The following procedures and guidelines intend to ensure consistency and maintain a safe school environment for all Meadows stakeholders. Please adhere to the parameters outlined below and respect staff reminders to follow these guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.

TRANSPORTATION

Safety

• Always observe crosswalks.
• Crossing guards are stationed at Meadows Avenue, Manhattan Beach Blvd, and the front and back of the school.
• Come directly to school in the morning and go directly home in the afternoon.

Drop-Offs

• Please respect drop-off/pickup zones. No parking or crossing in the middle of the street or in the white loading zones. Exit the drop-off zone by following the street signs. Avoid unsafe illegal turns.
• Do not park/drop off in the designated staff parking lots off of Rowell and off 12th street.
• When using the drop-off/pick-up lanes, please pull all the way forward to allow other cars to enter behind you
• Vehicles must slowly enter the drop-off zone.
• The driver stays in the car at all times.
• Students only exit from the right-hand side of the vehicle.
• Turn into the drop-off zone with right-hand turns ONLY. Left-hand turns are illegal.
• No passing of other vehicles in the drop-off zone.
• Do not leave your car unattended as it stops the traffic flow, preventing others from dropping off their children safely and on time.
• Students may not play ball or other games before school, even when supervised by an adult.
• Students may not play on the equipment on the upper playground or kindergarten yard before school.

Student Arrival

• Students in grades TK/K may not use the drop-off zones. They must be accompanied by an adult all the way to the classroom door. Adults must wait at the door until the teacher greets the students. They may arrive no earlier than 7:50 a.m.
• Students in Grades 1-5 may utilize the drop-off zones and arrive no earlier than 7:55 a.m.
• Students will line up outside their classrooms.
• Classroom doors open at 8:00 a.m. for grades TK/K and 8:05 for grades 1-5.
• Students who arrive to school any time after this time will be marked tardy. Please be respectful of instruction by leaving campus once students are safely inside.

Riding a Bike or Scooter to School

• 3rd - 5th grade students, with parent permission, may ride bicycles or scooters to school.
• Bikes, skateboards, and scooters must be secured in racks beside Room 25.
• Students must wear helmets when riding bikes or scooters.
• Riding bikes or scooters is not permitted at any time at school and must be walked on campus.

Pick-Ups & After School Procedures - IMPORTANT

• Per Board policy, students are to go home directly after school, unless supervised through the after school program or EDP.
• TK and kindergarten students may not play on the school grounds after dismissal.
• After dismissal, every playground is reserved for students enrolled in our EDP program.

Student Dismissal

• Students in TK, kindergarten, first, and second grades should be dismissed to an adult at the end of their school day. Please communicate with your child's teacher for unique circumstances.
• Students in third, fourth, and fifth grades may leave school on their own.
• There is no staff supervision after dismissal.

Locking of Gates

• Gates are locked daily from 8:20 a.m. - 2:35 p.m. (1:20 p.m. Wednesdays).
• Parents may not wait at classroom doors for dismissal.
• Parents must wait behind school gates for students to be dismissed.

ATTENDANCE

Reporting Absences

• Call the school office or Report an Absence online when your child is absent.
• Inform school immediately if your child has a contagious disease or condition such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, strep, conjunctivitis, head lice, etc.
• Send a note and/or an e-mail when your child returns to school to the health office, or follow directions on the Meadows website.

Permission to Leave School During School Day

• Parents, guardians, or adults listed on your child's emergency information card must come to the office and sign a student release form. Proper identification is required. Children will not be released from the classroom. The office will send for your child who will meet you at the office.

NUTRITION

School Lunches

• Cafeteria lunches, which include milk, are served at no cost at this time.
• You may access more information here on the MBUSD website.
• If you must deliver a lunch, please leave it in the front office and it will be delivered to your child.
• We discourage special birthday luncheons with your child during the school day.

