John F. Kennedy Elementary School
Student & Parent Handbook

Contents: Click a topic to view the information regarding it.

General Information
Board of Education
Jamesburg PTA
School Calendar
District & School Phone Directory
Late Students
Project Safe Arrival
Emergency Closings
Attendance & Absence
Early Pick-Up
Building Security
Health Office Information
Telephone Calls
Parent Communications
Parent Volunteers
Class Trips
Student Support Services
Homework Policy
Basic Skills
Testing and Assessments
Parent Conferences
Lost & Found
Progress/Report Cards
Extracurricular Programs & Activities
Birthday Celebrations
Expensive Toys/Items
Pets on School Grounds
Discipline Policy
Honor Roll
District Internet Policy
Tardiness Policy
Latchkey
JFK School Faculty & Staff
Mission Statement

General Information

School Hours
8:30 A.M. - 2:45 P.M.
Pre-School Hours
8:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. & 12:10 P.M. - 2:40 P.M.

Dismissals
Pre-School/Kindergarten   2:40 P.M.
All Other Students   2:45 P.M.

Lunch Schedule
Lunch Period 1   11:19 - 11:59 P.M.
Lunch Period 2   12:00 - 12:39 P.M.
Lunch Period 3   12:40 - 1:19 P.M.

Outside Lineup & Recess
Children will always lineup outside unless the weather is very wet, cold, or windy. Please make sure that your children come to school prepared for the cold.

Student Entrance & Exit
All students will enter and exit the building through specific doors off the blacktop in good weather.

All classes located in the ‘new wing’ will be dismissed through the doors nearest the Playscape.

Classes in the original wing will enter and exit through the doors adjacent to the wall the children use for wall ball.

Children in Kindergarten and First Grade will be walked to the playground by their teachers. They may be picked up in the same place they were dropped off in the morning.

Please do not tell your children to wait for you at the corner of Davison and Front Streets. There is no staff supervision there. It is unsafe for children to wait there alone.

Bad Weather Entrances & Exits
In wet or extremely cold weather, all children except pre-school students will line up in the gym in the morning. Preschool students will line up outside of their classroom. The main blacktop door leading to the gym will be open so that children may enter immediately upon arrival at 8:15 A.M.

In addition, children may enter the Davison Avenue entrance in bad weather if the entrance is marked with red cones. Since there is no supervision before 8:15 A.M., please do not drop off your children before this time.

Board of Education Information

Visit the Jamesburg Board of Education Page.

Jamesburg PTA

Visit the Jamesburg PTA Page.

District Calendar

Visit the School Calendar Page.

District Phone Directory

Superintendent of SchoolsDr. Gail Verona
732-521-0303
Business AdministratorMr. Tom Reynolds
732-521-2134
Supervisor of MaintenanceMr. Gus Ceras
732-521-0303
Supervisor of Child Study TeamMrs. Renee Schwartz
732-521-2135
Childcare Program DirectorMr. John Mihalko
732-521-0244


John F. Kennedy Elementary School
28 Front Street
Main Office SecretaryMrs. Theresa Frielingsdorf
732-521-0400
PrincipalMr. Al Perno
732-521-0401
Vice-PrincipalMs. Wendy J. Sloter
732-521-4819
Nurse's OfficeMrs. Pat Dufty
732-656-9140


Late Students

Your child's safety is important to us. Please make sure that you come into the building and sign in your child if he/she is late.

Parents and visitors are to enter the building through the main entrance on Davison Avenue. The door is equipped with a security camera and a buzzer. All visitors and parents are required to sign in at the main office.

All entrances/exits to our building are equipped with security cameras. Additionally, these doors are locked when school is in session for safety purposes.

Project Safe Arrival: Dial 732-521-0400

If yoru child will be absent or late for school, we ask that you call the School Safe Arrival and Attendance Line to leave a message. The answering machine will take messages 24 hours a day. Your message will be recorded on the school answering machine and reported to our attendance clerk at 8:30 A.M. When your child returns to school after an absence, we ask that you send a note stating the nature of the absense and the dates missed. This note will be kept on file in our health office.

If we have not been notified that a child will be absent, we will call your home or place of work. Please make sure to fill our the emergency card with your numbers where you can be reached in case of an emergency.

Emergency Closings

We contact the following stations if school is closed or delayed due to inclement weather or a school emergency:

New Jersey 101.5
WHWY 1350
WPST 97.5
WCTC/WMGQ
News 12 New Jersey - Television: Comcast Channel 42
Nassau Broadcasting Storm Center
Jamesburg Public Schools Online - (www.jamesburg.org)
WeatherClosings.com - type in Jamesburg, NJ

Announcements are made between 6:45 & 8:00 A.M.

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and punctuality are good habits for children to acquire. It is important that your child be in school each day, on time, except for cases of illness, recognized religious holidays, and severe weather conditions when school is cancelled.

