School Policies

Attendance Policy

Attendance is extremely important. Students need to be present in order to get the instruction that they need to be informed, knowledgeable, and productive citizens and assets to the community. If they are not in school, they will fall behind, and this may cause negative long-term consequences.

Punctuality is also important. Students who come to school late miss the opportunity to be a part of building the class culture. They miss out on connecting with their classmates and teachers, additionally, the late arrival of students is disruptive to the students who come on time.

For students in grades K-5, doors open at 7:45 and remain open until 8:02am. Students arriving in class after 8:05 will by marked “late” and must be signed in at the main lobby desk.

Daily instruction begins at 8:00 am each day. Attendance is taken immediately upon arrival.

Students who are late due to bussing issues will NOT be penalized.

Teachers will call parents if students are absent for more than three consecutive days. If attendance does not improve after teacher outreach, the teacher will note the issue and record all attempts to contact families.

Families of students who are chronically absent will be contacted by Joanna Petromanolakis. If attendance does not improve, the District Attendance Teacher will be notified, and he will contact the families.

When a student is quarantined and learning remotely, if the asynchronous work is completed and the student attends “office hours” that child is coded “65” and will be marked “present”. If the student does not complete the work or attend office hours, he/she will be coded as “35” and be considered “absent.”

Birthday Celebrations

Birthdays can be a special day for children. If you would like to celebrate your child's birthday in school, please let the classroom teachers know at least a week in advance. Celebrations are scheduled for the last twenty minutes of the school day to minimize disruption to the academic schedule.

Please choose one treat to send into school the day your child’s birthday is celebrated. All items are store bought and peanut and gluten free. In addition to a treat, you can request to read a short story to the class either in person or on zoom. Goody bags are not permitted

Approved Birthday Treats

Item	Picture	Item	Picture
Skinny Pop Grades 1-5 only		Pirate’s Booty
Veggie Straws		Boom Chicka Pop Grades 1-5 only
Peanut Free/Gluten Free Mini Cupcakes		Oreos

Homework Policy

The staff at Castlewood understands and promotes the importance of play as essential to fostering the cognitive, social, physical and emotional well-being of children. Therefore, time spent on homework should be in addition to, and never a replacement for play.

With these ideas in mind, we practice the following approach to homework:

Grade	Monday, Wednesday, Thursday	Tuesday	Friday
K	Reading- 5 minutes with skill work Phonics Math assignment	Tap it Out Tuesdays Fun Facts	Family Time
1	Reading- 15 minutes Math assignment	iReady	Family Time
2	Reading- M/W- 20 minutes Th- Reading Comprehension Passage Math assignment	iReady	Family Time
3	Reading- 20 minutes Math assignment	iReady	Family Time
4	Reading- 20 minutes Math assignment ELA Extensions as needed	iReady	Family Time
5	Reading- 20 minutes Math assignment assignments in other subjects as needed	iReady	Family Time

Student Responsibilities

To assume responsibility for completing homework independently and to the best of the student’s ability.
To make sure to understand homework assignments by listening to directions, asking questions when something is unclear, and carefully reading instructions.
To gather all necessary materials to complete assignments before leaving the classroom, and return homework assignments to school on time.

Family Responsibilities

To provide a consistent routine and environment that is conducive to completing homework. Provide limits/guidelines on “screen time.
To ensure that the student receives the educational benefit from the assignment by encouraging independence, offering assistance and answering questions as needed without influencing the result.
To notify the teacher if the homework is creating a problem at home

Teacher Responsibilities

To provide meaningful homework assignments that students can complete independently.
To clearly communicate homework directions and expectations.
To monitor the amount of homework assigned so that it corresponds to school guidelines.

Electronics Policy

Adopted by School Leadership Team: October 2022

Students are permitted to bring the following electronic items to school:

• cell phones

Students are not permitted to bring the following electronic items to school:

• Laptops, tablets, Kindles, iPads and other similar computing devices (unless the school gives written consent for educational purposes)

and

• Portable music and entertainment systems, such as iPods, MP3 players, PSP, and Nintendo DS.

The school is not responsible for any electronic device brought to school with or without permission.

The use of cell phones at school is subject to the conditions below:

• Cell phones may not be turned on or used during the school day or during self-sustaining afterschool. This ban includes the use of cell phones for photography or videoing purposes.
• Cell phones must remain turned off and stored in student backpacks during the school day and during self-sustaining after school.
• Students who use cell phones, in violation of any provision of the DOE’s Discipline Code, the school’s policy, Chancellor’s regulation A-413, and/or the DOE’s Internet Acceptable Use and Safety Policy (“IAUSP”) will be subject to discipline in accordance with the guidance interventions and disciplinary responses set forth in the Discipline Code.

Confiscation and return of cell phones:

Students who use their cell phones during the school day or during self-sustaining after school will meet with the following disciplinary consequences:

• First Infraction - Confiscation of cell phone by teacher. Parents will be notified by the teacher. The cell phone will be returned to the student at end of school day.

• Second Infraction - Confiscation of cell phone by teacher. Cell phone will be sent to the Principal’s office. Parents will be notified by the Principal or Assistant Principal. The cell phone will be returned to the student at end of school day (in consultation with parent).

• Third Infraction - Confiscation of cell phone by teacher. Cell phone will be sent to the Principal’s office. Parents will be notified by the Principal or Assistant Principal. The cell phone will be returned to a parent at end of school day (in consultation with parent). Student will receive in-school disciplinary consequence according to the New York City Discipline Code. Consequences may include a removal from class by the teacher or a Principal’s Suspension.

Confiscation and return of electronic items (other than cell phones):
Students who bring electronic devices to school or to self-sustaining after school will meet with the following disciplinary consequences:

• First Infraction - Confiscation of electronic device by teacher. Parents will be notified by the teacher. The electronic device will be returned to a student at end of school day.

• Second Infraction - Confiscation of electronic device by teacher. Electronic device will be sent to the Principal’s office. Parents will be notified by the Principal or Assistant Principal. The electronic device will be returned to the student at end of school day.

• Third Infraction - Confiscation of cell phone by teacher. Cell phone will be sent to the Principal’s office. Parents will be notified by the Principal or Assistant Principal. The electronic device will be returned to a parent at end of school day (in consultation with parent). Student will receive in-school disciplinary consequence according to the New York City Discipline Code. Consequences may include a removal from class by the teacher or a Principal’s Suspension.