ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL

Classrooms are open each day at 8:00 a.m. and school begins at 8:15 a.m. The cafeteria will open for students eating breakfast at 8:15 a.m. The bookstore will be open from 8:15-8:30 a.m. daily. Students may also enter the library at 8:15 a.m. for check-in of Accelerated Reader books. Parents with children enrolled in the before care program must bring students through the front entrance of the school and come to the counter in the foyer to sign them in between 7:15-8:15 a.m. Parents must also come through the same entrance when signing their children out between 3:30-6:00 p.m.

Students will be dismissed each day at 3:15p.m. Students should be completely off campus by 3:45 p.m., or enrolled and attending the after school care program, unless supervised by a teacher for a specific activity. A warning notice will be issued to students on the first occurrence of being on campus unsupervised after 3:45 p.m. On the second occurrence, students may be issued a Home Suspension. Continued occurrences will result in more stringent consequences. For repeated cases of children being left unsupervised at school for long periods, the Memphis Police Department will be contacted to transport the student to Juvenile Court. These responses are necessary for the safety of our students as there are no adults available to supervise children after 3:45 p.m.

Please make every effort to schedule doctor, dental and other appointments after school hours.Parents and guardians must come to the Main Office to check out their child, and wait for the child there. Teachers will not release a child without being notified by the Office first.

Persons not identified on our computer systems as parents, guardians, or emergency contacts will not be allowed to check students out of school.

BUS RULES

Due to the overload of traffic on Sanga Road during arrival and dismissal we encourage your child to ride the bus to and from school. All children may ride the bus regardless of the distance of the residence from school. While riding the bus students must conduct themselves in an orderly fashion both at the bus stops and on the buses. Students will be required to sign a list of bus rules. If a student violates those rules, the parent will be notified. If a student continues to violate the rules, the student may lose the privilege of riding the bus

The bus driver is considered a member of the faculty and the drivers instructions are to be followed without hesitation. The driver has the authority to assign seats on the bus as necessary.

EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM

The opening and closing time for school is 30 minutes later that the opening and closing time for the Middle School. Many families are in need of activities for their children before and after the regular school day. In response to that need, Cordova Elementary and Memphis City Schools have established an Extended Day Program for our students. The Program will operate under a license from the Tennessee Department of Education using the standards and licensing procedures approved by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. We have planned a meaningful schedule for our students and will provide a number of activities- some instructional and fun.

The time before school is 7:15 a.m. until 8:15 a.m. Parents will bring their children into the main hall of the school and sign them in on the roster located at the counter. The time after school is 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Parents must also sign out their students in the book on the counter when checking out after school. The afternoon session will begin in the cafeteria with refreshments and homework assignments. Then, qualified staff will supervise students, and they will visit the classrooms, library, art, science and computer labs, or playground area for structured/challenging activities.

The program closes promptly at 6:00 p.m. and there will be a $ 1.00 charge for every minute that the child stays past the closing time. We encourage parents to register their child on an emergency basis at the beginning of the school year. The nonrefundable fee of $10.00 per year will permit your child to stay in the program when you have an emergency or cant pick your child up on time.

There are very few Extended Day Program openings in grades 1 - 4.

ATTENDANCE

All children are expected to be in attendance and on time each day. Student absences shall be excused only for the following reasons: (1) personal illness of the student; (2) death or serious illness in the immediate family; (3) subpoena for court appearance; (4) recognized religious holiday; or (5) any unusual cause acceptable to the principal. A written note explaining the absence is required and should be submitted to the Attendance Office when a student returns to school. Out of town vacations should be planned around holidays from school. Send a written note to the principal if a trip is unavoidable.

Students are allowed to make up work as a result of excused absences however; it is the responsibility of the student to make up assignments and tests within a reasonable time.Generally, students are allowed one day to make up assignments for each day missed.

The MCS Policy on Unexcused Absences (BOE 5113) is enforced through the Pupil Services Center and in-school suspensions are automatically generated at school sites. After 2 (cumulative) unexcused absences, parents will be called. After the third and fourth unexcused absence parents will be called and a parent/teacher conference will be requested. A warning letter informing parents of the truancy laws and consequences of noncompliance will also accompany the conference. After the fifth unexcused absence the Asst. Principal will send a letter requesting parental presence at a meeting made up of members of the Student Attendance Review Team (SART). The team members will develop and sign off on the Parent/Student Action Plan. If the parent and student does not adhere to the PSAP plan and is absent without an excuse for a total of 10 days, the SART team shall refer the student and parent to the community wide Student Attendance Review Board (SARB). This SARB Board consists of representatives from Juvenile Court and Memphis and Shelby County Community Services Agency, Memphis City Schools, the Council of Missing and Exploited Children, and the Department of Children’s Services. The SARB Board can also decide to refer the family to the Attorney General and Juvenile Court or give the parents a chance to follow the original plan developed by the school. Parents and students can also be required to attend an intervention program, and parents can be required to attend a parenting class. Students and parents accumulating 15 or more days of unexcused absences within a school year may be referred to Juvenile Court and the District Attorney General’s Office for appropriate legal action.