Please try to schedule vacations and doctors' appointments around the school calendar so that your child will not miss valuable school instructional time.

Early Pick-Ups

Please send in a note if you plan on picking up your child before the end of the school day. Children must be signed out in the main office by a parent or guardian.

Building Security

The entrance adjacent to the school parking lot is to be used by all visitors to JFK. It is equipped with a security camera.

All visitors are to push the buzzer upon their arrival and go directly to the main office to sign in. There they will be given a visitor's pass.

All exterior doors will be locked during the school day for the safety of our children and staff.

Health Office Information

If you would like to speak to the school nurse about your child or a family matter, you may reach her directly between the hours of 8:30 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. by dialing 732-656-9140. You may also leave a message for her to call you by dialing the main school number (732-521-0400). When leaving a message, please leave a phone number and the best time to reach you.

Mrs. Dufty, our school nurse, performs health screenings, maintains health records, administers first aid, and consults with parents, students, and teachers about health concerns.

Telephone Calls

Children should not need to make calls from school. Leaving class to call home disrupts the instructional process and ties up the office telephones. The telephones in the school office should only be used for emergencies.

In addition, we ask that parents not call the office to leave messages for their children unless it is an extreme emergency.

Please make dismissal arrangements with your children before they leave for school. That is also the best time to remind them to bring all the necessary items for the day. We cannot guarantee that important messages will be delivered in time at the end of the day.

Parent Communications

In order to focus parent attention on important information that comes home, we will be color coding our notices. Any notice that comes home from the building principal will be printed on blue paper whenever possible.

The PTA newsletter and other important information from the PTA will be printed on purple.

Parent Volunteers

Parents are invited to play an active role in the education of their children. JFK welcomes your support.

In addition to volunteers in the classroom, we are always looking for parents to help in the library. We are fortunate enough to receive many book donations. We can always use help sorting and classifying new books.

Unfortunately, due to insurance regulations, siblings may not come with parent volunteers to help or on class trips.

Class Trips

Teachers organize trips around current units of study. A signed permission slip is required for all students who attend.

Parents who wish to act as chaperones must attend a district chaperone training session that is offered twice each year. Parents are only asked to attend the training one time. Check your child’s Friday Folder for information about when and where the training will be offered.

Trained chaperones (without siblings) are welcome on class trips depending on need and availability of space. In the event that there are too many requests, we will conduct a lottery.

At times, parents who chaperone may be asked to car pool and follow the bus. Students may not ride in car pools or ride home at the end of the trip.

Student Support Services

JFK provides a number of support services to assist students and their families. Ms. Sloter, the district 504 officer is available to assist parents with matters that involve the Americans with Disabilities Act . She can be reached by calling 732-521-4819. All calls are confidential.

Interventions to assist students who are experiencing learning or behavioral problems will be developed by our Intervention and Referral Services Committee (I&RS). If additional support is needed a child may be referred to the child study team.

The director of special services, school psychologist, learning consultant, social worker, nurse, and speech and language specialist are all members of this team.

Special education and related services are regulated by both state and federal law. They are available to all district students ranging in age from 3-21 who meet eligibility criteria. Referrals to the Child Study Team may be submitted directly by parents, teachers or through the Intervention and Referral Services Committee. A planning meeting will be scheduled by the CST within 20 days of a written request. At this meeting, the IEP Team reviews all information and determines whether evaluations are warranted. An evaluation plan is developed only when parents provide written consent. Testing and program placement must take place within 90 days of the initial planning meeting.

The Special Services Office is located at the John F. Kennedy School and parents with questions regarding the referral process can call 732-521-2135.

Homework Policy

The Jamesburg Board of Education believes that a well planned and challenging homework assignment is an appropriate extension of the school day. The Board of Education further believes that all homework assignments should meet the following standards:

  1. Homework must have a valid educational purpose and must never be punitive.
  2. Homework assignments must relate to the class objectives, the Goals established by the Board of Education, or the approved cirriculum and the Core Standards.
  3. Homework should always challenge the learner at the appropriate level of difficulty.
  4. Homework should reinforce skills learned in the classroom.
  5. Homework assignments should not require the use of resource material that are not readily available to the students.
  6. Teachers should make every effort to insure that students understand the assignment, when it is due, and the consequences for not completing the assingment.
  7. Teachers should review and correct all homework assignments and keep accurate records regarding their completion.
  8. Teachers may use homework grades to assess student performance and determine final grades.
  9. Teachers should contact the parents when they feel that students are not completing homework assignments on a regular basis.
  10. Homework assignments must be completed using the Board of Education approved Heading.
  11. The amount of time needed to complete homework assignments will vary, but generally the higher the grade level, the more time that will be needed.


