School Handbook

Good attendance is critical for steady academic growth, and, by law, children are required to attend school. 

Please call the school office any time your child will not be in school. 

If you are asked to leave a voice mail, please give the following information:

• Name of the parent or guardian calling
• Student's name and grade
• Date(s) of absence
• Reason for absence; please be specific

Absences will only be excused for the following reasons:

• Illness
• Medical or dental appointment
• A family death or serious illness
• Court/judicial appearance
• Religious observations
• School-sponsored activities

Students who are late to school will be considered tardy. Please make every effort to have your student at school on time. 

Signing your child out early in the afternoon prior to the end of the school day or later than three times counts as an absence.  If your student has an appointment and needs to leave early, please call the office.

Students who become truant (inexcusably absent three consecutive days or five school days in any semester or seven days in a school year) will be reported to the Kansas Department for Children and Families in accordance with Board of Education Policy 1461. 

Be on time! Stay all day!

Students must live 2.5 miles or more from their assigned school to qualify for transportation to that school.

For questions about WPS transportation and busing, call 316-973-2190.

The district does offer the FirstView app that helps families track their student's school bus. Families will need a security code from the school office to use the app.

 

Drop off in the morning starts at 7:50 AM. Each grade level enters at their assigned door. Pre-K, 1st, 2nd and 4th grades have doors at the front of the building. 5th grade has a door off of Boston Street. Kindergarten and 3rd are in the back of the building off of Boston on the Basketball court. Please see the Parent Handbook for a map of each grade level door. These doors are monitored by a staff member and kept open until 8:00 AM. These doors will be shut at 8:00 AM and any students arriving after that time must enter through the office and sign in. Any parents wanting to walk their child to class must enter through the office and sign in as well. 

Pick up starts at 3:10 PM. The students are released at the same assigned grade level doors. By 3:20 PM, any students who have not been picked up will be taken to the front of the building. Please make sure that your Parent/Guardian contact information stays updated with the office and that anyone coming to pick your student up is added to their Emergency Contact List.

Parents should use good judgment in sending students to school properly dressed.  Some items of clothing may be unacceptable if they cause a  disruption to the educational process.  Administration and/or teacher will advise the students. 
Such items include, but are not limited to:

• Hats, ball caps, hoods, bandannas
• Hoodies may be worn, but hoods must be down in the building
• T-back tank tops , spaghetti straps and halter-tops
• Excessive hair color
• T-shirts advertising alcohol or tobacco products.
• Clothing deemed offensive or inappropriate
• Apparel associated with gangs or gang symbols.
• Sagging pants, or skirts shorter than fingertip length
• Anything that disrupts the learning environment.

Also, please consider the weather outside when dressing your child for school.  Be sure to send a jacket or coat when necessary.

Parents should notify the school nurse if there are any health conditions that may require medical attention, such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.

If a student becomes ill during the school day, they should request a pass to see the nurse. 

Students who exhibit fever, sore throat or tonsillitis, any eruption of the skin or rash, any respiratory symptoms accompanied by a fever, severe cough or cold, or any eruption of the scalp, will be sent home.

Parents will be notified to pick up their student and must do so in a timely manner to limit exposure to other students and school staff.

Please keep your emergency contact information up to date with both the teacher and office staff.

School board policy (BOE P5316) restricts school personnel from giving students any medication, including over-the-counter medication.

Medication is given only upon written request from both the parent/guardian and the student's physician. Students must also have received one dose of medication without an adverse reaction prior to any doses being given at school.

All medicine must be in the original container and be presented by a parent to the school nurse for safe keeping and scheduled administration. The container should be labelled with the following:

• Name of student
• Name of medication
• Directions for use
• Name of physician
• Name and address of pharmacy
• Date of prescription

The district uses the ParentVUE online portal to give parents to access information about their student's attendance, assignments and grades. ParentVUE allows parents to quickly and easily update their family contact information, which is vital in order to maintain strong home-to-school connections. 

Keeping students emotionally and physically safe at school is our number one priority. All students have the right to learn in an orderly environment that is free of disruption. We understand that from time to time, students may need additional practice meeting these expectations. We are trying to teach students academic and behavioral skills they will be using in the real world that will help them be successful adolescents and adults. Our staff will work closely with parents to ensure students learn to be responsible citizens and develop strategies for resolving conflicts.

 

We provide breakfast for all students free of charge.

Lunch fees can depend on family income. Complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application annually to qualify for free lunch and adjustments to school fees. 

The district uses an app called School Cafe to allow families to see menus.

The district uses LINQ Connect to pay for meals.

For special dietary restrictions, please contact the school nurse. 

Field trips with our city and nearby sites of interest are scheduled by classroom teachers throughout the school year. These trips are designed to supplement different aspects of the classroom curriculum and intoduce students to resources within the community. Parents will be notified of the planned trip at least five days in advance and must sign a trip waiver for students to attend. If a student does not have a signed permission slip to attend the trip, they will not go. We will not accept verbal permission over the phone.

If there is a fee for the field trip, the money needs to be submitted at least three days prior to the scheduled trip. All field trips require the use of school buses. Parents are not able to transport students on field trips.

If a parent serves as a chaperone, they will need to complete the school district's volunteer process prior to the field trip.

 

All students will have two recess times during the school day. One recess will be during lunch, the other recess may be in the morning or afternoon depending on each grade level’s schedule. Please make sure your child has appropriate clothing/shoes for the weather. Wichita Public Schools uses the ‘Child Care Weather Watch’ Guidelines to determine if hot or cold temperatures are un-safe for students.

The safety of students, staff and parents is the Wichita Public Schools' greatest priority during the threat of dangerous conditions.

Emergency plans are in place should tornadoes, lightning, hail, snow or other dangerous circumstances present a safety concern. 

If schools are to be closed or activities cancelled or rescheduled due to weather conditions, the information will be posted on the Wichita Public Schools' website main page and displayed on all school websites.

A lost and found area is kept at school.  Please encourage your child to check this box if he or she has lost something.  Please plainly mark each item your child brings to school.  The lost and found will be disposed of at the end of each 9 weeks.

 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are a great way to stay involved in your child's education. Parents have the opportunity to discuss their child's progress, review assignments, learn about future projects and to strengthen the connection between home and school. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are held twice a year in October and February. 

Progress reports are provided to parents every quarter. Reviewing these reports is an essential component of parent involvement in their child's education. Please look for these reports and discuss them with your student. You may also log on to ParentVue for an ongoing list of grades provided by the teacher. If you have any concerns about these reports, contact your student's teacher.

All visitors to the building, including parents, must sign in through our visitor management system HallPass. A driver’s license will be required at check-in for any visitor.

Parents may visit the school and classroom at any time. All meetings with teachers need to be scheduled in advance. Children not enrolled at Caldwell are not permitted to visit classrooms unless accompanied by an adult.

Parents, caregivers and other relatives wanting to volunteer in the school or for field trips are required to register every year as a volunteer. Visit the Volunteer Registration page to complete your annual registration.

Parents wishing to bring treats for their child’s birthday must consult with the teacher beforehand. The last few minutes of the day may be used for this purpose.  Please DO NOT ask that party invitations or other materials not pertaining to school functions be distributed in the classroom.