CLES Student & Parent Handbook

Updated September 2021

School Office Hours: 7:10AM - 3:00PM

Cascade Locks Elementary School Staff

Need to contact us? 

• By phone: Call the school office at 541-374-8467
• By email: Every staff email address is in this format: 
• firstname.lastname@hoodriver.k12.or.us
• Example: adrienne.acosta@hoodriver.k12.or.us
• If you need to meet with a teacher in person, please set up an appointment first.  The best way to do that is with a phone call or email.

What do I do if I have questions or concerns?

1. Talk with the teacher. You can email, call or make an appointment to meet in person.
2. If your questions or concerns aren’t answered/addressed to your satisfaction after talking with the teacher, make an appointment with the principal.

CLES Daily Schedule

School Communication  Our primary method of communication with families is our blackboard messenger which pushes out emails, texts, and phone calls.   You can also find information on the Cascade Locks Elementary School Facebook page. 

Volunteering at School Volunteers at school are welcome and appreciated!  In order to volunteer at school, adults  must have completed a Volunteer Application which includes a background check.  This form is available in the school office. Please plan ahead as completing this check generally takes a few days. *** During CDL Volunteers will not be working in the school

All visitors/volunteers must sign in at the main office and wear a visitor/volunteer badge while in the building.  Please sign-out and return the badge when you leave. ** DUE to COVID no entry for public

Student Pick-up and Drop-off  School Rd. is ONE WAY. Parents dropping off their children in the mornings should drop them off at the front doors of the school.  Parents picking up their students may park in the parking lot or line up behind the bus. Students will be dismissed as each car pulls to the front of the school.   For student safety, please do NOT turn around on School Rd. 

Student Change in Transportation -Required Notifications by Parent  If you would like your child to go home in a way that is different than their normal routine, please send a note to the school office. In order to be in compliance with HRCSD Board Policy EEABB, students MUST have signed, written authorization (by a guardian on file) to be dismissed from the bus at a different location than home.  When any dismissal changes are made, we ask that students present a note to the school office upon arrival. The note needs to include address and bus stop information, this allows us to effectively communicate changes to the bus driver. Emails alone do not meet this requirement as we can not guarantee that the email will be seen before the end of the school day.  If you are unable to send a note please call the office and we will work with you. Sending an email authorizing the change as a follow-up to a phone conversation with office staff meets the requirement. It is important for us to have this information before 1:00pm so that we are able to put changes into place.  We know that emergencies come up and will work with you to ensure your child/children get home safely.   Student safety is our priority and we appreciate your support with this policy.

Attendance

It is the law in Oregon that children regularly come to school.  Our goal is for each student to be in school 98% or more full days of the school year.  This helps them to be successful in all areas of school. Too many absences make it hard for students to learn.  HRCSD Board Policy JED requires students to have a signed, written note stating the reason for the absence. If your child is going to be absent, please make sure to call the school to let us know. If your child is going to be late, please call the school before 8:00am, this will allow us to get their lunch choice entered.  Please try to make all appointments for your child after 2:10 pm or on non-school days.

The Hood River County School District’s policy for attendance:

• Absent 5% of school – You will be notified by your student’s teacher
• Absent 10% of school – You will receive a letter from the school’s Student Support Specialist asking how we can support you in getting your student to school
• Absent 15% of school – You will receive a call or letter from the Principal requiring you to create a plan to help your student attend school regularly
• Absent 20% of school – You may be contacted by the Superintendent and may be referred to Law Enforcement for possible citation

Partial Day Attendance Oregon Department of Education considers attendance as a partial absence when a student misses more than half of the instructional time either before or after lunch.  Specific cut off times for half day absences at Cascade Locks Elementary School are below:

• Arriving after 9:02am 
• Leaving before 12:45pm

Students are considered absent for the full day by the state of Oregon if they arrive after 9:02am and leave before 12:45pm in the same school day 

Absences for illness, a family emergency or a few other more rare reasons (identified in Board Policy JED)  are “Excused”.  All absences, excused or not, are still considered absences by the state and district so are included in the policy above.

Inclement Weather Delays or Closures (Snow Days or Late Starts)

If there is a change to the school day because of weather, you will get a robo-call letting you know the details of that change.  If you are not sure if there if there are changes made to the day because of weather,, check the district website, www.hoodriver.k12.or.us. If a parent does not think it is safe to get their student/s to school they may wait until later in the day or keep their student home for the day. As with any tardy or absence, be sure to call the school and let us know.  It is important that we have your current phone number so that you receive the calls.

If there is a 2 hour late start on a Monday, school will be open at 9:10 am for breakfast and learning will start at 9:40 am.

Breakfast and Lunch are FREE for all students We are lucky to have a grant that gives free breakfast and lunch to all students at Cascade Locks Elementary.  If your child is going to be late to school, please call the office by 8:00am and let us know what they would like for lunch.  Students may always bring a lunch from home if they prefer. Students who do not bring a lunch from home will automatically be served a school lunch.

Birthdays  Birthdays are very special days.  It’s a day that you don’t have to share with anyone else at school (usually).  We want to celebrate birthdays in an equitable way at school, so please do not bring treats or balloons to school on your child’s birthday.  We acknowledge student birthdays at morning meetings and sing Happy Birthday. At the end of the school year, we will have a Birthday Extravaganza where we will celebrate everyone’s birthdays.

Homework Research has shown that the most effective homework activities for elementary students are:

• Reading every night for 20-30 minutes.  This reading can be a parent or sibling reading to a student, the student reading to someone else, a pet or stuffie,  or to themselves. It can also be broken up into small time increments, ie: 10 minutes three times a day.
• Quality time spent together as a family (talking, working and playing together) and student exploration.  

