Ross Handbook

Ross Student and Family Handbook

Use the tabs below to access our Ross Handbook. If you have any questions, reach out to Principal Searl at holly.searl@k12.dc.gov

Arrival and Dismissal

Arrival

Students may begin arriving at 8:15. All students will pass through a health screening and say goodbye to their families at the gate. Students may then play in their respective areas (PreK 4 in the garden, K-2 on the playground, and 3-5 on the field) until 8:35. Classes will then line up and be walked inside by their classroom teacher. Students must arrive by 8:40. All students will have access to breakfast in their classroom.

In the case of inclement weather or temperatures lower than 32 degrees, students may begin arriving at 8:30 and will go straight to their classrooms.

Dismissal

PreK4 will be dismissed from the garden at 3:15. K-5 classes will be dismissed from the field at 3:25. Please Make sure your child says goodbye to their teacher before leaving the field.

Once all students are dismissed, the playground is open to the public. Students should not enter back into the building.

In the case of inclement weather, students will be dismissed from their classrooms as their family or caregiver arrives.

Attendance and Absences

Regular school attendance is critical for academic success. Our goal is to ensure that every student attends school regularly and on time. Daily presence in school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success, starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families can continue to play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school—excused or unexcused—they can fall behind academically.  Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days in a school year.  Research shows that:

  • Children that are chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. By 6th grade, chronic absence is a warning sign for students at risk of dropping out of school. By 9th grade, good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th grade test scores.

What are excused and unexcused absences?

Excused absences are when school-aged students are absent from school with a valid excuse and parental approval.  Examples of excused absences include:

  • Student illness (a doctor’s note is required if a student is absent for more than five days);
  • Death in the student’s immediate family;
  • Necessity for a student to attend a judicial proceeding as a plaintiff, defendant, witness or juror;
  • Observance of a religious holiday;
  • Temporary school closings due to weather, unsafe conditions or other emergencies;
  • Medical reasons such as a doctor’s appointment (a doctor’s note is required);
  • Failure of DC to provide transportation where legally responsible;
  • Lawful suspension or exclusion from school by school authorities;
  • Absences to allow students to visit their parent or legal guardian, who is in the military; immediately before, during or after deployment;
  • Emergency or other circumstances approved by the Director of Attendance and Support Services  or designee.

Excuse notes must be submitted by the parent/guardian within 5 days of a student’s return to school after an absence.  The note must include a written explanation of the reason for the student’s absence.  Parents/guardians may write their own note, or may use the DCPS template excuse note form obtained from the school.

Unexcused absences are when school-aged students are absent from school without a valid excuse, with or without parental approval. Examples of unexcused absences include:

  • Babysitting
  • Doing errands
  • Extended travel (domestic or international)
  • Oversleeping
  • Cutting classes

As a DCPS school, Ross follows the district’s attendance policy without exception and will record each absence as excused or unexcused. For details regarding the DCPS Attendance Policy, please click here  You will receive communications regularly as your child accumulates excused and/or unexcused absences throughout the school year.

Tardy Arrivals

Students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. should proceed to the Main Office or Security Desk to receive a Tardy Pass to be admitted to class. Do not go directly to the classroom. You and your child must come downstairs and get a tardy pass. Please help your child develop the good habit of being on time for school and for other important events now and in the future. Students who arrive late miss out on part of the morning transition and routine and it can be disruptive to teaching and learning.

School Closings

If school must delay opening, dismiss early, or close for the day due to inclement weather, power outages, or other unforeseen circumstances, Ross and DCPS will make every effort to communicate the situation with families using one or more of the following means:

 

For information on how DCPS decides to close schools, see the DCPS’s inclement weather guidance page.

Please do not call the Ross office to inquire about school closings. Ross faculty and staff learn about closures in the same manner and at the same time as families.

Birthdays

Birthdays are celebrated once a month for the children who have a birthday within that month. Celebrations are held at the end of the day in the classroom and are coordinated by the Room Parent. They should be simple in nature.  We do not allow gum, candy, soda, entertainment, etc. at celebrations. Plan to bring napkins and plates, if necessary. We do not stock those items in the classroom. In order to be inclusive, we do not allow students to pass out party invitations at school unless the entire class is being included.

Dogs

Dogs are not allowed on Ross school grounds at any time, including the playground, garden, field and concrete area

Dress Code

When in school, children should wear clean and comfortable clothing that will allow them to move safely inside the building and during physical education and recess. We recommend athletic shoes for safe PE and recess play.

