The faculty and staff would like to welcome you to Watauga Elementary School. We hope your time spent in our school will be enjoyable.     We are truly fortunate to have such a fine staff of professionals to work with your children. Each member of our staff brings to his/her job highly trained skills and a vital concern for your child’s education.

    Education becomes a daily study of life, with meaningful experience to enable each child to understand the society in which he/she lives. With your assistance as parents, we will strive to help your children acquire the skills needed to meet the challenges of the world around them.

    The following information has been collected to assist students and parents with Watauga Elementary School policies and procedures. Please read through the information carefully.  Specific classroom information may be obtained from your child’s homeroom teacher. The Robertson County Board of Education policies upon which this handbook was based can be found in the county student handbook or at www.robcoschools.org.

    If we can be of service, please call us at 859-5252. Office hours are from 7:00-2:45. We will be happy to assist you.



Watauga History

    Watauga Elementary was constructed in 1951 at the intersection of Highway 41 and Lake Road. Watauga was a consolidation of Oak Grove, Kelly-Willis, Bethel, Ridgetop, and Spring Hill Schools.  The name “Watauga” was chosen to honor the first settlement of pioneers at Watauga in East Tennessee, the Watauga Indians, and the Watauga Sanitarium of Ridgetop.
    The first Watauga Elementary classes, grades one through eight, were held in December 1951. Mr. J.B. Whitman was the first principal, and Mrs. Bettie Allison, Mrs. Lizzie Belle Mayes, Mrs. H.M. Harris, Mrs. L.T. Robertson, and Miss Mary Ruth Mason were the first teachers.
    Watauga changed to a kindergarten through sixth grade facility when seventh and eighth graders went to Greenbrier Middle School. In 1982, the sixth grade was also moved to Greenbrier Middle School. An addition was completed in 1971, and another section added in 1992. The school currently houses 26 regular classrooms, 2 portables, a media center, cafeteria, computer lab, gymnasium, guidance center, and 3 special education classrooms.











Students

To be successful and to achieve to their maximum potential students are expected to:

*Complete all assigned work promptly and thoughtfully;

*Develop standards of personal conduct that reflect positively on the values taught at home and school;

*Attend school every day possible and always be on time, with needed materials

*Help maintain the school and campus in a manner that demonstrates pride in self and in the school.





Parents

To enhance the effectiveness of the school in providing excellence in the instructional program and meeting the needs of students, parents are urged to:

*Set high expectations for student achievement based on previous learning;

*Encourage and support the effort of the student, especially when more difficult learning situations occur;

*Provide a place and time at home for reading, study, and homework completion (away from T.V., video games, etc);

*Review completed and graded work, progress reports, and report cards:

*Keep in close contact with the teacher(s) through notes, phone calls, and conferences;

*Help in the school whenever possible;

*Be sure that the student is at school everyday possible and is always on time;

*Be actively involved in PTO, support its programs, projects, and attend meetings.

*Work with the school and teachers, support rules made in the interest of all students;

*Encourage and guide wholesome friendships, interests, and activities.








Absences
Attendance is a key factor in student achievement and therefore, students are expected to be present and on time each day school is in session. If a student is absent a note must be written and sent to the school upon the student’s return signed by their parent/guardian or physician to place in their attendance file. This note will be reviewed and the administration will verify if the absence is excused or unexcused. If a note is not presented the absence will automatically be unexcused.

In accordance with Robertson County Board Policy excused absences/tardies/early dismissals include:
1. Illness of a student (after three consecutive days, or repeated absences, a note from a physician may be required.
2. Illness of family member which required the student’s help at home;
3. Death of a family member;
4. Medical appointments which cannot be scheduled outside school time; (a note from the physician verifying the appointment will be required)
5. Religious holidays;
6. Circumstances which, in the judgment of the principal, create
emergencies over which the student has no control.
7. Family vacations may be excused if the request is made in advance and does
not exceed 5 days for the school year.

Unexcused absences/tardies/early dismissals include:
1. Car Trouble;
2. Cleaning House;
3. Shopping;
4. Baby-sitting;
5. “Personal business”
6. Tractor pulls, implement shows, etc.
7. Hair appointments, errands, doctor appointments for someone other than the student.

Reasons for excused or unexcused absences apply to all cases of truancy. All missed class work or tests may be made up when the excused truancy is verified by a note sent immediately when the student returns to school. Students who have excused absences will have the number of days missed plus one day to make up missed assignments or tests. Students may be denied the privilege of making up work missed as a result of an unexcused absence or suspension.

An attendance review committee will meet each week to review student attendance. Students missing five or more days will be contacted by the school. Students missing 10 or more days may be required to present a physician’s note for each following absence in order for it to be excused. When a student accumulates a total of 10 unexcused absences a meeting will be scheduled between the parent and attendance review committee to form a plan of improvement. Upon the accumulation of 15 unexcused absences the student will be reported to the truancy board and a meeting will be set up with the county official.

