Ebenezer Christian School Teaching the Truth – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow 9641 White Street P.O. Box 158 Ellsworth, MI 49729 (231) 588-2111 www.ebenezerchristian.org

StudentHandbook

2016 - 2017

Important Informationfor

Ebenezer Christian School K-8

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to Ebenezer Christian School! We are happy that you have chosen to be a part of the Ebenezer family. ECS is an institution that is organized, operated, and directed by parents and caring community members. It is our goal to offer to our students an excellent education that is built upon Christian principles and based on the Word of God.

Ebenezer Christian School operates upon the core value that a child’s education should be centered upon Biblical principles and traditional family values. Since its founding in 1945, ECS has endured in its mission to work with parents to educate their children using Biblical standards, supporting values learned in their local churches, and preparing them to go into the world and to accomplish their God-given mission and purpose for life.

This student handbook was developed to answer many of the commonly asked questions that students and parents may have during the school year and to provide specific information about certain policies and procedures. It is important that students become familiar with the following information and keep this handbook accessible for frequent reference. The handbook provisions apply to all students, from the Preschool through the eighth grade. If any questions are not addressed in the handbook, you should talk with your teacher. This handbook summarizes many official policies and administrative guidelines of the Board of Education. These guidelines will be effective immediately and supersede any prior handbook and other written materials on the same subjects. These guidelines do not equate to an irrevocable contractual commitment to the student, but only reflect the current status of the Board’s policies and the School’s rules as of June, 2016.

We are pleased that you are a part of the Ebenezer family. This is your school, and we look forward to you being involved here as much as your schedule allows. We encourage you to get to know your student’s teacher, their classmates, and other parents. ECS will be at its best when we all work together to educate your children.

May God bless you and your family.

The Ebenezer BoardRev. Jim Jordan, Chairman

Ebenezer Christian School Board of EducationJim Jordan, Chairman 231-499-6872

jimjord54@gmail.comAndrew Smith, Vice-Chairman 231-350-6792

andrew.porkyfarm@gmail.comMegan Strange, Secretary 231-342-5239

megstrange@hotmail.comMike Fricke, Trustee 231-547-7044

thomaselectric33@gmail.comMolly Sundstrom, Trustee 231-350-9378

molly.sunds@gmail.comTammy Oliver, Trustee 231-497-4352

86tammysue@gmail.comLee Veldboom, Trustee 734-355-4923

lee.veldboom@ejco.comLana Oliver, Treasurer 231-544-2180

(Advisory member)

School Board meetings are typically held at the school on the first Monday of each month (subject to change) and are open to the public. In the event of a schedule or meeting location change, an attempt will be made to publicize the date of the meeting with a reasonable amount of advance notice. If you have an item that you would like the Board to address, please contact the chairman personally in advance of the meeting (preferably several days) to discuss placing your concern on the agenda.

Ebenezer Christian School StaffSchool Secretary

Mrs. Brieann Carey 231-649-2198admin@ebenezerchristian.org

Preschool Director Mrs. Adrienne Hayes 248-506-8546

acbindig@hotmail.comPreschool Assistant

Ms. Katie Reed 231-350-1097Grades K-1-2 Teacher

(Pending)

Grades 3-4-5 Teacher Mrs. Evelyn Thompson 231-222-0237evelynmaythompson@gmail.com

Grades 6-7-8 Teacher Mrs. Pam Bekkering 231-313-1414pbekkering64@gmail.com

Standing Committees

Promotionso Amy Newingtono Nicole Thompson

o Molly Sundstromo Sarah Essenberg

New Buildingo Brad Careyo Theresa Drentho Mike Fricke

o Rob Essenbergo Matt Olivero Ryan Romeyn

Curriculumo Jim Jordan o Evelyn Thompsono Lana Oliver

o Shanna McCraneyo Molly Sundstromo Andrew Smith

Ways and Meanso Shanna McCraneyo Faith DeYoungo Lana Oliver

Buildings and Groundso Lee Veldboomo Mike Frickeo Mike Strange

2016-2017 Calendar (Subject to Change)