Lunches from Home

• Students are not permitted to share any food from home with other students. Prior to any food consumption in class for special activities, your teacher will notify you.
• Please pack healthy snacks and lunches for your child. Soft drinks and candy are never permitted.
• Keep Meadows a "peanut-free/tree nut-free" zone. Many of our children have life-threatening allergies to peanuts/tree nuts, which can even be triggered by smelling the breath of a student or adult who has consumed peanut/tree nut products. Please be mindful of this when volunteering on campus.

MBUSD Wellness Policy

The Wellness Policy, required by Federal and State regulations, makes our children less vulnerable to allergies, diabetes, obesity, etc. The following are some of the guidelines in place:

• Only 100% fruit juice bars may be sold at our ice cream sales, unless the sales are held ½ hour after the last students are dismissed from school.
• The PTA sponsors two parties each year.
• For your child's birthday, please do not send food, candy, favors, flowers, balloons, etc. to school. Plan to celebrate your child's birthday in your own special way after school hours.

DRESS CODE

The Meadows School Community has traditionally expected students to attend school with general cleanliness, and dressed neatly, safely, and appropriately for the activities of the day.

Students must wear closed-toed shoes. Crocs, or shoes like Crocs, are not permitted since students can not safely run in them.

Board Policy Manual: Regulation 5132: Dress And Grooming

Students MUST wear:

• Top with fabric in the front and on the sides.
• Bottom clothes.
• Shoes; students in grades K-8 must wear close-toed shoes that cover the entirety of the foot from toe to heel and that are securely fitted to the student's foot at all times. No Crocs.
• Clothing that covers private body parts with opaque material.
• Clothing that covers undergarments. (Waistbands and bra straps excluded)

Students CANNOT wear:

• Clothing, jewelry, and personal items containing writing, pictures, or any other insignia which is vulgar, lewd,
• obscene, profane, or sexually suggestive or which promotes the use of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or other illegal activity.
• Visible underwear or bathing suits of similar design (visible waistbands or straps on undergarments worn under other clothing are not a violation)
• Helmets, hoods, or other headgear that obscures the face (except as a religious observance)

No grade of a student participating in a physical education class shall be adversely affected if the student does not wear standardized physical education apparel because of circumstances beyond the student's control. (Education Code 49066)

The dress code shall be modified as appropriate to accommodate a student's religious or cultural observance, health condition, or other circumstance deemed necessary by the principal or designee. In addition, the principal or designee may impose dress requirements to accommodate the needs of special school activities, physical education classes, athletic activities, and other extracurricular and co-curricular activities.

Students shall be allowed to wear sun-protective clothing, including but not limited to hats, for outdoor use during the school day. (Education Code 35183.5)

PERSONAL ITEMS

• Wheelie shoes are not permitted, nor may they be worn without the wheels.

Lost and Found

• All jackets, sweaters, coats, rainwear, and lunch boxes should be labeled with your child's first and last name for identification.
• Labeled items are returned to students.
• Unlabeled, lost items are placed in either the cafeteria or office on racks or in a bin.
• Every quarter, a staff member washes lost articles and gives them to needy families through charitable organizations.

General Reminders

• Do not bring large sums of money or items of value to school.
• Do not bring toys, games, or other unrelated school items to school.
• Basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls, and kickballs may NOT be brought to school to use and share as part of the school program.

CELL PHONES AND SCHOOL COMMUNICATION

Students are not permitted to use cell phones at school or wear watches that have calling or texting abilities, even if this capability has been turned off. Cell phones are highly discouraged, but if students bring them, the phones must be turned off and put in backpacks. If a student uses a cell phone during school hours, the phone will be stored in the front office for parent pick-up.

If parents need to be contacted, they will be contacted in the following ways:

• Classroom teacher
• Front office staff
• Health office staff
• Principal
• Students may use the office phone to directly call parents, with permission

Meadows communication is, for the most part, electronic. Families are added automatically to the various Meadows and District lists to make the most current information available to all. Please calendar early release days, important dates, and special events as soon as possible, as some require you to change childcare arrangements.

