Safety Procedures

To and From School

We ask that you make sure that your children have a good understanding of basic safety practices. Please instruct them always to stop and look both ways before crossing any street. Inform them of the inherent dangers of climbing trees, railings, fences, etc., as a form of play to and from school. If they ride a bicycle, teach them the rules of the road. Always encourage them to take time to think first and act only after they determine that their action will be safe. Students are requested to respect the lawns, plants, and other personal property of the homes passed in going to and from school. Please teach your children the importance of crossing streets where there is a crosswalk. Students should use extreme care in crossing Madison Street, as there is no crossing guard stationed there before or after school.

School Bus Riders should also take care to follow safety practices to and from the bus stop. All bus rules will be reviewed at the beginning of the school year and rules are posted in each bus. Failure to follow bus safety rules may result in exclusion form the bus.

Arrival/Dismissal Time

School hours are 9:25 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. Children should not arrive at school before 9:10 am, as there is no adult on duty until then. For safety reasons, children are not allowed on the playground without adult supervision. Once students arrive at school they are to remain on the school grounds. They may use the library, eat breakfast in the lunchroom, or go to their classroom if they have prior consent from their teacher. Children should go directly home after school unless their parents are present to supervise their play.

Car and Carpool Drop Off

Drivers are asked to drop off and pick up students on Blaine Street or Garfield Street. Be sure that children do not have to cross the street. There is a convenient circular turn around at the end of Blaine Street, north of the school. On the south side of Blaine drivers cannot park their cars during drop off/pick up times, even for a very short time. Parked cars cause back-ups and create unsafe situations.

Please keep the traffic moving and if your child is not out at the pick-up area, please circle back through the neighborhood and come back through the pick-up area.

Accidents – Illness – School Nurse

The school nurse is here Thursdays only. If your child becomes ill or is injured while at school, we make every effort to notify you immediately. Therefore, it is essential that we have your current home telephone number, the number of a friend, relative, or neighbor and the phone number where you can be reached at work. We ask parents to see that their child is picked up as soon as possible after notification of illness or injury. The school does not have adequate facilities or staff to give each child a prolonged stay in the nurse’s office. It is district policy that sick or injured children are not to be sent home unless someone is contacted and can care for them.

Medicine at School

Children may not have medicine of any kind in their possession at school. This includes all over the counter medication such as cough drops and acetaminophen. In special circumstances, arrangements can be made with the nurse or principal to send a limited amount of medication to the office with written instructions from the doctor and the parent. Forms are available in the school office and under “Important Forms” on this website. The medication must be left in the office. The student must be able to take the medication herself/himself and must take it in the presence of the school nurse or the school secretary. School personnel are not allowed to administer aspirin or other medication.

State Immunization Requirements

There are minimum immunization requirements for school attendance for DP/DT/TD, Polio, Hepatitis, Measles, Rubella and Mumps. The state of Washington Immunization Law requires that your child be properly immunized in order to attend school. Proper documentation of immunizations is essential. Children will be excluded from school if their immunizations are not up to date. If you have any questions regarding immunizations, please call the school nurse.

Bicycles, Skateboards, Scooters

Bicycles must be walked or carried on the school grounds when coming to and leaving school as well as across patrolled crossings. All bicycles must have a lock and will be parked in the bicycle cage on the playground. Because this structure is not always secure, it is required that all bikes are locked. Please see that your child knows and uses bicycle safety rules. A helmet is required for any child riding a bike to school. Skateboards are not allowed at school. Scooters, like bikes, may not be ridden on campus and are to be locked in the bike cage.

Animals

No pets are allowed on campus. Even the friendliest dog can be a hazard on a playground full of children. In such an exciting atmosphere, the gentlest dog may nip, scratch, or tear clothes. Please see supervisors to impound any dog found on school property. Any off-leash pet will be impounded.

Lost and Found

Please mark all personal items, including sweaters, coats, jackets, hats, lunchboxes, purses, backpacks, etc. with your child’s name. All found articles of clothing are hung at the bottom of the north staircase. Money and small items are turned in to the office. Each year many articles of clothing with no identifying name go unclaimed and are donated to charitable organizations.

Money

Students should not bring money to school except to buy lunch or ice cream on certain days, although we strongly urge you to purchase a multiple-meal lunch ticket to reduce the number of times a student needs to bring money to school. Money for field trip or fundraising activity should be brought to school in a sealed envelope with the student’s name on it, and it should be given to the teacher as soon as possible. Please make checks for school lunches payable to Seattle School District #1. Please make checks for fieldtrips payable to McGilvra School ASB. For fundraising donations, please make checks payable to McGilvra PTA.