Students receiving 5 unexcused tardies/early dismissals will be contacted by the school office. When a student has accumulated 8 unexcused tardies the parent will be required to meet with the school attendance review team to form a plan of improvement. Students must be in their classrooms and ready to start the day at 7:30 to avoid receiving a tardy slip.









Arrival
Watauga school hours are from 7:30-2:30 each day. Doors will open at 7:00. Students should not be dropped off and left unattended at the school doors prior to this time. Bus riders will unload in the area by the playground. Car riders will unload in the horseshoe area at the front door. School personnel will be present to supervise the unloading of students.

 Students that are in the car rider area should not exit the car until school personnel has displayed the “UNLOAD” sign and cars should not pull forward again until the “PULL FORWARD” sign is displayed. Students that are in cars behind the displayed STOP sign should not exit until they have reached the unloading area. Students should have their belongings in hand and be ready to exit the vehicle when signaled.
If a student is unloaded at the end of the building the parent must park and walk the student to the front door. No student should be unloaded from Lake Road or from the circular parking area that is reserved for staff.

This procedure is in place to protect and ensure the safety of our children. We ask that parents follow these procedures to set a good example for our students. Please model good character by refraining from horn blowing, yelling, and inappropriate language. Our goal is to keep the students as safe as possible and students will be unloaded accordingly. Please realize that there will be times that traffic is heavier than others. The beginning of school and bad weather days will provide slower traffic. Please adjust your departure schedule accordingly.


Cafeteria Information
Lunch menus and lunch account information can be received by calling the cafeteria directly at 859-2694. Lunch menus are also available on the school web site at wat.robcoschools.org.  Student lunch accounts may also be monitored by using www.mylunchmoney.com. Menus will be sent home at the beginning of each month. Students have a choice of a hot lunch or bag lunch daily. Salads are offered to students on Tuesdays and Thursdays unless otherwise notified by the cafeteria. Ala carte items are available for purchase throughout the week.


Contacts
Communication is an extremely important part of our Watauga elementary program. A weekly school newsletter will be sent home from the school office with a school calendar and current information. Each week students will receive a newsletter from their homeroom teacher outlining skills, homework, and announcements. The Watauga website is also an excellent resource for viewing school happenings.  The school office is open from 7:00-3:00 daily to answer phone calls. Teachers will be given messages to return calls on their planning time.
 

Dismissal
Bus riders and kindergarten students will be dismissed to the bus area by the playground. If a kindergarten student is a car rider with a sibling at Watauga they will be allowed to be dismissed to this area as well.

Car riders in grades 1-5 will be escorted to the front of the building and will be dismissed to their vehicles under the supervision of school personnel.
If a student will be riding home a different way than the plan established with the teacher, a note must be received by the school. If a student has someone going home with them, both student and guest must bring a note giving permission for this guest. (This prevents surprise visitors showing up at your doorstep!) If a note is not received and the parent cannot be reached, we must send the student home according to the established plan. Please be courteous to everyone and try to make transportation plan changes before 2pm each day.
Grades
Students receive progress reports each 41/2 weeks and a report card each nine weeks.  Parents should receive weekly graded papers from each teacher. If you have any questions or concerns regarding grades please contact your teacher at once.


Homework
Homework is issued for needed practice. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure their homework
is complete and on time. The average homework assignment should take an average of no more than ten minutes per grade level. For example, 10 minutes for Kindergarten, 20 minutes for 1st grade etc. If your student is spending more than 1 hour per evening on homework, please contact the teacher to see if there is a problem.


Dress Code
School dress codes must include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. No head covers, except yarmulkes, Muslim scarves
2. No bare midriff, revealing necklines
3. Shorts and skirts must be at least fingertip length
4. No tube, tank or see through tops
5. No sagging pants
6. No attire promoting alcohol, tobacco, or drugs
7. No dusters or trench coats
8. No clothing containing advertising for objectionable causes or offensive language
9. No unnatural hair color, or unconventional hair coloring will be permitted
10. No facial piercing, earrings only
11. No gang related clothing
12. Shoes/sandals must be worn at all times (no shoes with wheels may be worn)
13. Outer clothing which resembles lounge wear, pajamas, or underwear is prohibited
14. No spikes, chains or other items that cause a safety concern
If a student is found to be in violation of the dress code, they will be asked to call their parents to get appropriate clothing.


Discipline
Watauga Elementary Students are asked to follow four basic rules:
-Keep Hands and Feet to self
-Follow directions immediately and without comment.
-Respect school property and the property of others.
-Respect other student’s right to learn.

Most discipline procedures are handled in the classroom. Parents will be contacted by note and/or phone. Weekly behavior charts are used in many classrooms.

