONLY - DO NOT double park in the circle
• If parking in the neighborhood, be a good neighbor keeping driveways clear; park off the road.
• Cross at designated crosswalks (116th and 126th)

FOLLOW THE 3 B’s:

• Be Respectful
  • Level “2” voice, kind words only, share seats as needed
• Be Responsible
  • Follow bus driver’s directions, leave items in backpacks
• Be Safe
  • Stay seated face forward, hands to self, wait for bus to stop before walking toward bus, exit front to back showing patience, exit bus & follow traffic safety rules

• Use only planned, safe walking routes when coming to or going from home to school. Don’t stop at a friend’s house without parent permission
• Cross at the crosswalk only with the help of the adult crossing guard
• Report immediately to parents, teacher, or the office if anyone bothers you on your walk to or from school

• Only 4th and 5th  graders may ride their bikes to school
• Helmets must be worn, it’s the law!
• Bikes are to be walked while on the school grounds
• Keep skateboards, rollerblades, heelies and scooters at home

Parents will be called to come and pick up bike, scooter, etc. if these rules are not followed.

It is required that we have a current contact phone number for every student at all times.  If your phone number or address changes at any time, PLEASE update your information in Synergy through ParentVUE or contact the school office.

• Safety first! Listen to adult recess supervisors
• If you need help, find an adult recess supervisor
• Follow Shorewood’s Guidelines for Success: The 3 B’s - Respect, Responsibility and Safety
• You must have a pass to enter the building from the playground area at recess, NO EXCEPTIONS!

Shorewood has very detailed expectations and rules for the cafeteria, hallways, bathrooms and playground, which are posted throughout the school. Our staff will review these detailed expectations with students throughout the year.

FOLLOW THE 3 B’s:

• Be Respectful
  • Level 0 voice
• Be Responsible
  • Hands, feet and objects to yourself, always have a pass for bathroom, office and clinic
• Be Safe
  • Walk, stay to the right

Cafeteria Expectations

FOLLOW THE 3 B’s:

• Be Respectful-Level 2 voice, be polite to others

• Be Responsible-clean your space, dump and stack trays, eat what you take

• Be Safe-eat your food only, stay in seat until dismissal time, keep food on tray, walk at all times
• Raise your hand to be excused before cleaning your tray or putting your lunchbox in your class bucket.

Meal Information

All meals are FREE for students.

Appropriate dress for school is expected. Any type of dress or grooming which is distracting to the learning environment or unsafe is not acceptable. Shorts, skirts and dresses should reach the tip of the student’s fingers when the hand is at the side. No bare stomachs and no undergarments should be showing. Hats and hoods cannot be worn during the school day.

CLOTHING ITEMS NOT ALLOWED

• Fishnet shirts                                                  
• Tops with “spaghetti” straps                         
• Cleats                                                             
• Pajamas (unless Pajama day)                        
•  Shirts with inappropriate pictures/logos                  
• Halter tops
• Trench coats
• Heelies
• Hats (unless hat day)

• Toys
• Gum
• IPods
• Laser pointer
• Skateboards
• Rollerblades
• Scooters
• Heelies

Shorewood is not responsible for broken, lost, stolen or confiscated items.

Permission to call home about visiting a friend after school will not be granted. Students will not be called to the phone from class unless it is an emergency. All plans should be made before your child comes to school. Interrupting the class to give students last-minute phone messages disrupts the learning environment. We teach students responsibility and the ability to plan ahead.

We understand that some parents need their children to carry cell phones for safety reasons.  Please be aware that these must be kept turned off and in their backpacks until after school. Any adult that sees a student with a cell phone will give one reminder, and then on the second time will confiscate the item immediately and turn it into the office. The student may pick it up after school for the first offense.  If a second offense occurs, a parent must pick up the item.

Parents are requested to contact their student’s teacher ahead of time to make arrangements when requesting to visit a classroom.  All visitors must check in at the office, sign the visitor log and get a visitor badge before proceeding to the classroom.  Student visitors are allowed on rare occasions.  

Students are very familiar with our Guidelines for Success also known as the 3 B’s.  They are:  Respect, Responsibility and Safety.  Your child should be able to tell you what each of these mean.  Our expectations are a combination of common courtesy and safety considerations.

Our Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) team has posters in the classroom and school wide, with our behavior expectations. Students are rewarded for displaying the Guidelines for Success.

The following types of behavior are NEVER allowed at Shorewood.

• Bullying
• Fighting
• Teasing
• Harassment
• Disrespectful conduct
• Intentional harm to others
• Possession of weapons or other dangerous objects
• Possession or use of tobacco, drugs or alcohol

For details on student discipline, refer to Highline Public School’s Discipline Policy and Students’ Rights and Responsibilities, published on the district Website, www.highlineschools.org Highline Public Schools has a zero tolerance policy for any type of weapon.