August 1-6 Ebenezer Work-Bee/School Cleaning

August 8 Enrollment Day 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

August 9 Enrollment Day 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

August 10 Enrollment Day 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

August 22 Back to School Picnic

September 6 First Day of School and Blessing of School

September 12 First Day of Preschool

September 23 No Afternoon Bussing

October 3 Picture Day

October 12 Grandparents/Special Persons Day

October 19 ½ Day – Students Dismissed at 11:30am

October 20-21 No School – Teachers CEA Conference

November 1 No Bussing

November 3-4 No Afternoon Bussing

November 11 End of 1st Trimester

November 14 Picture Retake Day

November 18 No School – Parent Teacher Conferences 7:30am-6:30pm

November 21 Thanksgiving Feast

November 23-25 No School – Thanksgiving Break

(To be Announced) Christmas Program

December 21 Christmas Shopping Day

December 23-Jan 2 No School – Christmas Break

January 3 School Resumes

January 20 No Afternoon Bussing

February 17 End of 2nd Trimester

February 17-20 No School – Mid Winter Break

March 9 No Afternoon Bussing

March 10 No School – Parent Teacher Conferences 7:30am – 6:30pm

March 24-April 3 No School – Spring Break

April 14-17 No School – Good Friday & Easter Break

April 21 No Afternoon Bussing

May 12 No Afternoon Bussing

May 24 Last Day of Preschool

May 25 Last Day of School – ½ Day, Students Dismissed at 11:30am

GENERAL SCHOOL RULES:

The school recognizes the rights of individuals and groups to present their concerns and /or ideas regarding school personnel, the curriculum, instructional matters, co-curricular programs, school services, and facilities. The school also believes that concerns are best handled and resolved as close to their origin as possible, and that every staff member should be given an opportunity to consider the issue and attempt to resolve the concern. Therefore, the proper channeling of concerns/ideas should be:

1. Teacher or person in charge of the area/event under consideration2. School Board Chairman (acting in an Administrative capacity) – Jim Jordan3. School Board – via email, letter, or attendance at a meeting

Daily Building Hours: The school is typically open Monday through Friday from 7:50 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. School beginning and dismissal times are addressed annually by the School Board.

Locked Doors: The entry doors to the school buildings will be locked during the school day to protect the students from unauthorized intruders. Access may be obtained by knocking or ringing the doorbell.

Leaving School Grounds: ECS is a closed campus school. Students are expected to stay on the school grounds at all times. Certain special circumstances will be considered during which students will be permitted to leave the school grounds with prior permission and for specific purposes.

Emergency Drills: Emergency drills will be held as required throughout the school year. They are designed for the students’ protection. In the event of an emergency students are to follow the instructions of their teachers.

Lost and Found: Items left at the school and unclaimed will be placed in a “Lost and Found” location. Parents and students may look in the Lost and Found by asking in the school office. Periodically these items will be put on display for students and/or parents to examine. If items are not claimed for a significant period of time, they will be otherwise disposed of.

Change of Address, Name or Telephone Number: Students and/or parents should report any change of address, name or telephone number to the school office. This is important so that records may be kept up to date and accurate.

Telephone Use: The telephone in the office is to be used by students only with the permission of a teacher when a student has an important reason for using the phone. School staff may be reached before school begins or after 3:00 p.m. Teachers may also be available at recess time and lunch hour.

Use of Cell Phone and Personal Communication Devices: Many students have and use cell phones. It is both a privilege and a responsibility for the students to use electronic devices in ways that are appropriate for the learning environment. All electronic device usage by students shall be at the discretion of the students’ teacher.

ATTENDANCE:

Please call the office at 588-2111 between 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. if your student will be missing school for any reason. Please indicate in your phone call the reason your student is absent such as personal illness, emergency at home, doctor or dental appointments, a pre-arranged trip, or a funeral.

Parents are encouraged to schedule appointments after school hours, when possible. If the school has not received a call, the school will make efforts to contact those parents at home, by cell phone or at their place of employment to ensure the safety of the student.