We discourage a focus on “designer branding” and clothing with messaging that is not positive or inclusive. We will continue to maintain a “uniform bank” for students who may need extra clothing during the school day or for families who wish to “shop” the collection.

We advise parents of children in PK4 and K-1 send in a labelled zip-loc baggie with a complete change of clothing at the beginning of the year. Accidents do happen.

Other: no costumes, hats, gloves, non-prescription sunglasses, fashion scarves and outerwear will be worn in the classroom. Jewelry and other accessories not included above may be deemed unsafe or distracting as determined by Ross faculty. The following DCMR policy outlines other clothing/accessories not permitted in schools

Health

A nurse or health tech is usually available during the school day to help with medical needs and to promote the general health and safety of the school community. Confidentiality on all health matters is respected. To reach Nurse Gordon directly call 202- 671-0405 or call the front office at 202-673-7200.

 

Nurse Gordon is assigned to Ross on Wednesday through Friday. Ms.Watkins, Health Tech, is assigned to Ross on Monday and Tuesday.

Nurse Gordon’s email: cdelancygo@childrensnational.org

Children with fever, sore throat, nausea or vomiting should not come to school. Parents are requested to immediately report any child’s communicable illness (e.g. strep throat, chicken pox, flu, lice, etc.) to the school nurse.

Children should be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school. Children being treated for communicable illnesses should not return unless their healthcare provider has given medical clearance to return. Parents are asked to send a note with their child upon their return that explains their absence.

If your child is sick and staying home from school, please email the teacher and copy Ms. Campbell (alicia.campbell@dc.gov)  Please include the child’s first and last name, date of absence(s) and reason.

Parents of children with a history of chronic illness (food allergies, asthma, etc.) that may affect school life should meet with the school nurse to develop an individual health plan (IHP).

If your child has allergies, especially to food, medicine, or bee stings, let the school nurse know immediately in writing so it can be noted on the student’s health record and the teacher can be notified. If the allergy is life threatening, please see the nurse regarding the physician’s orders for medication at school.

Children with lice must be under treatment to attend school. Please notify your child’s teacher and the nurse if your child has lice.  https://www.creativemindspcs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/head_lice_fact_sheet.pdf

Medication

DCPS policy requires that parents and physicians complete appropriate health forms before any prescription or over-the-counter medication can be administered. These forms are available from the school nurse. Please do not send any medications to school with your child. All medications will require doctor’s orders and should be taken to the health suite by a parent where they are checked in. Kindly note that school staff may not apply sunscreen, lotions, or administer over the counter medications to students.

The school nurse will contact parents to advise them in case of illness or accident. Please keep all contact information current. The school must have the number of a relative, friend, or neighbor in case parents cannot be reached. If emergency transportation is required, a staff member will accompany the student if the parent is not present.

Lost and Found

If your child has lost an item, check the lost & found table in the back lobby. All unclaimed items are donated to charity at the end of each advisory. 

Meals

Students may bring a home lunch or purchase a school meal. Menus are issued by DCPS shortly before the first of the month. Sodexho is the DCPS assigned vendor for Ross.  Kindly note that Ross is a NUT-FREE campus. Do not send any products with nuts for lunch or snack. We do not allow gum, candy or soda on campus.

 

Lunch menus can be found here: https://dcps.dc.gov/publication/lunch-menu-elementary-school-lunch-sodexomagic

Please see Ms. Campbell in the Main Office for the application for Free/Reduced Price Meals.

Students can pay for meals in two ways:

  1. By paying with a credit or debit card at myschoolbucks.com an online prepayment service
    • Setup SMART PAY to automatically add money to account whenever it reaches a low balance
    • Receive low balance notifications to remind you when funds are low
  2. By sending a check or money order made payable to the DC Treasurer to the following address*:

DCPS Food and Nutrition Services
1200 First Street, NE, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20002

*The student ID# MUST be included.

Insufficient Funds Notification

If a student’s balance goes below zero, the student’s parent/guardian will receive communication with the amount due on the meal account balance and instructions to put money into their student’s account. Once a week (Monday) parents/guardians of students with negative meal account balances will receive:

  • A robo-call,
  • A text message, and
  • An email (if email address is provided)

Parents/guardians of students with negative balances will also receive a negative balance letter/invoice mailed home quarterly.

