FAQs, Forms, and Info

Frequently Asked Questions at Jonathan Valley Elementary School

1. What time will my child get off the bus?

• Please allow 10 minutes before and after normal AM pick up and PM pick up times for fluctuations in the bus schedule due to adding students, students that move, or traffic delays.
• Specific questions / clarifications should be directed to the school first at 926-3207 and then to the HCS Transportation Department at 456-2421

How do I register my Kindergarten student?

Your child must be 5 years old by August 31 of the year he/she is entering kindergarten . Please call the school at 926-3207 for information regarding the annual kindergarten parent meeting in the spring. Please bring (1) Child’s CERTIFIED birth certificate, (2) child’s social security card, (3) Child’s Immunization record. You will be asked to have your pediatrician or a medical professional at the health department to complete a state-required health assessment form. This form is required for your kindergartener to attend school. You will be invited to set up an appointment for an individual academic assessment of your child and to set up an appointment for a family individual school visit with your child’s teacher! We are excited to have your child in our kindergarten program!

I’m moving to the area. . . How do I enroll my child?

You will need to provide the following:
• Proof of residence (driver’s license or an official document with your name and your address to show that you are in Jonathan Valley’s district)
• CERTIFIED birth certificate for your student
• Immunization record for your student
• Photo ID of parent/guardian
• Withdrawal form from previous school (we will then make an official records request)
• Custody papers (if applicable)
Please let us know the following:
• Any medical / health concerns for your child
• Any special academic services (IEP, 504 plan, speech/language services, ESL services, etc.) your child received at previous school
Yes, you MAY pick up enrollment forms before you bring your child. Completing those papers in advance (and in the comfort of your own home) will save you a lot of time the big day you arrive! We will not actually enroll your child, however, until all forms are complete.

What are the school’s hours of operation?

• 7:30 School officially opens and car riders may enter through the front entrance.  Bus riders enter through the side entrance.  Students will got to the cafeteria to get breakfast or to wait to enter class when all teachers arrive at 7:45. Staff is on duty for supervision during this time.
• 8:10 Morning Announcements

NOTE: From 8:00-8:10 children are busy putting away their supplies, making their lunch choice, and beginning morning work while teachers are checking homework, checking agenda books, and making any home transportation changes. INSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN BY 8:10. Please encourage your child to arrive on time. Timeliness is an important life-long habit that inspires responsibility and self-discipline.

• 8:10 Tardy bell rings, morning announcements
• 8:10-2:50 LEARNING AND FUN
• 2:50 Afternoon dismissal to buses and first line of car riders
• 2:50-3:10 Continue dismissing car riders one line at a time. A school staff person will ask each driver his/her identity and which child s/he is picking up. This information is documented each day.
• 3:15 If your child has not gone home by bus or car, s/he will go to afterschool care.
• 3:20 Teachers are dismissed
• 4:00 Teachers may continue to work, but the office is closed
NOTE: If no one is at the bus stop to meet your child, s/he will be returned to school to afterschool care. Bus drivers are not allowed to leave children unattended.
• 6:00 After School Care closes.

What is the attendance policy?

Good attendance is very important to a child’s academic progress! We are doing important work each and every day!
• If your child must be out of school (illness, injury, etc.), please send a note in the agenda book or from physician’s office when s/he returns so that we can excuse the absence.
• More than 15 absences in a school year could result in your child not being promoted to the next grade or being required to attend summer school in order to be promoted to the next grade.
• If your child suffers from an extended illness which requires him/her to miss more than two days in a row, please call your child’s teacher to get make-up work started.