Getting to School

Arrival and Dismissal

School Hours: 7:30 a.m. through 2:35 p.m. No students will be dismissed after 2:00 p.m. except in the case of an emergency.

Arrival

• Arrival times:  Student drop-off and supervision is available for students beginning at 7:00 a.m. 
  • Students arriving between 7:00 and 7:15 AM will be monitored at the south entry by the gym. Students should be at school no later than 7:30.     
• PreK through 1st with older siblings will be dropped off and enter on the East Circle Drive between 7:15 - 7:30; gates close at 7:30; parents will proceed to the office entrance if arrived past 7:30
• 2nd – 5th Grade Student Arrival:  students who do not have younger siblings will enter the gymnasium door in the front of the building and report directly to class.
• Tardies:  Students are considered tardy at 7:31 a.m. Students arriving at 7:31 and later will enter the office doors for a tardy pass. Students arriving after 8:00 must be walked in by the parent/guardian.

Dismissal

• Dismissal: Students will be dismissed outside by the sidewalk in designated areas. Siblings will not be grouped together.
• Parents will need to pick up the youngest sibling first and follow the flow of traffic to the oldest sibling. This should expedite the pick up line as traffic will not be backed up by parents waiting for the oldest siblings to get to the youngest as well as protect time in the learning environment for the older siblings.
  • PK will exit the north doors of the blue hall (by Mrs. Haigh and Miss Lightfoot’s rooms) and turn right, walking east to their designated spots on the U drive beside the park. Teacher names are written on the sidewalk.
  • Kindergarten will exit on the east side and walk east to the U drive and turn left (north) to their designated spots. Teacher names are written on the sidewalk.
  • 1st grade will exit on the east side and walk east to the U drive (exiting behind Kindergarten) heading east to the U drive and turn right (south) to their designated spots. Teacher names are written on the sidewalk.
  • 2nd grade will exit by the cafeteria to the east.  They will head east to the U drive and turn right (south) to their designated spots on the south side of the dumpsters. Teacher names are written on the sidewalk.
  • 3rd grade will exit through the south doors beside the gym. They will turn left (east) and cross the circle drive to their designated spot on the sidewalk in front of the flagpoles. Teacher names are written on the sidewalk.
  • 4th grade will  exit through the south doors beside the gym. They will turn right (west) their designated spot on the sidewalk in front of the Educare Parking lot. Teacher names are written on the sidewalk.
  • 5th grade will  exit through the gym and exit the west doors and follow the sidewalk. They will turn right (west) to their designated spot on the sidewalk in front of the Educare Parking lot. Teacher names are written on the sidewalk.
• Late Pick-up: please call the office if you will be picking up your student late due to an emergency. 
  Important: order of contacts if we have not heard from you and are unable to reach you:
  • Student calls parent
  • School calls parent
  • School calls approved emergency contacts
  • School calls Campus Police
  • School calls DHS
    
    District Policy: School ends each day at 2:35.  Any child left unattended and without notice after 30 minutes is subject to being surrendered to the Tulsa Public Schools Campus Police Department or the Tulsa Police Department and will be recorded as a Child in Need of Supervision with a referral to the Department of Human Services.
    Please make every effort to be on time picking up your student(s); call the school at 918-833-9900 if you are having an emergency situation that is causing your delay.

Early Pick up: There will be no early pick after 1:50 PM every day.

EARLY RELEASE  DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER/NATURAL DISASTER/EMERGENCY  EVENT

You will be notified by School Messenger if we are releasing early for any of the above reasons (please be sure your primary phone number is current and accurate at the school; MESSENGER: text 67587 and respond YES; if from Kendall-Whittier, you will see KWES Update) .

Snow Days: Stay tuned to your radio/TV/School Messenger (phone) and listen for school closing updates

INCLEMENT WEATHER PICK-UP AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY

Parents will be notified by MESSENGER between 2:10 - 2:20 pm if they need to come into the school to pick up their child(ren) due to inclement weather. We try to avoid indoor dismissal, but some days it is inevitable.

• Parents will go to the door from which their child usually exits. Students will be in the hallway by the door waiting for parents.
• Walkers will be allowed to leave once weather permits (must be 3rd grade and older) 
• Bus/Day-Care kids will ride their buses/vans 
• Students will be dismissed at 2:35 P.M.  At 2:50, all remaining students will be taken to the front lobby where parents can then pick them up in the front circle drive.  Please make every effort to be on time.
• After 2:50, if your child  has not  yet been picked up, late pick-up rules  apply and you will be required to show your Photo ID

Attendance and Absences

District Policy 2204 and 2614

• Daily attendance in public school is required by the State of Oklahoma §70-10-105
• Students arriving after 8:00 a.m. will need to be accompanied by an adult into the office, providing the clerk the reason for tardiness.
• If your child cannot come to school, report the absence by calling the main office and report the reason for the absence before 8:30 a.m.  The phone number for the main office is 918-833-9900 
• Poor Attendance Outcomes: If you do not contact the school, the absence will be considered an unexcused absence. Frequent tardies and absences affect your child’s academic progress and self-esteem. Additionally, a high frequency of tardies and/or absences may cause your student to be reported to the district Truancy Officer, resulting in a Court appearance and fines. Lastly, students with excessive absences may be retained. Explained and Excused absences are still absences and do count against attendance and negatively im[act students as students are missing instruction.
• Excused (E) absences are granted for the following reasons: 
  
  1. Student illness.  If a student is absent for three days or more, a doctor’s note is requested
  2. Death in the family or family emergencies
  3. Head lice/nit removal—2 days are considered “explained”; days after that will be considered unexplained
  4. Students with regularly scheduled appointments or frequent absences will be asked to show an appointment card or bring a doctor’s note. Parents are encouraged to request these appointments be scheduled outside of school hours.
   
• Students who have several consecutive unexcused absences will be automatically dropped from enrollment. When the student returns to school after a 10 day unexcused absence, a parent must take a proof of address to the Enrollment Center and re-enroll the student. If the student is at the school on a transfer, this may affect whether or not the child will be allowed to return the following school year.

Definitions

Tardy: Reporting to school at 7:31 and after constitutes tardy

Truancy: Failure to report to school without a valid excuse or skipping school constitutes truancy

Four Year-Old Program

• The four-year-old program is a full day program. Hours are 7:30-2:35
• All students in our PK - 1st grade program are part of a Dual Language program; depending on your child’s home language, s/he will receive Language Arts in their home language. Social Studies and Science are taught to all students in Spanish. 
• Math is taught to all students in English.
• Daily attendance is REQUIRED if you enroll your student in PK; Chronic attendance problems or failure to observe school hours may result in dismissal of the student from the program.

If You Move During the School Year

• You are encouraged to take your child to your new neighborhood school and enroll in the new school, OR, you may choose to remain at Kendall-Whittier for the remainder of the school year.  If you choose to remain at KW, you will need to provide transportation and your children will need to be on time and maintain a good attendance record. If attendance becomes a concern, the principal may elect to deny continued enrollment at KW for the following school year and request that your child attend his/her new home school. To remain at KW the following year, you must apply for a transfer at the Enrollment Center.  Attendance is critical for your child’s learning. Consistent tardiness and frequent absences may cause a revocation of a transfer.