School Procedures and Policies
Morning Arrival
Student arrival is between 7:40-7:55 AM. Instruction begins at 8:00 AM. The car rider lane will close at 7:55 and adults must park and accompany their student into the office to get a late pass after 7:55 am.
Car riders must be dropped off in the car rider lane through main parking lot. Do not drop off students in the bus lane directly in front of the building. Do not use two lanes for morning drop off.
Afternoon Dismissal
The dismissal bell rings at 2:25 pm. There are no early dismissals after 1:40 PM unless it’s an emergency.
Please display car rider tags when arriving for afternoon dismissal. You may use both car rider lanes for PM pickup, please do not depart until signaled that it is safe by the teacher on duty.
PreK students are dismissed early. Parents, please wait at the flagpole, do not come to the classroom window before dismissal.
Attendance
Good attendance is critically important to your child's success. Students who are absent more than twice a month, or 18 days a school year, are considered chronically absent. Chronically absent students are at risk for lower performance in academics. Our school's state rating is largely based on student attendance. Help us become a FIVE STAR SCHOOL by sending your child to school daily. In the event your child becomes ill, please communicate the reason for their absence to the teacher and/or to front office staff.
School Meals
Applications for Free and Reduced Meals can be completed here: https://www.aacps.org/o/aacps/page/apply-for-free-or-reduced-price-meals
Information on purchasing school meals can be found here: https://www.aacps.org/o/aacps/page/purchasing-school-meals
If your child brings lunch, please send a labeled lunch box and refillable water bottle. Please do not bring students fast food meals to eat in the cafeteria or send DoorDash orders for children.
AACPS School Calendar
Please make note of the AACPS School Calendar and ensure that you are aware of early dismissal and school closures: https://www.aacps.org/o/aacps/page/school-calendar
Fort Smallwood Elementary Personal Electronics Policy
Fort Smallwood adheres to the AACPS policies and guidelines regarding personal electronics for students. It is strongly recommended that parents do not permit students to bring cell phones, Apple watches, or other personal electronics to school. Student use of these devices during the school day is disruptive, interferes with instruction, and presents an instructional distraction that is very difficult for teachers to manage. Parents can communicate with students through the main office.
If a child does bring a cell phone to school, the cell phone must remain turned off and be stored in the student’s locker throughout the day. If students wear Apple watches to school, and those are used inappropriately during the instructional day, children will be directed to remove them and place them in their lockers.
If a student does not comply with these rules, the following will occur:
First infraction: Student will receive a verbal warning, be instructed to store the electronic device in the locker, and parent will be notified.
Second infraction: Student will receive a Minor Incident Referral and parent will be notified
Third infraction: Students will receive a Minor Incident Referral, the electronic device will be confiscated for parents to pick up from the main office. Further repeated offences will follow the Student Code of Conduct guidelines for classroom disruption.
Birthday Celebrations
We know that birthdays are a special day, but we ask families to please be considerate of the needs of the whole class in celebrating your child’s birthday at school. We recognize children’s birthdays on the announcements, and teachers take time to recognize birthdays in age-appropriate ways in class as well. We will distribute invitations to birthday parties that invite the whole class. If you are only inviting select children from the class, we ask you to manage invitations outside of school.
In consultation with the teacher, parents may:
Send in simple store-bought treats, such as cupcakes, to be consumed at lunch for the entire class. Store bought treats must be nut-free and must list the ingredients on the packaging
Send small favor bags containing non-edible items such as pencils, stickers or playdough in with their child for the entire class
Plan with the teacher for one family member to visit the class at a specified time to distribute the treats or favors, or to be a guest reader of the child’s favorite storybook.
Parents may not:
Send whole cakes, pizzas or other food items requiring the teacher to serve
Send home-made food items
Send balloons or other large celebratory displays
Send large gifts or gifts/favors only for certain children in the class
Bring multiple family members or friends to school to celebrate in the classroom
Volunteering
We welcome school volunteers. In order to volunteer or chaperone, family members must complete a Background Investigation with AACPS. Here is the link for information on how to obtain a background check: https://www.aacps.org/o/aacps/page/chaperonevolunteer-background-investigations