SCHOOL TO HOME COMMUNICATION

• Peach Jar - It contains e-flyers sent by our school. Click here.
• Mustang Minute - This will be sent electronically. It contains brief paragraphs of news and announcements regarding important information such as upcoming events and functions sponsored by PTA, school and/or district information, as well as hyperlinks to the full information and/or links to PDF files with MTE content. To subscribe to it, click here.
• Principal's Message and Bullet Points - These will be sent electronically each week. They contain highlights of the learning events and official school and district information.
• MBUSD Calendar - It is posted on the District website here. It contains information related to modified days, parent conference days, staff development days, and holidays.
• Meadows School Calendar - It is posted under Calendars on our District website. Our Meadows Handbook, as well as the Meadows website here, contains helpful information about our school, PTA, and our Education Foundation (MBEF).

GENERAL

School Library

• We encourage children to use our library and the public library to widen their reading experiences.
• Children are allowed to take library books home from school.
• Books may be checked out for one week and may be renewed for a longer period.
• Students are financially responsible for lost or damaged books and textbooks.

Visiting Classes

• We encourage you to volunteer and help in the classroom on a regular basis, or to share a special talent/skill or information on a short-term basis.
• Volunteers must have current, negative TB test results, and LiveScan on file.
• All adults on campus during school hours must check in at the office to obtain and wear a visitor's badge. Adults without badges will be asked to report to the office.

EMERGENCY

It is imperative that the school and District have updated contact information, as this information is vital to your child's welfare. Please notify Meadows immediately if you have a change of address, employment, phone numbers, etc.

Health Information

The following is guidance from the California Department of Education for parents and guardians when children need medication at school.

1. Students who have sustained physical injuries and need restrictions on their mobility must have doctor's notes outlining the restrictions. This includes but is not limited to students with stitches, wearing a brace, wearing a cast, or using crutches.Talk to your child's doctor about making a medicine schedule so that your child does not have to take medicine while at school.
2. If your child is regularly taking medicine for an ongoing health problem, even if they only take the medicine at home, give a written note to the school nurse or other designated school employee at the beginning of each school year. You must list the medicine being taken, the current amount taken, and the name of the doctor who prescribed it. (CEC § 49480)
3. If your child must take medicine while at school, give the school both a written statement of instructions from the doctor detailing the method, amount and time schedules by which such medication is to be taken and a written statement from you requesting the school district assist your child with prescribed medication as set forth in the doctor's statement. Provide new, updated notes at the beginning of each school year and whenever there is any change in the medicine, instructions, or doctor. (CEC § 49423)
4. As a parent or guardian, you must supply the school with all medicine your child must take during the school day. You or another adult must deliver the medicine to school, except the medicine your child is authorized to take by themselves.
5. All controlled medicine, like Ritalin, must be counted and recorded on a medicine log when delivered to the school. You or another adult who delivered the medicine should verify the count by signing the log.
6. Each medicine your child must be given at school must be in a separate container labeled by a pharmacist licensed in the United States. The container must list your child's name, doctor's name, name of the medicine, instructions for when to take the medicine, and how much to take.
7. Pick up all discontinued, outdated, and/or unused medicine before the end of the school year.

Student Emergency

• If your child becomes ill or is injured at school, you will be notified promptly using the information in Aeries. The school will follow the directions you give concerning your physician and others who are to be notified if you are unavailable.
• The school gives first aid only, never "second aid" or re-treatment for prior conditions or those occurring away from school.

Major Emergency

• In the event of an emergency or lock down, students are to stay at school with Meadows teachers and staff for their safety.
• The principal, via School Messenger, will contact families regarding events of an emergency nature.
• Meadows practices fire, lock down, shelter in place, and earthquake procedures throughout the year.