Attendance IS Important!
When students are absent or late, they miss important learning, and they often feel behind when they return to the classroom. When teachers stop instruction to help a student who is tardy, all other students lose precious learning time as well. Please help your child be at school on time everyday! Students can arrive, and will be supervised, on the school playground starting at 7:45 a.m. The first bell is at 7:55 a.m. Students are tardy after 8:00 a.m.
If you know that your child will be absent or late, please report this as soon as possible to the 24 hour attendance line: 303-734-5780 or submit the Attendance Form (please do not do both). We will be following established state and district guidelines regarding unexcused and excessive absences and tardies. Minutes accumulated beyond 24 hours of unexcused absences and tardies are considered excessive.
Attendance Policy
Animals in Schools
Students and parents may not bring animals onto school or district premises unless authorized by the site administrator. (Board Policy Code IMG) Animals may be on school or district premises in connection with an organized school or district activity approved by the site administrator. Animals are allowed to be in a classroom or district facility for a specific and appropriate educational purpose for the time necessary to achieve the educational goal.
**If the family dog walks a Sandburg student to school or comes to pick-up at the end of the day, it may not enter the school property. This includes the playground area! Make arrangements to meet your child(ren) out on the sidewalk by the street if you have a pet with you.**
Bad Weather - Recess when it is Cold and/or Snowy Weather
Children must come to school prepared to play outside. We will have recess if the temperature with wind chill is 20 degrees or higher. If they wish to play in the snow students should wear boots and appropriate clothing. If there is considerable precipitation, recess will be held inside. If your child has a doctor's note to refrain from PE or recess, we will honor that and allow them to remain inside the building.
Birthdays/Parties
Classroom teachers will share with their families how holidays, birthdays, and other events are celebrated in the classroom.
If your child brings party invitations to school, please pass them out before or after school hours. Please do not have them give the invitations to the teachers to hand out.
Buses
Information pertaining to your student's bus number, stop location, and pick-up times can be located on the Transportation tab in your Parent Portal account.
Are you open enrolled and would like to request transportation for your child? Click here for more information on the district's transportation webpage.
Does your child want to ride the bus home with a friend? If your child is either a bus rider who wants to ride a different bus to or from school or is a non-bus rider, he/she must have a written note signed by the front office. The note may be written by parents and brought to the office for a signature or the office can write a note (with permission & under direction from the parent).
Car Drop-off & Pick-up
With your cooperation, we provide a safe, efficient method of dropping off and picking up students each day. Sandburg Staff provides supervision and guidance in this area for 10 minutes before and 15 minutes after school.
Classroom entry before & after school
Students must come to the front office to ask for assistance. Office staff will call into the classroom. If the teachers are in the classroom and available, students will be able to go to the classroom. If the teachers are not in their classrooms or unavailable, students will not be able to enter the classroom and must go out to the playground to wait for the bell to ring. Students may not wait in the front office lobby before school.
Closure / Delayed Start
If schools are closed or delayed due to inclement weather and/or questionable road conditions, parents should visit LPS's website (www.littletonpublicschools.net) for information about school closures or delays or tune into local radio & television stations the morning of the day in question. Media outlets are informed if schools are closed or delayed. No announcements on the LPS website or by the media means all schools are open as usual.
Click here to read a letter from Mrs. Tarbell with details on weather related closures and delays.
Click here for detailed information from the district regarding closures and/or delayed starts.
Communication
A weekly newsletter will be sent out to families via email with a letter from the principal as well as any important information to share. Important dates and announcements will be updated on the website daily. Other communication will be sent home in Friday folders.
Discipline
The Littleton Public School District Code of Conduct will be enforced by Sandburg staff and the principal. There will be no tolerance for bullying, weapons, drugs, or fighting.
Additionally, for student safety, we ask students to wear shoes that will not interfere with activities such as running, jumping, and/or climbing. Students wearing flip flops, slippers, and sandal type shoes often experience falls and injuries.
Hats should not be worn in the building or on the playgrounds (winter hats during cold weather are permitted outside only).