There is no limit to the amount of negative balance a student can accrue. There are no alternative meals served to a student with a negative balance. Students will continue to accrue negative balances until additional funds are put into their account. When funds are put into a students account, it will first pay off the negative balance. If a student’s balance is not paid at the end of the year, it will roll over into the next school year.

School breakfast is offered at every school and free for ALL DCPS students.

Recess

All students have a daily 30 minute recess block before lunch.  Mr. Shegda is the recess manager monitoring equipment and play and managing other Ross staff on duty. Students may not bring their own toys or equipment to recess.

Ross holds recess indoors when the temperature drops below 32 degrees, is dangerously icy or when it rains or snows. Additionally, Ross will hold recess indoors when DCPS issues heat advisory warnings based on a temperature or heat index could impact student health.

You can see the recess schedule here

Safety and Emergency Procedures

In case of a threat in or around school, Ross has established shelter-in-place/lock-down procedures. This includes students and teachers sheltering in place in the classroom in a place that is out of the line of site. Should evacuation be required, students will travel to Marie Reed Elementary on 18th Street to reunify with caregivers. We also have practice drills for severe weather, earthquakes, and fires.

 

A few reminders in the event of an evacuation:

  • Emergency information will be made available to families as quickly as possible.
  • Our evacuation site is Marie Reed Elementary, 2201 18th Street NW, Washington DC 20009
  • Students will ONLY be released to parents or caregivers noted on the Emergency Form. Students will not be released to friends, neighbors, or others not listed on enrollment paperwork or the Emergency Form.
  • Reunification is not a quick process. Please be prepared to wait for your child. Please plan to be as patient and calm as possible and bring I.D. in order to collect your child.

It is important for every parent to have a conversation with their child about what to do in case something unexpected happens.  Determine how the family as a whole will deal with school closings and other emergencies. These conversations can help your child feel calm and confident when facing an unexpected situation. Please make sure the school office, your child’s teacher, and your class room parents have your most up-to-date home, cell, and office phone numbers so you can be contacted quickly in an emergency.

Student Support Services

In addition to your child’s classroom teacher, there are a number of professionals at Ross who work to support children’s academic, social-emotional, and physical development. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s development in any area, please reach out to your child’s teacher and Principal Searl. Our Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and Response to Intervention Team meet regularly to review concerns and develop intervention plans. Teams may include: Principal, teacher, school psychologist, social worker, special education coordinator, nurse, academic support teacher, English as a Second Language teacher, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, and others as necessary. See here for futher details. 

Field Trip Transportation

All students age 5 and above will need a student SmarTrip card for field trips. Please contact Mr. Salazar to request your child’s card if you did not attend a summer distribution event.

Toys, Electronics, Cell Phones and Items of Value

Toys and electronics are not to be brought to school. If students have cell phones, they must be turned off and stored in student backpacks during the day. Smart watches and exercise trackers may be worn as long as the functions for phone, text and photos are not in use. If these items become a distraction, your child will need to stop wearing them at school at the discretion of the teaching staff and/or administrative staff.

 

We are not responsible for lost or damaged toys, electronics and cell phones. Students should also refrain from wearing any jewelry of value. We are not responsible for lost or damaged jewelry or other valuables.

Visiting Your Student's Classroom

In order to prioritize health and safety, families are not invited into the classrooms during the 21-22 school year. Please see below for our policy during a typical school year. 

During the first six weeks of school, we are developing routines and procedures and do not invite parents to observe in classrooms. After the first six weeks of school, you may schedule a classroom observation through Principal Searl.  Morning Meetings are a good starting point for an observation to see how we begin each day.  During each of the four advisories, Ross will host a parent visiting morning called a “Learning Celebration” to experience what your child has learned during recent instructional units. These are well-attended events at Ross.

Visitor Policy

Ross Elementary, as a DCPS, is a closed campus. Our doors are secured during school hours and all visitors must be buzzed in and sign in at our security desk upon entering the building. Doors may not be propped and parents/visitors should not open the door to admit others.  The playground/field may only be used by Ross students and staff during school hours.

Smoking, drugs and alcohol are not permitted on campus. Dogs and pets are not permitted on the property except for service animals.

If you wish to visit/observe your child’s classroom, please make an appointment directly with Principal Searl. We permit K-5 parents to schedule visits/observations after the first six weeks of school.