Students will be referred to the office if they have unsuccessfully followed their classroom plan. Students will be immediately sent to the office for the following reasons:

-Fighting
-verbal abuse of classmates or school personnel
-destruction of school property
-zero tolerance offenses which involve words of violence such as kill, shoot, blow-up, etc.
-excessive classroom disruption

Parents will be contacted when students are sent to the office with a discipline referral. Offenses are most often dealt with by student/parent conference, In School Suspension, corporal punishment, or out of school suspension. Parents are always involved as a part of the disciplinary team. Bus referrals will be handled in the school office as well.

Severe and zero tolerance offenses can be referred to the Robertson County Discipline Authority.

Personal Items
The following items are not allowed at Watauga Elementary as they are of great monetary value and may become lost or broken:

Hand held games of any kind
Cell Phones
Large sums of money not intended for a specific school purpose
Ipods or like musical devices
Collectable Cards (sports, Pokemon, etc) that could be of worth
Any item that would not be replaceable if lost or broken.

We strongly encourage that all students have names in jackets, on backpacks, and in purses or wallets. The school cannot be responsible for lost or stolen items. For questions regarding specific items please contact the office.


Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO)
The Watauga Parent-Teacher Organization is an active support group of Watauga Elementary. Monthly meetings and activities will be announced through the school and PTO newsletters.


Accelerated Reader
The AR Program provides an opportunity for students to read and achieve at their own pace; building a lifelong love of reading and learning. Students in grades 1-5 may read books on their level and take tests to achieve points.  Recognition rewards are set up at corresponding point values. Students are recognized during morning announcements and are awarded charms to display their accomplishments. Students may take tests in their classroom as well as in the library and computer lab every morning and afternoon.  A complete list of book quizzes are on display in the computer lab and library and may also be retrieved on the Watauga Elementary School website.


Testing Programs
Students at Watauga Elementary are evaluated on a regular basis to monitor continuous progress. Below you will find some information regarding our regular school-wide evaluations. Testing on an individual basis may also occur if it is deemed beneficial by the teacher, parent, and administration.

Writing and Mock Writing Assessment-K-5 students participate in a school-wide mock writing assessment each November and January to practice writing skills. All of these assessments are scored by faculty and staff according to the Tennessee State Rubric. Results are reviewed with the students in order to improve their understanding of writing processes. In February our 5th grade students take the formal state writing assessment which is scored at the state level and returned to the school.

ThinkLink Testing-Thinklink testing occurs each September, December and February for 1st-5th grade students. Kindergarten students do not take this assessment. First grade students participate in only the December and February assessments. This assessment evaluates skills at different intervals to ensure students are progressing and maintaining skills taught during the school year. These results are used to remediate and enrich individual student programs.

TCAP Testing- Students in grades 1-5 take this assessment each spring. The test is usually given the last of March or first of April. This is a comprehensive assessment that evaluates skills for the school year. These results are usually received by the end of the school year and are used to evaluate the instructional needs of each student.

STAR Reading- Students in grades 1-5 take a STAR Reading test in the computer lab three times a year to determine their reading level.  These tests can measure individual student growth, as well as class growth.  These statistics will help students choose appropriate reading level books in the AR Program AND forecast accurate and reliable results for standardized tests

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Special Services
Guidance Counseling
Computer Lab Instruction
Library Classes
Physical Education
Health Instruction
Music Instruction
Art Classes one time per month
After School Tutorial
Character Counts- program through the guidance department which emphasizes good character through an emphasis on the traits of respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, and caring.
Students have the opportunity daily to earn tickets of recognition which are announced over the intercom and entered into a monthly prize drawing for character charms.

The following programs are available for qualifying students:

Speech and Language-special education
Resource-special education
CDC-special education
Occupational Therapy=special education
Physical Therapy-special education
Rise for Gifted Students
ELL- English Language Learners
Ridgetoppers Aftercare- opening January 2008 for students in grades K-5. Open from dismissal until 6:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Holidays and summer care also available. Make inquiries at the school office.
Boy Scout and Girl Scout opportunities are often available through outside agencies which utilize the school facilities. Please contact the school to check on availability.


Student Council
The Watauga Student Council provides leadership opportunities for students as well as an opportunity to develop organizational skills. Each August students in grades 3-5 have the opportunity to run for student council representative. Each applicant must maintain a C average, have good attendance, and no office discipline referrals. Students must have two teacher signatures recommending their application. Each homeroom in grades 3-5 will elect two representatives. One representative will serve during the first semester and the remaining representative the second semester.


Visitors
All visitors are asked to enter in the main lobby which faces Lake Road. Visitors must report to the office to sign in and obtain a visitor badge. These badges should remain on during the entire visit. If you would like to visit an area other than the one listed on the sign in sheet, please return to the office to let them know. This allows us to ensure the safety of all students and the safety of our visitors as well


This information has been submitted to assist students and parents with Watauga Elementary School policies and procedures.  A more complete version of Robertson County's policies can be found by clicking here and then select "Student Handbook"