Homework
Parents/students should communicate to the teacher if homework is too challenging or time intensive. Teachers will work collaboratively with students to meet their needs. For planned absences, teachers need at least 48 hours notice to prepare assignments in advance. Some work may need to be done when the student returns.
Lost & Found
When students leave items at school such as clothing, coats, boots, gloves, water bottles, lunchboxes, etc, these items will be placed in the Lost and Found. Items left in classrooms will be moved to the kiva and placed in a Lost and Found bin where students can reclaim their lost items. Each week unclaimed items will be moved to the Lost and Found area near the Cafe. Those items will be donated to charity at the end of each month.
We will make every effort to return lost items to their owners. We encourage parents to label jackets, sweatshirts, boots, water bottles, lunchboxes, and other personal items with the student’s name. Items with student names will be returned to their owner.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Formal parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled in the fall (October) and the spring (March) of each year. If at any time you wish to conference with a teacher, please schedule an appointment. Dates for conferences are posted on the Sandburg Calendar.
Personal Property (toys, electronics, etc.)
Children should not bring any items of great value. Sandburg will not be responsible for lost or stolen items. Toys, electronics, etc. are not allowed in class without the teacher's approval. Accessing school Wi-Fi without approval is also prohibited.
Phones & Phone Calls
One of the areas listed in the Student Code of Conduct handbook speaks to the use of cell phones. You may refer to these rules on our LPS website under Board Policy JICDA. While we appreciate the importance of communication between a parent and child, and the assurance cell phones provide, especially to students walking to/from school, cell phones should be regarded as emergency phones.
If children bring cell phones to school, please understand that they bring them at their own risk for potential damage, loss, or theft. Also, cell phones are to be kept in backpacks at all times only for use off school property.
Students have the ability to use school phones if the need arises. Cell phones are not to be the means by which a student contacts a parent or others during the school day. This policy also applies to school buses which are also considered school property during the transportation of students. The use of cell phones to take pictures on school property is strictly forbidden. This includes bus travel.
Classroom teachers (of intermediate students) have or will be reviewing with students our Student Code of Conduct rules regarding this issue. Unfortunately, if a student does not follow the rules as set before them, we will take the cell phone to the office and place a call to parents to come pick up the phone.
Thank you for helping us enforce this policy so that our students are better able to focus their attention fully on learning and learning opportunities while at Sandburg.
Safety and security remain the most important parts of providing a great place for students to learn and grow at Sandburg. We need your help in the following ways:
Emergency Drills
Bus Evacuation Drills: The Colorado Department of Education requires that these Emergency Evacuation Drills be conducted twice each school year by the Transportation Department. Every effort will be made to minimize the students arriving late for class.
Fire Drills: If you are in the school during a fire drill, you will be required to join us in getting outside and away from the building. Classroom teachers will be taking their students to a pre-designated location and are required to account for each of their students. No child will be dismissed during a fire drill and only after we are assured that every student is safely out of the building will we return to the building. If you come to the building during a fire drill, please wait outside until the drill is complete. In the event of a fire, please move away from the building. We are required to conduct one drill per month during the school year.
Secured Perimeter / Lock Down Drills: If you are in the school during a Secured Perimeter/Lock Down drill, you will be required to join us in our secured locations. No child will be dismissed during a Secured Perimeter/Lock Down drill. Only after we are assured that every student is safely in a secured location will students and teachers return to classrooms and resume normal daily activities. If you come to the building during a Secured Perimeter / Lock Down drill, please wait outside until the drill is complete. In the event of a true Secured Perimeter / Lock Down, our doors will remained locked until the all clear signal is given by law enforcement and LPS security.
Tornado Drills: If you are in the school during a tornado drill, you will be required to join us in getting to our sheltered areas and away from exterior doors and windows. No child will be dismissed during a tornado drill and only after we are assured that every student is safely in a sheltered area will students and teachers return to classrooms and resume normal daily activities. If you come to the building during a tornado drill, please wait outside until the drill is complete. In the event of a Tornado Watch or Warning, you will be required to join us until the all clear signal is received.