A checklist of “Alternative Homework” choices will come home with your student every month.  Students who bring back the checklist on the last day of the month will be entered into a drawing for a game.

Dress Code  Students should dress in a way that doesn’t distract students at school and for school events.  

• Anything students wear or bring to school may not show, promote, or advertise drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or profanity (“bad words”). 
• Visitors and volunteers are asked to follow these guidelines when at the school or school events.
• Shorts should be long enough for the top of the student’s hand to touch the hem when they stand up with their arms at their sides.
• Tops should be long enough to cover student’s midriff

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR AND INTERVENTION SUPPORT (PBIS)  PBIS is a school-wide program that focuses on positive behavior.

General Expectations for Behavior  At Cascade Locks Elementary School, we believe in respect.  The expectation is that everyone will show respect for eachother.  Students are expected to follow all district rules, at all times, when they are on school property or at school activities.

We have 3 “rules”; Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible.  These rules all have expectations specific to each area of the school.  These expectations will be taught, and retaught, to the students throughout the school year.  We positively reinforce this system using Class Dojo, which you can check/track on a smartphone or computer.  If you need parent sign-up information to track Class Dojo, contact the office.

Bicycles  Bicycles ridden to school by students must be parked in the designated area on school grounds and should be locked.  Students must wear a helmet, it’s the law.  If a student rides their bike to school without a helmet, they will not be allowed to ride it home.  If you are not able to purchase a helmet for your child, please let the office know, we can help.

Cell Phones & Other Personal Electronics  Cell phones and other personal electronic devices such as smart watches or tablets are not permitted at school.  Cell phones must be turned off and placed in the office pocket chart while at school or any school activities, such as on the bus or a field trip.  Students who need to contact their parents or guardians may do so using the phone in their classroom or the front office. If you need to contact your child, please call the school office. 

Cell phones, smart watches, and other electronics brought to school must be turned off and dropped off at the school office upon arrival. They may be picked up at the end of the day.. The devices will be returned to the student at the end of the day or held to be picked up by the parent/guardian.

Weapons/Weapon Replicas (toys)  Students may not bring, possess, conceal or use a weapon at Cascade Locks Elementary or any school sponsored activities.  Discipline related to weapon possession will follow school board policy.  Please read the HRCSD Standards of Student Conduct for more in this area.

 Bullying/Intimidation/Harassment  We want school to be a safe place for all children. Bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, intimidation, and menacing by students is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated at Cascade Locks Elementary. We teach what bullying is and what to do if someone is bullying you or you see someone being bullied. The United States CDC defines bullying as: 

Bullying is any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated. Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm. 

Please let your child’s teacher know if you hear of bullying at school so that we can take action.

Medication at School Students are not allowed to be in possession of medication at school, prescription or over the counter. A Medication Administration release form is required before we can give your child ANY medication, prescribed and non-prescribed. All medication MUST be in its newest original container with an accurate label. Medication forms are available at the school office to be filled out by the child’s parent/guardian. You can also download the attachment to print and fill out. Once the form is submitted and the medication is brought to the office in its original container, office staff will be allowed to administer the medication as needed. A medication log will be maintained noting each time the student receives his/her medication

• Medication is to be brought to and picked up from school by the parent/guardian.

• It's the parent's/guardian’s responsibility to ensure that an adequate amount of medication is on hand for the duration of the student's need to take the medication.

• It's the parent's/guardian’s responsibility to ensure that the school is informed in writing of any changes in medication instructions.

• Medication not picked up by the parent/guardian at the end of the school year or within 5 days of the end of the medication period, whichever is earlier, will be disposed of through the Hood River County Health Department.  HRCSD Medication Administration Form

Cascade Locks Elementary School is a Title 1 School  Our school receives federal funds for Title 1A programs that are part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).  At Cascade Locks Elementary School, most Title 1 funds are used for reading interventions and parent/family education events.

As a Title 1A school, we must meet federal regulations related to staff qualifications.   Under these regulations, you have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of your child’s teacher(s) and/or paraprofessional(s).  If you request this information the district will provide you with the following as soon as possible:

• If the teacher has met state licensing requirements for the grade level and subjects in which the teacher is providing instruction;
• If state licensing requirements have been waived for the teacher on a temporary basis;
• The type of college degree major of the teacher and the field of discipline for any graduate degree or certificate; and 
• If your child is receiving Title 1A services from paraprofessionals and, if so, his/her qualifications.

If you would like to request this information or if you have any questions about your child’s assignment to a teacher or paraprofessional, please contact me at school.

Some ways Title 1A provides support for your child are:

• Support within classroom during reading
• Extended time for reading instruction
• Staff development training for your child’s teacher

Some ways parents can support the school programs and be informed about Title 1 are:

• Ask teachers or the principal about the program
• Participate in evening school family events like Math Night, Reading Night, etc.
• Talk to your child’s teacher about their progress - all learners are assessed three times a year in reading and math (using DIBELS Next for reading and iReady Math for math)
• Volunteer to be part of the annual CLES Title 1A plan review at Site Council Meetings

If you have a question or concern about your child’s participation in a Title 1A program, please contact their teacher or the principal, Amy Moreland.  Thank you for your interest and involvement in your child’s education.

Read & sign the HRCSD Standards of Student Conduct It is district policy that all families read and digitally sign the Hood River County School District Standards of Student Conduct.  This handbook is just to answer quick questions you may have. It does not take the place of the HRCSD Standards of Student Conduct, which you can access with this link http://www.hoodriver.k12.or.us/domain/1175 . If you do not have internet access at home, you are welcome to come to school and use an iPad to read and sign the Standards of Student Conduct

Information in this handbook may change from time to time.