It is imperative that students be in attendance each school day in order not to miss a significant portion of their education. Important learning results from active participation in classroom and other school activities which cannot be replaced by individual study.

Attendance is important in the development of a high quality work ethic which will be a significant factor in a student’s success with future employers. One of the most important work habits that employers look for in hiring and promoting a worker is his/her dependability in coming to work every day and on time. This is a habit the School wants to help students develop as early as possible in their school careers

Snow Days: School is cancelled for a snow day whenever the Ellsworth Public School is cancelled.

Illness: If a student is too ill to remain in class, parents will be notified and arrangements made for the student to go home.

Make-Up Work: Make-up work is the responsibility of the student who has been absent. A student should, upon return to school, ask the teacher for the assignments immediately. Typically, a student will have the same number of days to make up work as the number of days that student was absent.

Vacations: Scheduled vacations should be communicated to the teacher prior to leaving school. Make-up work and a timeline for its completion will be decided by each individual teacher.

Truancy: Excessive absence from school (truancy) is unacceptable. It is detrimental to the educational process for the student, and it disrupts the flow and continuity of the classroom as a whole. School staff will work with parents to address and resolve any concerns regarding truancy.

Drop-off and Pickup: Students should be dropped off at school between approximately 7:45 and 7:55 a.m. Students should be picked up promptly at 2:45 p.m. Parents are encouraged to make face-to-face contact with their child’s teacher when they pick up their child. Parents may be asked by teachers to “sign out” their children when picking them up.

ACADEMIC PRACTICES:

Report Cards: The school year is divided into three marking periods. Progress reports may be sent home at any time during the school year in addition to report cards to inform parents of student’s progress.

Plagiarism or Cheating: Any student involved in an incident of plagiarism or cheating will be given zero credit for the assignment and could face other disciplinary measures or penalties deemed necessary by the teacher.

Evaluation Testing: ECS uses AIMS Web testing three times a year to monitor the academic progress of students in reading and math.

Field Trips: Field trips may require a small fee. Permission slips will be sent home prior to all trips. These must be signed and returned before a student may go on a trip.

Textbooks and Their Care: The book fee paid at the beginning of each year enables the school to provide students with the textbooks needed for their education. Necessary textbooks will be provided at the beginning of the school year. Students are responsible for keeping textbooks in good repair. Students will be charged for lost or damaged textbooks.

Student Supplies: A student may be asked to purchase some supplies. Most teachers will issue a list of needed supplies at the beginning of each year. The school will also provide pencils and paper when necessary.

STUDENT DRESS CODE:

Student Attire: We recognize that individual expression through dress and grooming is important to students, however, your child's clothing should not distract from the educational setting. Simple guidelines have been established to provide for maximum flexibility:

1. Because we are made in God’s image, we are to reflect that image in our mode of dress. All students are to exercise modesty, cleanliness and neatness in apparel and grooming.

2. Clothes worn by all students are to be at least fingertip length. Bare midriffs are not allowed and jeans are not to be frayed or ripped. Spaghetti strap tank tops, gym style shorts, are not appropriate school dress; neither are very baggy pants or shorts, or pants or shorts worn below the waistline. Coats, hats or other head coverings are not to be worn or carried in the classroom during school hours without permission of the school administration.

3. Students may not wear clothing that advertises alcohol, musical groups, drugs, gangs or with any type of slogan or illustration that suggests unchristian, or negative attitudes or sexual suggestiveness. Words and illustrations on clothing must convey a Christian message and/or a positive attitude toward self and others.

4. Shoes must be worn at all times. Due to carpet in the classrooms, children should have one pair of shoes for indoors and one pair for outdoors/gym. The “indoor shoes” should be left at school for that purpose.

5. Students are expected to wear boots during the winter months unless there is no snow and the ground is dry. Failure to wear boots may result in the loss of outdoor recess.