Playground Safety
Equipment: Students shall use playground equipment as it was intended, i.e., sitting on the swings and swinging front to back, hanging from the monkey bars by hands only, going feet first down the slide, hanging from the flyer. Jumping from the swings, climbing atop the monkey bars, going head first down or walking up the slide, and climbing the chains of the flyer are all prohibited. Student must keep both hands on the hanging bars; no dismounts are allowed. Chasing and/or playing tag are not allowed on the equipment. The “count to 30” rule is in effect for taking turns on the swings and “3 tricks” for taking turns on the bars.
River Rocks and Boulders: Students will leave river rocks in the “riverbed.” Rocks, sticks, and dirt clods are to remain on the ground. Rock smashing is strictly prohibited. Students are permitted to sit on the large boulders; however standing or jumping from boulders is prohibited.
Hands and Feet: Students will maintain “safe hands” and “safe feet.” Hitting/punching/pinching/pushing/grabbing/body slamming/ wrestling another student are prohibited. This also goes for kicking/tripping/stepping on another student. Unsafe physical will not be tolerated!
EXCEPTION: In the event that students are playing an organized game such as basketball, kickball, or tag, there is an implied agreement that students will be in appropriate contact with each other in the course of the game. Unnecessarily roughness or unsafe play requires that the game be stopped.
Words and Body Language: Students will talk to other students and adults with respect, using kind and appropriate words and body language. Disrespect, threats, swearing, harassment, and bullying will not be tolerated.
Appropriate Wear: Students will wear clothing and shoes appropriate for the weather and activity in which they are involved. Snow or all weather boots are recommended for walking/playing in the snow. No student will be permitted to engage in an activity where their clothing could cause them to get injured, i.e. running in flip flops or pants that drag on the ground. Spaghetti straps and muscle shirts are prohibited.
Areas and Boundaries: Students must stay in full sight of supervising staff at all times. Behind the portable, the bike rack area, and on the east side of the building are off limits. Students are not permitted to hang on/dig under/play against the fences that border the playground. No student will be permitted to interact with any person outside the fenced area. All visitors/guests to Sandburg must check in at the office and wear an approved badge. The gate must remain closed.
Visitors and Guests: Visitors and guests to Sandburg Elementary School must check in at the office and wear an approved badge. No student will be permitted to interact with any person inside the fenced area who is not wearing a Sandburg visitor badge.
Please reference Student Code of Conduct for behaviors that may result in suspension and/or expulsion.
Traffic Safety
Please obey traffic laws and respect staff members on duty.
S.T.O.P
To improve the safety and quality of life of our citizens, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office implemented the S.T.O.P. program to combat traffic violations in school zones. The amount of time it takes for drivers to: Slow down, Think, Observe, and Proceed with care (S.T.O.P.) only takes a few extra moments.
When a violation is observed, absent the presence of a deputy, school staff or volunteer crossing guards will provide the violators license plate number, description of vehicle and driver, to the Sheriff’s Office for follow up. Registered owners will then be sent a letter in the mail identifying the violation as a notice. Continued violations may lead to the issuance of a citation.
Pedestrians: Do not cross the street until the crossing guard has stopped traffic and motions you to cross.
Bike riders: Walk bikes across the street at the crosswalk and onto school property to the bike rack.
Bus riders: Buses drop off students at the front of the school. A staff member greets students exiting the bus and directs them to their respective playground.
Always call the office if you have questions at 303-347-4675.
Attention Parents: Community members have reported seeing students using these modes of transportation in the middle of the street and in clear danger of being hit by cars on the way to/from school. If your child is taking his/her skate board, bike, or scooter to school, please talk to him/her about traveling safely.
Volunteer Guidelines
We love volunteers!! We know partnerships help make our school a great place to be. Parents/guardians are welcome to volunteer in the building. Other family members or community members must complete a volunteer application. Click here to be directed to the LPS volunteer webpage.
