Policies and Procedures
Snack Policy: Students will have the opportunity to have a morning snack. Depending on the morning’s activities, snack time will generally take place sometime between 10:00 and 10:30. Students will be excused to go outside as a whole class to eat their snack. Students may have a water bottle in the classroom. No other beverages are allowed in the classroom. They will not be able to drink juice/Gatorade/etc. in the classroom. We strongly encourage nutritious snacks (low sugar, high protein) and lunch. There is a direct correlation between what students eat and how they perform in school.
No Waste Lunches: MMCA, as a school, strives for a “no waste” lunch policy. We encourage you to use reusable sandwich bags in your child’s lunch. Consider packing food in washable Tupperware or reusable packaging. Send a cloth napkin to school in your child’s lunch. Buy in bulk, rather than individually packaged items. These are all ways in which we can instill a sense of ecology in our student body.
Drop off/Pick up: Morning drop off is from 8:10 to 8:30. Our work period begins promptly at 8:30. Please have your child to school on time. If you arrive at school after 8:30, students must be checked in at the office. They will not be allowed to enter class without a class pass (tardy slip). Please do not drop your children off before 8:10. You will be charged for before-school care prior to 8:10.
Pick-up time is from 3:10 to 3:20. Please do not leave your car unattended in the pick up lane. If you must get out of your car for ANY reason, please park in a designated parking spot. Also, we do not allow students to load into cars before the cross walk at the office. This is for safety reasons, so please do not ask for an exception. If you arrive later than 3:20 to pick up your child, you will need to park and walk to the after-school care room and sign them out. If you would like to pick up your child at the park, please sign the release form in the office. We cannot release children to the park without this signed form. We urge you to be mindful of the fact that students at the park are there without adult supervision. Also, Mondays are early release days with school getting out at 1:50.
If you need to pick up your student early, please check in at the office. The office staff will call the classroom, and your child will be sent to the office to meet you.
Birthdays: If your child would like to celebrate their birthday at school, please send a healthy snack for each student (34). Please send us an email in advance, and we will let you know what time we will be celebrating in the event you’d like to join us.
Indoor Shoes: Students may either wear socks or indoor shoes in the classroom. They will remove their outdoor shoes and place them on the coat rack outside. If they choose to have indoor shoes, they will be kept in their indoor cubby and kept at school (they will not go home). Indoor shoes will be put on as they enter the room. Indoor shoe recommendations include slippers, moccasins, or other soft, comfortable, quiet shoes.
Independent Study: If you need to pull your student from school for an extended period of time (3 or more consecutive days), then please fill out an Independent Study contract in the front office. We need at least 48 hours notice to assemble the work for your student. Please make sure they complete the work so the absences are not recorded as “unexcused”.
Volunteering: Volunteers are an important part of our classroom. By this age, students are quite independent in the classroom. We are looking for volunteers to make materials, drive on field trips, and help with special projects. Let us know immediately if you cannot make it on the day you are scheduled so that we can find an alternate. Another way to help out (and earn volunteer hours) is to make purchases for the classroom. If you purchase items that are needed in your child’s classroom, you receive one parent hour for every ten dollars you spend. This is a great opportunity for parents who are not able to make it to campus to volunteer. Please keep an eye out for upcoming emails regarding parent volunteer opportunities.