6. If a student wears clothing that is deemed inappropriate, a phone call will be made to parents, so that the child may either go home and change or so that other clothes may be brought and changed into.

DAILY STUDENT ACTIVITY:

Lockers: A locker (K-2 use cubby holes to store clothing and lunch boxes) is assigned to each student for use during the school year. Students shall be responsible for the periodic cleaning out of the interior of their assigned locker.

Lunch Hour: Students bring sack lunches to school. Pizza is available (usually on Fridays) for a small fee to be paid in advance.

Recess: Children are expected to be respectful to and to follow the direction of the adult on recess duty. Parents are encouraged to volunteer for recess duty. Please check with your student’s teacher.1. Always obey the instructions given by the playground supervisor2. No fighting3. Use the equipment appropriately4. Stay inside the school grounds5. No throwing of snowballs, rocks, or sand6. No running while carrying sticks7. Do not cause injury to yourself or another student – if injury occurs tell

supervisor immediately8. No inappropriate language, swearing, foul or abusive language9. Forts may be built according to the following guidelines:

a. Don’t use sharp itemsb. Do not build a roof – walls onlyc. Do not use heavy logsd. Do not use live plants or take branches off trees

10. Return all equipment to its proper place when recess is over

All Purpose Building: All basketballs or other equipment used in the gym may be used in the gym only and should not be taken outside. The building will be used for recess play during inclement weather. Students must play safely and avoid injury to themselves or other students. Follow all of the other playground rules.

STUDENT DISCIPLINE POLICY:

Rules, discipline, and consequences are established by each teacher to ensure the proper learning atmosphere and they must be followed by the students. Rules may vary from teacher to teacher depending on the classroom situation and the age of the students. Teachers are encouraged to display and review the classroom rules on a regular basis so students understand acceptable behaviors. It is understood that the teacher will be allowed flexibility in disciplining the students for the minor infractions of rules and improper conduct. Every reasonable effort is to be made by the total staff to solve disciplinary problems

within the classroom setting. Major discipline issues or problems will be referred to the School Board for their action.

CUSTODIAL AND NON-CUSTODIAL PARENT POLICY:

In certain cases, the court designates a custodial and non-custodial parent for a student. Please inform the school if you are currently dealing with this type of situation. ECS needs to know this information so that we do not release a child to a non-custodial parent in violation of the law or the wishes of the custodial parent. We will need to also inform the teacher and other necessary personnel so that ECS is in compliance with the court’s instructions.

Ordinarily, the school will not resist or interfere with a non-custodial parent’s involvement in school –related affairs, or access to the parent’s child or the child’s records, unless the school is presented with a court order, or comparable legal document, which restricts such involvement or access. The school will not otherwise “choose sides” between parents.

A non-custodial parent may not take custody of a child or remove the child from school premises, unless the parent presents either a written court order, or a written authorization signed by the custodial parent, which permits such custody.

If the actions of parent(s), custodial or non-custodial, become disruptive to the operations of the school, the school has the right to restrict access by such parent(s) and to take other reasonably necessary action.

Concerning student activities that require parental consent, the school will accept consent only from the custodial parent unless authority to grant consent is given to the non-custodial parent by court order or comparable legal document.

IMMUNIZATION POLICY:

A parent, guardian or person applying to have a child registered for the first time in a school in this state shall present to school officials, at the time of registration or not later than the first day of school, a certificate of immunization or statement of exemption under section 9215. A teacher or principal shall not permit a child to enter or attend school unless a certificate indication that a minimum of one (1) dose of an immunizing agent against each of the diseases specified by the department has been received and certified to by a health professional or local health department. A parent, guardian or person having a child registered with only these minimum doses of immunizing agent shall present an updated certificate of immunization within four (4) months after initial attendance showing that the immunizations have been completed as prescribed by the department. If immunization is in conflict with the family’s convictions, parents may be eligible to file a health form waiver.