John F. Kennedy Elementary School Homework Guidelines
The following amounts of homework may be assigned:

Grades K & 110 minutes per night
Grade 220 minutes per night
Grade 330 minutes per night
Grade 440 minutes per night
Grade 550 minutes per night


Basic Skills

Students who score low on standardized tests, or are indentified by parents or teachers, may receive additional small group instruction in language arts, math, or english.

English as a Second Language (ESL) is also available for students needing assistance acquiring the English language. These students receive additional small group instruction.

Testing & Other Assessments

Assessments are an important part of the teaching and learning process. The following are just a few of the assessments that will be used, in addition to teacher observation and evaluation of daily student work.

K-2 Portolios
Best Works Portfolios(Grades 3-8)
Daily Writing Folders
Math Journals
TERRA NOVA (Grades 2, 5, 6, 7)
NJ ASK (Grade 3 & 4)
GEPA (Grade 8)

Parent Conferences

At JFK, we believe in the importance of regular communication between home and school. Scheduled parent conferences will be held twice a year to give parents and teachers an opportunity to meet and discuss children.

Parents are encouraged to attend these conferences and to make an appointment to speak to teachers whenever they have questions or concerns regarding the process or performance of their children.

Lost & Found

The Lost & Found is located inside the cafeteria side of the gym. Parents are encouraged to check it often for missing items. At the end of each month, items that remain will be donated to a shelter.

Report Cards & Progress Reports

Philosophy
The Jamesburg Board of Education issues report cards four times a year. These report cards are designed to inform parents about their child's academic progress and their behavior in school. The Board of Education requires the teachers to consider the following factors when determining the grades they report:

Scholarship
Classroom effort and participation
Initiative and interest
Completion of homework
Classroom work habits
Attendance

The purpose of a progress report is to notify parents in writing about the academic and behavioral progress of students prior to the issuing of report cards.

Extracurricular & After School Programs

At JFK we believe that students should have leadership opportunities. The following are just a few of the programs that are currently in place:

Birthday Celebrations

Parents are welcome to send in treats for birthdays. Please contact the classroom teacher to make arrangements in advance. Siblings may not attend parties.

Expensive Toys/Items

Please do not let children bring expensive toys or one-of-a-kind items to school. We cannot assume responsibility for damage to, or loss of these items.

Pets on School Grounds

All of the children in Jamesburg walk to and play on the grounds of our school. Often the grass is covered with leaves and at times, snow.

For the safety and well-being of all the children at JFK, the Board of Education in cooperation with the Borough Council, have passed an ordinance barring pets from school property.

Discipline Policy

Students are expected to behave appropriately at all times. Inappropriate behavior will we dealt with fairly and consistently.

If inappropriate behavior continues, parents will be contacted and loss of privileges or detention may occur.

In cases of serious misbehavior, or behavior that jeopardizes the safety of other students or staff, the principal reserves the right to deal with the matter on an individual basis.

Honor Roll

The Jamesburg Board of Education is committed to providing every child with an "Equal Educational Opportunity". It is also concerned about providing them with an education that challenges every student at an appropriate level of difficulty.

The Jamesburg Board of Education believes that outstanding academic students deserve recognition for their accomplishments and that such recognition is an integral part of the educational process.

Pupils in grades 3 through 8, who distinguish themselves by high academic achievement will be acknowledged at the end of each marking period and receive a certificate to mark that accomplishment.


District Internet Policy

Internet use is available in every classroom and the computer lab in Jamesburg.

Students and their parents will be asked to sign an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) on internet usage prior to being permitted to use the internet in school. Violation of this agreement may result in serious consequences and loss of privileges.

Tardiness Policy

The staff and administration of JFK work cooperatively to help children develop a positive attitude about school. Students who arrive late interrupt the learning process. This has an impact on all the children in the class.

In accordance with District Policy, students who exceed the limit for tardiness will receive detention.

Latchkey Program

The John F. Kennedy Elementary School offers quality childcare before and after school at an affordable rate.

Morning childcare can begin as early as 7:00 A.M. A breakfast of cereal and milk can be provided. The afternoon program begins at 2:45 P.M. and lasts until 6:00 P.M. Students engage in recreational activities, read, get help with their homework, and are provided with a snack as part of this program.

On half days, the afternoon program begins as soon as the school day ends. The morning location is the art room. The entrance that will be open is the one nearest the corner of Front Street and Davison Avenue.

The afternoon location on most days is the gym. The pick-up entrance for parents will be the doors closest to the gym.

If you would like further information, please contact Mr. John Mihalko at 732-521-0244.

The Faculty & Staff

Visit the JFK Faculty & Staff Page.

Mission Statement

Visit the Mission Statement.


Return to the Top of the Page

Return to the Jamesburg Public Schools Homepage!!!
© Jamesburg Public Schools