TUITION PAYMENT POLICY:

Ebenezer Christian School is a private education institution that is dependent upon the financial participation of its constituent families in order to continue to operate. The agreement between parents and the school for the education of the children in exchange for the payment of tuition and other volunteering participation represents a contract. The tuition amount is considered annually and set by the School Board. Tuition may be paid as a lump sum at the beginning of the school year or in monthly installments over ten months (August – May). An annual book fee is also part of the tuition expectation. This contract agreement between parents and the School carries with it responsibility for both parties. It is the responsibility of the parents to fulfill their obligation of timely payment of the agreed-upon tuition to ensure that their children may continue to participate in the School. There is a limited amount of tuition assistance available for families for whom the full amount of tuition represents an insurmountable financial burden. Tuition payment must be current at the beginning of the school year in order for students to begin school, unless direct contact with the School Treasurer has been made and an agreed-upon payment plan has been implemented. Such a plan will address any outstanding tuition payments as well as tuition for the current year, with a schedule of payments within a specific time period to bring the payments up to date. When tuition payments are delinquent, it represents a breaking of the good-faith agreement between parents and the School. This lack of financial input can also seriously hinder the School in its efforts to offer the highest quality education to the students.

Parents pay their tuition directly to the school. At the beginning of the school year the treasurer sends a tuition statement to each parent. This statement will state the preferred way that the tuition is to be relayed to the board. The tuition is due by the first day of each month. If this method is not agreeable, the parent should work directly with the treasurer to achieve an agreeable payment schedule.

The tuition schedule of Ebenezer Christian School accounts for approximately sixty percent (60%) of total needed operating funds. The remaining forty percent (40%) is reached through supporting church offerings, private donations, and the many and varied functions of the committees. Parents are also encouraged to serve on these committees.

The school board has a Promotion Committee to help promote Christian Education and support the school. Through the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) there is organized a Ways and Means Committee for the purpose of raising additional

operating funds for the school. All of these support groups seek to promote Christian Education as well as solicit additional operating funds.

Many of the school’s additional needs are met through voluntary resources. Parents or friends of Ebenezer provide valuable help in the form of teacher’s aids, providing transportation to special events, cleaning the school and maintenance activities required to maintain a fully functional facility.

PARENT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK AGREEMENTPlease sign, tear out, and return to Ebenezer Christian School

Parents: Please read the following statements carefully and sign below to indicate your agreement.

I hereby affirm that I have read the Parent and Student Handbook and discussed its policies with my student. I certify that I consent to and will submit to all governing policies of the school as stated with this handbook.

I understand that the standards of the school are based upon principles found in the Holy Bible and that the school will not tolerate words or actions that dishonor God, disrespect the personnel of the school, or disregard the policies and practices of the school. The responsibility of discipline first belongs to the parents and secondly, the school will make every effort to work with parents when a student’s behavior does not adhere to the desired standards.

I understand that the services of the school are engaged by mutual consent, and that either the school or I reserve the right to terminate any or all services at any time. I also understand that this Parent and Student Handbook is not contractually binding and that policies and procedures are subject to change without prior notice by decision of the ECS Board. Admission to the school is a privilege, not a right, and that admission of a student is on a year-to-year basis, not automatic.

In the event of a misunderstanding or a dispute between the parent(s) and ECS, we pledge to follow the principles outlined in Matthew, chapter 18, and privately work together to resolve the problem and refrain from going to other people and spread rumors or gossip about a given dispute.

__________________________________________________ _________________________Signature of Father Date

__________________________________________________ _________________________Signature of Mother Date

Students in Grades 7-8: Please read the statement below and sign to indicate your agreement.

I hereby affirm that I have read the Parent and Student Handbook. I certify that I will consent to, and will submit to all governing policies of the school as outlined in the handbook. I also understand that the handbook is not contractually binding and that policies are subject to change without notice by the decision of the ECS Board. I understand that admission to the school is a privilege, not a right, and that any behavior, either on campus or off campus, which is not consistent with the school’s standards could result in the loss of privilege to attend ECS.

__________________________________________________ _________________________Signature of Student Date

(If you have multiple students in grades 7 and 8, please make a copy of this page for each student.)